Software:Army Men (video game)

From HandWiki
Army Men
Windows cover art
Developer(s)The 3DO Company
Publisher(s)The 3DO Company, 2K
Producer(s)Nicholas Earl
Designer(s)Keith Bullen
Programmer(s)Nicky Robinson
Artist(s)Keith Bullen
Walter Ianneo
SeriesArmy Men
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Color
ReleaseWindows
Game Boy Color
Genre(s)Real-time tactics
Mode(s)Single-player

Army Men is a real-time tactics video game developed and published by The 3DO Company for Microsoft Windows and Game Boy Color.

Plot

At the beginning of this game Sarge is tasked with a simple recon mission on the front line - locate some documents - that takes place in 3 regions: Desert, Alpine and Bayou. At the end of this game, Sarge finds a strange portal that leads to the next dimension - the Real World - and the next game. Regarded as a classic by fans, this is one of the few games to actually display Sarge and his squad as merely pawns in a bigger battle. Two features that make this game almost unique in the series are its storytelling (Black-White spoofs of old-time, World War II-style newsreels) and the fact that it often depicts a frontline or other fighting that doesn't involve the main characters.

Development

Army Men was originally in development for the Panasonic M2, but that version was never released due to the system's cancellation.[3][4] The game was showcased at E3 1997.[5]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
GBCPC
AllGameStarStarStar[8]N/A
CGSPN/AStarStarStarHalf star[10]
CGWN/AStarStarStar[11]
EdgeN/A4/10[12]
EurogamerN/A6/10[14]
GameRevolutionN/AD+[15]
GameSpot6.9/10[16]7/10[17]
IGN8/10[18]4/10[19]
Next GenerationN/AStarStarStar[20]
Nintendo Power5.9/10[21]N/A
PC Gamer (US)N/A77%[22]
Aggregate score
GameRankings75%[6]61%[7]

The Game Boy Color version received favorable reviews, while the PC version received mixed reviews, according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[6][7] Next Generation called the latter version "a solid, fun example of the genre, and anyone looking for a new strategy game with a very nice graphic twist should seriously consider this."[20]

References

  1. ↑ "News for April 30, 1998". April 30, 1998. http://ogr.com/news/news0498.html. "April 30, 1998: 3DO announced that two of their titles should be hitting store shelves...Army Men, their action, strategy game featuring the little plastic guys..." 
  2. ↑ "3DO Ships Army Men For Game Boy Color; Highly Successful Brand Debuts on Fourth Platform". February 25, 2000. http://www.3do.com/investors/pr_022500.html. 
  3. ↑ "News - E3 '96: 3DO? - M2 Dream List". 3DO Magazine (Paragon Publishing) (12): 4. July 1996. https://archive.org/details/3DO_Magazine_Issue_12_1996-07_Paragon_Publishing_GB/page/n3. 
  4. ↑ "Preview - Coming Soon - M2". 3DO Magazine (Paragon Publishing) (12): 34. July 1996. https://archive.org/details/3DO_Magazine_Issue_12_1996-07_Paragon_Publishing_GB/page/n33. 
  5. ↑ Fielder, Joe (May 16, 1997). "3DO's PC, PlayStation, and M2 Games Showcased". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/3dos-pc-playstation-and-m2-games-showcased/1100-2466688/. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Army Men for Game Boy Color". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/gbc/250566-army-men/index.html. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Army Men for PC". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/196642-army-men/index.html. 
  8. ↑ Knight, Kyle. "Army Men (GBC) - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=20271&tab=review. 
  9. ↑ Chick, Tom (June 16, 1998). "Army Men (PC)". CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0%2C6%2C0-1867%2C00.html. 
  10. ↑ Altman, John (May 18, 1998). "Army Men". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/011/171/army_men_review.html. 
  11. ↑ Coleman, Terry (September 1998). "Plastic Explosives (Army Men Review)". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (170): 229. https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_170.pdf. Retrieved September 9, 2023. 
  12. ↑ Edge staff (July 1998). "Army Men (PC)". Edge (Future Publishing) (60): 100. https://retrocdn.net/images/b/b7/Edge_UK_060.pdf. Retrieved September 9, 2023. 
  13. ↑ Lucas, Victor (November 17, 1998). "Army Men (PC)". Greedy Productions Ltd.. http://www.elecplay.com/pc/armymen.shtml. 
  14. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (April 27, 2000). "Army Men (PC)". Gamer Network. https://www.eurogamer.net/armymen. 
  15. ↑ Cooke, Mark (June 1998). "Army Men Review (PC)". CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/32665-army-men-review. 
  16. ↑ Provo, Frank (April 3, 2000). "Army Men Review (GBC)". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/army-men-review/1900-2536146/. 
  17. ↑ Dultz, Marc (May 8, 1998). "Army Men Review (PC)". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/army-men-review/1900-2538043/. 
  18. ↑ Harris, Craig (March 16, 2000). "Army Men (GBC)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/03/17/army-men. 
  19. ↑ Bates, Jason (July 31, 1998). "Army Men (PC)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/08/01/army-men-4. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Army Men (PC)". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (44): 98. August 1999. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_44/page/n99/mode/2up. Retrieved September 9, 2023. 
  21. ↑ "Army Men". Nintendo Power (Nintendo of America) 132: 126. May 2000. 
  22. ↑ "Army Men". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 5 (9). September 1998. 

Further reading

  • McDermott, Will (September 1998). "Not your father's Army Men". The Duelist (Wizards of the Coast) (29): 93. 
  • 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. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari



  • 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. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari



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