Summer Heat is your standard volleyball game, offering 14 characters, 12 locations and five game modes. The game modes include Arcade, Exhibition, Tournament and Training, and there’s a nice selection of unlockable mini-games. While the Arcade and Exhibition modes offer plenty of pick-up-and-play fun, the meat of the game lies in the Tournament mode, which has you criss-crossing the United States playing games against fictional characters in places like Venice Beach Stadium, Emerald Marina and Silver Sands Beach. You’ll need to win plenty of tournament rounds to unlock the mini-games and characters, so you’ll be spending a good bit of time with this game.

Setting up a match is simple; just choose your player, his or her teammate, customize their clothing, and get playing. Each character has multiple costumes, although too many of the costumes are just color variations on the original. The players are all rated in three categories (power, control and speed), thus allowing you to create a balanced team - or so you’re led to think. You see, if you jump into training mode, you can unlock a few extra characters, one of which, who shall remain unnamed, is almost completely unstoppable and plays like a one-woman team. If you unlock her, it’s nearly impossible for the AI to get a ball past her, and she delivers crushing spikes and punishing underhand shots. Later on, you’ll unlock more super-characters like her, which can really be a pain if you’re looking to create a realistic team that doesn’t have 50-hit volleys.

The on-court gameplay is surprisingly deep, though very easy to learn. Three face buttons control your character’s offensive and defensive moves, while the analog stick (or the D-pad) handles movement. The AI is set to always cover your back, so if you rush the net, your partner will quickly fade back to defend against a return. The ball’s path is tracked by a gigantic arrow that changes color depending on the "hit" status of the ball. When it’s a first or second ball touch, the arrow is yellow, while the third and final touch changes the color to green. At all times, you’ll know exactly where the ball is going to land on both the sending and receiving sides.

The excellent training mode covers all the aspects of the gameplay, from basic sets to advanced blocks, and is worth taking the time to play through. The basic digs, sets and spikes are a simple button tap, while stronger hits and deeper blocks require plenty of timing and skill.

At first blush, you’ll swear your AI-controlled partner is an idiot, as he or she will almost always take the first opportunity to get the ball over the net. I have to admit, I was swearing up a storm at my partner until I realized that a simple button press is all it takes to set up a plan with your AI buddy. For example, say the ball is returned to you and you hit the X for a passing move. In that instance, your partner will receive your pass and instead of setting the ball, she’ll fire it over the net, usually in a slow lob. However, if you hit the square button first, you’ll send the ball to your partner, who will then set it up for you to launch a vicious spike. A simple button push is all it takes to change your partner from a sand-eating moron to a Gabrielle Reese clone.

When it comes to graphics, the character models in Summer Heat sport a decent bit of detail, especially as you unlock accessories such as sunglasses. While the girls may not be as bouncy or robustly detailed as those of DOA Xtreme, they look pretty good considering this is a budget title.

The environments are well-populated though a bit short on detail. Little touches, such as sand being kicked up by players, add to the realistic feel of the environment, but the fact their feet completely disappear into said sand subtracts a little. Lighting effects are well done, and the dynamic shadows are a nice touch, especially when the ball is on the move.

The camera, which is all-important in a fast-paced title like this, moves fluidly and will never frustrate. It’s limited to just a few angles, but that’s the price you sometimes have to pay for a camera that is actually usable.

Summer Heat’s soundtrack is a mix of five licensed titles and a few tunes produced by Acclaim. The licensed songs come from artists such as Kylie Minogue, Sprung Monkey and Sum41, and all of them are tracks you’ve heard before. You’ve heard them so much, actually, you’ll probably go insane after the 500th playing of Kylie Minogue’s "Love at First Sight." I really hate that song now. While the soundtrack should loop automatically, you’ll run into instances where it just keeps playing the same song in an infinite loop. If you’re a big fan of the licensed tunes, you’ll be happy to hear that you can unlock the corresponding videos in Tournament mode, then watch them from the Summer Heat beach house.

Outside of the soundtrack, game sounds are minimal. Since this is volleyball, there’s not exactly a variety of sound to replicate anyhow. There’s the thump of hitting a ball, the swish of flowing sand, and the randomly cheering crowd making up the aural palette of the game. Voice acting is limited to the "I’ll get it" or "Maybe next time" type of quotes that are well-acted but repeated just a bit too often.

If you’re into volleyball, you’ll easily find yourself playing quite a bit of this game. The variety of unlockables, character details and locales keep the game fresh, and the multiplayer mode lets you deliver smashing spikes into the face of your buddy’s favorite players

As a whole, Summer Heat Beach Volleyball is a good game, maybe just a touch above average, but better than any other volleyball offerings on the PS2 right now. The gameplay is especially enjoyable, so long as you don’t pick the uber-players, and the bevy of beauties will keep your eyes plenty busy. Summer Heat packs a lot of fun into its meager $29.99 price tag, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking to enjoy some summer sport without having the leave the house.