Outlaw Volleyball

"The Girlz(and Guyz)of Summer."

First Impression::
It seems Hypnotix is worming its way into the sports genre by any means necessary. Even if they have to use sex and adult humor to sale they're product. That's the bad thing,the good thing is that the game is a blast to play. Alot of gamers are missing out on a fun,challenging,humorous,and kinda off the wall V ball game.

The Visuals::10/10
What can I say,they are very topnotch. The character models are very well done. For all you guys out there the female character models are pretty well rendered and includes the customary boob bouncing animation prevalant in most risque games nowadays. I thought DOAX(Dead Or Alive Xtreme Beach) is the best in terms of visual quality in terms of anatomy detail and animation. And it still is, but Outlaw VB is a very close second in terms of anatomy detail but the animation is not as smooth.The visuals between the two games compare to the difference between an apple and an orange. Outlaw VB's character models are more western in terms of graphical art style while DOAX is more Eastern. Its all about what style visually you prefer.
The male characters on this game are not really as attractive as the women. Who would want to look at Clem or Scrummy. Who both look like trailer park trash. The only male character that is somewhat attractive is El Suave. Who happens to sport a jiggling ''package'' so to speak. At least Hypnotix is an equal opportunity sexploiter.
The backgrounds range from a sunny Coney Island beach to a V ball court in a sewer. The courts are pretty detailed but the camera angles are questionable concerning gameplay overall. The backgrounds pale in comparison to the character models but they are good for the purpose they ''serve''. I made a pun ^_^.

Sounding Off::9/10
The commentary is funny yet repetitive. The things that comes out the characters mouth is what makes this game funny or offensive depending on how you stand moral wise. Comments range from sexual innuendo to just plain toilet humor depending on player reactions.
Thank goodness for the option to customize the soundtrack because the in game music leaves alot to be desired. The sound effects in the game are pretty good but you won't notice it since you will be hearing music from the games soundtrack or your own.

How Does it Play?::8/10
Pretty darn good if I may say so myself. You pretty much use all the buttons on the controller if you so desire. On offense you have two spike buttons and a dink button. Meaning you just tap the ball over the net. On Defense you have two dig buttons,a return button,and a block button. By squeezing the right trigger you can charge up your turbo executing a powerful spike,serve,or just make your character run faster around the court.
Those are just the basic controls your going to need them and just an overall feel for the gameplay to be successful at this game because the AI can be pretty challenging. The AI is challenging enough to the point that if you are not playing well the AI will beat you. The Momentum meter for the players you use is crucial to your success. Keep yours high and the opponents low by any means necessary. High momentum allows you to nail your spikes and causes the computer to screw up. This can happen to you if your momentum is low so be careful. If your momentum happens to get low then you can press the fight button to pummel one of the other teams players and take their momentum.
Here is a quick synopsis of the good,the bad,and the ugly that makes up the gameplay of Outlaw VB.

The Good::
-Tight responsive controls
-The ability to switch between both players you chose for a team.
-You can direct where you wish to set the spike and you can pick where you want your set to be when you spike.This is what makes the gameplay the best out of all the volleyball games I've played so far.
-Turbo spiking is your best bet to score.

The Bad::

- The computers AI ability to chase down the volleyball that should be unreachable or unplayable.This bugs me the most.
-Serving is a chore because the ball at times doesn't go where you want it to.
-The computer can cheat at times.

The Ugly::
-The computer can and will cheat at times!You may get a huge lead only to see it shrink because the AI can toughen up in a hurry. Especially if you have a pattern of attack. This is a good thing in a way but its also just as evil or frustrating.
-Clem:-p

What does the game have to Offer?::8/10
The gameplay modes consist of Exhibition,Random play,Tour,X box live, and tutorial. Exhibition is your typical you make a team and I make a team so we can spike on each other all day mode. Random play is the same only the Computer picks random teammates for you. Tour mode Single player wise is where you will spend a good chunk of the time playing. You enter various tournaments to win and acquire more characters,swimsuits,and drills to build up your player characters. The Drills are mini games designed to get you used to the basics of gameplay but also to improve your skill and the player characters attributes who you are using. The tour mode also twists up the gameplay by having rules of play. Yes you will play games where the first to score 7,15, and 21 points is the winner. Hypnotix decided to boost up the challenge by adding a hot potato type of rule. Meaning there is a timer and whoever doesn't have the ball on their opponents court when it stops gets blown up. Then there is Casino. Meaning money is being wagered after volleys during a rally. The money goes up and whoever scores gets the money. The point of this style of play is not who reaches the accumulated points first its whoever has the most money that wins. Believe me these options make the game fun and less monotonous but also makes the game frustrating too.
X box live is pretty self explanatory. You can of course play this game online and also download extra characters providing hypnotix puts one up for download. One is available at this time. The tutorial breaks things down in how to play the game.

Final Analysis::
Outlaw VB is a very fun and intuitive game. Its a shame that its shock value is kinda the reason people are not rushing to get a copy off of store shelves at the moment. It seems DOAX with its hype and pretty visuals got to the retailers and fanboys first. But this game should not be overlooked since the price is being marked down at most game retailers. This game has style, up to 4 players can play, solid gameplay, can be played online, and half naked people with jiggly or swaying body parts. What's not to like besides the game being pretty challenging and a pretty crappy camera. Other than that this game is very good. 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/23/03