Software:Arc the Lad II

From HandWiki
Short description: 1995 tactical role-playing video game


Arc the Lad II
Developer(s)G-Craft[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
SeriesArc the Lad
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • JP: November 1, 1996
Genre(s)Tactical role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Lua error in Module:Lang/utilities at line 332: attempt to call field '_transl' (a nil value). is a tactical role-playing video game developed by G-Craft and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. The second installment in the Arc the Lad series, it was only released in Japan individually, though it was localized and released internationally alongside its predecessor and sequel in Working Designs' Arc the Lad Collection.

The story continues from the first game, although the focus shifts from Arc to Elc. It expands from the gameplay of the first installment, with a larger world and a more diverse cast.[1] An anime series was made based on this game.

Gameplay

Unlike the original game, the countries of the world can be viewed in detail on a bird's eye scale. Most travel is initially restricted to the game's plot, but players eventually gain global access by airship, either by the Hein or the Silver Noah. Players are no longer under restricted turn-based movement while going through dungeon/field areas. The battles vary from random encounters to automatic entries to a section.

Just as in the first game, the characters do battle against monsters and enemies in strategy-based combat. However, rather than fighting with every party member in each battle, the player now has to select between 1 and 6 characters per battle, depending on the battle's requirements. The player can recruit monsters into the party with the option of upgrading them and other characters at a later time.

In most cities in Arc the Lad II, there are hunter guilds where the player can take on local jobs. These jobs include fetch quests, monster hunting and deliveries. Most jobs include a degree of battle. Also in the guilds are bulletins about rare marked monsters that can be found in certain dungeon/field areas. Some jobs only become available after completing related jobs or certain plot points.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings81%[2]
Review scores
PublicationScore
IGN8.8/10[1]
RPGamer9/10[3]

In Japan, the game sold 316,225 in its first week,[5] and became the seventh best-selling video game of 1996 in Japan with 818,000 sales.[6] It went on to sell 1,183,995 copies in Japan as of August 1997, making it the third best-selling game during the period between September 1996 and August 1997 (below Final Fantasy VII and Derby Stallion).[7]

The game received positive reviews. Critics cited Arc the Lad II as the best of the original trilogy.[1][8] David Smith of IGN praised the game's expansion over the first game, writing that "Arc II grafts a bigger world map, more detailed dungeons, more complex character development, a far larger cast, and most of all a longer quest onto a combat system that remains pretty familiar."[1] Alex Makar of Gaming Age noted that the addition of the Hunter's Guild to the gameplay added an element of nonlinearity, allowing the player to complete many side-quests (or "jobs") and giving "the player a lot of flexibility in how they want to progress through the storyline." He also commented on the cast, saying that the characters were more likeable and had more personality, and that the "story is also a lot darker than it is in Arc 1, and has some pretty angst and melancholy ridden overtones."[8]

Smith's major complaint with the game was its graphical representation, saying that the game looks almost identical to the first game.[1] In contrast, Bethany Massimilla of Cnet.com called the character sprites "more vibrantly colored and better detailed", although she admitted that the "dungeons remain largely monotonous".[9]

Anime

Notes

  1. ↑ Japan Studio assisted on development.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Smith, David (2002). "Arc the Lad Collection review". IGN. http://psx.ign.com/articles/358/358651p1.html. Retrieved 2009-12-16. 
  2. ↑ "Arc the Lad II for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/572645-arc-the-lad-ii/index.html. Retrieved 2018-07-17. 
  3. ↑ Alley, Jake. "Arc the Lad II - Review". http://rpgamer.com/games/arc/arc2/reviews/arc2strev1.html. 
  4. ↑ Chu, Ken (May 26, 1999). "Arc the Lad II". RPGFan. https://www.rpgfan.com/review/arc-the-lad-ii-2/. 
  5. ↑ "Game Search". Famitsu. https://sites.google.com/site/gamedatalibrary/game-search. 
  6. ↑ "1996年のコンシューマーゲームソフトの売上". Dengeki Oh (MediaWorks). http://www.rnac.ne.jp/~zangel/1996.htm. Retrieved 16 September 2021. 
  7. ↑ "96年9月～97年8月". TV Game Ranking Databook: 1995.9~1998.8. ベストセラーズ (Bestsellers). 15 December 1998. p. 17. ISBN 978-4-584-16090-9. https://cdn-ak.f.st-hatena.com/images/fotolife/M/MULTi88/20200928/20200928080910.jpg. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Makar, Alex (2002). "Arc the Lad Collection". Gaming Age. http://www.gaming-age.com/cgi-bin/reviews/review.pl?sys=psx&game=arc. Retrieved 2012-01-01. 
  9. ↑ Massimilla, Bethany (2004). "Arc the Lad Collection (PlayStation)". Cnet.com. http://reviews.cnet.com/legacy-game-platforms/arc-the-lad-collection/4505-9882_7-30976537.html?tag=txt%3bpage. Retrieved 2009-12-16. 
  • 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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