Preview: Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball

by Andrew Podolsky on December 6, 2007 at 2:28 pm

It’s a cheeky sports game based on an Internet meme, but it’s no Chuck Norris’ Punch-Out or Admiral Ackbar’s “It’s a Lap!” kart racer. Instead, we tossed around a red rubber ball for a bit with Pirates vs. Ninja Dodgeball — an attractive but simplistic party game for Xbox Live Arcade.

When you first download PvND for 800 points, there are only two types of characters (pirates and ninjas) and the maximum team size in story mode is two players. However, as you work your way through the game, you’ll unlock four players for each team, and two new character sets comprised of Zombies and Robots.

Each team has their own unique arena to play around in, and while there aren’t any gameplay differences between them, they’re all quite attractive. As you might guess, Zombies hang out in the graveyard, Robots have a factory, Pirates are on the beach, and Ninjas dwell in a cherry blossom forest.

PvND seems to work best as a multiplayer game, and up to four players can play on local co-op or eight players can compete online. The controls seem to offer some impressive depth, like a counter system that lets you swat the ball out of an enemy’s hands with a sword, and the ability to catch the ball in order to regain some vital hit points.

But still, this is dodgeball, so it’s neither intensive combat nor a genuine sport. You’ve got a health meter, so you can survive multiple strikes before getting knocked out, and a stamina meter that lets you pull off special moves, which are different for each character. Although we were hoping for a little more action in the game, flaming power shots and ball-swatting is about as intense as it gets.

If you thought a pirates vs. ninjas matchup might make for an interesting competitive situation in, say, a fighting game, the playground antics might be a disappointment. But as a party mini-game, it looks like it’ll be fun in small doses.

If you’re a big fan of pirates, ninjas, and dodgeball, this is definitely the right game for you. Pirates vs. Ninja Dodgeball is due out sometime in early 2008.