Software:1000 Tiny Claws

From HandWiki
Short description: 2011 video game
1000 Tiny Claws
Developer(s)Mediatonic
Publisher(s)Mediatonic
Platform(s)PlayStation Portable
Release
  • NA: October 4, 2011
  • EU: October 5, 2011
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single-player

1000 Tiny Claws is an action game developed and published by Mediatonic for PlayStation Portable in 2011. In the game, the player controls a pirate, tasked with using a sword to knock insects off of a hovering island.

Gameplay

The player takes control of Rana, the first mate of sky pirate Captain Bluebell, who has removed a magical sword and accidentally released a curse plaguing the world with insects. With Captain Bluebell and his crew arrested and sentenced to hang, Rana has only 24 hours to remove the curse by returning the pilfered sword to its rightful place.

The game consists of five regions each made up of five hovering islands, with the player being tasked with fighting off insect swarms that will attempt to knock them off the island. When the player hits an enemy, they get knocked back; the more the enemies get hit, the further they fly, until they get knocked off the island. If the player gets hit, they will get knocked further with each consecutive hit. When a bug is knocked off, an apple may spawn, which will restore the player's defense, making it harder for the insects to push them off the island. If the player is knocked off, the game is over and they are given an option to try again.

Development

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic76/100[1]
Review scores
PublicationScore
GamesMaster70%[2]
OPM (UK)4/10[3]
Pocket GamerStarStarStarHalf star[4]
PSM391%[5]
Push SquareStarStarStarStarStarStarStar[6]

The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[1] Pocket Gamer said of the game, "It's a pity that the quality of swordplay at higher levels doesn't quite match up to the polished piratical trimmings of this snappily designed little number, leaving a considerable - but never quite deal-breaking - blemish on an otherwise charming downloadable fighter."[4] Push Square said that the game "doesn't quite live up to the pedigree of Mediatonic's previous PlayStation Minis, with the quality of the swordplay in the game's concluding third detracting from the experience. But issues aside, this is still a delightfully conceived piratical package with a great sense of humour, and thus entirely worthy of your time."[6] However, PlayStation Official Magazine – UK said, "Sometimes you'll want to hit yourself hard in the head with your controller, just to break up the monotony."[3]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "1000 Tiny Claws for PSP Reviews". Fandom. https://www.metacritic.com/game/1000-tiny-claws/critic-reviews/?platform=psp. 
  2. "Review: 1000 Tiny Claws". GamesMaster (Future plc): 91. January 2012. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 "1000 Tiny Claws". PlayStation Official Magazine – UK (Future plc): 105. Christmas 2011. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 Willington, Peter (October 12, 2011). "1000 Tiny Claws". Steel Media Ltd. https://www.pocketgamer.com/1000-tiny-claws/1000-tiny-claws/. 
  5. "Review: 1000 Tiny Claws". PSM3 (Future plc): 111. Christmas 2011. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 Barker, Sammy (October 19, 2011). "1000 Tiny Claws Review". Gamer Network. https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/psminis/1000_tiny_claws. 
  • 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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