Software:Barker Bill's Trick Shooting

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Barker Bill's Trick Shooting
North American cover art
Developer(s)Nintendo R&D1[1]
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Composer(s)Hirokazu Tanaka[2]
Platform(s)Nintendo Entertainment System
Release
  • NA: August 1990[1]
  • EU: June 27, 1991
Genre(s)Shooting
Mode(s)Single-player

Barker Bill's Trick Shooting is a light gun shooter video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990.

Gameplay

A screenshot showing "Flying Saucers" game mode gameplay.
Flying Saucers game mode

Barker Bill's Trick Shooting consists of four carnival-type game modes in which the player uses a NES Zapper to shoot various objects for points.[3] Higher scores are given for more daring shots: those on the verge of disappearing or breaking award the most points. The game modes consist of:

  • Balloon Saloon
The player attempts to shoot balloons flying away while avoiding hitting the dog from Duck Hunt. Ballons are worth 100 points each.
  • Flying Saucers
Barker Bill and his assistant Trixie will toss plates across the screen. The players must shoot the plates while avoiding Bill, Trixie, and the parrot. Plates are scored according to how close they are to the floor: from 100 very high up to 500 just above the floor.
  • Window Pains
Assorted objects will fall down a screen full of windows, but some of the windows are closed, blocking the player's shots. He can only hit objects through open windows. Hits are scored according to the row the object is hit: from 100 at the top row to 500 on the bottom.
  • Fun Follies
This involves progressing through the previous three in turn followed by two additional stages:
  • Trixie's Shot (first seen in stage 4)
Trixie walks around the screen and occasionally presents coins. The players shoot the coins while trying not to hit her or the parrot. Points range from 100 to 500 points depending on how quickly they're shot after being presented; any coin she tosses away is always worth 500 points.
After playing Trixie's Shot, provided at least one diamond was earned, the player will go to a slot machine and pull the trigger to stop the slots. This is the only way to win extra chances in Fun Follies. Diamonds that the player collected in earlier stages (which do not give him extra chances in Fun Follies) allow for more winning lines and a better chance at a big prize. The player is awarded for all winning lines, allowing the potential (with at least two diamonds) for up to 15 extra chances.
  • Bill's Thrills (first seen in stage 9)
Bill will throw objects like eggs and tomatoes high up. The players hit them before they reach Trixie, but must be careful of the parrot again. Scoring is higher due to the difficulty and depends on the size of the object thrown: from 800 for the relatively large tomato to 1,500 for the tiny egg.

The player will start each game with ten chances. Except during Fun Follies, they can gain a life by shooting a diamond. The player lose one chance for committing each of the following:

  • Failing to hit a target.
  • Hitting the wrong thing (such as a person or animal). The game is over when the player runs out of chances.

Music

The soundtrack was composed by Hirokazu Tanaka, who had worked on the music for earlier Nintendo games such as Balloon Fight and Duck Hunt. The high scores music from the VS versions of these games was later remixed by Tanaka in Trick Shooting. The only difference is that the song is now in the key of C# rather than C. The game uses Tanaka's later sound engine, with digitized drum samples.

Reception

Allgame gave the game a score of 3.5 stars out of 5.[4] Game Freaks 365 gave it a rating of 83% (the equivalent of a B grade) in their 2005 review.[5]

See also

  • List of Famicom games
  • List of Nintendo Entertainment System games

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Release date". GameFAQs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/data/587109.html. Retrieved 2008-11-15. 
  2. ↑ "Barker Bill's Trick Shooting". NinDB. Archived from the original on 2010-06-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20100626035630/http://www.nindb.net/game/barker-bills-trick-shooting.html. Retrieved 2017-09-01. 
  3. ↑ "Barker Bill’s Trick Shooting – Hardcore Gaming 101" (in en-US). http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/barker-bills-trick-shooting/. 
  4. ↑ "Rating of Barker Bill's Trick Shooting". Allgame. Archived from the original on 2014-12-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20141210143111/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=14754. Retrieved 2012-11-08. 
  5. ↑ "Barker Bill's Trick Shooting Review". http://www.gamefreaks365.com/review.php?artid=1818. 
  • 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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