Software:Atlantis II

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Short description: 1999 video game
This page is about the 1999 video game. For the research ship, see RV Atlantis II. For the transatlantic telecommunications cable, see Atlantis-2. For the 1982 esports event, see Atlantis (video game) § Atlantis II competition.
"Beyond Atlantis" redirects here. For the film, see Beyond Atlantis (film).
Atlantis II
Developer(s)Cryo Interactive
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Eric Mallet
Producer(s)Rémi Herbulot, Jean-Martial Lefranc, Philippe Ulrich
Designer(s)Johan Robson
Writer(s)Johan Robson
Composer(s)Pierre Estève
EngineOmni3D[1]
Platform(s)Windows, Mac OS, iOS
ReleaseNovember 1999[2]
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Atlantis II, known as Beyond Atlantis in North America, is a 1999 graphic adventure game developed and published by Cryo Interactive. The sequel to Software:Atlantis: The Lost Tales, it follows the story of Ten, a mystical being that travels across time to defeat the Bearer of Dark. Players assume the role of Ten and solve puzzles in locations such as Ireland, the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico and China.

Atlantis II was a commercial success, with sales of 180,000 units after fewer than two months of release. It ultimately sold 160,000 units in France alone, and became one of distributor Dreamcatcher Interactive's most popular titles in North America. The game was followed by Software:Atlantis III: The New World, Atlantis Evolution and Software:The Secrets of Atlantis: The Sacred Legacy.

Gameplay

The game features a "point and click" interface, full 3D panning, puzzles of varied difficulty, conversations with other characters and a fully orchestrated musical score.

Plot

A young man named Ten journeys through the mountains of Tibet. Upon finding a ship, he meets a levitating mystery man, who explains that Ten is the Bearer of Light and has to restore balance to the universe by confronting the Bearer of Dark, who resides in Shambhala. To find Shambhala, Ten must gather the pieces that make up the "road to Shambhala" from different time periods and locations: Ireland, the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico and China. When Ten ventures into one of the places, he transforms into a different person on a unique quest. In Ireland, Ten is a monk named Felim helping the locals fulfill an old myth. In Yucatán, Ten is the young huntsman Tepec, a cousin of the king, who has to awaken sleeping god Quetzalcōātl to save his city from famine. In China, Ten is civil servant Wei Yulan, who helps defeat a shadow who has taken up residence before the gate of a Daoist monastery, saving the monks from drought. Finally in Shambhala, Ten meets Rhea, the last queen of Atlantis. After visiting the sunken isle, he ensures that the Bearer of Dark is imprisoned.

Development

Reception

Sales

According to the French newspaper Les Échos, Atlantis II was a commercial hit, with sales of 180,000 units by late December 1999.[3] This number rose to 200,000 units by April 2000.[4] The game went on to become a best-seller in the United States.[5] Atlantis II made up 15% of DreamCatcher Interactive's North American sales in 2000; Cryo Interactive reported more than 100,000 units sold in the region from June through the end of the year.[6] Market research firm PC Data tallied 64,625 sales of the game in North America for 2000, of which 23,327 derived from December.[7] This performance made Atlantis II one of DreamCatcher's top sellers that year—alongside Traitors Gate and The Crystal Key—and resulted in growth at Cryo.[6]

PC Data reported an additional 51,280 units sold in North America during the first half of 2001,[8] while combined global sales of Atlantis II and its predecessor topped 600,000 copies that October.[9] By that time, Atlantis II had sold 160,000 units in France alone.[10] It ended 2001 with 84,237 sales in North America that year, according to PC Data,[11] and it moved another 9,317 copies in the region during the first six months of 2002.[12] The following year, Ghislain Pages of DreamCatcher's European branch remarked that Atlantis II had become "one of the leading products of DreamCatcher in the States", and a sign that European adventures could achieve popularity in the country.[5] Worldwide sales of Atlantis II, Atlantis and their sequel, Software:Atlantis III: The New World, surpassed 1 million total units by 2004.[13]

Critical reviews

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Adventure GamersStarStarStarStar[14]
CGMStarHalf star[16]
Eurogamer7/10[15]
GameSpot5.6/10[17]
IGN6.4/10[18]
MacHome JournalStarStarStarHalf star[19]
PC Gaming World7.5/10[20]
Jeuxvideo.com14/20[2]

In Computer Gaming World, Audrey Wells wrote: "Steer clear if you're not a fan of developer Cryo's work, but if you like immersing yourself in a beautiful world and solving puzzles, Beyond Atlantis is for you".[21]

Legacy

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Interview se Stephanem Ressotem z Crya". MAFRA, a.s.. 28 August 2000. https://bonusweb.idnes.cz/interview-se-stephanem-ressotem-z-crya-d9t-/Magazin.aspx?c=A000827_stephanressot_bw. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mélo. "Tests; Atlantis II". Jeuxvideo.com. http://www.jeuxvideo.com:80/testfiche.htm?articles/00000340. 
  3. ↑ Feraud, Jean-Christophe (December 27, 1999). "Cryo dans la cour des grands" (in French). Les Échos. https://www.lesechos.fr/27/12/1999/LesEchos/18055-113-ECH_cryo-dans-la-cour-des-grands.htm. 
  4. ↑ Feraud, Jean-Christophe (April 13, 2000). "Cryo introduira sa filiale Internet en Bourse avant la fin de l'année" (in French). Les Échos. https://www.lesechos.fr/13/04/2000/LesEchos/18133-084-ECH_cryo-introduira-sa-filiale-internet-en-bourse-avant-la-fin-de-l-annee.htm. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bronstring, Marek (March 7, 2003). "The Adventure Company Europe". Adventure Gamers. http://www.adventuregamers.com:80/article/id,223. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 (in French) Document de référence 2000 (Report). Cryo Interactive. July 11, 2001. pp. 27, 33. http://www.cryofinance.com/fr/Finance/RapportCryo2000.pdf. 
  7. ↑ Sluganski, Randy (February 2001). "The State of Adventure Gaming". Just Adventure. http://justadventure.com:80/articles/State_of_Adventure_Gaming/01-02/Feb_01.asp. 
  8. ↑ Sluganski, Randy (August 2001). "The State of Adventure Gaming". Just Adventure. http://justadventure.com:80/articles/State_of_Adventure_Gaming/01-08/August_01.shtm. 
  9. ↑ "Atlantis 3, en 5ème position des ventes de jeux vidéo" (Press release) (in French). Cryo Interactive. October 17, 2001. Archived from the original on March 20, 2003.{{cite press release}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  10. ↑ Mola, Jaume Olivés (October 18, 2001). "Avances; Atlantis III: The New World". MeriStation. http://www.meristation.com:80/sc/Avances/avance.asp?c=GEN&cr=1676. 
  11. ↑ Sluganski, Randy (March 2002). "State of Adventure Gaming - March 2002 - 2001 Sales Table". Just Adventure. http://www.justadventure.com:80/articles/State_of_Adventure_Gaming/Mar-02/sales2001.shtm. 
  12. ↑ Sluganski, Randy (August 2002). "State of Adventure Gaming - August 2002 - June 2002 Sales Table". Just Adventure. http://justadventure.com:80/articles/State_of_Adventure_Gaming/August2002/SalesJune2002.shtm. 
  13. ↑ Bronstring, Marek (May 24, 2004). "Atlantis Evolution - E3 2004". Adventure Gamers. https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/17714. 
  14. ↑ Heidi Fournier (May 19, 2002). "Atlantis II Review". Adventure Gamers. https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/17438. 
  15. ↑ Bye, John (April 1, 2000). "Review; Atlantis 2". Eurogamer. http://eurogamer.net/content/atlantis2. 
  16. ↑ Wand, Kelly (October 2, 2000). "Beyond Atlantis". Computer Games Magazine. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/029/194/atlantis_review.html. 
  17. ↑ Ron Dulin (July 18, 2000). "Beyond Atlantis - GameSpot". GameSpot. https://www.gamespot.com/beyond-atlantis/. 
  18. ↑ "Atlantis II - IGN". IGN. July 25, 2005. http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/07/26/beyond-atlantis. 
  19. ↑ Staff. "Beyond Atlantis". MacHome Journal. http://www.machome.com/reviews/MacReviewZone.lasso?grr8=34471. 
  20. ↑ Houghton, Gordon (November 25, 1999). "Atlantis II Review". PC Gaming World. http://www.gamespot.co.uk:80/pc.gamespot/adventure/atla2_uk/review.html. 
  21. ↑ Wells, Audrey (January 2001). "Inside Adventure; They're... Alive! ALIVE!". Computer Gaming World (198): 182, 183. 
  • 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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