Ninjabread Man

Last updated

Ninjabread Man
Ninjabread Man.jpg
North American boxart, Wii version
Developer(s) Data Design Interactive
Publisher(s) Metro3D Europe (PlayStation 2 and PC)
Data Design Interactive (Europe, Wii)
Conspiracy Entertainment (North America)
Platform(s) Wii, PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows
ReleasePlayStation 2
  • EU: 13 July 2005
Microsoft Windows
  • EU: 23 July 2005
Wii
  • EU: 21 September 2007
  • AU: 27 September 2007
  • NA: 3 October 2007
Genre(s) Platform
Mode(s)Single player

Ninjabread Man is a 2005 platform video game by developer and publisher Data Design Interactive. The game was released on the PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Windows in Europe in July 2005. A port for the Wii was released in September 2007 in Europe and Australia, and on October 3, 2007 in North America. Ninjabread Man was published as part of Data Design Interactive's 'Popcorn Arcade' brand of Wii games.

Contents

Upon release, Ninjabread Man received universally negative reviews from critics due to its camera system, graphics, lack of story, short length, and controls; the Wii version received even lower reviews for its use of motion controls and is often considered one of the worst games of all time.

Gameplay

An upwards motion on the Nunchuk or press of the Z Button allows the player to jump. Ninjabread Man Screenshot.png
An upwards motion on the Nunchuk or press of the Z Button allows the player to jump.

Ninjabread Man is an action-adventure platformer. There are three levels in the game, plus a tutorial level. [1] In order to proceed to the next level, players must collect eight power rods to activate a teleporter. [2] The Ninjabread Man can attack enemies directly with a samurai sword via a shake of the Wii Remote, as well as throw shurikens from a distance using the Wii Remote's IR functionality to aim. When the player completes a level and plays it again, a menu appears with a second mode available, ‘Score Pickups’. If the level is completed again in this mode, the player will unlock ‘Time Attack’ mode. Completion of this mode unlocks the ‘Hidden Pickups!’ mode, in which the player must find pickups. [2]

Development

Ninjabread Man reportedly started development as a planned third entry in the Zool series, a 2D platforming series released for the Amiga. Not much is actually known about the pitch, though it is believed that Zoo Digital Publishing (Zool's rights owners) weren't impressed by the tech demo and pulled the license. As such, DDI released the game as a standalone original game. Despite this, evidence for the game originally being a Zool game are still present; such as leftover Zool-themed levels and items, and a since leaked intro that shows Zool crashing onto a planet that closely resembles the one used in this game. [3] [4] The data indicates that each of the other four games DDI made with the same assets were originally worlds in the Zool demo, with Ninjabread Man being Sweet World, Rock'n' Roll Adventures being Music World, Myth Makers: Trixie in Toyland being Toy World, and Anubis II being Tooting Common from Zool 2 .

The game was first announced in November 2004 as Myth Makers: The Ninjabread Man, originally intended to be part of the company's Myth Makers series before having the suffix removed during release. [5]

Reception

Ninjabread Man received unanimously negative reviews upon release. The PlayStation 2 version of the game has a 31% average rating on GameRankings, [6] while the Wii version has an average of 17.5%. [7] On Metacritic, the Wii version of the game has an average score of 20/100, based on 6 reviews. [8] The PC version of the game was not reviewed by any major publication. [13]

IGN gave the Wii version a score of 1.5/10, saying: "It’s buggy, often completely broken, somehow manages to have frame issues in tiny levels, and is completely ruthless if (and when) younger players die." [10] Thunderbolt gave it 1/10, criticizing the game's length and the unimaginative use of the character as key flaws. [1]

Cancelled sequel

On 23 January 2008, a sequel titled Ninjabread Man – Blades of Fury was announced. [14] However, it was never released for unknown reasons and Data Design Interactive later went out of business in 2012. [15] [16]

Rock 'n' Roll Adventures

Rock 'n' Roll Adventures
Developer(s) Data Design Interactive
Publisher(s) Data Design Interactive (Europe)
Conspiracy Entertainment (North America)
Engine GODS Engine, Havok, RenderWare
Platform(s) PlayStation 2, Wii, Windows
Release
17 September 2007
  • Wii
    • EU: 17 September 2007
    • NA: 11 October 2007
    PlayStation 2
    Windows
Genre(s) Platform
Mode(s) Single-player

Rock 'n' Roll Adventures is a platform video game developed and published by Data Design Interactive and Conspiracy Entertainment. The game was released in Europe on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and Wii on 17 September 2007 and in North America on 11 October 2007. The game is considered an asset flip of Ninjabread Man.

Gameplay

Like Ninjabread Man, there are 3 levels, plus a tutorial. In the tutorial level, the game will show the player what controls to use. For the rest of the levels, the player must collect all 8 Power Rods. The enemies of the game are drum parts like cymbals.

The game uses the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. Jerking the Nunchuk up allows the player to jump. Swinging the Wii Remote swings the player's guitar.

Reception

The game has received poor reception. IGN gave the game a 3.0/10, criticizing it for non-interesting graphics, sloppy gameplay, and bad controls. [17] Official Nintendo Magazine pointed out that the spine of the box misspells the title as "Rock n' Roll Adevntures".

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Rayman Raving Rabbids</i> 2006 party video game

Rayman Raving Rabbids is a 2006 party video game developed and published by Ubisoft. It is a spinoff for the Rayman series and the debut title for the Rabbids franchise. The story follows Rayman as he was interrupted by an earthquake, in which he was also kidnapped and forced to play minigames with the Rabbids. The game received generally positive reviews from critics, with some criticizing the minigames either being broken or unenjoyable.

<i>Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis</i> 2006 table tennis simulation video game

Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis is a 2006 table tennis simulation video game developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games. The game is a realistic simulation of the sport table tennis, with the main objective to make the opponent fail to hit the ball.

<i>Elebits</i> 2006 video game

Elebits, known in PAL territories as Eledees (LEDs), is an action/first-person shooter game developed and published by Konami for the Wii. It was released as a launch title on December 2, 2006 in Japan, then December 12, 2006 in North America, May 4, 2007 in Europe, and May 17, 2007 in Australia.

<i>Super Mario Galaxy</i> 2007 video game

Super Mario Galaxy is a 2007 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the third 3D game in the Super Mario series. As Mario, the player embarks on a quest to rescue Princess Peach, save the universe from Bowser, and collect 120 Power Stars, after which the player can play the game as Luigi for a more difficult experience. The levels consist of galaxies filled with minor planets and worlds, with different variations of gravity, the central element of gameplay. The player character is controlled using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk and completes missions, fights bosses, and reaches certain areas to collect Power Stars. Certain levels also use the motion-based Wii Remote functions.

<i>Excite Truck</i> Racing video game first published by Nintendo in 2006

Excite Truck is a racing video game developed by Monster Games and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It features malleable environments and tilt-based controls. The game was one of the Wii launch titles in North America. It is the third main game in the Excite series and the first to feature vehicles other than motorbikes.

<i>Wii Sports</i> 2006 sports video game published by Nintendo

Wii Sports is a 2006 sports simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The game was released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and in Japan, Australia, and Europe the following month. It was included as a pack-in game with the console in all territories except Japan, making it the first sports game included with the launch of a Nintendo system since Mario's Tennis for the Virtual Boy in 1995. The game was later released on its own as part of the Nintendo Selects collection of games.

<i>Samurai Warriors: Katana</i> 2007 video game

Samurai Warriors: Katana is an action video game set in feudal Japan and is based upon the Samurai Warriors series by Koei and Omega Force, a spin-off of the Dynasty Warriors series. The game was revealed for the Wii at Nintendo's pre-E3 conference under the name "Sengoku Action".

<i>Ghost Squad</i> (video game) 2004 Video game

Ghost Squad and Ghost Squad: Evolution are light gun rail shooter arcade games developed and published by Sega. A home version of the original Ghost Squad was developed for Nintendo's Wii game console. A sequel, Operation GHOST, was released in arcades in 2012.

<i>Wii Play</i> 2006 party video game published by Nintendo

Wii Play is a party video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii console. It was released as a launch game for the console in Japan, Europe, and Australia in December 2006, and was released in North America in February 2007. The game features nine minigames, including a Duck Hunt-esque shooting range, a fishing game, and a billiards game, each of which are designed to showcase the features of the Wii Remote controller.

<i>Anubis II</i> 2005 video game

Anubis II is a 2005 action video game by British developer Data Design Interactive. It was published by Conspiracy Entertainment in the United States for the Wii, PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Windows.

<i>Boom Blox</i> 2008 video game

Boom Blox is a 2008 puzzle video game by Electronic Arts for the Wii and N-Gage. It was developed by EA Los Angeles and directed by filmmaker Steven Spielberg.

<i>Mario Kart Wii</i> 2008 video game

Mario Kart Wii is a 2008 kart racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the sixth installment in the Mario Kart series, and was released in April 2008. Like its previous installments, Mario Kart Wii incorporates playable characters from the Mario series, who participate in races on 32 different race tracks using specialized items to hinder opponents or gain advantages. The game features multiple single-player and multiplayer game modes including two- to four-person split screen. Online multiplayer was supported until the discontinuation of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection in May 2014. Mario Kart Wii uses the Wii Remote's motion-controls to provide intuitive and conventional steering controls. Each copy of the game was bundled with the Wii Wheel accessory to augment this feature and mimic a steering wheel.

<i>Victorious Boxers: Revolution</i> 2007 video game

Victorious Boxers: Revolution, known as Hajime no Ippo: Revolution in Japan and Victorious Boxers: Challenge in PAL regions, is a Japanese-developed boxing video game developed by AQ Interactive for the Wii. The game is based on the manga and anime series, Hajime no Ippo. Players are able to use the Wii controller to mimic boxing moves and knock out the opponent. The game was released in Japan on June 21, 2007 and in North America on October 23, 2007.

<i>Heavenly Guardian</i> 2007 scrolling shooter video game

Heavenly Guardian, known in Europe as Legend of Sayuki, is a scrolling shooter game developed by Starfish SD. It was originally released on the Wii in 2007 and PlayStation 2 in 2008. The developer self-published the title in Japan, while UFO Interactive Games and 505 Games published the game in North America and Europe respectively. It was later released on the Nintendo Switch in 2018 and Windows and PlayStation 4 in 2019 as Snow Battle Princess Sayuki.

<i>And Yet It Moves</i> 2009 video game

And Yet It Moves is a puzzle-platform game developed by independent developer Broken Rules. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux on April 2, 2009, and for Wii as a WiiWare title in August 2010. And Yet It Moves was originally designed as a computer science project at the Vienna University of Technology in 2007. When the original prototype won or was nominated for awards at various independent game festivals, the team decided to create a full version of the game.

<i>ShadowPlay</i> 2010 video game

ShadowPlay is a puzzle game developed and published by Canadian studio Deep Fried Entertainment exclusively for WiiWare on the Wii video game console. The shadow puppetry-inspired game play focuses on manipulating and combining the shadows of objects in order to create a larger shadow that resembles a particular thing, specifically animals, items, and symbols.

<i>Hubert the Teddy Bear: Winter Games</i> 2010 video game

Hubert the Teddy Bear: Winter Games is a sports party game developed by Teyon for the WiiWare. It was available in the WiiWare Shop for 500 Wii Points before the shop's closure in 2019.

<i>Real Heroes: Firefighter</i> 2009 video game

Real Heroes: Firefighter is a first-person shooter video game for the Wii, developed by Epicenter Studios and published by Conspiracy Entertainment. A Nintendo 3DS version was released on September 12, 2012, by Zordix and a remastered PC version was released on March 14, 2017, by Flying Tiger Entertainment, with a high definition re-release published by Ziggurat Interactive on January 21, 2021. Firefighter was then ported to the Nintendo Switch and the PlayStation 4 around the game's tenth anniversary. Real Heroes: Firefighter HD was later announced for Xbox One by Ziggurat Interactive which released on March 31, 2022

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fun4All</span> 2009 Activision brand of video games

Fun4All is a brand made by Activision for their line of family-friendly video games for the Wii. The brand launched in Europe on February 13, 2009 and is exclusive to PAL territories. Activision planned to launch a similar brand in North America called "Wee 1st", but decided later to name it "Designed Exclusively for Wii". There are currently six titles that are a part of the Fun4All-brand.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Morton, Philip (6 January 2008). "Ninjabread Man Wii review". Thunderbolt. Archived from the original on 28 February 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  2. 1 2 "IGN: Ninjabread Man". IGN. Archived from the original on 20 August 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  3. ↑ "Ninjabread Man - The Cutting Room Floor". tcrf.net. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  4. ↑ "Unreleased Zool animated intro - YouTube". www.youtube.com. 23 April 2012. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  5. ↑ https://www.gamesindustry.biz/data-design-interactive-add-3-more-playstation-2-games-to-the-myth-makers-series [ bare URL ]
  6. 1 2 "Ninjabread Man Reviews". Archived from the original on 28 July 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  7. 1 2 "Ninjabread Man Reviews". Archived from the original on 5 June 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  8. 1 2 "Ninjabread Man (wii: 2007): Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. Retrieved 11 January 2008.
  9. ↑ Lyon, James (16 October 2007). "Popcorn Arcade Roundup". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  10. 1 2 Bozon, Mark (8 January 2008). "Ninjabread Man Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 29 March 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  11. ↑ "Test : NinjaBread Man". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). 7 November 2007. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  12. ↑ Dickens, Anthony (4 November 2007). "Ninjabread Man Review (Wii)". Nintendo Life . Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  13. ↑ "Ninjabread Man". Archived from the original on 23 May 2009. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  14. ↑ "Data Design Interactive » Highlights » Ninjabread Man – Blades of Fury". Archived from the original on 12 February 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2008.
  15. ↑ "NinjaBread Man 2: Blades of Fury [Wii - Cancelled] - Unseen64". Unseen64: Beta, Cancelled & Unseen Videogames!. 1 May 2020. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  16. ↑ "DATA DESIGN INTERACTIVE LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  17. ↑ Green, Danny (18 December 2007). "Rock 'n Roll Adventures Review - Wii Review at IGN". IGN. Archived from the original on 21 December 2007. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
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.