Outlaw Volleyball Spike or Die impressions

We had the chance to get a look at an updated build of Simon & Schuster's Outlaw Volleyball: Spike or Die, its upcoming entry in the volleyball genre in the same vein as Outlaw Golf. The game has come together quite a bit since our last look at it, and it features a full roster of players as well as additional courts and gameplay modes.

The most striking element of the new build of the game is the graphics, which have been noticeably tweaked. The various players, already impressive the last time we saw them, look better and feature more unique animation, giving them additional personality. The updated build also features courts that are nearly on par with the characters in terms of visual quality and detail. The jungle court is especially impressive thanks to the waterfalls rushing in the background and other secondary environmental details.

The audio for Outlaw Volleyball is still coming together, and so it's fairly sparse at the moment--most of the characters lacked voices, and placeholders are being used for the music. The game also features commentary from comedian Lewis Black, but that aspect of the game has yet to be completed. While the audio will obviously be sorted out by the game's final release, Simon & Schuster revealed that the game's music will feature a special touch, with veteran musician Nile Rodgers signing on as the executive producer for Outlaw Volleyball's soundtrack.

As far as control is concerned, the game has been designed so that even the volleyball novice can pick up the controller and immediately start playing. However, the controls still felt a little rough in some places, but hopefully these issues will be addressed before the game's final release.

Unfortunately we still weren't able to try out the game's online functionality via Xbox Live, but it seems as though it will definitely add a substantial replay element to the game. Outlaw Volleyball: Spike or Die is currently slated to release in June for the Xbox. Look for more on the game in the coming months.