Beach Spikers

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Beach Spikers
Beach Spikers Coverart.png
North American GameCube cover art
Developer(s) Sega AM2
Publisher(s) Sega
Director(s) Hiroshi Masui
Producer(s) Yu Suzuki
Programmer(s) Hideki Tanaka
Composer(s) Tatsutoshi Narita
Sachio Ogawa
Shinichi Goto
Fumio Ito
Megumi Takano
Platform(s) Arcade, GameCube
ReleaseArcade
GameCube
  • JP: July 19, 2002
  • NA: August 13, 2002
  • EU: September 27, 2002 [2]
  • AU: October 4, 2002 [3]
Genre(s) Sports (beach volleyball)
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer
Arcade system Sega NAOMI 2

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.

Contents

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 before release, at the moment 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.

While Beach Spikers represents an early 2000s take on volleyball gaming, newer titles such as The Spike Volleyball Story have modernized the genre for today's platforms. Featuring competitive gameplay, anime-inspired visuals, and recent multiplayer updates, The Spike has developed a loyal global fanbase on mobile and PC. [4] [5] [6]

Reception

The GameCube version received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [7] 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." [23] [a] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 30 out of 40. [13]

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. [24]

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. [25] [26]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ GamePro gave the GameCube version 4.5/5 for graphics, and three 3/5 scores for sound, control, and fun factor.

References

  1. ↑ "Sega Arcade History (Beach Spikers)" (PDF). Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. p. 177. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 26, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Beach Spikers: Virtual Beach Volleyball". Infogrames . Archived from the original on August 7, 2003. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Game Cube [sic]". Game Nation. Archived from the original on June 6, 2003. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  4. ↑ "The Spike Volleyball Story – Gameplay, Tips, and Features". The Game Spike. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  5. ↑ "A Simple Guide to The Spike Gameplay and Tips". Medium. 2025-05-15. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  6. ↑ "Official Website – The Spike Game". The Game Spike. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  7. 1 2 "Beach Spikers: Virtua Beach Volleyball". Metacritic . Fandom. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  8. ↑ Marriott, Scott Alan. "Beach Spikers (GC) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  9. ↑ Edge staff (October 2002). "Beach Spikers". Edge . No. 115. Future Publishing.
  10. ↑ Johnston, Chris (October 2002). "Beach Spikers: Virtua Beach Volleyball" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 159. Ziff Davis. p. 194. Archived from the original on January 23, 2004. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  11. ↑ Grant, Jules (September 11, 2002). "Beach Spikers (GC)". The Electric Playground . Greedy Productions Ltd. Archived from the original on March 8, 2003. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  12. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (October 12, 2002). "Beach Spikers". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  13. 1 2 "ニンテンドーゲームキューブ - ビーチ スパイカーズ". Famitsu (in Japanese). Vol. 915. Enterbrain. June 30, 2006. p. 102.
  14. ↑ Helgeson, Matt (September 2002). "Beach Spikers". Game Informer . No. 113. GameStop. p. 85. Archived from the original on March 12, 2005. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  15. ↑ Liu, Johnny (September 2002). "Beach Spikers Review". GameRevolution . CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  16. ↑ Davis, Ryan (August 15, 2002). "Beach Spikers Review". GameSpot . Fandom. Archived from the original on January 24, 2005. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  17. ↑ Pavlacka, Adam (September 11, 2002). "GameSpy: Beach Spikers". GameSpy . IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 28, 2007. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  18. ↑ Bedigian, Louis (August 31, 2002). "Beach Spikers Review - GameCube". GameZone. Archived from the original on February 10, 2008. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  19. ↑ Casamassina, Matt (August 12, 2002). "Beach Spikers (GCN)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on July 19, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Beach Spikers: Virtua Beach Volleyball". Nintendo Power . Vol. 159. Nintendo of America. August 2002. p. 143.
  21. ↑ Concepcion, Miguel (August 16, 2002). "'Beach Spikers: Virtua Beach Volleyball' (GCN) Review". Extended Play . TechTV. Archived from the original on August 19, 2002. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  22. ↑ Boyce, Ryan (August 23, 2002). "Beach Spikers". Maxim . MaximNet, Inc. Archived from the original on October 17, 2002. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  23. ↑ Tokyo Drifter (October 2002). "Beach Spikers Review for GameCube on GamePro.com". GamePro . No. 169. IDG. Archived from the original on February 4, 2005. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - TVゲーム機ーソフトウェア (Video Game Software)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 641. Amusement Press, Inc. September 1, 2001. p. 17.
  25. ↑ GameSpot staff (2002). "GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2002 (Best Game No One Played on GameCube)". GameSpot. CNET. Archived from the original on May 6, 2004. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
  26. ↑ GameSpot staff (2002). "GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2002 (Best Alternative Sports Game on GameCube, Nominees)". GameSpot. CNET. Archived from the original on August 13, 2003. Retrieved August 21, 2022.
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