Major League Eating: The Game
Encyclopedia
Major League Eating: The Game is a video game for WiiWare
developed by Sensory Sweep Studios
, and produced by Mastiff
. The first video game to be based around competitive eating
, it was released in North America on July 14, 2008, and in Japan on March 24, 2009. It costs 1000 Wii Points
(500 in Japan) and takes up 257 Blocks.
, the game features eleven competitive eating professionals to compete against including Takeru Kobayashi
, Joey Chestnut
, Tim Janus
, Patrick Bertoletti
, Crazy Legs Conti
, Sonya Thomas
, Rich LeFevre
and Juliet Lee, as well as a Kodiak bear
. The Japanese release replaces LeFevre and Lee with Japanese competitive eaters Noboyuki Shirota and Hatsuyo Sugawara.
Controlled using Wii Remote
gestures and likened to a fighting game
, Major League Eating: The Game allows players to unleash special moves on their opponents. Players progress through a number of increasingly difficult rounds that cover twelve different types of food. Along with the single-player campaign and a competitive two-player mode, the game also features online play and leaderboards.
The developers have cited Street Fighter II
, Street Fighter Alpha and Mario Kart
as influences on the game.
s during gameplay somewhat spoiled the core mechanic of the game, which they otherwise found to be "surprisingly fun". However IGN
was more negative, giving the game a 3.5/10 and calling it "another clunky, ugly Wii game that consists of waving your arms around looking like a jackass".
Despite this, MTV Multiplayer said that players "might not want to write off Major League Eating: The Game too quickly. Sure, it’s a game based entirely on eating, but it is actually surprisingly fun to virtually scarf down quantities of food so large that the average human body would most likely not be able to digest."
WiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
developed by Sensory Sweep Studios
Sensory Sweep Studios
Sensory Sweep Studios was an American developer of computer and video games. The studio was located in Salt Lake City, Utah.Founded in 2003 by Dave Rushton, Sensory Sweep was initially a handheld studio, developing games for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and PSP...
, and produced by Mastiff
Mastiff (company)
Mastiff is an American publisher of video games, with offices located in both Tokyo and San Francisco. The executive staff includes Bill Swartz, Mika Hayashi, Danny Hammett and Charles Van.-Game Boy Advance:*Dr...
. The first video game to be based around competitive eating
Competitive eating
Competitive eating, or speed eating, is a sport in which participants compete against each other to consume large quantities of food in a short time period. Contests are typically less than 15 minutes in length, with the person consuming the most food being declared the winner...
, it was released in North America on July 14, 2008, and in Japan on March 24, 2009. It costs 1000 Wii Points
Wii Points
Nintendo Points are a currency that Nintendo uses for its Wii and Nintendo DSi systems through the Wii Shop Channel and Nintendo DSi Shop respectively...
(500 in Japan) and takes up 257 Blocks.
Gameplay
Based on competitive eating contests held by Major League EatingMajor League Eating
Major League Eating is a franchise that sanctions professional competitive eating events and competitive eating television specials. The purported mission of Major League Eating is to maintain a safe environment for all events, while also seeking to create a dynamic and enjoyable fan experience...
, the game features eleven competitive eating professionals to compete against including Takeru Kobayashi
Takeru Kobayashi
is a Japanese competitive eater. He held the world record for hot dog eating for nearly six years, and holds several other eating records, including four Guinness Records for hot dogs, meatballs, hamburgers, and pasta....
, Joey Chestnut
Joey Chestnut
Joseph Christian "Jaws" Chestnut is an American competitive eater. The , engineering student is currently ranked first in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating...
, Tim Janus
Tim Janus
Tim Janus is a competitive eater from New York City known in the competitive eating community as "Eater X." He is a member of the International Federation of Competitive Eating , and is one of the most colorful IFOCE characters, both literally and figuratively. He always performs in contests...
, Patrick Bertoletti
Patrick Bertoletti
Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti is an American competitive eater from Chicago. He is ranked second in the International Federation of Competitive Eating...
, Crazy Legs Conti
Crazy Legs Conti
Crazy Legs Conti is an American competitive eater. He is currently ranked twentieth in the world by the International Federation of Competitive Eating.-Early life and career:...
, Sonya Thomas
Sonya Thomas
Sonya Thomas , also known by her nickname The Black Widow, is a top-ranked Korean-born American competitive eater from Alexandria, Virginia. Thomas joined the International Federation of Competitive Eating in 2003 and quickly rose to the top of the ranks, beating competitive eaters such as Ed...
, Rich LeFevre
Rich LeFevre
Rich LeFevre is a competitive eater from Henderson, Nevada . Rich and his wife, Carlene LeFevre, are said to form the "First Family of Competitive Eating" in spite of having normal weights and ages around 60, and are both top ranked members of the International Federation of Competitive Eating...
and Juliet Lee, as well as a Kodiak bear
Kodiak Bear
The Kodiak bear , also known as the Kodiak brown bear or the Alaskan grizzly bear or American brown bear, occupies the islands of the Kodiak Archipelago in South-Western Alaska. Its name in the Alutiiq language is Taquka-aq. It is the largest subspecies of brown bear.- Taxonomy :Taxonomist C.H...
. The Japanese release replaces LeFevre and Lee with Japanese competitive eaters Noboyuki Shirota and Hatsuyo Sugawara.
Controlled using Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
gestures and likened to a fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
, Major League Eating: The Game allows players to unleash special moves on their opponents. Players progress through a number of increasingly difficult rounds that cover twelve different types of food. Along with the single-player campaign and a competitive two-player mode, the game also features online play and leaderboards.
The developers have cited Street Fighter II
Street Fighter II
is a competitive fighting game originally released for the arcades in . It is the arcade sequel to the original Street Fighter released in and was Capcom's fourteenth title that ran on the CP System arcade hardware...
, Street Fighter Alpha and Mario Kart
Mario Kart
is a series of go-kart-style racing video games developed by Nintendo as a series of spin-offs from its trademark Mario series of platformer adventure-style video games...
as influences on the game.
Reception
WiiWare World gave the game a 6 out of 10, stating the game is a "unique blend of concepts wrapped around a somewhat distasteful premise and vulgar humour". They felt the gameplay was repetitive and that the use of power-upPower-up
In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
s during gameplay somewhat spoiled the core mechanic of the game, which they otherwise found to be "surprisingly fun". However IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
was more negative, giving the game a 3.5/10 and calling it "another clunky, ugly Wii game that consists of waving your arms around looking like a jackass".
Despite this, MTV Multiplayer said that players "might not want to write off Major League Eating: The Game too quickly. Sure, it’s a game based entirely on eating, but it is actually surprisingly fun to virtually scarf down quantities of food so large that the average human body would most likely not be able to digest."