Sneakers (2002 video game)

In Sneakers, the player leads a group of mice to locate and battle with four squads of enemies in a stage. Gameplay in Sneakers takes place across two phases. In the 'search phase', the player moves in a linear direction around various areas to hunt for enemies within a time limit. Players are able to choose a direction at certain points where their path splits, and can climb and jump across certain gaps. Navigation is assisted by the game's stage map, which allows players to identify visited and unvisited areas and the location and number of enemy squads. When the player identifies an enemy scout is nearby, the player can press a button to enter the 'check mode' to move a cursor with the thumbstick to select a scout or interact with items a scout is hiding in to reveal them. The player may encounter obstacles that prevent them from moving, requiring them to interact with items or solve puzzles to progress. ==Plot==

In Sneakers, the player takes on the role of a mouse named Apollo, a mouse living in the attic of a small house on a river in Paris. Apollo and his friends, Bonnie, Brutus, Watt, Pete and Tiki are planning a celebration alongside the humans living in the house, who are having a party in a local park. After collecting scraps of food for the festivities, the mice discover that the local rats have stolen their food. Unlike the mice, the rats are hostile and unfriendly. Bosses of rats have organised and amassed the other rats, known as bully rats, into packs. In the midst of the chaos, Bonnie discovers that her brother Tiki is missing, and disappears to search for her. Aided by his friends, the player's goal is to find and eliminate the squads rats across five levels, spanning a house, alley, park, cellar and bridge, and rescue the missing mice. == Development and release ==

Sneakers, initially released in Japan as Nezmix, was developed by Japanese studio Media Vision, who had previously released titles under the Wild Arms and Crime Crackers series of video games. The developers originally conceived the game to depict a cartoon or picture book theme, but pursued experimentation with a realistic visual style after attending a demonstration of 'fur shading' techniques at SIGGRAPH, and intended to showcase the graphical capabilities of the Xbox. The game was published by Microsoft Game Studios as a launch title for the console, at the time being one of two releases exclusive to Japan alongside ''Nobunaga's Ambition: Chronicles of Turbulent Times. Upon its initial release in Japan, Nezmix performed poorly, selling over 8,000 units at launch. Edge attributed the dismal launch to the decision by Microsoft to select Sneakers as a launch title over the more successful Halo: Combat Evolved'', citing the game's failure as due to its "lacklustre animation" and departure from the kawaii design preferred by Japanese audiences. Pre-release reception of the game was mixed. IGN described the game's demo as "wretchedly boring" and "animated poorly", writing the game "doesn't even attempt to flex the Xbox muscle." In a more positive preview, GameSpot praised the title as a "nice-looking game" due to its fur rendering system and "exquisite" environmental textures, although hoped future development would "transcend the limitations placed on it by the lack of wholly free movement". Sneakers was released in North America as an exclusive distribution deal with Toys R Us stores, with the method of distribution viewed as an ominous portent of the game's quality. Xbox Magazine described the game as a "risky release" and noted that "the fact Microsoft was cautious about releasing this over here warrants some concern." Similarly, Electronic Gaming Monthly remarked "if you were Microsoft, would you release a game you thought was any good to one chain of stores? Didn't think so." ==Reception==

The game received "generally unfavorable" to negative reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. Many critics noted the game's easy and simplistic mechanics and limited variety. GameSpot reflected that the modes of gameplay were "neither challenging or compelling", with the game "beaten in two hours or less". Xbox Nation wrote "the specific challenges...are easy enough to accomplish; individual rats can be targeted and dispatched simply by shifting to a first-person view, putting a cursor over the foe and pressing a button". Describing the game as "limited and simplistic", Allgame noted that the "objectives remain the same in each of the five areas". Several reviewers also critiqued the game's linearity and limited level of exploration and interaction. Describing the gameplay as "an interesting concept but limited in practice", Official Xbox Magazine found the game's movement to be "restrictive in exploration" due to the game's "rigid track". Edge noted the game contained "no freedom", writing that whilst "junctions afford a choice of route...the implied non-linearity is utterly superficial" due to the requirement to explore all areas. Finding the game to be "poorly designed" and "irritating", Allgame wrote that the game's navigation was "confusing to the point where players are in relation to the door leading to the next room", noting that "interacting with the environment is non-existent". Reviewers also expressed disappointment in the game's graphics and touted use of 'fur shading'. IGN described the shading as "a poor example of what (the) Xbox can do visually" and critiqued the game's low frame rate. GameSpot remarked that the shading "looks cheap and inconsistent, and draws attention to the simplicity of the character models". Allgame critiqued the game's animations, writing that "walking is funny looking, as each rodent moves with approximately two frames of animation." However, GameSpy praised the game's "clear and colourful" environments and found the fur shading to make the mice "fuzzy and pet-able". Xbox Nation found the game's puzzles to be "not so puzzling" and "add little depth to an otherwise very shallow children's game." ==References==