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Outlaw Volleyball
by Hector Cortez
Monday, July 28 2003
This isn't your typical volleyball game, but then again, what volleyball game is on any console?
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Title:
Outlaw Volleyball
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Platform:
Xbox
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Publisher:
Simon and Schuster Interactive |
Developer:
Hypnotix |
#
of Players: 1 - 4, Xbox Live |
Genre:
Sports
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Origin:
United States
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Expected
Release:
June 2003 |
Grapevine:
Outlaw Volleyball is the second in a line of "Outlaw" sports games that also includes Outlaw Golf. |
Who would have thought that making sports games with over-the-top characters such as strippers and bikers would take off. Well it did with Outlaw Golf! Hypnotix (the developer) struck gold with their formula and it was no surprise since Outlaw Golf played great and looked great! Now, Hypotix is trying their luck once more, this time with another sport, Volleyball!
Outlaw Volleyball (OV) consists of six game modes: Exhibition, Random Play, Tour, Drills, Xbox Live, and Turorials. Exhibition is for a quick match, Random Play randomly chooses the characters, Tour consists of 50 events divided among 10 courts, Drills lets you practice and earn skill points for completing certain tasks, Xbox Live lets you play online, and last but not least Tutorial mode is a movie showing you the basics of Volleyball and the game.
There are a total of 16 unique characters to choose from such as Summer, the stripper, or El Suave, the self-loving ego-maniac. Each character has different outfits that can be changed at the character select screen.
In OV, there are ten different courts to play on ranging from a stinky sewer to a woman's prison. Not your style? How about a roof-top in The Bronx, New York.
Playing OV is a bit tough at first but with time it becomes easy and quite enjoyable. So for those that don't know about Volleyball, here is the basic premise: You have two teams with two people each. One member of one team serves the ball (hits it over the net) then the other team hits it back and so on until one team misses. If you really want to know all there is to know about volleyball then Google: Volleyball.
The control layout is well thought out. You should memorize the configuration after a few matches. And don't worry if at first attemp you get your ass handed to you, it happens. Keep playing and eventually playing Outlaw Volleyball will be a walk in the park. Here are the game controls:
While on offense:
A = Bump/Set/Spike
B = Weak Return
X = Aggresive Return
White Button = Start a fight
Right Trigger = Turbo
Right Trigger + Turbo = Super Serve/Spike
Left Thumbstick/D-Pad = Move your character
While on defense, you use these also:
Y = Block
Left Trigger = Switch character
Fighting:
B = Punch
A = Kick
X = Block
Right Trigger + Y = Special Move
Visually, Outlaw Volleyball shines in most parts. Character models are excellent! Hypotix put a great deal of detail into each character and it shows. All the characters are well animated and none of their movements look jerky. Courts in OV are nicely modeled but at times you'll feel like you're in the same place even though it's a different court. I guess it's the fact that the court is in a set place unlike Outlaw Golf where you could go where the ball went. In OV, you don't feel as immersed. Last but not least, I did experience some slow down. Sometimes it was barely noticeable and at one point it stood still for so long that I turned off my Xbox.
There isn't a lot of "volleyball" going on in this picture.
Hypotix did a great job on the sound. They decided on licensing a bunch of rock and hip-hop songs to compile an awesome game soundtrack which you can buy seperately as well. Most of the songs are songs that you would probably listen to even if they weren't in the game. But of course you can't please everybody. That is why you can use your own custom soundtrack. In game sounds aren't anything ground-breaking but they get the job done. In-game commentary is funny and entertaining but it can get repetitive.
Overall, Outlaw Volleyball is fun and great game to play with friends. Definitely worth a play. And for all those that can't get enough of the Outlaw brand, expect Outlaw Golf 2 soon! Also, a little bird told me that the folks at Hypnotix are considering Outlaw Racing!
--- Hector Cortez
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