Software:Assault Rigs

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Short description: 1996 video game
Assault Rigs
Developer(s)Psygnosis
Perfect Entertainment (Saturn)
Publisher(s)Psygnosis
Composer(s)Matt Furniss
Platform(s)MS-DOS, PlayStation, Saturn
ReleasePlayStation
  • NA: 31 January 1996[2]
  • EU: 9 February 1996[1]
  • JP: 4 October 1996
MS-DOS
Saturn
  • JP: 11 September 1997
Genre(s)Vehicular combat
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Assault Rigs is a vehicular combat game developed and published by Psygnosis and released in 1996 for MS-DOS compatible operating systems and the PlayStation. It was released a year later for the Sega Saturn in Japan. The game takes place in the future, where real sport has been overtaken in favour of virtual sport, the most popular being Assault Rigs, a tank simulator set inside a 3D virtual environment.

The goal of the single-player game is to collect all of the gems in a level, while destroying or avoiding enemies, ultimately reaching the exit. There are 42 levels with ramps, elevators, skyways, trenches, movable blocks, and push rods. There are 20 weapon power-ups, viruses and Dolby Surround sound. The levels have 4 themes: VR, Industrial, Military, and War.

Assault Rigs can use the PlayStation Link Cable, enabling two players to connect two PlayStations and play head-to-head on two televisions. 15 additional levels are available when using the cable. The MS-DOS version has multiplayer which can be played with either a serial link (two player) or a network (up to eight players).

THQ planned to release the Saturn version of the game in the US, but later withdrew support for the Saturn due to its dwindling presence in the market.[3]

Gameplay

Players control their rig to collect all the gems and reach the end goal in each of the game's 42 levels. In the Saturn version, all of the levels were the same as the PlayStation and PC versions, but they were given different names. Along the way, players can collect various types of weapons from missiles to land mines. Throughout each level, players must contend with various enemies from turrets to enemy rigs. Aerial enemies called "viruses" also attack the player's rig, while hazards like electric gates and mines dot each level. There are also mild puzzle-solving elements such as pushing blocks and building bridges.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarStar[8]
Next GenerationStarStar[4]
PC PowerPlay5/10[5]
Play81%[6]
MaximumStarStarStar[7]

GamePro gave the PlayStation version a mixed review. They criticized the oversensitive controls, lack of split screen multiplayer, background flicker, and inappropriate music, but praised the diverse gameplay, focus on problem-solving, and futuristic graphics, and concluded that "Noodling through Assault Rigs will be great fun for those who like a touch of thinking with their shooting."[9] Maximum gave the game credit for its "increasingly complex level designs" and the diversion of the arena levels, but asserted that "This game, while sounding quite entertaining in theory, unfortunately has a variety of problems in practice", citing poor camera angles, glitching graphics, and an overly easy and linear progression.[7] Both GamePro and Maximum compared the game favorably to Cyber Sled.[9][7] Next Generation's brief review deemed the game unexciting and scored it two out of five stars.[4] Offering the game a score of 76/100, Scott Gehrs of Computer Game Review wrote, "I can't think of a better game to play when you've got some time to kill."[10]

Reviews

  • Australian Realms #29[11]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Russell, Stephen (29 January 1996). "Assault Rigs A Real Killer". Grimsby Evening Telegraph: pp. 13. https://www.newspapers.com/image/893715585. "It is the stunning new real-time shoot 'em up being launched on February 9 by Psygnosis for the Sony PlayStation and PC CD-Rom." 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Oertell, Dana (31 January 1996). "Assault Rigs™ From Psygnosis Blasts Its Way Onto PC CD-ROM and Sony's PlayStation Game Console". http://www.psygnosis.com/news/arig.html. 
  3. ↑ "Sega Third Party Support on the Retreat". Ultra Game Players (100): 14. August 1997. https://retrocdn.net/images/f/f1/UltraGamePlayers_US_100.pdf. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Every PlayStation Game Played, Reviewed, and Rated". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (25): 57. January 1997. 
  5. ↑ Wildgoose, David (May 1996). "Assault Rigs". PC PowerPlay (1): 61. https://archive.org/details/PCPowerplay-001-1996-05. 
  6. ↑ "Assault Rigs". Play (3): 54–55. January 1996. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Maximum Reviews: Assault Rigs". Maximum: The Video Game Magazine (Emap International Limited) (3): 148. January 1996. 
  8. ↑ Sackenheim, Shawn. "Assault Rigs Review". http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2020&tab=review. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Air Hendrix (April 1996). "ProReview: Assault Rigs". GamePro (IDG) (91): 70. 
  10. ↑ Gehrs, Scott (July 1996). "Assault Rigs". Computer Game Review. http://www.nuke.com/cgr/reviews/9607/assaul/assaul.htm. 
  11. ↑ "Australian Realms Magazine - Complete Collection". June 1988. https://archive.org/details/australian-realms-magazine/Australian%20Realms%20%2329%20JulyAugust%201996/page/8/mode/2up. 
  • 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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