Original Release: Acclaim, 2003, PlayStation 2
This volleyball title adds a touch of sex appeal, but still focuses more on the actual gameplay than anything.
Summer Heat Beach Volleyball (PS2, Acclaim, 2003)
Where to Buy: Amazon
How to Emulate: PlayStation 2 Emulation Page
Review by: C. M0use
Summer Heat came out in that little milieu of beach volleyball games that Dead or Alive inspired in the early-mid 2000s, but this one seems to lean a little bit more toward being an actual volleyball simulation than a boobie fest.
Not that there aren’t half-naked bodies and jiggling titties aplenty, but with the plasticy Barbie look of the character models and the camera generally being pulled out from the characters the T&A doesn’t really come through as a central factor here as it did in DOA or Outlaw Volleyball. Also, half of the roster is dudes and they tend to be better to play as because they have better stats. Tropes vs Stack Blocking in Tittysports.
Anyway, I’m not super familiar with volleyball games so I tried the training mode first … it puts you through a linear sequence of modules that you can’t skip, and I didn’t get very far before I hit some you can’t seem to pass because the computer won’t let you hold the button down long enough to get a powerful enough shot. Oh well. Had to scrap that idea and just jump into the game cold.
Fortunately it’s pretty simple to get the hang of just by messing around, I don’t know why this required 100 training modules. It boils down to using three buttons for different hit types, and you hold the button for as long as possible then release just before hitting the ball to get the best possible shot or pass. If you play on low or medium difficulty, you can really get by just using the X and Square buttons.
Decent amount of modes of play – an arcade challenge of faster matches against a long series of teams, or a tournament mode that has you cruising the country competing in various locations with various rule sets. Also some sort of “beach house” mode where you gradually unlock characters and clothes for them, then cruise around all pervy and ogle as they lounge about.
The licensed soundtrack is kinda all over the place with semi-popular music of the early 2000s, it ranges from Kylie Minogue to Sum-41 … the big problem with it is that you always seem to get the same song order for the same court, so like when you play a tournament on one particular court it always opens with the same song. The first tournament continually subjects you to Sum-41’s fuckboi millenial skatepunk warblings about how they like to see old people fall or whatever. Sound work is otherwise totally forgettable, except that the gal I like to play as sounds like she’s yelling “Big Snatch!” whenever she goes for a spike.
As I said at the outset, I don’t know much about volleyball games. I’m guessing this isn’t the best system ever made, but it’s a pretty decent one. Good enough to play for its own sake without titty considerations, if you’re cool with two-on-two only.
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