Have you ever heard the phrase, “the grass is always greener on the other side?” It’s common enough, so odds are you have. Especially since it’s so accurate a description of the human condition. If there’s something out there that you can’t have, suddenly it becomes more desirable simply because it isn’t easily obtainable. And right now, the women of Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 are playing volleyball all over your neighbor’s lawn.
There’s been a lot of hubbub over the game lately. Not long ago, a Team Ninja Facebook community member blamed discussion over the depiction of women in games for the reason Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 is remaining in Asia. Koei Tecmo was a bit more tactful in its official statement , saying simply that it prepares certain products for specific regions. An easy solution, as offered by many, is to just import the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita Asian versions. The games and systems are region-free and it can be played in English. However, that isn’t satisfactory for many.
Instead, people have taken this opportunity to beg and plead for copies of Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 , not considering the consequences of their actions. Two petitions have appeared on Change.org , with one passing 4,500 signatures and the other with over 3,800. But the thing is, signatures and complaints don’t mean sales. It’s just a reaction from people who are being denied a fanservice volleyball game.
I’m going to be blunt. The only good Dead or Alive Xtreme game released so far was the original Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball . It was a fanservice game, yes, but it was also a pretty great volleyball game in general. Both critics and fans enjoyed and appreciated it. If this were the game people wanted to rally behind, it’d be easy to see why. It was good. Did it objectify the characters? Sometimes. But it also let people make the heroines form friendships to make for better teamwork and had a core that was solid enough so someone could go, “Yes, this is ridiculous, but there’s potential here.”
But the Dead or Alive Xtreme series has been slipping. Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 had subpar animations, forced people to go online for multiplayer, had some mini-games that were based entirely on luck, and was rather lazy compared to the first entry. It seemed more like a cash-in, where the first Dead or Alive Xtreme could occasionally provide a genuinely good time.
It seems like people who are up in arms over Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 are forgetting about its prior entry. Is being denied a game unfortunate? Yes, especially when an English translation is available. But wouldn’t a little prudence be appreciated? It would be wiser to wait and see how Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 fares after its February 25 release date. See if the game is actually good before trying to fight for a localization. Otherwise, you could be championing a game that you don’t actually want to play.