Mutant Mudds - Critically Acclaimed!

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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!

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 Release Date & Price!

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.

 

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

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

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!

http://www.renegadekid.com/mpo.htm

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.

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.