Software:Alien Rampage

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Short description: 1996 video game
For the film, see Alien Factor 2: Alien Rampage.
Alien Rampage
Developer(s)Inner Circle Creations[1][2]
Publisher(s)Softdisk[1]
Designer(s)
  • Christopher Simms
  • James Simms[3]
Platform(s)MS-DOS
ReleaseDecember 30, 1996[2]
Genre(s)Run and gun
Mode(s)Single-player

Alien Rampage is a 1996 run and gun video game developed by Inner Circle Creations and published by Softdisk for MS-DOS.

Gameplay

The game was noted for its high level of violence.[4][5]

The protagonist is an alien named Krupok whose spaceship was destroyed by Untharian scavengers and has crash-landed on the surface of a planet. The objective is to locate the Untharian base and repair the spaceship.[6][7][8]

Alien Rampage is a side-scrolling run and gun game. There are 21 levels featuring parallax scrolling. The levels are divided into three "episodes", each containing seven levels. The shareware version includes the first episode.[9] The game features seven weapons (assault rifle being the starting weapon) which can be bought from an arms dealer as the player progresses in the game.[10][8]

Development and release

Alien Rampage was developed by Inner Circle Creations, a game developer founded in early 1995 by brothers Christopher and James Simms who lived in Louisiana at the time, the same state Softdisk was based in.[3] The game was originally developed by Apogee Software as Ravager until it was cancelled, sold to Inner Circle Creations, and renamed to Alien Rampage.[11][12][13][14] The shareware version was released on October 11, 1996.[7] The full version was released on December 30, 1996.[2] The game was available as a download and CD-ROM.[15]

Piko Interactive released an emulated version for Linux, macOS, and Windows in 2017.[16][17] The release uses the DOSBox emulator.[18] In 2024, the game was released on the Antstream Arcade streaming platform.[19]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGM3/5[20][4]
Computer Life4/5[21]
Hacker (magazine) (hr)77%[10]

In a preview, PC Top Player called the graphics attractive, the controls were compared to Prince of Persia. The game's appearance was said to be similar to Opera Soft's Sol Negro (1988).[22]

Hacker (magazine) (hr) called the game imaginative but occasionally frustratingly difficult. The game was praised for its technical performance, for running smoothly on lower hardware specifications.[10] Computer Games Strategy Plus summarized: "this is solid, classic gaming, with fierce action, fun and diverse levels, and good control." The save system was remarked as annoying.[4] Next Generation called it a fun side-scrolling action game with excellent parallax scrolling, although they noted the game as somewhat outdated.[23] MikroBitti liked the graphics and the low system requirements but said the level design is too straightforward.[8] CD Expert (pt) said the graphics are conventional but are sufficient for portraying the game's scenery. The player character was noted for looking similar to the Predator alien from the film series.[24] PC Collector called it a fun platform game.[25] PC Team (fr) said the game's most unique feature is the high level of gore and violence. They noted the sound effects for enhancing the action effectively.[5]

In December 1997, the game ranked among the top ten most popular titles at Softdisk's online store.[26]

See also

  • List of Softdisk games

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Inner Circle Creations (1996). Alien Rampage. MS-DOS. Softdisk. Level/area: Intro credits. "A GAME BY: Inner Circle Creations, PUBLISHED BY: Softdisk Publishing" 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Full Version of Top-Rated PC Game "Alien Rampage" is Released". Shreveport, Louisiana: Softdisk. 30 December 1996. http://www.alienrampage.com/news/arpress2.html. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Simms, James; Simms, Christopher (31 December 1996). "About Inner Circle Creations". Softdisk. http://www.alienrampage.com/news/icc.html. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 D'Aprile, Jason (1997). "Action Review - Alien Rampage [online"]. Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/action_vault/alien_rampage_review/article.html. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Sélection DP - Alien rampage" (in French). PC Team (fr) (Posse Press (fr)) (22): 81. March 1997. ISSN 1264-935X. 
  6. ↑ Inner Circle Creations (1996). Alien Rampage. MS-DOS. Softdisk. Level/area: Intro story screen. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Shareware Version Of Ultimate Side-Scroll Action Game Is Now Available For Free Download From The Web". Shreveport, Louisiana: Softdisk. 11 October 1996. http://www.alienrampage.com/news/arpress.html. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Kauppinen, Jukka O. (December 1996). "MBnet Pelit - Alien Rampage" (in Finnish). MikroBitti (Helsinki Media (fi)) (12/96): 99. ISSN 0781-2078. https://archive.org/details/mblehdet94-00/MB_1996/page/n878/mode/1up. 
  9. ↑ "Alien Rampage". Softdisk. http://softdisk.downloadstore.com/products/d30782.html. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Lauš, Krešimir (June 1997). "Igre: Alien Rampage" (in Croatian). Hacker (magazine) (hr) (Janus Lingua d.o.o.) (27): 66. ISSN 1330-7126. https://archive.org/details/hacker-27/page/n55/mode/2up. 
  11. ↑ Stoddard, Samuel (30 September 2005). "The "Official" Apogee FAQ". https://legacy.3drealms.com/faq/apfaq72.txt. 
  12. ↑ Miller, Scott (30 January 2023). "Ravager was a game/team Apogee originally funded in 1994 but eventually decided to walk from.". X Corp.. https://x.com/ScottApogee/status/1620107074935070720. "The team finished it and released as Alien Rampage" 
  13. ↑ Miller, Scott (30 January 2023). "One the of the two boxes that Apogee shipped games in". X Corp.. https://x.com/ScottApogee/status/1616493821608460291. "[...] a platformer we later cancelled, called Ravager." 
  14. ↑ Official Gazette of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. University of Wisconsin–Madison. 21 November 1995. p. TM 259. https://www.google.fi/books/edition/Official_Gazette_of_the_United_States_Pa/VyXRAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22apogee%22+%22ravager%22&pg=PA259&printsec=frontcover. "SN 74-647,746 APOGEE SOFTWARE, LTD., GARLAND, TX. FILED 3-16-1995. RAVAGER. FOR COMPUTER GAME SOFTWARE (U.S. CLS. 22, 23, 38 AND 50)." 
  15. ↑ "The full version of Alien Rampage is NOW AVAILABLE!". Softdisk. 26 November 1997. http://www.alienrampage.com/buy/. 
  16. ↑ "Release: Alien Rampage". CD Projekt. 3 August 2017. https://www.gog.com/news/release_balien_rampageb. 
  17. ↑ Estrada, Marcus (11 October 2017). "Alien Rampage Returns to PC After Twenty Years". Valnet. https://hardcoregamer.com/news/alien-rampage-returns-to-pc-after-twenty-years/275307/. 
  18. ↑ "Alien Rampage". CD Projekt. https://www.gog.com/en/game/alien_rampage. "This game is powered by DOSBox." 
  19. ↑ Hutchinson, Diane (11 July 2024). "New To Antstream This Week: Alien Rampage & BurgerTime". https://www.antstream.com/post/new-to-antstream-this-week-alien-rampage-burgertime. 
  20. ↑ D'Aprile, Jason (April 1997). "Action Reviews - Alien Rampage [print"]. Computer Games Strategy Plus (Strategy Plus, Inc.) (77): 76. ISSN 0955-4424. https://archive.org/details/computer-games-strategy-plus-issue-77-april-1997/page/n75/mode/2up. 
  21. ↑ "Softdisk PC Game 'Alien Rampage' Receives 4-Star Review by Computer Life". Shreveport, Louisiana: Softdisk. 23 June 1997. http://www.alienrampage.com/news/arpress3.html. 
  22. ↑ Novillo, A.J. (July 1996). "Share - Ravager" (in Spanish). PC Top Player (Tower Communications) 2 (12): 68. ISSN 1135-3759. https://archive.org/details/pcplayerspain012/page/n67/mode/2up. 
  23. ↑ "Alien Rampage". Imagine Media. 1996. http://www.next-generation.com/demos/alienramp.html. 
  24. ↑ "Bônus Expert - Alien Rampage" (in Portuguese). CD Expert (pt) 1 (7): 68. ISSN 1413-3466. https://archive.org/details/colecao_cdexpert/cd_expert_07/page/n67/mode/2up. 
  25. ↑ "Le plein de démos - Rampage" (in French). PC Collector (Cyber Press Publishing (fr)) (6): 25. January 1997. ISSN 1270-4873. 
  26. ↑ "DownloadStore.com's Top Ten". Softdisk. http://softdisk.downloadstore.com/inxtopte.html. 
  • Official website (archived)
  • 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 lengthy 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]

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. 
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