Muscle March
Encyclopedia
is a video game by Namco Bandai Games
for WiiWare
. It was released in Japan on May 26, 2009, in North America on January 18, 2010 and the PAL region on March 19, 2010.
friends' tub of protein powder, through a number of environments. The premise is similar to Hole in the Wall
in which players follow the thief as they crash through walls, leaving holes in the form of bodybuilding poses, which the player must make their character squeeze through by gesturing with the Wii Remote
and Nunchuk to match the pose. At the end of the level, players must shake the controllers to catch up and tackle the thief.
Players can choose from a number of flamboyant characters including an American boxer, a British female bodybuilder, a top hat wearing Spaniard, a Norwegian polar bear
, a Ghanian bodybuilder with an afro and a rubber ducky on top, a Russian bodybuilder with a mohawk and headphones, and a Japanese bodybuilder with goofy goggles and strange hairdo. The game features the standard arcade mode and a time attack
mode that sees players trying to survive for as long as possible against increasingly faster speeds.
of the same name. Instead of the motion detecting controls in the WiiWare version, the arcade version used two large joysticks for control.
elements, Wired
s Chris Kohler thought Muscle March was "terrible", suffering from limited replay value and overly simple gameplay. He also felt that Namco Bandai was ripping off Wii owners by releasing it for 800 Nintendo Points. The game was only 500 points upon its American release.
Kotaku
considered the game to be creative because of its unusual style.
Namco Bandai Games
is an arcade, mobile and home video game developer and publisher based in Japan which is the product of a merger between the video game development divisions of Bandai and Namco. Namco Bandai Games is a wholly owned subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings and specializes in production and sales of...
for WiiWare
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...
. It was released in Japan on May 26, 2009, in North America on January 18, 2010 and the PAL region on March 19, 2010.
Gameplay
Each of the game's three levels involves players chasing after a thief, who has stolen their bodybuildingBodybuilding
Bodybuilding is a form of body modification involving intensive muscle hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. In competitive and professional bodybuilding, bodybuilders display their physiques to a panel of judges, who assign points based on their...
friends' tub of protein powder, through a number of environments. The premise is similar to Hole in the Wall
Brain Wall
is a component of the Japanese gameshow Tonneruzu no Minasan no Okage deshita Video clips from the show proliferated on video-sharing websites and the concept was eventually adopted by several countries...
in which players follow the thief as they crash through walls, leaving holes in the form of bodybuilding poses, which the player must make their character squeeze through by gesturing with the 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...
and Nunchuk to match the pose. At the end of the level, players must shake the controllers to catch up and tackle the thief.
Players can choose from a number of flamboyant characters including an American boxer, a British female bodybuilder, a top hat wearing Spaniard, a Norwegian polar bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
, a Ghanian bodybuilder with an afro and a rubber ducky on top, a Russian bodybuilder with a mohawk and headphones, and a Japanese bodybuilder with goofy goggles and strange hairdo. The game features the standard arcade mode and a time attack
Time attack
A time attack is another term for time trial. The term is commonly used in Japan for individual time trial events for motor vehicles that involves a vehicle running around the circuit in lieu of a qualifying lap and the term is widely adopted outside the country for tuner event and...
mode that sees players trying to survive for as long as possible against increasingly faster speeds.
Development
Muscle March is based on an unreleased arcade gameArcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
of the same name. Instead of the motion detecting controls in the WiiWare version, the arcade version used two large joysticks for control.
Reception
Although initially drawn to the game's more campCamp (style)
Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...
elements, Wired
Wired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
s Chris Kohler thought Muscle March was "terrible", suffering from limited replay value and overly simple gameplay. He also felt that Namco Bandai was ripping off Wii owners by releasing it for 800 Nintendo Points. The game was only 500 points upon its American release.
Kotaku
Kotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
considered the game to be creative because of its unusual style.