Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation

Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation
Splash art for Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation featuring the starting characters
Developer(s)Team Ninja
Publisher(s)Koei Tecmo
Director(s)So Yi Heng (2021 onward)[5]
Yasunori Sakuda (2017-2021)
Producer(s)Yasunori Sakuda (2021 onward)
Yosuke Hayashi (2017-2021)[5]
Designer(s)Takayuki Saga
Tsuyoshi Iuchi
Artist(s)Kazuhiro Nishimura
Composer(s)Hiroaki Takahashi
SeriesDead or Alive
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • JP: November 15, 2017[1]
(DMM GAMES)
  • AS: March 26, 2019[2]
(Steam)
  • AS: June 15, 2021[3]
(Johren)
  • JP: August 19, 2020[4]
(Steam)
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player

Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation[a] is a sports gacha game for Microsoft Windows developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo. The game was released in Japan on November 15, 2017 via DMM Games and later on Southeast Asia via Steam on April 10, 2019, and Johren on June 15, 2021.

Gameplay

Unlike previous games in the Dead or Alive Xtreme series, on Venus Vacation the player does not directly control the characters during beach volleyball matches. Instead, the game adopts a turn-based strategy system in which the player can issue commands during time outs to prioritize attacking/spiking (labeled POW in-game) or defensive play (labeled TEC in-game), substitute players to conserve their stamina, and choose which opponent to target.

New events and gacha banners are introduced weekly as part of in-game festivals. Through these banners the player can obtain swimsuits called trendy suits which highly boost the character stats during the corresponding event. Each festival has beach volleyball matches divided in difficulty levels ranging from E to SSS+ difficulty. The higher the level cleared, the higher the rewards obtained. These rewards may contain premium currency and tickets to use on the game's gacha and consumable items to gift to the characters to raise their exp. As characters level up, new character episodes and gravure-themed cutscenes are unlocked.[2]

Venus Vacation has an extensive photo mode in which the player can make the characters pose in different parts of the Venus Island including the beach, bar, onsen, and the player's private room. The latter can be decorated by the player with different motifs.

Characters

Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation released with 10 playable characters, nine originating from Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 and Misaki, a new character created exclusively for Venus Vacation. Players starting the game for the first time must select two initial girls: one from the original Xtreme 3 roster and another from the same pool of characters plus Misaki. Over time, new characters that can be unlocked via gacha, have been added with the following release dates:

Name Release Date (DMM) Release Date (Steam) Source(s)
Luna 18 January 2018 15 May 2019 [6][7]
Tamaki 12 April 2018 10 July 2019 [8]
Leifang[b] 5 July 2018 25 September 2019 [9]
Fiona 27 September 2018 14 January 2020 [10]
Nagisa[c] 17 December 2018 10 November 2019 [11]
Kanna 11 April 2019 12 August 2020 [12]
Monica 7 August 2019 18 November 2020 [13]
Sayuri 5 December 2019 13 February 2021 [14]
Patty 30 April 2020 3 June 2021 [15]
Tsukushi 26 August 2020 9 September 2021 [16]
Lobelia 25 December 2020 30 December 2021 [17]
Nanami 1 April 2021 28 April 2022 [18][19]
Elise 14 July 2021 2 August 2022 [20]
Koharu 2 November 2021 24 November 2022 [21]
Tina Armstrong[d] 22 January 2022 3 February 2022 [22]
Amy 5 April 2022 27 April 2023 [23]
Shandy 25 August 2022 17 August 2023 [24]
Yukino 21 February 2023 25 January 2024 [25]
Shizuku 27 October 2023 —

Development

Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation was announced at Tokyo Game Show 2016 as PC-exclusive game.[26][1][27] A year later during Tokyo Game Show 2017, Koei Tecmo revealed the first details about the game's gameplay and monetization.[28] On September 2017, the inclusion of a new original character called Misaki was announced[29][30] and a trailer was released showcasing the ten characters available at launch along with more gameplay details.[31]

In an inteview with Siliconera, the current director Yasunori Sakuda commented that the reason Venus Vacation added so many new characters was due to the difficulty in reintroducing previous characters due to their existing relationships in the mainline Dead or Alive games. For Sakuda, it was much easier to make characters from scratch whose stories had a deeper focus with the player.[32]

Release

Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation was released in Japan on November 15, 2017.[27] A Steam version, available only for Southeast Asian countries, entered open beta on March 28, 2019.[2][33] This version supports English, Korean, and Chinese languages. This version was released on April 10, 2019.

A cloud version was released on April 23, 2019 through DMM Games. A second Steam version was released on August 19, 2020, connected to the original DMM Games version.[4] A second "global" version was released on July 1, 2021 through the gaming platform Johren.[3] This version however, uses a separate server from the Southeast Asian Steam release.

Since release, Venus Vacation has had several collaborations with other series by Koei Tecmo, games by third parties, manga series, and more.[34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44] The game has also received merchandising since its inception.[45][46]

Reception

Due to the game's limited release, it did not receive enough reviews in the West to score at review aggregator Metacritic. Andrew Duncan from GameGrin gave the Steam release a 4.5/10, praising the game's graphics but criticizing its long loading times, repetitive gameplay and music.[47] Matt Sainsbury from Digitally Downloaded acknowledged the game's controversial aspects but nonetheless praised its aesthetic, presentation, and relaxing gameplay.[48]

Despite not officially releasing in the West, Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation has been a success for Koei Tecmo as the game has had its most profitable year 4 years after the game's launch.[49]

Controversies

On June 2018, a feature was added to the game that allowed players to pull character's clothes.[50][51] Motherboard called the feature a harassment simulator.[52]

On January 2021, Koei Tecmo reported to the Kanagawa prefectural police that a person was selling compilations of in-game footage using a nude patch through auction sites. The company said they will file a civil suit and seek reparations for misuse of their intellectual property.[53][54][55]

Notes

  1. ^ Japanese: デッド オア アライブ エクストリーム ヴィーナス バケーション, Hepburn: Deddo oa Araibu Ekusutorīmu Vīnasu Bākeishon, DOAXVV
  2. ^ Originally unqualified at rank 10, 4.7% in Xtreme 3 poll.
  3. ^ Originally added as Mysterious Venus, her name was unveiled months after inclusion in both DMM and Steam versions.
  4. ^ Originally unqualified at rank 11, 3.8% in Xtreme 3 poll; later rank 2, 109% at Famitsu's Venus Vacation 4th anniversary poll.

References

  1. ^ a b "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation announced for PC browser". Gematsu. September 15, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation released at Steam". Siliconera. March 26, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation English Johren Release Revealed". Siliconera. June 15, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  4. ^ a b 【DOAXVV】Steam®版も配信開始！プロモーションムービー. August 18, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2020 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ a b "DEAD OR ALIVE Xtreme Venus Vacation Staff". Game.DOAXVV.com. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  6. ^ Romano, Sal (January 16, 2018). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation adds new character Luna". Gematsu. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  7. ^ Romano, Sal (January 18, 2018). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation Luna trailer". Gematsu. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  8. ^ Romano, Sal (April 12, 2018). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation Tamaki trailer". Gematsu. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  9. ^ Nelva, Giuseppe (July 4, 2018). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation Adding Leifang; First Screenshots Revealed on Famitsu". DualShockers. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  10. ^ Romano, Sal (September 25, 2018). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation adds new character Fiona". Gematsu. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  11. ^ Sato (May 27, 2020). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation's Nagisa Has Made Her Debut in the English Version". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  12. ^ Agossah, Iyane (April 15, 2019). "Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation Adds 1014 Years Old Oni Kanna". DualShockers. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  13. ^ Sato (November 18, 2020). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation's Casino Dealer Monica Joins the English Version". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  14. ^ Sato (December 5, 2019). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation's New Heroine Sayuri is a Nurse and Older Sister Figure". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  15. ^ Sato (April 30, 2020). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation's New Heroine Patty is a Playful Island Girl". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  16. ^ Sato (August 27, 2020). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation Introduces the Otaku Girl Tsukushi". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  17. ^ Sato (December 28, 2020). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation's Loberia Is a Noble's Daughter". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  18. ^ Stenbuck, Kite (April 2021). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation Adds Misaki's Classmate Nanami". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  19. ^ Lada, Jenni (April 29, 2022). "Nanami Joins English DOA XVV Cast of Characters". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  20. ^ Nelva, Giuseppe (July 14, 2021). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation Reveals New Girl Elise". Twinfinite. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  21. ^ Garcia, Carley (November 3, 2021). "Koharu Joins the DOA Xtreme Venus Vacation Cast of Characters". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  22. ^ "『FF14: 暁月のフィナーレ』総力特集！ 『ダイパ』リメイク特集や『DOAXVV』4周年記念特集も（2021年11月18日発売号）【今週の週刊ファミ通】 | ゲーム・エンタメ最新情報のファミ通.com". ファミ通.com. November 18, 2021. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  23. ^ Stenbuck, Kite (April 5, 2022). "Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation Adds Amy to the Roster". Siliconera. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  24. ^ Stenbuck, Kite (August 24, 2022). "Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation Will Add New Character Shandy". Siliconera. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  25. ^ Tolentino, Josh (February 22, 2023). "Dead or Alive Venus Vacation Adds Yukino to the Roster". Siliconera. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  26. ^ Lopez, Azario (September 15, 2016). "PC Browser Exclusive Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation Gets First Teaser Trailer". DualShockers. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  27. ^ a b "DMM版『クラッシュ・オブ・キングス』が今秋配信決定。『DEAD OR ALIVE Xtreme Venus Vacation』の新情報も". 電撃オンライン (in Japanese). Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  28. ^ Romano, Sal (August 31, 2017). "DMM Games' Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation launches 2017 in Japan". Gematsu. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  29. ^ Romano, Sal (September 19, 2017). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation adds new character Misaki". Gematsu. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  30. ^ Romano, Sal (September 20, 2017). "First look at Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation". Gematsu. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  31. ^ Romano, Sal (September 23, 2017). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation debut trailer, more details". Gematsu. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  32. ^ Sato (November 18, 2020). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation Director on Implementing Series Characters". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  33. ^ Agossah, Iyane (March 29, 2019). "Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation Releases in English on Steam in Southeast Asia". DualShockers. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  34. ^ Nelva, Giuseppe (October 10, 2018). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation Gets Destiny Child Crossover and Freebies Aplenty". DualShockers. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  35. ^ Sato (November 5, 2018). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation Kicks Off Haruhi Suzumiya Collaboration". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  36. ^ Sato (February 7, 2019). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation x DanMachi Collaboration Adds Hestia's Outfit". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  37. ^ Sato (July 18, 2019). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation X Shinobi Master Senran Kagura: New Link Collab Starts". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  38. ^ Sato (January 28, 2020). "Dead or Alive 6 and Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation Atelier Ryza Collaborations Revealed". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  39. ^ Sato (March 30, 2020). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation Gets Mecha Girl Items in Alice Gear Aegis Collaboration". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  40. ^ Stenbuck, Kite (December 9, 2020). "DOA Xtreme: Venus Vacation Adds RTK XIV Diaochan Costume". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  41. ^ Hashimoto, Kazuma (January 19, 2021). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation Atelier Ryza Event Returns". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  42. ^ Kiya, Andrew (February 26, 2022). "DOAXVV Atelier Sophie Collaboration Adds Sophie and Plachta Costumes". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  43. ^ Kiya, Andrew (March 18, 2022). "DOAXVV Shinobi Master Senran Kagura: New Link Collab Returns". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  44. ^ Liu, Stephanie (April 24, 2023). "DOAXVV Event Will Re-run in Azur Lane". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  45. ^ Nelva, Giuseppe (December 29, 2017). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation's $200+ Mousepads Will Keep Your Wrist Very Comfy (NSFW)". DualShockers. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  46. ^ Stenbuck, Kite (January 29, 2024). "DOA Marie Rose Azur Lane Steamy Venus Figure Announced". Siliconera. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  47. ^ Duncan, Andrew (February 14, 2020). "Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation Review". GameGrin. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  48. ^ Sainsbury, Matt (April 2022). "Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation gets a brand new character (and she's gorgeous)". Digitally Downloaded. Retrieved March 30, 2024. Yes, these games are particularly voyeuristic and the objectification commentary around them is appropriate and accurate (and Venus Vacation takes things well beyond what the console titles do), but at the same time, it's okay to enjoy things that you can be critical of. There's a lot of merit to Xtreme. The gravure pin-up aesthetic is gorgeous, and when coupled with the laid-back music and presentation, Xtreme is, simply, a fun and casual, no-pressure way to relax.
  49. ^ Yokoyama, Keiichi (December 7, 2021). "Interview with Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation's producer—rising Steam popularity as the vacation enters its 5th year". Automaton West. Active Gaming Media. Retrieved March 31, 2024. Our four-year anniversary is coming up here soon, but we had our highest grossing month on record just this past year. So despite the fact it's been so long since it was first released, I can confidently say our players continue to demonstrate passion for the game.
  50. ^ Tamburro, Paul (June 22, 2018). "Dead or Alive Xtreme: Venus Vacation Introduces Non-Consensual Stripping". GameRevolution. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  51. ^ Lemon, Marshall (June 25, 2018). "Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation lets you tug at women's clothes". VG247. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  52. ^ Cole, Samantha (June 22, 2018). "Pulling Clothes Off Women Is the Latest Feature in 'Dead or Alive'". Motherboard. Retrieved March 30, 2024. While one character stands by a pool in a French maid-style bra and thong, the player grabs at her clothing with a cursor, often pulling it so hard that she almost falls over. She makes sounds of frustration and annoyance, clearly hating whatever it is you're doing to her in this game. This part of the game, at least, is basically a harassment simulator.
  53. ^ Winslow, Jeremy (January 7, 2021). "Dead Or Alive Studio Pressing Charges Over Video Of Nude Mod Sold On DVD". GameSpot. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  54. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (January 6, 2021). "Koei Tecmo says it will sue over bootleg Dead or Alive video". Gameindustry.biz. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  55. ^ Ramos, Alexandra (January 7, 2021). "Illegal Dead Or Alive Xtreme Videos Prompts Publisher To Take Action". ScreenRant. Retrieved March 30, 2024.

External links

  • Official website (in English)
  • Official website (in Japanese)
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