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Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball (Xbox)
by AverageJoseph
Background
D.O.A Xtreme Beach VolleyBall is a spin off from the Dead Or Alive video game series where players assume the control of a fairly large roster of characters and take part in various forms or 1 on 1 combat (as well as tag team) offering a different fighting game as it was less about button bashing and more about counters. ... Even then, the ladies of D.O.A had their jubblies shaking about all over the shop thanks to an overzealous rag-doll physics engine.. but this game offers gamers the chance to dress up said jubbly and even pan out and zoom in on it like some kind of amateur virtual pervert. Of course, you don't have to spend all day staring at a virtual lady, lounging on a sun-bed or straddling a palm tree, but considering some of the games other options, you might be better off... If girls can look past the bouncing breasts they may find a cute and addictive game with stylish outfits and gambling, If guys can look past the bouncing breasts, they'd trade this in.
Gameplay
After a pretty random introductory FMV about a man and his jetpack, as well as a showcase for the entirely female roster - BADA BUUM BADA BUUM the song is pretty catchy - you select your girl, get a tour around the island and do the same thing pretty much every day. The 'objective' if ever there was one (which seems unlikely as there is no main accomplishment or goals to achieve) is to find a suitable Volleyball partner (its always 2 on 2) and make friends with them by showering them with shiny trinkets, toys and tiaras. It's not all as fake as Barbie though because each character has their own preferences which revolve around colour and general interest - for example, one may be a typical girly girl wanting everything in pink with ribbons and teddybears (Kasumi) whilst another may prefer something in matte gun metal black... like a gun (Christie). The actual game of volleyball is extreme in one way only - in its simplicity. 2 buttons on and off the ball - pass & smash, dig & spike. Serving can be a bit of a gambit as you can hit the net should you go for a gooden but other than that, its mostly about watching breasts sway mercilessly around as teammates launch into the sand. Multiplayer is offered but properly weird because I struggle to imagine 2 straight blokes seriously playing this game single player let alone together.
Setting
A tropical island with a casino bang in the middle of it and a volcano - need I say more? During the day you lavish gifts on anyone you chose, playing ball, minigames in the pool, relax and go shopping. By night you can hit the casino or hit the sack.. the bed I mean.. there's no Y chromos here. Choose from blackjack, roulette, slots, poker etc in the end though, you only need money to spend on gifts to keep teammates on board, that and an eye for what they find appealing. You can play volleyball in the jungle, on the beach during the day or at sunset.. not that you'd notice much. What makes this game sort of work, is that the graphics are really top notch for an Xbox game from 2003, otherwise it just would not work for obvious trouser snake reasons.
Soundtrack
This one I found to be 50-50, which is a pleasant surprise in itself as you'd expect a japanese game about volleyball to be less than well versed in any musical genre.. So it was nice to see Bob Marley's track 'Is This Love' as well as the odd ska punk song such as Real Big Fish's 'I want your girlfriend to be my girlfriend too' & 'The kids don't like it'. However it's not all legends and obscure bands - B*witched may not be out of place, but that doesn't mean they can write a good song. Any young man playing this game may come to a startling conclusion upon hearing 'Jessie Hold On' (as well as realising you can only spend your money on swimsuits, accessories and general chick stuff) - that makes one wonder, maybe this game really is for girls? Oh, and there's Spice Girls, Christina Aguilera and a reggae cover of Minnie Ripperton's 'Lovin You'... the high F must be sold separately...
Never before has the product rating 'Satisfactory' been more relevant.
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Metal Slug 3 (Xbox)
by autumnleaf
Metal Slug 3 is a no-nonsense, no excuses, all-out arcade game that will please old-school gamers that grew up on 8-16 bit games like Contra, Midnight Resistance and the like. This is a fairly hectic shooter game with bright, clean and well detailed sprites.
You take control of one of four characters, each pretty similar in ... how they play, to take on wave after wave of enemies. The game can be played either single player or multiplayer, with the second player able to drop in or out of the game. Your character essentially has one main gun and a number of grenades that they can throw. Throughout the game you can pick up a number of different weapons to replace your main gun, but when you die, you will revert back to your original gun. Enemies range from simple ground enemies that shoot back at you, zombies who's main threat is when they're in numbers, helicopters that drop bombs to big bosses. There is plenty of variation to prevent you from getting bored.
True to its arcade roots, (right down to the bad translations of Bomb and Arms!) this game is very difficult at times. To the point where it can seem a little unfair with unavoidable deaths. The ability to select the number of lives and continues helps take the edge off of things somewhat though and for me, the multitude of deaths is part of the fun rather than being frustrating. The main game, is relatively short (being only an hour or so) but it is the sort of game you can happily pick up every now and then for a play through, especially when you have mates around.
All in all, a great game for those after a dose of arcade-style nostalgia.
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The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (Xbox)
by DooYou
The gaming world has already proved that today's games are fully capable of offering true freedom. Grand Theft Auto 3 is one of the milestones in videogame history, and gamers were for the first time able to experience gameplay and exploration only seen before in RPG's such as Final Fantasy or Fallout. So if today's technology allows ... this amount of freedom in an action game, think of the potential for an RPG offering gameplay on the same sort of scale. Chances are the image you are picturing in your head is not unlike "The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind".
Fans of RPG's will have no problem settling in at Morrowind; a fictional island of about three miles in diameter. While three miles may not seem especially huge, the developers have somehow managed to cram a ridiculous amount of NPC's, towns, villages and monsters of all variety into Morrowind, and the amount of quests available should keep even the most demanding gamer occupied for weeks.
The plot follows your character who, just released from prison, must follow different orders and embark on many different quests in order to advance through the game and build your experience.
You play as any character you like. Whether you feel like testing your skills as a Kajiit thief or a fearless Orc warrior, you are presented with a fully customisable set of character options. And the type of character you decide to play actually affects the course of the game. NPC's are more likely to respond with respect to a well-spoken Imperial than a violent, intimidating Nord, and certain guilds suit some classes and races better than others, meaning that the replay value potential is pretty amazing. That is, if you have enough patience to complete the game the first time round.
Yes, unfortunately "TES: Morrowind" is not without its problems. One of which (the only problem major enough to warrant a mention) will determine whether the gamer finds this even playable; the fact that everything is so unbelievably time consuming. In an afternoon's play you are lucky if you manage to advance a single level, and "Morrowind" demands a ridiculous amount of exploration. Of course, many RPG fans will love this game due to that single fact, but more casual gamers will no doubt be put off by the sheer size of the game and the amount of time required to even begin to enjoy the game properly. One thing "TES 3" is not is a pick-up-and-play game. Don't think for a moment this is the sort of thing you can play after a night out down the pub; each session of play requires at least an hour for you to really settle back into the world of Morrowind. But once you've got into it, believe me, "TES 3" will eat your life.
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