Sneakers (2002 video game)

Sneakers

North American Xbox cover art

Developer(s)| Media.Vision
Publisher(s)| Microsoft Game Studios
Platform(s)| Xbox
Release|

* JP: February 22, 2002
* NA: October 22, 2002

Genre(s)| Action, Puzzle
Mode(s)| Single-player

Sneakers, released in Japan as Nezmix: Have A Mice Day! (Japanese: ねずみくす, Hepburn: Nezumikusu), is a video game developed by Media.Vision and published by Microsoft Game Studios exclusively for the Xbox in 2002. Sneakers is an action-puzzle game in which the player leads a group of mice to explore a house and its surroundings to detect enemy rats and protect their group in beat 'em up fights. Marketed as making use of 'fur shading' graphics, the design of the mice in Sneakers was intended to showcase the technical capabilities of the Xbox. The game was developed as one of two Japan-exclusive launch titles for the Xbox, and was later released in North America in an exclusive distribution with Toys R Us retail stores. Upon release in Japan, Nezmix sold poorly, with critics attributing the release to contributing to the poor launch of the console in the country. The North American version of Sneakers received generally unfavorable reviews, with criticism directed at the game's linear and repetitive gameplay.

## Contents

* 1 Gameplay
* 2 Plot
* 3 Development and release
* 4 Reception
* 5 References
* 6 External links
* 7 Features
* 8 History
* 9 See also
* 10 References
* 11 External links

## Gameplay

A screenshot of gameplay in Sneakers.

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.[1]

Once the player has located all the scouts from an enemy squad in an area, the player can navigate to a battlefield area to enter the 'battle phase'. In this phase, the player leads a squad of mice to defeat the enemy squad in beat 'em up combat, using a series of skills including punches, kicks and blocks. Players have a limited amount of lives and health that can be replenished by food. Players can issue commands to friendly mice using 'command mode' to task them to collect food or other items. When a player defeats the squad in a stage, they then face a boss. Upon completing the stage, the player receives a 'stage grade' for their performance from A to E, with factors such as the time limit, number of enemies defeated, items collected and surviving friendly mice influencing the grade.[1]

## 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.[2] 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,[3] and intended to showcase the graphical capabilities of the Xbox.[4] Nezmix was announced at the Tokyo Game Show in October 2001 in anticipation of the Japanese launch of the Xbox.[5] 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.[6] Upon its initial release in Japan, Nezmix performed poorly, selling over 8,000 units at launch.[4] Critics noted that the commercial failure of the game was reflective of the poor performance of the launch of the Xbox in Japan. Describing the launch as a "disappointment", Game Developer Magazine noted that "none of the games designed specifically for Japanese gamers, such as Sneakers, have made a big impact.[7] Edge attributed the dismal launch to the decision by Microsoft to select Sneakers as a launch title over the more successful Halo,[4] citing the game's failure as due to its "lacklustre animation" and departure from the kawaii design preferred by Japanese audiences.[2]

Microsoft Game Studios announced that Nezmix would be released as Sneakers in North America, and showcased the game at E3 in May 2002.[8] 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."[9] 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".[10] Sneakers was released in North America as an exclusive distribution deal with Toys R Us stores,[11] 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."[12] 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."[13]

## Reception

Reception

| Aggregate score

Aggregator| Score
Metacritic| 28/100[14]
Review scores
Publication| Score
AllGame| [15]
Edge| 2/10[16]
Famitsu| 22/40[17]
GameSpot| 3/10[18]
GameSpy| [19]
IGN| 2/10[20]
OXM (US)| 4.9/10[21]
TeamXbox| 3.1/10[22]
Xbox Nation (XBN)| 3/10[23]

The game received "generally unfavorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[14] 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".[18] 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".[23] Describing the game as "limited and simplistic", Allgame noted that the "objectives remain the same in each of the five areas".[15]

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".[21] 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.[16] 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".[15]

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.[20] GameSpot remarked that the shading "looks cheap and inconsistent, and draws attention to the simplicity of the character models".[18] Allgame critiqued the game's animations, writing that "walking is funny looking, as each rodent moves with approximately two frames of animation."[15] However, GameSpy praised the game's "clear and colourful" environments and found the fur shading to make the mice "fuzzy and pet-able".[19] Xbox Nation found the game's puzzles to be "not so puzzling" and "add little depth to an otherwise very shallow children's game."[23]

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sneakers: Game Manual. Microsoft Game Studios. 2002. https://archive.org/details/Sneakers_2002_Microsoft_US/page/n1. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Nezmix". Edge (104): 42. December 2001. https://archive.org/details/Edge_Gaming/Edge Gaming Magazine 104/page/n35. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
3. ↑ Sato, Yukiyoshi Ike (17 May 2006). "Q&A: Japanese Xbox first-party team". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/qanda-japanese-xbox-first-party-team/1100-2825771/. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Xbox gets off to inauspicious start in Japan". Edge (109): 7. April 2002. https://archive.org/details/edge-020/Edge-109/page/n7. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
5. ↑ Sato, Yukiyoshi Ike (3 October 2001). "Xbox Premiere: Nezmix announced". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-premiere-nezmix-announced/1100-2816218/. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
6. ↑ Kurume, Tarobe (April 2002). "Jolly Green Giant". Play (4): 10. https://archive.org/details/UneditedPLAY_marktrade/PLAY_04u/page/n11. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
7. ↑ "Top 20 Publishers". Game Developer Magazine. October 2004. https://archive.org/details/GDM_October_2004. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
8. ↑ "Microsoft: E3 Booth Report". 22 May 2002. https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/05/22/microsoft-e3-booth-report. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
9. ↑ Gantyat, Anoop (25 February 2002). "Face to Whiskers with Nezmix". https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/02/25/face-to-whiskers-with-nezmix. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
10. ↑ Lopez, Miguel (15 October 2001). "TGS 2001 Fall: Hands-on: Nezmix". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/tgs-2001-fall-hands-on-nezmix/1100-2817887/. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
11. ↑ "A Mouse-Giraffe Love Affair". 22 October 2002. https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/10/22/a-mouse-giraffe-love-affair. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
12. ↑ "Sneakers: An Interesting Tail to Tell". Xbox Magazine (8): 120. June 2002. https://archive.org/details/xbm-08/page/120. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
13. ↑ "Sneakers Sneaks Into Toys R Us". Electronic Gaming Monthly (161): 70. December 2002. https://archive.org/details/electronic-gaming-monthly-issue-161-december-2002_202210/page/n73. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Sneakers for Xbox Reviews". Fandom. https://www.metacritic.com/game/sneakers/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Marriott, Scott Alan. "Sneakers - Review". All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141115215048/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=38307&tab=review. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Edge staff (May 2002). "Nezmix". Edge (Future plc) (110): 102. https://archive.org/details/edgeuk110/page/n83/mode/2up. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
17. ↑ Dan B. (February 20, 2002). "Xbox in Japan. First Famitsu scores.". https://www.hometheaterforum.com/community/threads/xbox-in-japan-first-famitsu-scores.43957/. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Davis, Ryan (November 4, 2002). "Sneakers Review". Fandom. Archived from the original on January 27, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050127084733/http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/puzzle/sneakers/review.html. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Goad, Libe (December 6, 2002). "GameSpy: Sneakers". IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 26, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20051226110354/http://xbox.gamespy.com/xbox/sneakers/564938p1.html. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Goldstein, Hilary (October 25, 2002). "Sneakers Review". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/10/25/sneakers-review. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Sneakers". Official Xbox Magazine (Imagine Media): 80. January 2003.
22. ↑ Semsey, Rob (November 7, 2002). "Sneakers Review (Xbox)". IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 13, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110113084803/http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox/406/Sneakers/p1/. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Orlando, Greg (February 2003). "Sneakers". Xbox Nation (6): 88. https://archive.org/details/xbn-006-february-march-2003/page/n87. Retrieved 1 August 2023.

## External links

* MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

## Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

## History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

## See also

* IGDB - game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/.
2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/.
3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1.
4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521.
8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media.
9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned.
10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner.
11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames.
12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games.
13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/.
14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/.
15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/.
16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/.
17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames.
18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628.

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