What is it about toy designer Shawnimals’ tiny ninjas that are just so damn cute? Is it their beady black eyes? Their pudgy little limbs? Or their awesome ability to kick some major demon butt? I think it’s all of the above, and then some. Well, if you love miniature ninjas then you may want to hop over to the Shawnimals site and purchase the Ninja of the Month — the wonderfully bearded Mountain Ninja.

There are ninjas hidden away in the back of the West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center at E3! Wee Ninjas! If you take the time to walk back there, you can see Venan Entertainment, a person in a Wee Ninja costume, an iPad with Ninjatown: Trees of Doom!, and maybe even Shawn Smith, the Shawnimals designer and creator of the Wee Ninjas.

While walking through Indiecade, I happened upon the booth and had to give it a try. (It was too cute to pass up.) Ninjatown: Trees of Doom! is simple, but also addictive. You are a ninja at the bottom of two trees. You must climb and jump your way up as high as you possibly can…

If you’re playing Ninjatown, I’m sure you’re feeling a bit of pressure. After all, its on you to protect Ninjatown and save the secret ninja cookie recipe! With monsters constantly assaulting the areas you’re in, it can be quite a challenge to find a method that works for you.

Luckily, there are a few key tricks which work for every level. Hopefully these helpful suggestions will aid you in your campaign against Mr. Demon and his sneaky minions. Common sense combined with extensive ninja combat experience helped craft these five game tips – use them wisely.

Keep reading for five tips to help you plan Ninjatown defenses…

Title: NinjatownPrice: $29.99System(s): Nintendo DSRelease Date: October 28, 2008Publisher (Developer): SouthPeak Games (Venan Entertainment and Cashmere Productions)ESRB Rating: “Everyone” for Crude Humor and Mild Cartoon ViolencePros: Incredibly clever writer, unique art style, great game-play, wonderful characters and lots of options to win each level. Also it comes with a Ninjatown window cling!Cons: Later levels can get challenging and Master Ninja microphone activated powers are annoying.Overall Score: Two thumbs up, 95/100, A, **** 1/2 out of 5

I can’t get enough of Ninjatown. Even when I had to replay “The Loop” level in the Business District three times, because the various business devils kept speeding through my defenses, I still couldn’t bring myself to get annoyed with this incredibly charming and funny tower-defense strategic RPG based on the Shawnimal toys.

Ninjatown may not be perfect, but it sure comes close. It is delightfully challenging, has a clever script, adorable characters, lots of unit options and special abilities which can single-handedly turn the tides of battle. If it weren’t for the occasionally frustrating Ol’ Master Ninja powers, Ninjatown would easily have earned a perfect score.

Ninja Town is going to be arriving with quite a bit of fanfare in the US – a bit ironic. You’d think a ninja themed game would stealthly slip into stores, but Ninja Town doesn’t star typical ninjas, so I guess it fits. In case you haven’t heard of the game, it is a tower defense style title, which means you have to protect a certain area and keep enemies from progressing, and you strategically place ninjas on the map to accomplish this goal.

Ninja Town‘s release is going to be celebrated with a limited GameStop preorder promotion and parties attended by the people behind the game. First, the GameStop promo – the first 200 people who preorder the game will receive a small stuffed toy of Ninja Dropping, Business Ninja, Feroshi the dino slug, Wee Devil or Zombie Ninja…

This is just too cute for words. I have no idea what role the baby Wee Ninja has in the forthcoming DS strategic action game Ninja Town, but I suspect its responsible for adding an extra layer of cuteness to the game. Character art for the Baby Ninja was just released today by SouthPeak.

As the October 14, 2008 release date for Ninjatown becomes visable on the horizon, character information for all ninjas appearing in the game is being released. The Baby Ninja is the most recent addition to a star studded ninja-centric cast that includes Wee Ninja, White Ninja, Anti-Ninja (he’s orange), Master Ninja, Ninja Dropping, Business Ninja, Ninja Consultant, Feroshi, Wee Devil, Mr. Demon and Zombie Ninja.