Story

At the end of DOA3, Zack won big at a casino. In DOAX, he uses his money to buy his very own island, and invite all of the girls from DOA3 to fight in the next tournament there. When everyone gets there, they find out that it was all a trick. They then decide to make the most out of the two-week vacation by relaxing on the island, shopping, and of course, playing some ?Xtreme beach volleyball.? It sounds pretty stupid, and? It is. But it seems it?s supposed to be. The cut-scenes remind me somewhat of Looney Tunes. Sounds odd, but you?d understand if you saw it.

Graphics

Needless to say, the graphics are beautiful. Though the characters are the most impressive and attention-drawing, the environments and objects all look great too.

Sound

Character voices all sound the same as they did in DOA3, with the exception of a new character, and Dennis Rodman voicing Zack this time around. The game features music by Bob Marley, Christina Agullera, Baha Men, and many others. I was pleased to find the game supports custom soundtracks. You can head over to the game?s radio station and choose the songs you like from the game, as well as import your own music stored on your Xbox?s HDD.

Gameplay

Gameplay is fun and addictive. Each volleyball match is relatively simple, using only two buttons ? attack, and receive. This often leads people to think it?s a shallow game. I, however, found the volleyball portion of the game to be very fun. The revolving camera can take some getting used to, as it doesn?t always show every character on the screen. That can be a little frustrating at times, but you shouldn?t have too much trouble once you get used to it. Multiplayer is also fun, but only supports two players. It could?ve easily been a four-player game. But this game isn?t just about volleyball. During your vacation, you can do many things. There are several mini-games to play. In one game, you have to press the A button with the right timing and pressure, in order to jump across the pool on floating platforms. As boring as it sounds, I found it to be fun at times. At night, you can head over to the casino to play a number of games, including poker, slots, blackjack, and roulette. Each volleyball game and mini-game you win rewards you with points, which can be used to buy items. These items range from hats and shoes, to shurikens and machine guns. (However, you don?t actually get to use the weapons.) Rounding it all out, are over 100 swimsuits. You can really customize your character?s look with all of these items. There?s even nail polish! You will have to know each characters? likes and dislikes if you want to effectively give gifts. Giving the right gifts will determine how much someone likes you, and even how well your teammate plays.

Appropriateness

Here?s what you?ve all been waiting to hear. First of all, the game?s opening scene has full nudity. There are also many revealing swimsuits. The game?s million-dollar ?Venus? swimsuit covers almost nothing. It couldn?t possibly stay on if it were real life. You can also just sit by the pool and zoom the camera around your character?s body. Lastly, I should note that some of the game?s items include tarrot cards and crystal balls. These cannot be used, but are still present. Most of this can be avoided, but it?s up to the player to do so.

Overall

Leave it to Team Ninja to create a great game, and fill it with sexual content. If you are willing to avoid those aspects, it might be worth a try.