Beach Spikers is a beach volleyball video game released in Japanese arcades in 2001. The game was developed in-house by Sega AM2 and published by Sega. A GameCube port, renamed Beach Spikers: Virtua Beach Volleyball, was released in 2002 for all regions.
⭐ Review Scores
Gameplay
Based on the sport of beach volleyball, the game revolves around two-on-two matches where a volleyball is hit back and forth over a net until one side allows the ball to touch the ground. Similar to Sega’s Virtua sports games, most of the gameplay in Beach Spikers is based around the concept of “charging” the strength of moves, judged by how long the button is held prior to release at the point of which the move is executed. There is a button for setting (passing) and a button for rallying (sending the ball over the net) which, combined with how long the button is held to determine strength, is the basis for the way the entire game is played.
There are two modes to choose from: Arcade Mode and World Tour mode. Arcade mode is a basic progression through a series of AI opponents, and in the multiplayer portion of Arcade Mode, it is head-to-head matches for up to four human players. In World Tour mode, the player takes a user-created team through a tournament, earning points as they go that allow them to increase the stats of their players and unlock player customization items, including some based on other Sega titles like Fighting Vipers and Space Channel 5. The player has the option to customize their own characters or choose a team from a specific country, such as the United States, Jamaica, Italy, and France, to name a few.
Reception
The GameCube version received “generally favorable reviews” according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. GamePro said of the game, “Simple controls a la Virtua Tennis could have made Beach Spikers a classic, but its appeal is just relegated to those with enough patience and determination to unlock the myriad hidden bikinis.” In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 30 out of 40.
Also in Japan, Game Machine listed the arcade version in their September 1, 2001 issue as the fifth most-successful arcade game of the year.
The same GameCube version was nominated for “Best Game No One Played on GameCube” and “Best Alternative Sports Game on GameCube” at GameSpot‘s Best and Worst of 2002 Awards, both of which went to Sega Soccer Slam and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4, respectively.
See also
- Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball
- Outlaw Volleyball
- Summer Heat Beach Volleyball
Notes
References
External links
- Official website (arcade)
- Official website (GameCube)
- Beach Spikers at the Killer List of Videogames
- Beach Spikers at MobyGames
Gamer24h Editor's Take
Put under the Gamer24h team's microscope, Beach Spikers raises the bar considerably with both its storytelling and technical polish. Thanks to Sega AM2's meticulous craftsmanship and Sega's strong presentation, the high production quality is evident in every moment of the game. Masterfully blending Sports (beach volleyball) mechanics with modern standards, the game's fluid gameplay makes hours fly by unnoticed. With an overall score of 76, it delivers an enjoyable experience well above average. If you're looking for an absorbing world and satisfying mechanics that pull you right in, this game might be exactly what you've been searching for.