At the Electronic Entertainment Expo, Tecmo® announced that Dead or Alive® Xtreme Beach Volleyball will be coming to the Xbox™ video game system from Microsoft towards the end of summer. This first-of-its-kind “fantasy sports simulation” stars the renowned female characters from the Dead or Alive fighting games. Tomonobu Itagaki, the game’s Creator, explained, “Fans of the Dead or Alive fighting games have always appreciated the beauty of the female form. With this game, we are giving fans what they have been asking for all along - the ability to admire gorgeous ladies at play… more specifically, as they jump and dive after a volleyball. The appeal of this game is universal, and with the tremendous power of Xbox, the ladies of Dead or Alive will look and move more realistically than ever before.” Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball takes place on Zack Island, a tropical island which he purchased and named after himself, after winning big at a casino. Zack declares the island the official location of the fourth Dead or Alive tournament. When the invites are sent and people start arriving, everyone realizes that only women were invited to the island. What is the meaning of this and how will the ladies amuse themselves in their free time on the tropical island? Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball stars all the ladies from the Dead or Alive fighting games and a new character named Lisa. In the game, the women amuse themselves with volleyball and the many diversions offered by the tropical island paradise. The new character, Lisa, hails from the United States, is a former Olympic volleyball player, and works as a stockbroker in Manhattan. She will be a regular character in future Dead or Alive games. In addition to the standard beach volleyball tournament, players will have a wealth of other recreational activities to choose from on the island. Gamers can spend time in the arcade, where they can play a mini game of Dead or Alive 3; a movie theater, where they can view a trailer of Ninja Gaiden or other Dead or Alive games; or a casino, where they can try their hand at special Dead or Alive versions of slots, poker, blackjack, roulette, and more. Other mini-games include a lifeguard drill, a dance competition, and a beauty contest. Players can also cultivate relationships with other potential volleyball team partners by buying them gifts. If a character likes the gift you bought her, she may wear it during a match and reciprocate by buying you something in return. Strong relationships off the volleyball court will lead to better tag play on the court. Nearly everything in the game can be customized to the player’s liking. The volleyball environment can be customized with different times of day, volleyball used, and net types. Characters’ appearance can be completely personalized, with over 100 different swimsuits to choose from and over 50 accessories to equip as well. Swimsuit patterns can be chosen or custom-made depending on your artistic skills. The local radio station broadcasts licensed music throughout the game (over 20 songs in the game soundtrack) or players can opt to listen to their own custom soundtrack. Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball™ supports user ripped soundtracks allowing you to copy your favorite music tracks from your CDs and play them back in the game. Photo and video replays of matches can also be saved to the hard drive.