Software:Axis & Allies (1998 video game)

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Axis & Allies
Cover
Developer(s)Meyer/Glass Interactive
Publisher(s)Hasbro Interactive
Designer(s)James Haldy
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
ReleaseOctober 6, 1998[1]
Genre(s)Computer wargame
Mode(s)Single player, Multiplayer

Axis & Allies is a 1998 computer wargame closely based on the Axis and Allies: Classic board game.

Players take control of one of five world powers at the start of 1942 in World War II, grouped into the opposing factions of the Allies (United States , United Kingdom , and Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ) and the Axis (Germany and Japan). Victory conditions are set at the start of the game: complete world domination, the capture of enemy capitals, or reaching a set level of economic power by the Axis.

The game is turn-based, with the USSR turn first, and the USA turn last. Each power's turn of the game is broken into several phases. First is the research phase, where IPCs (a representation of industrial power) can be gambled in an attempt to develop advanced technology, such as jet engines or rockets. The remaining IPCs are then used to buy troops in the purchase phase. Troops are then moved in the combat move phase, and battles resolved in the combat phase. Non-combative moves are then performed in the non-combat move phase, new units are then placed at the powers' factories & IPCs for all territories the power now controls are collected in the place units/collect income phase and the powers' turn ends.

A second edition of the game was released in 1999 titled Axis & Allies: Iron Blitz. It added a function to allow the third edition rules of the game as well as new features such as allowing a submarine to submerge instead of withdrawal and having multiple AA guns occupy the same territory. In addition, it included many alternate scenarios, providing for events that ranged from a Western Allied-Soviet war after World War II (Allies: UK/US vs Axis: Soviet Union/(Communist) Germany), to the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact being made into a formal alliance, which turns Japan into the Allies (Allies: UK/US/Japan vs Soviet-German Axis.) And, of course, there is the default scenario from the board game (Allies: UK/US/Soviet vs Germany/Japan.)

Gameplay

Each power has a turn of 5 steps during each round of play. Each of the 5 powers will have a turn in a complete round of play. A full round of play consists of: USSR, Germany , United Kingdom , Japan , and United States . If one power's armed forces are completely destroyed, that nation is removed from play and gameplay skips that power's turn. Example: United Kingdom destroys all of Germany's armed forces. The play now follows: USSR, United Kingdom, Japan and USA. However, if Germany's ally Japan liberates Germany's capital and later Germany can produce new units, then Germany's turn is now restored as it was at the start of the game.

IPCs otherwise known as Industrial Production Certificates, is the only currency in the game. IPCs are used to buy land units, sea units or air units. Each power collect IPCs at the end of their turn. IPCs are collected for every territory under the player's control that has an IPC value at the end of each turn.

Victory

Allies: Historical victory of capturing both Axis capitals. Total victory means that both Japan and Germany are captured and none of the Allied capitals are captured by the Axis.

Axis: One of 2 conditions are met.

Total Victory: Axis capturing 2 of the 3 Allied capitals and none of the Axis capitals are captured by the Allies.

IPC Victory: When the combined IPCs controlled by both Japan and Germany reach 84 at the end of a complete round of play.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGWStarStarStarStar[2]
PC Gamer (UK)63%[4]
PC Zone80/100[3]
Computer Games Strategy PlusStarStarHalf star[5]
PC GamesB+[6]

The reviewer from the online second volume of Pyramid stated that "The computer version solves the problem of having to round up players, and eliminates the tedious chore of setting up the board. From the impressive opening movie to the video clips for air raids, anti-aircraft guns, and offshore bombardments, to the final clip for each alliance's victory, the game is as riveting as the tabletop equivalent."[7]

Axis & Allies was a commercial success, with sales of roughly 300,000 copies by February 1999, after its release in September of the previous year.[8] It reached 350,000 in sales by June. At the time, Computer Gaming World's editors wrote that "Panzer General's record as the best-selling computer wargame is in jeopardy" thanks to the success of Axis & Allies.[9]

Axis & Allies was a runner-up for Computer Games Strategy Plus's 1998 "Wargame of the Year" award, which ultimately went to The Operational Art of War. The editors noted the game's "mass-market appeal".[10]

In a review in the February 2000 issue of InQuest Gamer, Tom Slizewski stated that the game Axis & Allies: Iron Blitz had decent graphics and interface, but that there was "not much good to report" for all other aspects of the game.[11] He was very critical of the artificial intelligence system that he described as "stupid" and "slow" that made poor tactical decisions and at times failed to detect defeated countries.[11]

See also

  • Axis & Allies: Classic board game by Milton Bradley
  • Axis & Allies: RTS video game (2004)

References

  1. ↑ "Hasbro Ships Axis & Allies". October 6, 1998. http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_10/06_hasbro/index.html. 
  2. ↑ Carter, Tim (January 1, 1999). "Axis & Allies". Computer Gaming World. http://www.gamespot.com:80/strategy/axisanda/review_cgw.html. Retrieved 2018-10-30. 
  3. ↑ Shoemaker, Richie. "Axies & Allies". PC Zone. http://www.computerandvideogames.com:80/article.php?id=2745. 
  4. ↑ Weston, Jason. "Chummy". PC Gamer UK (66). http://www.pcgamer.co.uk:80/games/gamefile_review_page.asp?item_id=102. Retrieved 2018-10-30. 
  5. ↑ Klimushyn, Chuck (October 26, 1998). "Axis & Allies". Computer Games Strategy Plus. http://www.cdmag.com:80/articles/015/039/axis_allies_review.html. 
  6. ↑ Dultz, Marc. "Axis & Allies". PC Games. http://pcgames.com:80/reviews/strategy/strategy_axisallies.html. 
  7. ↑ "Pyramid: Pyramid Pick: Axis and Allies". Sjgames.com. December 11, 1998. http://www.sjgames.com/pyramid/sample.html?id=451. 
  8. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (February 16, 1999). "New job for war vets: Game consultant". ZDNet. http://www.zdnet.com/article/new-job-for-war-vets-game-consultant/. 
  9. ↑ Green, Jeff (June 1999). "CGW Does E3". Computer Gaming World (179): 46–48. 
  10. ↑ Staff (February 11, 1999). "The Best of 1998". Computer Games Strategy Plus. http://cdmag.com:80/articles/017/163/best_of_year.html. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Slizewski, Tom (February 2000). "Axis & Allies". InQuest Gamer (Wizard Entertainment) (58): 75. 
  • Official website
  • 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 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]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

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. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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