Ninja Baseball Bat Man

Last updated
Ninja Baseball Bat Man
NinjaBaseballBatMan arcadeflyer.png
Arcade flyer
Developer(s) Irem
Publisher(s) Irem
Designer(s) Drew Maniscalco
Programmer(s) Shinichi Hamada [1]
Platform(s) Arcade
Release
  • WW: October 1993 [2]
Genre(s) Beat 'em up
Mode(s)1-4 players cooperatively

Ninja Baseball Bat Man [a] is a 1993 beat 'em up arcade video game developed and published by Irem. [3] [4] The object of the game is to recover various artifacts stolen from the Baseball Hall of Fame, a task prescribed to them by the Commissioner of Baseball. Each stage takes place in several parts of the United States. Each player chooses from among four characters: Captain Jose, Twinbats Ryno, Beanball Roger, and Stick Straw. [5] Up to four players can play simultaneously. [5] [6] [7]

Contents

Gameplay

In the first level NBBM Arcade .png
In the first level

Like Irem's previous beat 'em up arcade game, Undercover Cops , Ninja Baseball Bat Man features playable characters with several different fighting moves that sacrifices health in order to annihilate every enemy on the screen. [5] [8] The game allows players to perform combos, throws and dash attacks against several enemies. When a player's health bar flashes red, more moves can be performed as long as the player does not restore or completely lose health. There are items throughout the game that include American and Japanese food for restoring health, alternate weapons such as baseballs and shurikens, or items that call cheerleaders to either obliterate enemies on screen or drop a large amount of food. There are also mini-games after each boss before the final one is defeated.

Development

Irem America opened its U.S. office in 1988 in Redmond, Washington, headed up by Frank Ballouz (founder of Fabtek, a thriving video kit company and former North American publisher of several arcade machines by Seibu Kaihatsu and TAD Corporation) and National Sales Manager Drew Maniscalco. During this time, Drew created the "Ninja Baseball Bat Man" video game concept (including the English title, plot and characters) and licensed it to Irem America in 1991. [9]

Drew's concept came up after he read the top-grossing films during its time in a USA Today newspaper. One was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; the other was one of the Batman films (possibly Batman Returns ). After that, he started creating his own superhero influenced by what he saw in the USA Today newspaper. During the development of his concept, he liked the word ninja , because of it sounding mysterious to him. He gave the protagonists baseball bats and baseballs as their main weapons, as well as dressing them in baseball uniforms, because Drew is a baseball fan. Drew thought the baseball bat idea was also probably influenced by the 1973 film Walking Tall . This was also how he came up with the game's English title. In Japan, however, Irem of Japan's staff came up with the game's Japanese name as a reference to numerous tokusatsu television shows, most notably the Super Sentai series. Drew later created the concept for the other characters such as enemies. [9] To illustrate the characters' sketches, Drew hired Gottlieb pinball artist Gordon Morison. [9]

Drew's original gameplay ideas for the video game was for a 1-player, adventure-based, platform game similar to Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. , but due to the very successful game sales of several 4-player games (most of them being beat 'em ups), Drew added 3-players in an effort to compete with the 4-player games. While the title and characters were Drew's concept, Irem Japan programmed the arcade game, and modified the look of its prototype. Drew did not mind it being different, as he was thrilled about it being programmed by them. [9]

During the development of the two-player platform version, the two main characters were named "Willie" and "Mickey", named after Drew's two favorite baseball players of his childhood, Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. [9] During the development of the 4-player beat 'em up version, the prototype names of the four main characters were Captain Jeff (red), Nunchaks Sugar (green), Hammer' Eddy (yellow) and Naginata Jimmy (blue). [9] Drew later came up with the final names of the four protagonists that are currently used in the finished version today, which the names are references to the four baseball stars during the arcade game's release: Jose Canseco (red), Ryne Sandberg (green), Roger Clemens (yellow) and Darryl Strawberry (blue). [9] In Japan, their last names were changed to the names of their colors.

Reception and legacy

Despite being one of the top arcade hits of Japan while receiving good reviews from critics during its 1993 release, [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] when compared to the sales of other kits sold at the time, it sold poorly in the Far East and especially North America. Of the 1042 units sold, only 50 units were sold in North America, making Ninja Baseball Bat Man quite rare (especially in the U.S.). Drew "was very disappointed with the effort by the US office". [9] Despite all of this, the popularity of the arcade emulator MAME caused Ninja Baseball Bat Man to gain more popularity years later than it had when originally released. [9]

A year after its concept was created and a year before it was released, despite it being interesting in his opinion, Drew left the company in 1992 and moved to Data East USA. Because of that, he was unable to market nor manage any other input related to the game, but according to his interview with GameRoom , he now owns the rights to Ninja Baseball Bat Man's non-video game products, while Irem Japan owns the rights to its video game content. [9]

Notes

  1. ↑ Known in Japan as Yakyū Kakutō League Man (Japanese: 野球格闘リーグマン, Hepburn: Yakyū Kakutō Rīgu Man, lit. "Baseball Hand-to-Hand Fighting League Man").

Related Research Articles

<i>R-Type</i> 1987 video game

R-Type is a horizontally scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and released by Irem in 1987 and the first game in the R-Type series. The player controls a star ship, the R-9 "Arrowhead", in its efforts to destroy the Bydo, a powerful alien race bent on wiping out all of mankind. The R-9 can acquire a glowing orbicular device called a "Force", protecting it from enemy fire and providing additional firepower. The arcade version was distributed by Nintendo in North America; it is the last arcade title Nintendo distributed.

<i>Batsugun</i> 1993 video game

Batsugun is a 1993 vertically scrolling bullet hell arcade video game originally developed and published by Toaplan in Japan and Europe by Taito, as well as Korea by Unite Trading. The last shoot 'em up created by Toaplan, the title takes place on a distant Earth-like planet where a global takeover operative led by king Renoselva A. Gladebaran VII is set into motion, as players assume the role from one of the six fighter pilots conforming the Skull Hornets squadron taking control of submersible jets in a last-ditch effort to overthrow the invading military force from the planet. Its gameplay mainly consists of shooting mixed with role-playing game-esque elements using a main two-button configuration.

<i>Bravoman</i> 1988 video game

Chōzetsurin Jin Bravoman is a 1988 beat'em up arcade video game developed and published in Japan by Namco. Described as a "comical action game", the player controls the titular character, a bionic superhero with telescopic limbs, as he must defeat the villainous Dr. Bomb before he takes over the world. Bravoman can use his arms, legs and head to defeat enemies, and can also crouch and jump over them. The game ran on the Namco System 1 arcade board.

<i>R-Type Leo</i> 1992 video game

R-Type Leo is a 1992 horizontal-scrolling shooter arcade game developed by Nanao and published by Irem. It is a spin-off of the R-Type series and the last R-Type entry to be released in arcades. In Leo, players take control of the titular space fighter to travel the man-made mechanical planet Eden and destroy its supercomputer core Major. The game was initially conceived as an original shoot 'em up by Nanao before being retooled into an R-Type project by Irem. The title was met with positive reception from reviewers. It has since been re-released as part of Dotemu's 2010 Irem Arcade Hits compilation.

<i>Yōkai Dochuki</i> 1987 video game

Yōkai Dōchūki is a 1987 platform arcade game developed and released by Namco in Japan and other parts of Asia. The player controls a young boy named Tarosuke as he must make his way through Jigoku, the Japanese concept of Hell, to reach Buddha, who will determine his fate. Tarosuke can fire small "ki" bullets at enemies to defeat them; he can also charge them to increase their power. Enemies will drop money when defeated, which can be used to purchase weapons and other items in stores. Two versions of the arcade original were released: a Japanese version and an English version which was released in other Asian countries outside Japan. The Arcade Archives release includes both versions.

<i>Puzzle Uo Poko</i> 1998 video game

Puzzle Uo Poko is an arcade puzzle game developed by Cave and distributed by Jaleco.

<i>In the Hunt</i> 1993 video game

In the Hunt is a 1993 scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and published by Irem. It is the third installment of D.A.S. Tetralogy. Versions for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Microsoft Windows were also released. The player assumes control of the Granvia, a submarine tasked with overthrowing the Dark Anarchy Society before they activate their doomsday device. Gameplay involves shooting enemies, collecting power-up items, and avoiding collision with projectiles. It runs on the Irem M-92 hardware.

<i>Undercover Cops</i> 1992 video game

Undercover Cops is an arcade-style beat 'em up video game developed and published by Irem, originally for the arcades in 1992. It is Irem's first attempt in the modern beat 'em up genre that was founded by Kung-Fu Master. Players control "city sweepers", a police agent-like group who fight crime by taking down thugs in New York City in the year 2043.

<i>World Stadium</i> Video game series

World Stadium is a series of baseball arcade games that were released by Namco in the late 1980s and 1990s; they were spin-offs of the Family Stadium franchise, inspired by the 1986 Famicom game Pro Yakyū Family Stadium, and its sequel Pro Yakyū Family Stadium '87. Except for Great Sluggers '94, which was also released in America, all of the games were exclusive to Japan.

<i>Samurai Aces</i> 1993 video game

Sengoku Ace, fully titled Sengoku Ace: Tengai Episode I and also known as Samurai Aces in the English version, is a vertically scrolling shooter released in the arcades by Psikyo in 1993. The first game by Psikyo, Sengoku Ace was designed by Shinsuke Nakamura, the creator of Aero Fighters and the company's founder.

<i>Vigilante</i> (video game) 1988 video game

Vigilante (ビジランテ) is a 1988 beat 'em up arcade video game developed and published by Irem in Japan and Europe, and published in North America by Data East. It is considered as a spiritual sequel to Irem's earlier Kung-Fu Master (1984).

<i>Xexex</i> 1991 video game

Xexex, released as Orius in North America, is a 1991 side-scrolling shoot 'em up arcade game by Konami. It draws on Irem's R-Type and Konami's other shoot 'em up Gradius, while adding the tentacle mechanics of Irem's other shoot 'em up XMultiply. In the game, players take control of the Flintlock space fighter in a mission to rescue Princess Irene La Tias of Planet E-Square, who has been captured by the evil galactic warlord Klaus Pachelbel.

<i>Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams</i> 1991 video game

Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams is a scrolling shooter video game developed by Success and originally released in Japanese arcades in 1991. The first installment in the Cotton series, players assume the role of the young witch Cotton who, alongside her fairy companion Silk, sets out on her broomstick on a quest to defeat several monsters and get her Willow candy. Its gameplay mainly consists of shooting mixed with role-playing game elements using a main two-button configuration. It ran on the Sega System 16 hardware.

<i>Gaiapolis</i> 1993 video game

Gaiapolis is a 1993 action role-playing beat 'em up arcade game developed and published by Konami. Taking place in a fantasy world, the game follows prince Gerard Himerce, joined by the half-human fairy Elaine Shee and the exiled dragon duke Galahad, seeking vengeance for destruction of his homeland against the Zar Harc empire led by the King of Darkness and prevent him from resurrecting an ancient demon. Through the journey, players explore and search for items to progress and power-ups, fighting enemies and bosses, and gaining experience points to increase their character's maximum health and level.

<i>Bomber Man World</i> 1992 video game

Bomber Man World is a 1992 video game released by Irem under license from Hudson Soft for arcades. It is part of the Bomberman series. It was the second Bomberman game to be released for arcades, preceded by Bomberman (1991), which was also released by Irem.

<i>Gamest</i> Japanese video game magazine

Gamest was a Japanese video game magazine that specialized in covering arcade games. Published by Shinseisha, it first began in May 1986 and originally published bi-monthly, later changed to be a monthly-issued magazine in the late 1980s. The magazine also featured the annual "Gamest Awards", which hands out awards to games based on user vote. The magazine had a heavy-focus on shoot 'em up arcade games, but would also cover games from other genres. Gamest originated from the bi-monthly fanzine VG2 Newsletter from the early 1980s. The magazine ran for several years, with its final issue being released in September 1999. Following the bankruptcy of publisher Shinseisha, many editors would move to ASCII and create a successor magazine, Monthly Arcadia.

<i>FixEight</i> 1992 arcade video game

FixEight is a run and gun arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan in July 1992. The spiritual successor to 1990's Out Zone, it is notable for being one of the few titles by Toaplan that has not received any official port to home consoles as of date. Set in a future where an alien race known as the Gozzu from the fictional planet Fortuna invaded the universe, players are tasked by the Galactic Federation government with an extermination mission against the invaders by assuming the role of one of the eight mercenaries.

<i>Snow Bros. 2: With New Elves</i> 1994 video game

Snow Bros. 2: With New Elves is a 1994 platform arcade video game developed and published by Toaplan under their Hanafram label. One of the last games to be created by Toaplan, it is the sequel to Snow Bros., which was released earlier in 1990 on multiple platforms. In the game, players assume the role of one of the playable characters to rescue a kidnapped princess from captivity.

<i>Stakes Winner 2</i> 1996 video game

Stakes Winner 2 is a horse racing arcade video game developed by Saurus, with additional support from System Vision, and originally published by SNK on September 24, 1996. It is the sequel to the original Stakes Winner, which was released earlier in 1995 on multiple platforms. In the game, players compete with either AI-controlled opponents or against other human players across multiple races. Though it was initially launched for the Neo Geo MVS (arcade), the title was later released to Neo Geo AES (home), in addition of being ported and re-released through download services for various consoles. Like its predecessor, it was received with mixed reception from critics and reviewers since its initial release. A third entry, Stakes Winner 3, was rumored to be in development but never released.

<i>Super Spacefortress Macross</i> (video game) 1992 video game

Super Spacefortress Macross is a 1992 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed NMK and published by Banpresto. Based upon the 1984 anime film Macross: Do You Remember Love?, it is the first arcade entry in the Macross franchise. In the game, the players control the VF-1 Valkyrie variable mecha fighters, piloted by Hikaru Ichijyo and Max Jenius, in a battle against the Zentradi alien race.

References

  1. ↑ Yamamura, Tomomi (3 August 2020). ""大切なことはアイレムと『R-TYPE』に教わった"『メタルスラッグ』プログラマー濱田慎一氏が語るアイレムのあのころ、ナスカのあのころ【ゲームの思い出談話室・第3夜】". Famitsu (in Japanese). Kadokawa Game Linkage. Archived from the original on 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2020-08-03. (Translation by One Million Power. Archived 2021-05-22 at the Wayback Machine ).
  2. ↑ Akagi, Masumi (13 October 2006). アイレム (アイヒ－エム) Irem; Irem America; N (in Japanese) (1st ed.). Amusement News Agency. pp. 13–14, 120–121, 159. ISBN   978-4990251215.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  3. ↑ Momoyan (November 1993). "特集記事 1993 AM ショー - ゲーム紹介: 野球格闘 リーグマン". Gamest (in Japanese). No. 101. Shinseisha. p. 160.
  4. ↑ Thorpe, Nick (October 2016). "Retro Revival: Ninja Baseball Bat Man". Retro Gamer . No. 160. Imagine Publishing. pp. 36–37.
  5. 1 2 3 Tacox (November 5, 1993). "Arcade Windows 3.0: 野球格闘リーグマン". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 255. ASCII Corporation. pp. 134–135.
  6. ↑ MOMO (December 1993). "紹介 - 野球格闘リーグマン". Gamest (in Japanese). No. 104. Shinseisha. pp. 58–59.
  7. ↑ Browning, Jeff (June 16, 2007). "Ninja Baseball Bat Man". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 2009-12-02. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
  8. ↑ MOMO (January 1994). "攻略 - 野球格闘リーグマン: ダイナマイツ技". Gamest (in Japanese). No. 105. Shinseisha. pp. 52–53.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Ferrante, Tim (September 2010). "The Man Behind The Man: The Story of Ninja Baseball Bat Man". GameRoom . Vol. 22, no. 9. Nic Parks. pp. 19–23. (Transcription by Drew Maniscalco. Archived 2020-02-19 at the Wayback Machine ).
  10. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 463. Amusement Press. December 15, 1993. p. 25.
  11. ↑ Frazer, Robert (January 29, 2010). "Ninja Baseball Bat Man". Retro Gamer . Imagine Publishing. Archived from the original on 2015-09-13. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  12. ↑ Grosso, Robert (May 3, 2016). "Gaming Obscura: Ninja Baseball Bat Man". TechRaptor. TechRaptor LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-10-19. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  13. ↑ Burke, Greg (November 29, 2017). "Shack's Arcade Corner: Ninja Baseball Bat Man - The name is pretty self-explanatory, folks. Check out this awesome arcade game". Shacknews . Gamerhub. Archived from the original on 2017-12-10. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.