Beach Volleyball: Summer Heat Review

The name is plain, but in Beach Volleyball: Summer Heat for the PS2, you’ll find a lot of goodness that makes it worth playing. And by goodness, I mean good-looking video game babes. Oh, and you can hit a ball too.

It’s a 2 on 2 matchup in Beach Volleyball where you bump, set, and spike your way through Arcade, Exhibition, Tournament, and training modes. Tournament mode is where you progress through matches in different cities and on different beaches to see who’s the number one team. You can unlock characters, costumes, more courts, accessories and even music videos. There are over 200 things to unlock, so be prepared to spend a lot of time playing this game if you’re of the hardcore, “got to get it all” type.

If you have ever played volleyball, then you know you serve the ball, volley/return the ball, spike it, or dig the ball. That’s it. You’ll pick this game up in a few minutes, but spend entire tournaments trying to figure out your opponents and finding their weaknesses to exploit.

Beach Volleyball also has a few mini-games to unlock. You can play Nerd Smash, which has you hitting nerds with spikes; or play Ice Court, where you’re playing on ice instead of a beach. Playing on ice is a beach.

I give lots of kudos on the controls. Acclaim put enough variety in the buttons and player control to make it strategic and fun. You do have to think fast. Select the type of serve/hit with the buttons, then aim with the analog stick. You have to time it just right to get maximum power, and you have all of 1-3 seconds to do this. I found myself forgetting one thing when focused on another. For instance, I would get a good hit, but didn’t aim it. I would aim it, but waited to long to hit it and the ball would sail into the net. I mean, I do that in real life, but this is a video game!

The one main problem I had with the controls was not a control issue at all, just an annoyance. When the ball would be hit out of bounds by my side, I could not move past the lines to go get it. I know you can do this in a real game, so why not in this game?

The graphics are stunning. The characters (all of them, not just the girls) are modeled beautifully and move realistically. The courts are gorgeous and the sunsets take your breath away.

Acclaim could have added more court surroundings like more spectators or more action in the far background, but that is just something that would please me.

The soundtrack in Beach Volleyball is pretty tight also. You get songs by Sum 41 and Kylie Minogue, and Suburban and Spring Monkey and Pink. You also get to watch videos of some of the artists in the game, if you unlock them. And, if you want, you can kick back in the Beach House and listen to the tracks at your own pace.

An underrated game with excellent graphics that will blow you away. With a great soundtrack and lots of unlockables, there’s lots of goodness in this game to keep you interested for a long time. Besides, if you’re looking for a beach volleyball game, you have very limited choices. Only two, so make it this one.

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