SFG Beach Volleyball – An XBOX Indie Game Review

Developer: Stir-Fry Games
Genre: Sports and Recreation
Countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States
Languages: English
Price: 400 Microsoft Points

Developer Summary:

“Take your Avatar to the beach for some hard-hitting volleyball action! Play with or against your friends online, or guide your Avatar through the multi-season Career Mode featuring 30 Tournaments around the world and an RPG-style levelling system. If you liked SFG Soccer you will love this ground breaking volleyball game!”

What We Think:

Can an Avatar get Sunstroke?

When first setting foot on the sands of Stir-Fry Games SFG Beach Volleyball, you may think you’ve accidentally travelled to the Wii Sports resort. But fear not, sports fan, though it may have cartoony characters (Xbox Avatars actually) and an easy to use control scheme, there is much more depth on this court than you would find on anything in the Wii Resort. So put on some sunscreen and don the Ray Bans; it’s time to hit the sand.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia….Canada….Croatia….

Without a doubt, SFG Beach Volleyball is a good looking game,  the characters are cute and well animated, crowds cheer and look lively in the background, and the court itself is well modelled and textured. There are nice little touches throughout the game such as the ref signalling whose serve it is, sand particles scatter when you hit the ground for a dig, and you even get to see your Avatars taunt other Avatars upon scoring a point on the opposing team. Overall it comes across as a good environment for the XBOX mascots and in general it seems polished. That being said however, it’s hard for me to give adulations to a game that uses pre-designed characters(I understand the Idea of getting to take your XBOX persona to the court, But I would much prefer an original design scheme). Another small gripe that comes along with this is that no matter what city you’re in as part of your “world tour” It’s always the same court (I no idea Halifax was so lush and filled with palm-trees).  It is nice however to see your XBOX alter egos run, dive and spike their way around the court, as the animations are a definite highlight , and helps to add some much needed personality. It’s always a good time watching video game caricatures dis each other.

The menus are simple and barely designed, mostly just text in red boxes, but they laid out well enough that you’ll never have a problem finding an option when needed.

I Can Dig It

Though the presentation value may be somewhat lacking in terms of originality, the game play certainly does a better job of keeping things fresh and fun. The control scheme is boiled down to a very simple three button approach.   The A button allows you to bump and set the ball to your team-mate (It is context sensitive and will make you either bump/set or dig for the ball depending on your proximity where the ball is about to land.   The B button will make you spike the ball if it is high enough in the air or if you are too far away to the ball will just force a return shot via a quick bump. The Y button is cleverly used in conjunction with the B button, where if you are in a situation in which you feel like your spike is about to get blocked you can use it to switch to an in air roll shot, which will allow for a slow tap over top of the defending player.

It’s a simple and intuitive design scheme that will allow anyone to pick up and play, however there is considerable depth when it comes to spiking the ball. Upon Pressing the B button (to spike) a meter begins to fill up, If you manage to release B at the right moment your player will go into what is called the spike cam. Consider it to be like bullet time for volleyball. As your player jumps into the air time slows down for everything except your aiming reticule which can really help you assess where you want to place your spike depending on the current positioning of your opponents, it also allows for a good opportunity to use your roll-shots properly which often go unused otherwise. A pleasant highlight to this mode is the ability to bean your opponent with a well placed powerspike driving them down into the sand, this feels fairly reminiscent of games like Super Spike V-ball, without the whole glowing hand bit, and sadly there is no cameo appearance by Billy or Jimmy Lee. Though the spike cam may seem overly powerful at first and at times almost unfair, the computer AI does an excellent job on harder difficulty levels to space out properly and not give you too many openings.

Defence doesn’t have anything as interesting or unique as the spike cam, however SFG Beach Volleyball does implement a very clever design scheme which helps you to keep things organized between you and your computer controlled teammate, with a simple press of the left bumper you can designate them to either guard the net and block spikes or play the line and dig for you. I’ve found that at any given moment your computer may be stellar at one or the other position, and it can be a good thing for you to know when to switch between the two. That being said, you should also learn how to play both positions properly as well.

A Day at the Beach? Mmmm… Make it Two…or Three.

SFG Beach Volleyball comes complete with a variety of options and game modes. There are exhibition modes, online modes and to top it all off there is a robust World Tour mode which allows you to build a player up by entering tournaments which allows you to win money. You then use this money to buy stat points which you can apply to various areas of your players game such has shot aim, shot power and speed. It’s well thought out, paced properly and adds greatly to the replay value of the game. Expect a good 15-20 hours of extra play time just by entering this mode, and should you choose to play with a friend the money you gain must be spread between the two of you which extends the life of the game even further. Not to mention that this game is even better when played with a friend.

This game has a tremendous amount of replay value, and you may find yourself spending more time at the beach than you originally planned.

Download a trial or purchase SFG Beach Volleyball at XBOX Live Marketplace

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