Beach Spikers: Virtua Beach Volleyball

"Game, Set, Match: Beach Spikers"

Introduction

Ah yes. Yet another Sega sports game out for the Nintendo Gamecube. This time around, you take to the court for a fun and competitive game of beach volleyball under the blazing hot sun. I must say though that this game performs quite well and will provide for hours upon hours of gameplay. This highly entertaining game offers you a few different modes, along with quick-to-learn controls, easy gameplay, and absolutely stunning graphics. When I first walked by the shelf with Beach Spikers on it at my local Blockbuster, I felt a little incredulous. Will this just be a “chick” game? Will this actually have good gameplay as opposed to some of the other sloppy sports games out on the GCN? The answer to these questions will be found throughout this review. I must say that this game well exceeded my expectations and, in my honest opinion, is THE best sports games out for the Gamecube.

I compliment Beach Spikers in two areas of the game, and that is the Graphics and Difficulty Level. Although this game starts out easy, as you progress through, it tends to get a bit difficult. I believe Sega has gone and done a terrific job in making this game challenging, and has put the Gamecube’s capabilities to work in the Graphics section. But this is what I think about the difficulty level and graphics, and you may think of it differently. Now if you don’t mind, let’s elaborate a bit on the specific areas of this game.

Gameplay

In my opinion, gameplayis the single most important part of a game. The importance, I believe, is heightened even more when playing a sports game. The gameplay in Beach Spikers is perfect, and is evident when you are playing the game. The flow of the game is smooth, with no large loading interruptions. The learning curve for the game is only a mere five to six minutes after you learn what the controls are. Beach Spikers does come equipped with a Tutorial, which is great for the first-time players. You get to learn the main skills of the game with a very in-depth and detailed instructor. However it is a bit long and if you are too anxious to play the game, I suggest you skip this and read the instruction manual, or learn the controls yourself as you play. It is up to you though. The controls in the game are very easy. First off, you obviously use the analog stick to move. The A is your primary button, performing skills such as volley, bump, spike and overhand serve. The B button is your secondary button, performing skills such as underhand serve and quick volley. Furthermore, if you simultaneously press A and B, you can perform different skills such as a jump serve.

Now as you are reading this review you’re probably asking yourself: “Sure the controls are easy, but is this game any fun?” The answer to this question is yes. This game is exceptionally fun, as you can play the 3 different modes: Arcade Mode, World Tour Mode, and Multiplayer Mode. Arcade Mode is a small tournament that you can compete in by selecting which team/country you would like to be from a handful of ones. The games start off short, being only five points long, but you can adjust that if you want by going to the options menu. Also, if the game gets way too easy for you in the beginning, another quick trip to Options menu will fix that.

The World Tour Mode offers the player a first-class look at the unique structure of the “main mode” of the game. First off you get to choose which team/country you would like to be for the mega tournament. After this, the uniqueness of the World Tour is depicted. You then get to select what attributes your partner has. You can change their hair color, and even add to their skills (i.e. serving, spiking etc.) with a limited amount of points. As you progress through the tour, you will gain more points with each match you win, which can be added towards your partner’s skills. This is an excellent part of the game that Sega did a first-rate job on. The only very minor downside to this is that you cannot compete in a two player World Tour. Your teammate has to an AI. But like I said, this is very minor.

The next mode you can participate in is Multiplayer Mode or Versus Mode. Here you can play up to four players for outstanding two on two action, and endless hours of gameplay. Furthermore, you can play against a friend with the help of and AI in each person’s team. The downside to this is that the AI’s ability to play volleyball is somewhat lacking. But at least your friend will suffer with that too. Overall, the gameplay for Beach Spikers is really remarkable, offering you a chance to challenge your friends in Multiplayer Mode, to compete in a mini-tournament in Arcade Mode, and a unique World Tour mode that adds to the overall well being of the game as well as what sets this game apart from other sports games.

Graphics

One word easily describes the visual aspects of Beach Spikers: Stunning. Sega truly has used the awesome power that is found in that little box that we call Gamecube. The visuals in this game rival even Madden 2002, which is quite a task considering the very well done graphics found in that sports game. The beach volleyball courts are VERY well detailed, showing even footprints being left in the sand. Another example of the detail in the graphics would be the expression on the women’s faces after the point is completed. I have never seen the features on someone’s face so detailed in a sports game. Also, after you slam the ball into the ground for the point, you actually see the imprint the ball makes as it hits the sand.

Now, let’s just take the focus of the foreground now and place it on the background. After everything in the foreground, the audience is what catches your eye first in the background. Do you remember when in other sports games, you would always get a flat, very unattractive audience with only a “person” popping up here or there? Well in Beach Spikers, you have quite the opposite. The game actually has a moving crowd, with arms, which is another aspect that adds to the game’s triumph. Furthermore, if you ever get the chance to look up at the sky, you will see how detailed it is. Whether it’s a sunny day without a cloud in the sky, or it’s an overcast day with every little detail put into the clouds. Although you do not see the sky very often, Sega put some effort into making it eye-catching. No other sports game for the GCN have been able to capture the purity, the detail, and the attractiveness of the graphics portrayed in Beach Spikers.

Sound

Sound is pretty good in this game, but you shouldn’t expect much. The only real sounds you hear in a sports game are basically grunts, and cheering. Fortunately, both of these are evident in Beach Spikers. After the serve of your woman player, you hear their signature grunt, which isn’t too loud and audible enough to hear. The cheering of the crowd is also quite clear after each point is played. There is an announcer in the game, who declares whether the ball is in or out, and also bellows with a big “Fantastic!” after each bump you make. This does tend to get very repetitive and monotonous after a while, and starts to really get on your nerves. The audio aspects that Sega put into this game are crystal clear and quite audible, but the announcer continuously saying “Fantastic!” was unnecessary. As I said before, you will not find many sounds in Beach Spikers, and they are greatly overshadowed by the graphics.

Difficulty: Moderately Hard

Beach Spikers difficulty does vary in this game, as it obviously depends on which setting you put it on. The settings are found in none other that the options menu located on the main screen. They range from: Easy, Normal, Hard and Very Hard. If you are a beginner to this game, than you should definitely put the setting on easy, It is the perfect difficultly level for beginners to start on so they can get the basics of the game well known to them. But after easy, the game then starts to get tricky. “Normal” setting gets a little tougher, but should still be a cakewalk for you. The AI’s skill is enhanced a little bit and now starts to perform spikes. “Hard” setting finally brings you into the challenge of the game. The AI actually plays good volleyball and will post a big threat when competing in the World Tour. The same goes for the “Very Hard” setting, except the AI plays almost a perfect match. Sega did a great job here, making the game challenging, but entertaining as well.

Replay Value

The replay value found in Beach Spikers is enormous. You have everything from the Arcade Mode, the World Tour, to Multiplayer, to even playing each all over again on a different difficulty setting. It’s that vast. After completing and mastering “easy” mode in Arcade Mode and the World Tour, why not bump up the level of gameplay to the “Normal” setting. When you have completed that setting, put it on “Hard” and so on. Furthermore, you could try the World Tour again and try to bump your partner’s stats in a different way than you had before. And then there is Multiplayer. Play with your friends for bragging rights or to just have fun on a rainy day. Either way, there is an endless amount of playing time for Beach Spikers.

Review Summary

Let’s just take a minute to summarize the pros and cons of Sega’s new sports game, Beach Spikers.

Pros

- Excellent Graphics
- Smooth gameplay
- Easy-to-learn Controls
- High replay value
- A good challenge
Cons

- To be honest there is not really any cons to this game. The fact that the game is volleyball might turn away a player’s interest. And maybe the lack of a soundtrack built into the game could be added to the short list of cons.

Review Scores

Gameplay – 10/10
Graphics – 10/10
Sound – 8/10
Replay Value – 10/10

Overall – 9/10 (not an average)

Rent or Buy?

In my opinion, I would strongly recommend you to rent this game. However, if you are an avid sports game player and you don’t mind volleyball, than I suggest you buy this game. You will not be disappointed. Great gameplay, mixed with awesome graphics equals a very high fun factor. If you have a boring day at any time, this game will really put the excitement back in your day.

Conclusion

Beach Spikers is an excellent sports game that would make a very good addition to you GCN library. And I must say that it is much better than its other volleyball predecessors out on the gaming market. The visual aspects of Beach Spikers are very impressive and use the full power of the Gamecube. The game will provide you and your friends with many hours of fun and entertaining gameplay. Beach Spikers is really up there with the greats of the console sports games for its uniqueness in its main mode, the World Tour. So for these reasons I would like to tip my cap to Sega for making an enjoyable and admirable sports game for the Nintendo Gamecube.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/22/02, Updated 08/29/02