Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2
Developer(s)	Team Ninja
Publisher(s)	Tecmo
Designer(s)	Tomonobu Itagaki
Release date(s)	NA November 13, 2006 JPN November 22, 2006 AUS December 7, 2006 EUR December 8, 2006
Genre(s)	Sports
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer (via Xbox Live)
Rating(s)	CERO: Ages 17 and up (D) ESRB: Mature (M) PEGI: 12+
Platform(s)	Xbox 360
Media	DVD-ROM

Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2 (DOAX2) is a video game for the Xbox 360 game console. Developed by Team Ninja, it is the sequel to Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball. The title expands upon the activities available in the original, supplementing beach volleyball with additional beach-related mini-games. Image File history File links DOAX2. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games. ... Team Ninja is a subsidiary of Tecmo, Ltd. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Tecmo, Ltd. ... A game designer is a person who designs games. ... Tomonobu Itagaki is a Japanese video game designer who heads Team Ninja, one of Tecmos development teams. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the country in East Asia. ... is the 326th day of the year (327th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Anthem Advance Australia Fair Royal anthem: God Save the Queen Capital Canberra Largest city Sydney Official languages English (de facto 1) Government Federal constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy  -  Queen Elizabeth II  -  Governor-General Michael Jeffery  -  Prime Minister John Howard Independence from the United Kingdom   -  Constitution 1 January 1901   -  Statute of... is the 341st day of the year (342nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... is the 342nd day of the year (343rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Video games are categorized into genres based on their gameplay. ... In computer games and video games, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Xbox Live is a subscription-based online gaming service for Microsofts Xbox and Xbox 360 video game consoles. ... Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO) is the organization that rates video game and computer software in Japan with levels of rating that informs the customer of the nature of the product and what age group it is suitable for. ... The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that applies and enforces ratings, advertising guidelines, and online privacy principles for computer and video games in the United States. ... PEGIs logo Pan European Game Information, or more commonly PEGI, is a European system for rating the content of computer and video games, and other entertainment software. ... The Xbox 360 is the successor to Microsofts Xbox video game console, developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, Samsung and SiS. Information on the console first came through viral marketing campaigns and it was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information divulged... DVD is an optical disc storage media format that is used for playback of movies with high video and sound quality and for storing data. ... Namcos Pac-Man was a hit, and became a universal phenomenon. ... The Xbox 360 is the successor to Microsofts Xbox video game console, developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, Samsung and SiS. Information on the console first came through viral marketing campaigns and it was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information divulged... The Nintendo GameCube is an example of a popular video game console. ... Team Ninja is a subsidiary of Tecmo, Ltd. ... Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball is a beach volleyball game by Tecmo released in 2003 for the Xbox video game console. ... Beach volleyball is not popular sport in which two teams, positioned on either side of a net, hit a ball back and forth over the net, usually using the hands or arms. ... A minigame is a (usually short) segment of a video game that uses a different style of gameplay than the rest of the game. ...

Development

Developed exclusively for the Xbox 360, the title is believed to run on a heavily-modified version of the engine used in Dead or Alive 4, allowing for new inclusions such as self-shadowing and new cloth simulation techniques. The Marine Race mini-game, however, uses a completely new physics engine, although with similar graphics. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Its suggested that the engine in Doom 3 allows for self- shadowing Self-Shadowing is a computer graphics lighting effect, used in 3D rendering applications such as computer animation and video games. ...

As well as the gameplay tweaks (as compared to the original), various cosmetic modifications were made. For example, each breast has its own physics. This allows each breast to behave differently, although this has been criticized, for making the breasts move in an exaggerated fashion (they often continue moving for an unnaturally long time after a character has stopped moving), and was parodied in a comic by Ctrl+Alt+Del. [1] Additionally, the game adds a new "tan line system" in which swimsuits realistically block tanning. Changing swimsuits often will prevent tan lines from appearing. A pregnant womans breasts. ... This article is about Ctrl+Alt+Del, the webcomic. ...

During the development process, creator Tomonobu Itagaki stated during an interview that he would not be adding activities like trampoline games and wet T-shirt contests to the series. He indicated that he felt that this would come off as vulgar and "show the women in a negative light". Ironically, the game includes a pole dancing scene for betting a large amount of money and winning a certain number of times. Tomonobu Itagaki is a Japanese video game designer who heads Team Ninja, one of Tecmos development teams. ...

Story

The background story to the game is that Zack has resurrected "Zack Island" from the depths of the sea, where it was buried following a previous volcanic eruption. He has re-dubbed it "New Zack Island", and has once again tricked the girls into coming to his island. The instruction manual details the differing reasons for which each girl has come to the island, while cut-scenes further flesh out the limited plot details. Zack is a character from the Dead or Alive video game series. ...

Gameplay

Much like the original, Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 features a two-week vacation mode, where the player can indulge in a variety of activities (listed below). Each day is broken up into three segments (morning, afternoon, and evening), where players can perform a single activity during each.

Partnership & Friendship

The game puts a strong emphasis on friendship; players (playing as one of the women) must befriend the other girls by buying them gifts they enjoy from the various stores on the island. Doing so will increase the bond between the two characters. If the friendship between the two is at a sufficiently high level (represented by floating icons next to the girls portraits; the quicker they flow, the stronger the bond), the character can be convinced to become one's volleyball partner. After this is done, players must then ensure that the bond is kept strong to avoid the partner subsequently abandoning them. This can be done by giving additional gifts, spending time with the partner, and winning games.

When a new player plays for the very first time, he or she is given a tour of the island by Lisa, who automatically becomes the default partner. From that point forward, any new vacations which are taken (without making use of the optional tour) will begin with a random girl approaching and requesting to become partners, although the player can refuse them if desired.

Players can bestow swimsuits as gifts to other girls, regardless of whether they are the current partner or not. However, the more revealing a suit is, the harder it is to get a girl to accept the gift. Again, players must ensure that the friendship level between their character and the target girl is very strong to avoid having the gift returned. It is fair to say that the successful gifting of swimsuits is the main point of the game, as every achievement involves holding a certain complete collection / several collections of suits.

The Characters

In Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2, players are able to play as any of the nine girls currently present in the series. Each girl in the game has certain items and hobbies which she likes or dislikes, and these preferences influence her reaction upon receiving a gift. Characters also each have an individual favorite color, again affecting their like or dislike of a certain item (and the wrapping paper used to wrap it). The playable characters are:

• Ayane
• Christie
• Helena
• Hitomi
• Kasumi
• Kokoro
• Lei Fang
• Lisa
• Tina

Note that Kokoro did not appear in Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball and hence is a new addition to the cast of available volleyball players. Ayane ) is a video game character from the Dead or Alive video game series. ... Christie ) is a character from the Dead or Alive video game series, with her first appearance being in the third game of the franchise. ... Helena is a video game character from the Dead or Alive video game series created by Team Ninja and published by Tecmo. ... Hitomi ) is a fictional German/Japanese character from the Dead or Alive video game series. ... Kasumi ) is a fictional Japanese character from the Dead or Alive video game franchise. ... Kokoro ) is a fictional Japanese character from the Dead or Alive video game series. ... Lei Fang , derived from Chinese: 麗鳳 Pinyin: Lìfèng) is a fictional video game character from the video game series Dead or Alive. ... Lisa is a female character in the Dead or Alive video game series. ... Tina Armstrong is a character from the Dead or Alive video game series. ... Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball is a beach volleyball game by Tecmo released in 2003 for the Xbox video game console. ...

Volleyball

The former "main event" from Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, beach volleyball is once again present. Similar to the original, players must have a partner in order to compete in a two-on-two 7-point volleyball match. The gameplay has been modified to make the game slightly more difficult and to add variety. While there are still only two buttons necessary for gameplay (pass/block and bump/spike), greater manual control is required as, unlike the original, girls will not automatically maneuver themselves into the best formation. In the online mode, two players can compete against each other, each having a computer-controlled partner. The camera has been slightly modified to address the criticism that the one in the original game moved erratically or too frequently. Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball is a beach volleyball game by Tecmo released in 2003 for the Xbox video game console. ...

The offline two player "Exhibition" mode from the previous game has been removed, forcing players who wish to play against other players to do so via Xbox Live. Xbox Live is a subscription-based online gaming service for Microsofts Xbox and Xbox 360 video game consoles. ...

Marine Race

An all new game mode which allows the girls race on jet skis, either offline or on Xbox Live. The game has been compared to the Wave Race series [2], although fans of Wave Race have pointed out considerable differences. Players earn nitro boosts (which give them a substantial, but temporary, increase in speed) by navigating through five consecutive buoy gates. Players can earn in-game currency by winning the race and by doing tricks. The latter has led to an exploit where players can choose to lose the race, and simply navigate the track indefinitely without finishing, pulling off tricks to earn cash. Xbox Live is a subscription-based online gaming service for Microsofts Xbox and Xbox 360 video game consoles. ... Wave Race is a jet-ski themed racing game for the Nintendo Game Boy, released July 1992. ... A Nissan 240SX equipped with nitrous oxide injection purges the nitrous oxide supply line before making a dragstrip pass Dragster in near lane is purging nitrous oxide Nitrous is a slang term for nitrous oxide (N2O) also sometimes referred to as NOS. This misnomer most likely came about due to...

Aside from the main beach volleyball mode, this is the only mini-game which supports multiplayer play via Xbox Live, making all others single-player only.

Pool Hopping

Another mini-game from the previous title, although this game has been modified slightly to account for the lack of pressure sensitivity on the Xbox 360 controller. In this game players race another girl, hopping across multi-colored floating pads. To successfully hop to the next pad, players must conduct the correct jump; tapping any face button results in a short jump, holding it results in a long jump. Pressing the correct face button that corresponds to the next pad's color results in bonus points being earned.

Beach Flags

A new mini-game to the series, it is simple in nature, but can be quite difficult and frustrating. It requires the player repeatedly press a button as fast as possible to reach a flag at the end of the beach before their opponent does. To successfully grab the flag, the player must not only be fast but also correctly judge the distance to dive. If the player is too slow, falls short, or overshoots the flag, they lose. False starts also result in an instant loss.

Butt Battle

Also dubbed the "Hip Battle", this mini-game challenges the player to knock his or her opponent off a shared floating pad before the same can be done to them. It involves feigns, dodges, normal attacks, and strong attacks, which the girls carry out using only their buttocks. It is played in a similar fashion to Rock, Paper, Scissors, in which one must correctly guess or deduce the opponent's next action and respond appropriately. Rock, Paper, Scissors chart Rock, Paper, Scissors (sometimes with the elements in its name permuted and/or Rock replaced with Stone and/or Paper with Cloth, but also known as Roshambo, Rochambeau, Ick-Ack-Ock, Janken, Mora, Morra Cinese, Gawi-Bawi-Bo, JanKenPon or Farkle) is a popular hand game...

Tug-of-War

This new mini-game is very similar to butt battle in the manner in which it is played. The player must attempt to make their opponent fall off of their distant floating pad. Player victory can be achieved both by pulling their opponent into the water or by tricking them, using a feign move, into accidentally throwing themselves in. This requires correctly guessing the countering move, much like Butt Battle.

Water Slide

The final mini-game involves successfully sliding down a water slide at high speeds. The basic gameplay revolves around keeping the player character from falling out of the slide as it twists and turns. Pushing forward on the left joystick speeds the character up, and pulling back slows them down. Left and right are used to prevent the character from falling out of the slide.

Casino

Similar to the original, the game features a casino which players can visit during the evenings. Once there, one can partake in several games, including poker, blackjack, roulette and a variety of slot machines (themed after each woman). A game of Texas hold em in progress. ... Blackjack is one of the most popular casino card games in the world. ... Roulette. ...

By betting the maximum amount and hitting the jackpot when playing Christie's slot machine, the player unlocks sequences of her performing a pole dance in the casino. After nine jackpots in a row, the player is gifted with a "Secret Ticket" the next night, allowing their chosen character to perform this dance. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Gamertag Glitch and the December 14 Patch

Tecmo released a patch for the title through Xbox Live on December 14, 2006. The patch makes several changes, including increasing the winnings on several events, fixing a character interaction problem with one of the in-game locations, and adding access to an online store, the "Crystal Boutique". is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Prior to the patch, there was also a glitch in the game whereby players could abuse the Gamertag sign-in/sign-out system to "undo" undesirable event outcomes. Because the game state information is stored with the Gamertag, signing out prevents data from being stored. In this way, players could exploit the delay between when an event happened and when the system recorded it. Primarily this was used with roulette, where players would place a large bet, and in the event of a loss, simply sign-out to revert the bet. This could also be used with gift giving, where a gift would be offered to another girl, and in the result of a rejection, one could quickly undo the attempt.

Reception

In its online review of the game, TeamXbox.com stressed that while Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 has impressive graphics, multiple activities and nice artistry, the game is simply not fun to play. On a scale of 1 to 10, they gave it a score of 6.7. It is worth noting that TeamXbox.com gave its predecessor a much higher score of 9.2. Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball is a beach volleyball game by Tecmo released in 2003 for the Xbox video game console. ...

Online reviews from IGN and 1Up.com share similar opinions. The reviews suggest that the added mini-games, including the Butt Battle and Tug-of-War are based highly on luck, relying on an arbitrary button press to counteract what one thinks one's opponent is going to do next. The game is also apparently too similar to the original DOAX for most reviewers' likings, stating that a large amount of the girls’ animations were taken from the original title and simply tweaked to fit the new game engine. Changes to the volleyball portion, still the main attraction of the game, have apparently made it significantly more difficult. IGN is a multimedia news and reviews website that focuses heavily on video games. ... 1UP.com is a video-game site owned and operated by Ziff Davis Media, publisher of popular videogame magazines Computer Gaming World (CGW) (now known as Games for Windows: The Official Magazine (or GFW) Magazine), Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM), and the now-defunct Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (OPM), GMR...

It is worth noting, however, that the graphics have been stated to be of very high quality, a vast improvement over the original and have improved even on Dead or Alive 4. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Certain reviews criticize the new breast physics. Oftentimes breasts bounce independently when running or moving and continue to bounce even when the character is still, resulting in awkward sequences. One reviewer at IGN said watching the breasts made them "seasick" [3]. The reviews suggest that only a small percentage of gamers, which includes die-hard Dead or Alive fans and others who enjoy watching computer-generated women bounce around, will be able to enjoy the game for long.

Voice cast

Kari K. Wahlgren (born in 1977 in Hoisington, Kansas) is an American voice actress who has provided English language voices for several anime titles and video games. ... Hynden Walch (bornFebruary 1, 1971) is an American actress. ... Catherine Kate Davis Higgins (Born August 16, 1969 in Charlottesville, Virginia) is a voice actress and singer with a degree in music from Auburn University. ... Karen Strassman is an American actress and voice actress who has had roles in film, television and theatre, as well as various anime series. ... April Stewart (aka Gracie Lazar) was born in June 1, 1988 she is on Funky Phantom. ... Masasa Moyo is an Canadian actress and voice actress mostly known for her voice over roles. ... Khary Payton (born May 16, 1972) is an American actor best known for voicing Cyborg in the Teen Titans animated series. ... Houko Kuwashima ) is a seiyū and singer born December 12, 1975 in Kanegasaki, Isawa, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. ... Yui Horie , born September 20, 1976) is a popular singer and voice actress in Japan. ... Wakana Yamazaki (山崎 和佳奈 Yamazaki Wakana, born on March 21, 1965 in Yokohama) is a seiyū who works for Aoni Production. ... Yūko Nagashima (永島由子 Nagashima Yūko, born on July 3, 1970 in Osaka) is a seiyū who works for Aoni Production. ... Yumi Touma (冬馬 由美 Tōma Yumi, born December 20, 1966) is a seiyū and J-pop singer who was born in Chiba. ... Yuka Koyama , born February 9, 1968 in Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture) is a seiyū. // Voice roles Anime Azumanga Daioh (Eiko) Bastard!! (Tiara Nort Yoko) His and Her Circumstances (Miyako Miyazawa / Souichirou Arima (young)) Magical Girl Pretty Sammy (Keiko) Marmalade Boy (Jinny Golding) Tenchi Universe (Mitsuki) Game Dead or Alive series (Helena... Kotono Mitsuishi Kotono Mitsuishi ) is a seiyū, or voice actor, born on December 8, 1967 in Toda, Saitama, Japan. ... Maaya Sakamoto , born March 31, 1980 in Itabashi, Tokyo) is a Japanese seiyū (voice-actor) and singer who made her debut in 1996 as the voice of Hitomi Kanzaki in the hit anime series The Vision of Escaflowne. ... Ayako Kawasumi , born March 30, 1976 in Tokyo, Japan) is a highly prolific seiyū and J-pop singer. ... Shimada Bin (島田 敏, born on November 20, 1954 in Niigata, Japan) is a seiyu who works for Aoni Production. ...

Sources

• IGN: DOAX2 Update
• IGN: E3 2006: The Itagaki Interview
• IGN: Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 Hands-on
• Team Ninja's Itagaki E3 Interview news from 1UP.com
• Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 Trailer Shots

External links

• Official DOAX2 teaser site
• Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 Reviews at Metacritic.com