Thursday, January 26, 2012

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Mutant Mudds Reviews

Below are some reviews for Mutant Mudds:

9/10 - Nintendo Everything.
"One of the most impressively designed 2D platformers we’ve seen in the last ten years."

5/5 - Fanbolt.
"Hit's the spot in every single aspect."

9/10 - Nintendo Life.
"No platformer fan should miss."

9/10 - Nintendo World Report.
"Awesome and addictive."

8.5/10 - IGN.
"All 3DS owners shouldn’t think twice about adding this download to their collection."

10/10 - Pure Nintendo.
"There are a lot of great eShop games out there but none of them can be said are better than Mutant Mudds."

9/10 - Gamer Limit.
"An immediate purchase for fans of platformers."

4.5/5 - Modojo.
"One of the best games we've had the privilege of playing on Nintendo's handheld."

B+ (83/100) - Nintendojo.
"It’s refreshing to see a game that contains as much joy at the end as the beginning."

4.5/5 - Nintendo Gal.
"An addictively fun platforming title, with plenty of difficulty and enough content to ensure you’ll get your money’s worth."

9/10 - Destructoid.
"Pure platforming goodness."

9/10 - Nintendo Daily.
"Do yourself a favor and buy Mutant Mudds."

5/5 - Nintendo Fuse.
"Mutant Mudds is the best game on the eShop."

10/10 - Games Abyss.
"Perfect."

B+ (83/100) - The A.V. Club.
"Excellent precision-platformer challenges."

9/10 - GameZone.
"Superb platformer that every 3DS owner needs to experience."

B+ (83/100) - 1UP.
"A truly solid game."

I couldn't be happier with this kind of reception to the game. I'm excited that so many folks are enjoying it. Viva Nintendo eShop!

Friday, January 20, 2012

3DS 'Most Popular' Video Charts - 01-20-12

* Update 01-22-12: Mutant Mudds Trailer #2 moves up to the #6 spot!

There are now two Mutant Mudds trailers available for viewing on the eShop, and both are in the top 20 video charts this week!

The new Mutant Mudds Video #2 jumped straight into the #8 slot, while Mutant Mudds Video dropped down to #11.

Let's hope this is a good sign that folks are interested in buying the game when it is released next week!

1. [N] Club Nintendo Video.
2. [2] What Is Nintendo Video?
3. [N] Zen Pinball 3D Video.
4. [1] Nintendo Show 3D: December 29, 2011.
5. [5] 3D Classics: Kirby's Adventure Video.
6. [3] Super Mario 3D Land Super Play Video.
7. [N] Super Mario 3D Land Super Play Video #2.
8. [N] Mutant Mudds Video #2.
9. [13] Sonic Generations Video.
10. [6] Pokedex 3D Video.
11. [4] Mutant Mudds Video.
12. [9] Pushmo Video.
13. [11] The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX Video.
14. [?] Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins Video.
15. [15] Pokemon Rumble Blast Video.
16. [?] The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Video.
17. [7] Mighty Switch Force Teaser Trailer.
18. [8] Mighty Switch Force Teaser Trailer #2.
19. [17] Zelda: Skyward Sword Opening Trailer.
20. [?] Mario vs. Donky Kong: Minis March Again! Video.

Mutant Mudds Press Release



Mutant Mudds Invades Nintendo eShop

Austin, Texas – January 20, 2012 – Today, Renegade Kid announced that Mutant Mudds, the eagerly anticipated neo-retro platformer, will be available on January 26, 2012 for $8.99 USD through the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS™.

Our hero, Max, may be just a 2D sprite, but he can leap into the third dimension by jetting between the background and the foreground playfields with his trusty jetpack in this unique dimensionally-woven experience.

Armed with a heavy-duty water cannon, Max has what he needs to vanquish his long-term nemesis: the Mutant Mudds. Max must blast and hover his way across the soiled landscape to seek out mysterious Water Sprites. Legend says collecting all of the mysterious Water Sprites will wash the filthy Mutant Mudds away for good!

“The Nintendo eShop is an exciting opportunity that has enabled us to release our first self-published title, Mutant Mudds,” said Jools Watsham, Owner and Director at Renegade Kid. “The development of Mutant Mudds has been a labor of love for us. We couldn’t be more excited for everyone to finally experience our “12-bit” baby for themselves!”

About Renegade Kid
Founded in 2007 by Jools Watsham and Gregg Hargrove, Renegade Kid LLC is an independent development studio based in Austin, Texas. A developer of handheld video-games, Renegade Kid is known for its award-winning titles on the Nintendo DS™, including Dementium: The Ward, Moon, Dementium II, and ATV Wild Ride.

For more information on Mutant Mudds, visit www.mutantmudds.com.

# # #

Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DS are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2006 and 2011 Nintendo.

To access the Nintendo eShop, you will need a wireless broadband Internet connection. If you do not have the Nintendo eShop icon on the Nintendo 3DS main menu, you will need to perform a system update. See support.nintendo.com for more information.

Mutant Mudds, Dementium: The Ward, Dementium II, and ATV Wild Ride are trademarks of Renegade Kid LLC. © 2012 Renegade Kid LLC. All Rights Reserved.

 

Monday, January 16, 2012

My (3)DS Game Collection

* Updated 01-29-12 *

This is my entire DS-related collection of purchased games, including DS retail, DSiWare, 3DS retail, eShop, and Virtual Console titles. If I used money to buy them, then they're on this list.

In alphabetical order (more or less):

  1. 3D Classics Kirby's Adventure (3DSWare)
  2. 3D Classics Twin Bee (3DSWare)
  3. 3D Classics Urban Champion (3DSWare)
  4. 3D Classics Xevious (3DSWare)
  5. 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors
  6. Advance Wars: Dual Strike
  7. A Kappa's Trail (DSiWare)
  8. Aliens Infestation
  9. Animal Crossing: Wild World
  10. Arctic Escape (DSiWare)
  11. Assassin's Creed II: Discovery
  12. Atari Greatest Hits Volume 1
  13. ATV Wild Ride
  14. Aura-Aura Climber (DSiWare)
  15. Avenging Spirit (3DS Virtual Console)
  16. Balloon Kid (3DS Virtual Console)
  17. Batman The Brave and the Bold
  18. Beat City
  19. Ben 10 Triple Pack
  20. Ben 10 Ultimate Alien: Cosmic Destruction
  21. Bit Trip Saga (3DS)
  22. Blood Stone 007
  23. Boing! Docomodake DS
  24. Bomberman
  25. Brain Age
  26. Brothers in Arms DS
  27. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
  28. Call of Duty: Black Ops
  29. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare: Mobilized
  30. Call of Duty: World at War
  31. Captain Sub GO Series (DSiWare)
  32. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
  33. Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
  34. Cave Story (DSiWare)
  35. Chrono Trigger
  36. Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force
  37. Contact
  38. Contra 4
  39. Cooking Mama
  40. Cop The Recruit
  41. C.O.R.E.
  42. Dark Void Zero (DSiWare)
  43. Dawn of Discovery
  44. Dementium II
  45. Dementium: The Ward (US, Europe, and Japan)
  46. Despicable Me
  47. Diddy Kong Racing DS
  48. Dig Dug: Digging Strike
  49. Dirt 2
  50. DK Jungle Climber
  51. DodoGo! (DSiWare)
  52. DodoGo! Robo (DSiWare)
  53. Donkey Kong (3DS Virtual Console)
  54. Dotman (DSiWare)
  55. Double Dragon (3DS Virtual Console)
  56. Dragon Quest IX
  57. Drawn to Life Collection
  58. Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter
  59. Dropcast
  60. Earthworm Jim (DSiWare)
  61. Elebits The Adventure of Kai and Zero
  62. Elite Beat Agents
  63. Exit
  64. Face Racers (3DS)
  65. Fast Food Panic
  66. Final Fantasy III
  67. Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time
  68. Final Fantasy Fables Chocobo Tales
  69. Fossil Fighters
  70. Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Imagination Invaders
  71. Frogger Returns (DSiWare)
  72. G.G Series Drift Circuit (DSiWare)
  73. G.G Series Ninja Karakuri Den (DSiWare)
  74. G.G Series Z-ONE (DSiWare)
  75. Gargoyles Quest (3DS Virtual Console)
  76. Ghost Trick Phantom Detective
  77. Giana Sisters DS
  78. Go! Go! Kokopolo (DSiWare)
  79. GoldenEye 007
  80. GoldenEye Rogue Agent
  81. Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars
  82. Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure
  83. Hotel Dusk: Room 215
  84. How to Train Your Dragon
  85. Impossible Mission
  86. Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings
  87. Insecticide
  88. Intellivision Lives!
  89. Ivy the Kiwi?
  90. Johnny Test
  91. James Pond Codename: Robocod
  92. Kirby Canvas Curse
  93. Kirby Mass Attack
  94. Kirby's Dreamland (3DS Virtual Console)
  95. Kirby Squeak Squad
  96. Kirby Super Star Ultra
  97. KORG DS-10 Synthesizer
  98. Lego Batman: The Videogame
  99. Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventure
  100. Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues
  101. Lego Pirates of the Caribbean
  102. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga
  103. Let's Golf (3DSWare)
  104. Link 'n' Launch (DSiWare)
  105. Lock's Quest
  106. Lunar Knights
  107. Magical Whip (DSiWare)
  108. Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
  109. Mario Kart DS
  110. Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story
  111. Mario & Luigi Partner's in Time
  112. Mario Party DS
  113. Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2 March of the Minis
  114. Mario vs. Donkey Kong Mini-land Mayhem
  115. Mario vs. Donkey Kong Minis March Again! (DSiWare)
  116. Megaman Battle Network 5 Double Team DS
  117. Megaman Dr. Wily's Revenge (3DS Virtual Console)
  118. Megaman Zero Collection
  119. Megaman ZX
  120. Metal Slug 7
  121. Meteos
  122. Metroid Prime Hunters
  123. Mighty Flip Champs! (DSiWare)
  124. Mighty Milky Way (DSiWare)
  125. Mighty Switch Force (3DSWare)
  126. Monster House
  127. Monster Tale
  128. Moon (US and Europe)
  129. Mutant Mudds (3DSWare)
  130. My Sims Racing
  131. MX vs. ATV Untamed
  132. N+
  133. Namco Museum DS
  134. Nano Assault (3DS)
  135. Nanostray
  136. Nanostray 2
  137. New International Track & Field
  138. New Zealand Story Revolution (Europe)
  139. Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword
  140. Nintendogs Dachshund & Friends
  141. Orcs & Elves
  142. Okami Den
  143. Petz Dogz Pack
  144. Phineas & Ferb
  145. Phineas & Ferb Across the 2nd Dimension
  146. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
  147. Pilotwings Resort (3DS)
  148. Pipe Mania
  149. Plants vs. Zombies
  150. Pokemon Black Version
  151. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
  152. Pokemon Pearl Version
  153. Pokemon Trozei!
  154. Pro Evolution Soccer 2007
  155. Professor Layton and the Curious Village
  156. Pushmo (3DSWare)
  157. Rabbids Travel in Time 3D (3DS)
  158. Rabi Laby (DSiWare)
  159. Rayman 3D (3DS)
  160. Rayman DS
  161. Resident Evil: Deadly Silence
  162. Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (3DS)
  163. Retro Game Challenge
  164. Ridge Racer 3D (3DS)
  165. Ridge Racer DS
  166. Scooby-Doo! First Frights
  167. Scurge Hive
  168. Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure
  169. Shantae: Risky's Revenge (DSiWare)
  170. Sim City DS
  171. Sonic Classic Collection
  172. Sonic Colors
  173. Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
  174. Soul Bubbles
  175. Space Bust-A-Move
  176. Space Invaders Extreme 2
  177. Spider-man 2
  178. Spider-man Shattered Dimensions
  179. Spotto! (DSiWare)
  180. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
  181. Star Fox 3D (3DS)
  182. Star Fox Command
  183. Steel Diver (3DS)
  184. Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)
  185. Super Mario 64 DS
  186. (New) Super Mario Bros.
  187. Super Mario Land (3DS Virtual Console)
  188. Super Mario Land 2 - 6 Golden Coins (3DS Virtual Console)
  189. Super Monkey Ball 3D (3DS)
  190. Super Monkey Ball Touch & Roll
  191. Super Princess Peach
  192. Super Scribblenauts
  193. Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition (3DS)
  194. Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop
  195. Tetris DS
  196. The Legendary Starfy
  197. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS)
  198. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
  199. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
  200. The Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns
  201. The World Ends With You
  202. Thor: God of Thunder
  203. Tokyo Beat Down
  204. Tomb Raider Underworld
  205. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars (3DS)
  206. Tony Hawk's Proving Ground
  207. Toy Story 3
  208. Trace Memory
  209. Ultimate Mortal Kombat
  210. Viewtiful Joe Double Trouble
  211. Viva Pinata Pocket Paradise
  212. VVVVVV (3DSWare)
  213. Wario Master of Disguise
  214. Wario Ware D.I.Y.
  215. Wario Ware Touched
  216. Wire Way
  217. Yoshi's Island DS

Thursday, January 12, 2012

3DS 'Most Popular' Video Charts

As of today - January 12, 2012 - the Mutant Mudds trailer went from #13 to #4. Wow, that's really cool! Thank you if you are one of those who viewed it over the past week.

It'll be interesting to see what the charts look like next week, now that a new 3D trailer has been added to the eShop today.

1. [4] Nintendo Show 3D: December 29, 2011
2. [11] What Is Nintendo Video?
3. [9] Super Mario 3D Land Super Play Video
4. [13] Mutant Mudds Video

5. [10] 3D Classics: Kirby's Adventure Video
6. [16] Pokédex 3D Video
7. [3] Mighty Switch Force Teaser Trailer
8. [N] Mighty Switch Force Teaser Trailer #2
9. [7] Pushmo Video
10. [5] Nintendo Show 3D: December 15, 2011
11. [N] The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX Video
12. [8] Nintendo Show 3D: December 1, 2011
13. [14] Sonic Generations Video
14. [18] The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D Video
15. [17] Pokémon Rumble Blast Video
16. [N] Thriller Preview
17. [19] Zelda: Skyward Sword Opening Trailer
18. [20] The Legend of Zelda Hollywood Concert Coverage
19. [N] Super Mario 3D Land Launch Trailer
20. [N] Plants vs. Zombies Video

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

3D Mutant Mudds Screens!


 Use this handy dandy QR code, or

Visit the URL below with your Nintendo 3DS Internet Browser
to view some 3D screens of Mutant Mudds!


Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Mutant Mudds First Review - Nintendo Power

"If we see more neo-retro titles of this caliber,
we'll be very happy gamers indeed."

"Extremely enjoyable."

"Does a fantastic job of recreating the feel of
a good old-fashioned platformer."


"Recommended."

Nintendo Power's rating scale uses Grumble Grumble, Hmmmm, and Recommended. I'm happy to reveal Mutant Mudds is Recommended!

You can read Nintendo Power's full review in the January / February 2012 issue.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Where do prices of video-games come from, and why are they important?

It seems as though the price tag of video-games has always been criticized as being too high. Now that we live in a world where iPhone Apps are available for $1 or even $FREE, a $40 video-game seems outrageous in comparison to many people. Perhaps $40 for a 3DS game is outrageous, but what surprises me is when people scoff at the cost of $5 and $10 Nintendo eShop games. Really? Now even $5 or $10 is too much for a game?

Where do prices of video-games come from, and why are they important? From my perspective as a developer, and now a publisher on the Nintendo eShop – aw yeah! – the price that my games are being sold at have a distinct importance to me and my business. Take Mutant Mudds, for example. Let’s say the development of Mutant Mudds cost a grand total $100,000 for all of the expenses involved with the creation of the game, such as team salaries, equipment, etc. This number is not real, but $100,000 is a nice round number that is not outside the realm of reality. Games can easily cost much more or less than this. Beyond our goal of entertaining people with our games, we also have the simple goal of making enough money to continue operating as a business so we can make more games.

If Mutant Mudds cost $100,000 to make, we need to make $100,000 back to break-even, right? That at least puts us in a good place where we don’t owe anyone any money. However, we must also make money beyond that if we are going to be able to move beyond Mutant Mudds and make more games. Let’s imagine we sell Mutant Mudds for $40 and our cut of that is 50% (that percentage is fabricated, but it works nicely for this example). So, we make $20 for each game sold. Nice! That means we have to sell 5000 copies of the game to make our initial investment of $100,000 back. That is a very manageable goal…

… however, the reality is that we can’t sell Mutant Mudds for $40, for many reasons. OK, so let’s go to the other end of the spectrum and price it at $1 with our cut still being 50%. Oh wow, we would need to sell 200,000 copies to make our $100,000 back. Hm, that might be a tricky goal to achieve. Time for some perspective: our best selling DS game has sold around 100,000 copies worldwide. Based on how the average original non-licensed game sells on the DS market, 100,000 copies is a big success. On a side note, we saw no profits from this title due to the broken business model of retail – but that’s a different story. OK, back on topic. Based on historical sales data, it’s probably best to assume the game will sell around 30,000 copies – tops – in its lifetime. It could certainly be a lot less, or a lot more. That’s the roll the dice.

OK, so our expectations are 30,000 copies sold in its lifetime. Alright, let’s work from that number then instead. To break even we will need to receive basically $3.34 per copy sold (30,000 x $3.34 = $100,200). That would mean that we need to sell the game for $6.68 to make our initial investment back, with our cut at 50%. OK, let’s go crazy and sell it for a whopping $10 now, with our cut still at 50%. Here’s the math: 30,000 x $5 = $150,000. Hm, not bad at all! We make our initial investment of $100,000 back and have $50,000 towards the next game. Considering Mutant Mudds cost a fictional $100,000 to make, having $50,000 to make the next game means we either need to make a game that requires less team members, less time, less features, or we need to get some more money from somewhere else to make something that is the same scope as Mutant Mudds.

And there lies the chaos of game development. In my opinion, iPhone games have a greater chance of selling closer to 200,000 copies due to the nature of the platform and the audience using it (they also have the same chance of selling zero copies due to how flooded the market is). But, they have to be the right types of experiences for the iPhone audience. I think it is safe to assume that there are more people in the world walking around with a phone in their pocket than there are people with a DS or 3DS in their pocket. The phone audience is massive. However, this does not mean that this is an audience of gamers.

The typical iPhone user wants to play a simple game to waste some time, which cost them very little money to buy. Their investment is equal to their perceived value of the experience they want from the game. There is nothing wrong with this. I too want these types of experiences on my phone. I think the part of me that wants this is not my gamer side. It is my casual kicking-a-stone-on-the-street side. It is the side of me that finds it entertaining to flick a crumb off a table. Is this / should this be what the typical 3DS user wants from games? I think not. I think the 3DS audience wants games that do more than just mindlessly waste some time. I think the 3DS audience wants something different. I think they want games that entertain them. Challenge them. Inspire them, perhaps!

Games that go beyond literal simple pleasures take time and money to create. This will never change. If people are unwilling to pay higher prices for richer experiences, then these types of games will cease to exist. You know supply and demand and all that. We will then be left with a market full of simple gaming experiences that offer the same value as what you paid for it.