Genre: Sports
Developer: Hypnotix
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Interactive
Released On: July 9, 2003
# of Players: 1-4
ERSB: Mature
Supports: Xbox Live, 480p
MSRP: $49.99
Also On: None
Website: Xbox.com
Better Than: Beach Spikers
Introduction
The Outlaw series of sports titles from Hypnotix is what you get when you combine a solid sports game engine with an equally great sense of humor. It’s obvious with every press of the button that these games are designed by gamers, and their latest offering Outlaw Volleyball for the Xbox is no exception to the rule. OV is chock full of funny jokes, challenging gameplay, mini-games, unlockable content and some of the most colorful and stereotypical characters ever found in a video game: there’s Clem the toothless white-trash hillbilly, Chica the trash-talking hoochie mama, Doe Joe the Elvis loving Japanese karate reject, Natasha the Russian butch lesbian – and that’s just for starters. Featuring a total of 16 characters and 12 equally diverse locations to play in, there’s something for everyone. I should point out that this game is rated “M” for mature, and with some risqué language and suggestive themes it’s definitely not intended for younger players.
Presentation
Outlaw Volleyball comes off as a bit of a joke sports title, but underneath the satirical exterior there’s a real sports game in there. Several game modes are there for you to choose right from the start, and more will become available as you progress through the game. ‘Exhibition’ mode lets you and up to 3 friends choose from any of the unlocked characters and stages and battle it out in one of the game’s various game play modes (‘Classic’, ‘Hot Potato’, ‘Casino’).
"The Outlaw series of sports titles from Hypnotix is what you get when you combine a solid sports game engine with an equally great sense of humor."
|
‘Random Play’ is much like ‘Exhibition’ except the computer chooses everything for you and lets you get right to the action. ‘Tour’ mode is the real meat of the game offering 5 unique challenges on each of the game’s 10 initial stages; pick a partner and get to work unlocking various hidden characters, outfits (over 50 per player!) and stages amongst other things. ‘Drill’ mode is a series of mini-games that allows you to take your character and beef up their abilities (Power, Speed, Offense and Defense). The mini-games offered in ‘Drill’ mode are quite entertaining ranging from a Space Invaders like game in which you must knock down advancing rows of spectators on the opposite side of the net as they march ever so slowly towards you, all the way to a Hogan’s Alley like shooting range game where you must spike the ball and knock down targets of various villains painted on pieces of plywood while you avoid hitting the innocents – watch out for the nuns! ‘Tutorials’ is next, a section that will give you some further instructions on how to give the opposition a good pounding, though unlike the ‘Drills’ these are merely videos for you to watch. Lastly we have my favorite mode, ‘Xbox Live’, which allows you and a friend (“guest” logins supported) to challenge the world in an attempt to be king of the in-game online leader board. The menu’s in this game are set up very nice and easy to navigate, with the typical ‘A’ button advance and ‘B’ button retreat.
Graphics
Visually this game is nothing to shake a stick at, as Hypnotix has proven yet again that the Renderware engine can still pull off some good looking graphics when put in the hands of a capable developer. Each character has been crafted down to minute details, especially in the face department (amongst other areas) and look just plain great. The stages are also rather impressive with effects such as lens flare, rippling water, dozens of spectators standing on the sidelines and some rather fancy explosions when you pull off a turbo attack. The game also supports 480p for players with HDTV televisions, though even with a standard set the visuals are very clean and crisp. Frame-rate wise, OV isn’t as silky as say DOA Volleyball, but while there are dips and stutters here and there it is very smooth for the most part and extremely playable.
Sound
"The in-game commentary is provided by none other than Steve Carell, and he has some of his funniest lines yet!"
|
The audio quality in Outlaw Volleyball is great as well. Each of the game’s various characters has plenty to talk about, and Hypnotix has spared no expense when it came to the voice-acting talent. And as with Outlaw Golf, the in-game commentary is provided by none other than Steve Carell (Comedy Central’s The Daily Show), and he has some of his funniest lines yet! You’ve just got to hear them; it’s a laugh riot. The game also doesn’t disappoint in the music department, as your ears are treated to a rather diverse blend of everything from hip-hop to bubblegum punk and back again. Basically, if you’ve ever played a Tony Hawk game you know what to expect. And should you ever tire of the game’s music, OV also supports custom soundtracks for your listening enjoyment. Each of the game’s different audio channel levels can be dialed in to your own personal liking if you choose, so you’ll be able to tune out the ambient sound effects and crank up the tunes if you desire to do so.
Gameplay
The game’s controls are simple enough yet they offer quite a bit of depth should you decide to really get into them. You’ll start the game by pressing and holding the ‘B’ button to serve, and once you press the button a power meter will begin to fill on the side of the screen. It’s at this time (with the button pressed) that you’ll not only need to time your serve just right by letting go of the button, but you’ll also need to position the aim of your serve on the opposite side of the net using the left-analog joystick and a red crosshair icon all at the same time. It might sound a bit confusing, and it is, but with a little practice and some help in the ‘Drill’ and ‘Tutorial’ modes you’ll be serving up aces in no time. The remainder of the match will require the primary press of the ‘B’ button which is the “bump, set, spike” button. Much like a serve, when the ball is coming towards you you’re going to need to press and hold the ‘B’ button and position the targeting crosshair in order to aim your initial bump of the ball; the same rules apply to the second contact, the set (though you can choose to spike the ball also). Thirdly is the spike command, which is executed exactly like a serve. The ‘X’ and ‘A’ buttons are also used for spiking should you want to hit the ball slightly harder (‘X’) or softer (‘A’) in an attempt to catch your opponent off guard. The ‘Y’ button is used to jump and block your opponent’s spike when you are close to the net, though timing and positioning are a bit tricky. Outlaw Volleyball, like many sports titles, also uses a turbo button which in this case is the ‘R’ trigger. Using turbo allows for short sprints and hard-hitting explosive super-spikes that are quite difficult to block; use this move wisely as it will drain your turbo completely, and you never know when you’re going to need it next. The turbo meter slowly refills itself after time. And in true Outlaw fashion, each character in the game has a “composure” meter that indicates how well the character feels about their game. Do well, and your composure meter fills up and you are more likely to dig a tricky shot or hit a hard spike. However, miss a few shots, and your composure will drop resulting in less than desirable player performance. If you find yourself with low composure, what can you do to regain the edge? Why, challenge one of the opposing team-members to a hand-to-hand fight of course!
"Outlaw Volleyball is a serious beach volleyball game set in a not-so-serious setting, and a perfect addition to the Outlaw sports series."
|
At various points in the match your team will earn “Beating Tokens”, which can be used at any time (with one press of the ‘White’ button) to enter into a pseudo fighting game style round of simplified martial arts. You have a button for punch, kick, block and a “super” attack button that when used in conjunction with turbo releases a devastating barrage of punches and kicks. The player that wins the fight regains full composure while leaving the loser with zero composure. It’s a really cool system and quite a bit of fun, and believe me, with the challenge this game offers you’re going to like having the option of pounding the crap out of your opponents from time to time.
Conclusion
Outlaw Volleyball is a serious beach volleyball game set in a not-so-serious setting, and a perfect addition to the Outlaw sports series. With tons of unlockable content, Xbox Live connectivity and challenging gameplay you will be glued to your TV for hours on end, and with downloadable content support there’s no telling what the wizards at Hypnotix will come up with next (new characters are already in the works!). If you are either a fan or sports games or just need a fun game to help kill some time this summer, Outlaw Volleyball for the Microsoft Xbox serves up some serious fun.
The Good
+ Great gameplay.
+ Lots to unlock.
+ Steve Carell’s commentary.
+ Xbox Live.
+ Custom soundtrack support. The Bad
- El Suave’s thong.
- Inability to play single player game while logged in to Live network.
The Stupid
? Online “pause” cheaters.
*GamersMark.com reviewed this game with a copy of the title purchased from retail.
