Outlaw Volleyball

"Great fun for $5."

Outlaw Volleyball: Red Hot continues the tradition set by Outlaw Golf: Nine More Holes of X-Mas Golf by giving folks a lot of gaming thrills for just $5. Yet another in the line of inexpensive BlockBuster exclusives, this one is more enjoyable of the two “Outlaw” exclusives available, and given how well-done X-Mas Golf was, that‘s no small feat.

Much like that game, the focus here is on having fun. There are some basic rules thrown in for good measure, but beyond that, the game is just all-out volleyball insanity. The core gameplay of Red Hot can best be described as Virtua Tennis in a volleyball setting. Much like the Sega classic, you’ve got a meter to charge up your shots, and a simple, one-button control system for hitting the ball. Moving around the court is a breeze, much like VT, and the brisk gameplay also bears a striking resemblance to it as well. Red Hot could easily be described as a Virtua Tennis clone in volleyball clothing, a moniker that might hurt other games, but works quite well here.

There are far worse things to be in the gaming industry than a near-imitation of the best in a genre, and RH does have some unique traits to set it apart from not only Sega’s classic franchise, but the rest of the volleyball games out there as well. For one thing, the various super moves help distance this title from the rest, and add some spice to the gameplay, that would otherwise be lacking “just” a little bit without them.

Aside from the VT-esque play, and the super moves that set it apart from other volleyball games, Red Hot features a rather unique feel to it, one that carries over to pretty much every aspect of the game, from the way it plays, to how it plays, into the graphics and through the sound. All of this helps give it a game-specific mood, the kind that lets you know that you are playing a unique, exciting game.

Red Hot controls like a dream, with a logical button layout and simple control scheme that make enjoying the game that much easier. Hypnotix (the development team behind the game) did an admirable job at making the controls responsive, and have kept the in-game meters for charging up shots easy to use via the responsive controls. Hitting the ball on the rebound is easy too, since the responsiveness carries over to that element of the game, going so far as to make combination shots from one team member to another easy to execute, which had to be a challenge. Thankfully, their hard work in this department paid off quite well.

The work done with the graphics doesn’t hold up as well, though. While there isn’t anything altogether bad about them, there isn’t all that much that is great about them either. They’re middle-of-the-road in most regards, barring the playfields, which have a lot going on, and do look rather impressive. The character models look seamless, which is nice, but tend to look rather generic due to a lack of details on them. The character animation gets the job done, but it isn’t all that fluid. The ball physics look good though, which is important for a game like this, where horrid physics could ruin an otherwise fine game.

The audio is pretty decent, it’s not as good as the audio featured in Nine More Holes of X-Mas Golf, but it’s far from bad. Well, with the exception of the commentary, which adds very little to the goings-on at best, and tends to take away from the task at hand on a regular basic. The music throughout the game is nice, and does add a sense of intensity to the action.

Thanks to it’s quick gameplay style, Red Hot features quite a bit of replay value. The fun, light-hearted tone of the game adds some enjoyment, and the game itself is a blast to play. The mode selection is pretty decent all things considered, and should keep you entertained for quite some time. Much like with X-Mas Golf, this game is best enjoyed in short bursts, as long play sessions tend to expose the faults.

At the end of the day, this game gives you quite a bit of bang for your buck. It offers up more enjoyment than some full-priced volleyball games, and at a mere $5, it’s impossible to not recommend this game. If you can’t find it at a local BlockBuster, try searching GameStop, or if you have one, a local store that specializes in used titles, it might just pop up their. BlockBuster’s site might also offer it as well. If you like the genre, you’ll love this game, and even if you don’t, you’ll probably enjoy it quite a bit.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/10/04