Pirates Vs Ninjas Dodgeball and Hail To The Chimp

Pirates Vs Ninjas Dodgeball

With a title like this you can expect some fun and even goofy gameplay and that's exactly what this upcoming Xbox Live Arcade game (the first Gamecock game to use that platform) looks to bring to the table.

Created in just under a year by the four-man team at the new Blazing Lizard development studio (formed by former members of Volition and based in Austin) the title is actually not quite accurate; in addition to pirates and ninjas, players will be able to pick from robots and zombies as well as playable characters. In addition, Blazing Lizard plans to release a downloadable expansion for the game that will add a fifth playable race that they are not talking about yet (aliens, maybe?).


We got a chance to briefly play with a finished build of the game, and as you might expect this title isn't a hardcore shoot-em-up but a fun and even addicting all-ages game as your characters run around and throw the dodgeballs around. Each character has special moves that they can use to their advantage such as homing dodgeballs, super powerful throw attacks and more. Characters have their health taken down by each dodgeball hit until they are eliminated from the round, but can also catch the ball in defensive moves as well.


While there are free form dodgeball games there are team-based modes as well and there will be support for eight players online and four players via Xbox 360's system link.


Pirates Vs Ninjas Dodgeball has a cartoony art style (that seems to be a pattern in many of Gamecock's upcoming games) with the characters having oversized heads on small bodies. Visually the game looks terrific, with some impressive visual effects for the game's arena.


While the title of the game may get people interested, it’s the gameplay that's most important, and being able to play as a kid again and fire dodgeballs into someone else's back is just terrific (even if it is a pirate). Look for Pirates Vs Ninjas Dodgeball to be released later this spring

Hail To The Chimp

We don't have much else to say about Wideload's upcoming PS3-Xbox 360 funny animal party game (we posted up some hands-on impressions last month when we played the game at GDC). However we think that the sheer amount of both gameplay and comedic content via the game's "news" breaks will certainly keep players occupied for some time. We were surprised to learn that Hail to the Chimp will actually be priced at $39.99 for both platforms which is considered a "budget" title for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Even with that lower price point we think there's a ton of game time in this title.

One thing we didn't get to see in our previous time with Hail to the Chimp is the "flair" that you can unlock as you play the game. As you progress you can gain access to extra items that you can put on one of the 10 playable animal characters. Hats, wings, and even lollipops are just some of the items that you can decide to attach to your character as you play the game.


Other than that, the game looks and plays just like it did last month and that's a good thing with goofy mini-games that cause bears, octopui, monkeys (you gotta have a monkey in this game) and more to battle each other to stay the "front runner", destroying voting booths to get points and even to team up with a normally opposing player to get special, if temporary, power ups. All of this fun gameplay is surrounded by a network news satire that has funny commercials that lampoon the US election process as well as other media properties.


Hail to the Chimp is Wideload's second major game (the first was the underrated Stubbs the Zombie), and it continues its reputation as a game developer that doesn't make the normal cookie-cutter game titles. Their new game is a perfect match for Gamecock, and we can't wait to play the final version when it is released in May.