Much like Sega's other arcade sports games, Beach Spikers is a very simple game to pick up yet possesses gameplay that's deep and enjoyable as well. In the actual game you'll only be using the A and B buttons along with your analog stick to direct your shots. The A button is usually used for normal sets and bumps, while the B button is used for quick sets in order to throw off your opponent's timing if they are trying to block you. Pressing the A and B buttons together will result in you doing one of many actions, such as bumping the ball over the net prematurely, setting up a two hit spike or spiking the ball in a manner that if a blocker comes in contact with it the ball will fall on their side of the court. Spiking and serving the ball is handled by a power meter when the opportunity arises, and dictates whether or not you'll miss your shot or not.

The real thrill in the game is when you actually go up for a spike, which usually ends up in a conflict between two players at the net. This is where alot of the depth in the game is, since you have the option of spiking the ball hard or feinting your shot so that it just floats over your blocker. In fact, Beach Spikers is very much like Sega's own Virtua Tennis series in that you have to be able to outthink your opponent rather than out-muscle them. Sometimes spiking the ball as hard as you can is an effective strategy, but when you go up against a player that is proficient at blocking your spikes, you'll need to outwit them at the net.

While Beach Spikers is perfectly suited for multiplayer, Sega has also thrown in a deluge of single-player options to keep the game fresh when you don't have friends over. In addition to the standard Arcade mode, you can also check out the extensive Tutorial mode which teaches you the basics of the game. Those who aren't familiar with volleyball in general should definitely check this mode out before playing a game, since it's extremely informative. You can also play in World Tour mode, where you can create your own custom team (complete with some secret Sega characters!) and take them around the globe in a quest to become the number one team on the circuit. If you do happen to create a custom team you'll be able to train it by distributing points you earn in your matches to several categories, such as response, blocking, power, serving, and receiving. At the beginning of World Tour you are only allotted five points to give to your partner, so she'll be ineffective in the early going, missing easy spikes and fumbling on sets. However, as you go progress, your partner will eventually get to the point where she is pretty much unstoppable, blocking every spike opportunity and nabbing every errant bump.

Sega has also included a handful of multiplayer modes as an aside from the regular volleyball action. Beach Flags is a button-mashing race to grab a flag at the end of a beach court, Beach Countdown is a very fun mini-game where you need to volley a ticking bomb until it explodes in someone's hands, and in Point Kick you must spike the volleyball in a shootout fashion. While all three mini-games are enjoyable, they don't come anywhere near the fun that's to be had in Virtua Tennis' Tennis Bowling, and are only good in short bursts.

Graphically, Beach Spikers is great, with sand deformations all over the court, and extremely well-animated characters. There are dozens of animations for each action in the game, whether it be setting, bumping, or spiking the ball. You can even see individual parts of the characters moving according to the situation. For example, if your character is wearing a pair of sunglasses that aren't wraparounds, they can come off her face from receiving a hard serve or blocking a spike. Their hair will also float realistically in the wind. God is in the details, folks. The courts themselves look terrific, with many over-the-top backgrounds, such as the huge inflatable GameCubes in the Nintendo stage or the half-dozen oversized Pringles containers in the Pringles stage. The crowd in the courts seem like actual people, instead of the 2D fans that you usually see in other sports games, and you can also hear them clapping and cheering you on during the game. The only real mark against Beach Spikers is the weird camera system, which at times will make you extremely frustrated, since it will zoom in and out quickly whenever a player goes up for a spike. This also makes recovering from a blocked spike extremely difficult, since you'll have to position your player beforehand in order to have any chance of recovering a block.

Finally, the game's sound is average, if not a little annoying. The announcer that chimes in during every play can be very irritating, but the crowd noise and the characters themselves are tolerable. All of the players sound the same, although Sega decided to be a little humorous with a little "SEGA!" scream whenever they spike or serve the ball hard. The music is kind of cheesy, but then again this is AM2 we're talking about.

Beach Spikers is as close to volleyball greatness as you can get at the moment. While DOA: XBV might be able to "bring it" when it's released on the Xbox, no one can deny that Spikers is definitely a quality title that just about any gamer can get into. It has just enough meat in the single-player department to keep you interested in the game when playing by yourself, and the multiplayer potential of the title is off the charts. It's not a perfect game, but for anyone who needs to get their hands on a great alternative sports title, Beach Spikers is highly recommended.

· · · Reno