Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball was released back in the halcyon days of 2003 when DOA's fan service was quirky and fun and people were more worried about being embarrassed while buying it rather than offended by its mere presence. Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 came out in 2006 and things were much different. Suddenly everyone had their knickers in a twist and it wasn't cool to play volleyball as bouncy DOA ladies anymore. And by the time DOAX3 came out a decade later you were just a monster if you played it at all, but we've covered that already. Today's blog and video are about DOAX2 for Xbox 360 - a game I still like even though it's all taboo now. Suck it, haters. Read more and watch right here.
While everyone else was doing mental gymnastics so they could be offended by, well, "everything" about Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 back in 2006, I was more upset that they took out the local multiplayer mode in favor of online play only. We played a ton of local multiplayer in the first DOAX, so having it missing was a big blow in DOAX2. Everything else about DOAX2 was pretty easily an improvement over the original, though. The visuals were obviously better, but the volleyball itself was a lot more strategic and fun as well. The addition of new modes like jet ski racing really rounded out the package as well. I liked it a lot. I said it was better. I gave it a decent score.
The other reviews were not so fair. Some sites only really posted a "review" because they wanted to complain about the content. Very few reviews actually bothered talking about the game itself, and those that did generally got things wrong - wrong features, claiming the gameplay didn't change, etc. - because they didn't care enough to get it right. Tecmo's PR rep back in those days (because Koei and Tecmo hadn't merged yet) was super happy with my review and basically told me I was one of the few that requested one that actually bothered to review it. I am, and always have been, a profession, dammit.
Ever since DOAX2, though, that is basically what reviews of fan service games amount to for most sites - an excuse to complain about the content to prove how "woke" they are while insulting and making fun of the people that actually like it. Every DOA game. Every Senran Kagura. Every other pervy anime game on PS4. Sites just put up an article because they get hits from woke people, they get hits from people who were never really going to play it but will say "LOLz I'm glad I didn't play it because it's so bad, rite?", and they get hits from people who actually want information only to be disappointed because no one takes this stuff seriously.
That last part is what frustrates me. It's the same with fishing or hunting or farming simulator or NASCAR or supercross - big sites don't treat them or the people who play them with the respect they deserve. But I do. I'm your boy for bouncy booby games and redneck shit, apparently. Tell your friends.
