Aside from seeing a few screenshots, there isn’t information about Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball. That means it’s time to get some facts about fated dodgeball fight! We pulled Chris Stockman, the studio director over at Blazing Lizard aside, to get the skinny on the project.
Why did you choose an internet meme as the central theme for your first title?
CS: I wish I could say that PvN was some sort of master idea that I thought of years ago but in reality it was just one of those light bulb moments for me. I "pitched" the idea to my team and they were immediately on board with the idea. We all thought "Why hasn't anybody done this before?"
In the epic dodgeball battle what special abilities do ninjas utilize?
CS: Ninjas can throw Shurikens, cloak themselves, perform a headbutt attack, and steal the ball away via teleportation. They also move a lot faster and have more stamina than Pirates.
And what advantages do pirates have?
CS: Pirates are stronger and thus can throw the ball faster. They also have more health (but less stamina).
Are Lolcats in Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball too? If not maybe they should be!
CS: Nope, we didn't have time to put any cute kittens in the game. We didn't want to have to include a "No Kittens were harmed in the making of this game" message.
Can you mix and match a team of pirates, zombies and ninjas?
CS: Nope, what self respecting Pirate (or Ninja) would want to play with each other? These are mortal enemies!
Since most of the attention has been fixed on the setup can you explain how Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball plays?
CS: PvND is NOT like traditional Dodgeball (the movie or the original Super Dodgeball). We had originally tried to make a homage to the NES classic but we quickly discovered that 8 player games simply weren't very much fun. If you didn't have the ball you weren't having much fun.
So what we did was incorporate a lot of combat and opened up the arena to the whole team. While you still need to hit players with the ball to do damage you can still affect other players by doing special abilities and melee combat moves.
How does multiplayer work on Xbox Live? Can multiple people play on the same team or is it only one on one?
CS: Yup, we support a total of 8 players on Live and 4 locally. You can mix and match that anyway you want too. So you and a friend can play locally with other people online.
What about single player? Is there a story behind the competition?
CS: There is. Each team has their own story, cutscenes, etc. You can also play co-op through the singleplayer championship mode.
Are there any plans to bring Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball to the PlayStation 3?
CS: Nothing to announce at this time.
Seriously… who would win in a dodgeball fight pirates or ninjas?
CS: I can't answer this question for I fear repercussions from either group. I must maintain my neutrality in the great Pirate vs Ninja debate.
