Software:Baraduke

From HandWiki
Short description: 1985 video game
Baraduke
Arcade flyer
Developer(s)Namco
Publisher(s)Namco
Designer(s)Yukio Takahashi
SeriesBaraduke
Platform(s)Arcade, X68000
ReleaseArcade
X68000
Genre(s)Run and gun
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer
Arcade systemNamco Pac-Land

Lua error in Module:Lang/utilities at line 332: attempt to call field '_transl' (a nil value). renamed Alien Sector in some regions, is a run and gun video game released for arcades by Namco in 1985. A home version was published for the X68000 in 1995.

Gameplay

Arcade screenshot

The player takes control of a spacewoman in a biohazard suit. Player 1 is Kissy and Player 2 is Takky. They must clear eight worlds of increasing difficulty (each one is composed of five regular floors and one boss floor) by using their wave guns to destroy all the enemies populating them. They must also save the one-eyed Paccets for extra points and the chance to earn another shield in the end-of-floor bonus games.

On each floor there are a certain number of enemies known as Octy, which will leave power-up capsules behind when defeated. Defeating all the Octy on the current floor will open up a pipe at the bottom of the floor, and the player will have to find and enter it in order to proceed to the next one. The boss floors feature a giant enemy (a Blue Worm in Worlds 1, 3, 5 and 7, a Turning Eye in Worlds 2, 4 and 6, and the Octy King himself in World 8) who must be killed in order to proceed to the next world.

Release

Baraduke runs on Namco Pac-Land hardware, but with a video system that was also used in Metro-Cross and Dragon Buster (modified to support vertical scrolling and a 2048-color palette). In 1995, ten years after its original arcade release, it was ported to the X68000, and was also included in the fifth volume of the Namco Museum series on the PlayStation. It also appeared in Namco Museum Virtual Arcade on the Xbox 360, and most recently, as one of the games available in Pac-Man's Pixel Bash.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Baraduke on their September 1, 1985 issue as being the fifteenth most-successful table arcade unit of the month.[3]

Clare Edgeley of Computer and Video Games reviewed the arcade game in October 1985. She said there's "not much in the way of graphics" or "a story line", but "there's plenty of blasting material." She called it a "reasonably fast, mildly addictive" game, but said it "hasn't got the qualities to take it into the top ten arcade games."[1]

In a 2016 retrospective, Federico Tiraboschi of Hardcore Gaming 101 compared the game to Nintendo's Metroid (1986), noting that Baraduke anticipated several elements of Metroid. He said "in both you play as a faceless space soldier in a bright-colored suit who travels inside a sprawling complex of caves full of weird alien creatures" and both later reveal the player character to be female. However, he said Baraduke "focuses more on the shooting than the exploration, which is there, but to a minimal extent" compared to Metroid. He also compared Baraduke to Capcom's Section Z (1985), released later the same year, noting that in "both games the players control a free-range spaceman with a jetpack traversing a number of sectors scrolling both horizontally and vertically," but "in Baraduke the player characters are affected by gravity and their gun's recoil."[4]

Legacy

A sequel titled Bakutotsu Kijūtei was released in 1988, but only in Japan. It was the second game from the company to allow scores not ending in "0" (the first was Hopping Mappy, which was released in 1986).

Baraduke is noted as an early example of a female game protagonist, with her gender being revealed in a "twist" ending.[5] Although the game's primary protagonist, Toby "Kissy" Masuyo, is a woman, the player is led to believe she is a man until her face is revealed in the ending. This predated by one year Samus Aran from Metroid as a human female playable character.[4] The game has been further compared to Metroid for its similarities, as both games feature a maze filled with alien enemies, and a "surprise" reveal of their female protagonists at the end.[6]

In the Mr. Driller series of games, Kissy Masuyo is a supporting character under the name Toby Masuyo (they refer to "Kissy" as being her nickname). She has married and divorced Taizo Hori (better known as Dig Dug, the protagonist of the 1982 arcade game of the same name) and they have three children, Susumu Hori (who is the main character of Mr. Driller), Ataru Hori, and Taiyo Toby. Kissy is also a playable character in the Japan-only tactical role-playing video game Namco x Capcom, where she is teamed up with Hiromi Tengenji from Burning Force. Due to her divorce, she seems to have a grudge against Taizo Hori, who also appears in this game (a reference to the Mr. Driller series). Tron Bonne, from Capcom's Mega Man Legends game, mistakes her for a boy.

A Paccet (which is a small, round yellow alien with only one eye) appears in the background as a painting in Tales of Destiny. Elle Mel Marta's backpack in Tales of Xillia 2 is also a Paccet, with a small charm shaped like Kissy attached to it. Paccet makes a cameo in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U as part of Pac-Man's taunt, "Namco Roulette".

Notes

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Edgeley, Clare (16 October 1985). "Arcade Action". Computer and Video Games (United Kingdom: EMAP) (49 (November 1985)): 80–1. https://www.solvalou.com/arcade/reviews/220/598. 
  2. ↑ "Baraduke (Registration Number PA0001377004)". https://cocatalog.loc.gov. 
  3. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (Amusement Press, Inc.) (267): 25. 1 September 1985. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Tiraboschi, Federico (April 19, 2016). "Hardcore Gaming 101: Baraduke". https://hg101.kontek.net/baraduke/baraduke.htm. 
  5. ↑ Draycott, Jane; Cook, Kate (2022-08-11) (in en). Women in Classical Video Games. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 25. ISBN 978-1-350-24193-0. https://books.google.com/books?id=36ZxEAAAQBAJ. 
  6. ↑ "Mr. Driller's mom hits the Arcade Archives in Namco classic Baraduke" (in en-US). 2022-11-12. https://www.destructoid.com/baraduke-arcade-archives-namco-retro-ps4-switch/. 
  • Baraduke at the Killer List of Videogames
  • 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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