Software:Batman & Robin (video game)

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Batman & Robin
North American cover art
Developer(s)Probe Entertainment
Publisher(s)Acclaim Entertainment
Producer(s)Peter Jones
Designer(s)Matt Nagy
Programmer(s)David Shea
Artist(s)Guy Mills
Composer(s)Tim Follin
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Batman & Robin is an action-adventure video game for the PlayStation based on DC Comics character Batman, and the 1997 film Batman & Robin. It was developed by Probe Entertainment[3] and published by Acclaim Entertainment in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Comics. It is a sequel to Batman Forever, which was based on the 1995 film Batman Forever.

Gameplay

The game uses elements of a sandbox style game, such as real-time events, traffic simulation, and civilian population. The player can choose one of the film's three heroes, Batman, Robin or Batgirl.[4] Each character uses a unique vehicle. Batman drives the Batmobile, Robin the Redbird motorcycle and Batgirl uses the Batblade. In the game, the player travels around Gotham City and completes various individual missions, such as preventing Mr. Freeze from robbing a bank. Most of the events are not triggered; instead, each event occurs at a certain time. For example, Mr. Freeze's bank robbery occurs at 7 p.m. The player must find clues and discover the plot with the help of the Batcomputer. If the player cannot find enough clues, the event occurs, failing the mission. Some situations are derived directly from the plot of the film, while others were conceived for the game.

Development

Acclaim originally scheduled Batman & Robin for release in the third quarter of 1997, in order to coincide with the film's theatrical release.[4] Acclaim chairman and CEO Greg Fischbach commented on the decision to delay the game until 1998: "We recently told analysts that we might take a small loss this financial quarter because we chose not to release product that we felt wasn't done. I'm talking about Forsaken and Batman and Robin. Now, the old Acclaim may have pushed these products into the marketplace and wouldn't have dreamed of saying to Wall Street, 'We're sorry, but we're not going to be profitable this quarter.' So this is a new stance for us."[5]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings47%[6]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStar[7]
Consoles +75%[9]
EGM2.375/10[10][lower-alpha 1]
Game Informer5/10[11]
GameSpot5.7/10[12]
IGN5/10[13]
Next GenerationStarStar[14]
OPM (UK)6/10[15]
OPM (US)Star[16]

Like the film, the PlayStation game was critically and commercially unsuccessful, as it received generally unfavourable reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[6] Game Informer gave it a mixed review, over two months before it was released Stateside.[11] IGN gave a mixed review; they praised the graphics, music and a selection of characters to play, but were critical to the controls.[13] Next Generation was more critical to the game, criticizing the graphics, level design, gameplay and controls.[14] GamePro gave a positive review in terms of graphics, sound, and gameplay, but was critical to the controls.[17][lower-alpha 2] There was also a version for the Game.com handheld which got worse ratings than the PlayStation version.

The game won the award for "Most Faithful Use of a Movie License" at the 1998 OPM Editors' Awards.[18]

Notes

  1. ↑ In Electronic Gaming Monthly's review of the game, one critic gave it 3/10, two critics gave it each a score of 2/10, and the other one gave it 2.5/10.
  2. ↑ GamePro gave the game two 4/5 scores for graphics and sound, 1.5/5 for control, and 3.5/5 for fun factor.

References

  1. ↑ "Special Reserve Discount Superstore". Staines Informer: pp. 10. August 21, 1998. https://www.newspapers.com/image/897234060/?terms=%22Batman%20%26%20Robin%22%20%22playstation%22&match=1. "Key Dates//August 21st//Breath of Fire 3//PlayStation - Save £7//August 21st//Batman & Robin//PlayStation - Save £7//August 28th//WWF: Warzone//N64 - Save £7" 
  2. ↑ "Acclaim Ships Batman* & Robin * for PlayStation®". 4 August 1998. http://www.acclaim.com/company/pressReleases/product/BatmanAndRobin.html. 
  3. ↑ "Sneak Previews: Batman and Robin". GamePro (IDG) (108): 59. September 1997. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "News Bits". GamePro (IDG) (106): 21. July 1997. 
  5. ↑ "To Hell and Back with Acclaim". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (40): 14. April 1998. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Batman & Robin for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/196711-batman-and-robin/index.html. 
  7. ↑ Weiss, Brett Alan. "Batman & Robin - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=12748&tab=review. 
  8. ↑ Pacchiano, Ronald V. (18 September 1998). "Batman and Robin [sic"]. CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Consoles/Sony/Batman/. 
  9. ↑ Niiico; Spy (September 1998). "Batman & Robin" (in French). Consoles + (80): 116–17. 
  10. ↑ Smith, Shawn; Boyer, Crispin; Davison, John; Williams, Ken "Sushi-X" (October 1998). "Batman & Robin". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (111): 259. https://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-656-259.jpg. Retrieved 26 November 2021. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Batman & Robin". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (62). June 1998. http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=psx&path=jun98&doc=batman. Retrieved 29 October 2020. 
  12. ↑ Fielder, Joe (6 August 1998). "Batman & Robin Review [date mislabeled as "April 28, 2000""]. Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/batman-and-robin-review/1900-2546753/. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Perry, Douglass C. (11 August 1998). "Batman & Robin". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/08/12/batman-robin. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Batman and Robin [sic"]. Next Generation (Imagine Media) (47): 154. November 1998. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_47/page/n157/mode/2up. Retrieved 29 October 2020. 
  15. ↑ Merrett, Steve (August 1998). "Batman & Robin". Official UK PlayStation Magazine (Future Publishing) (35): 108–09. https://archive.org/details/opm035/page/n107/mode/2up. Retrieved 29 October 2020. 
  16. ↑ "Batman & Robin". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) 2 (1). October 1998. 
  17. ↑ Boba Fatt (October 1998). "Batman & Robin". GamePro (IDG) (121): 172. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_111_October_1998/page/n171/mode/2up. Retrieved 29 October 2020. 
  18. ↑ "1998 OPM Editors' Awards (Most Faithful Use of a Movie License)". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) 2 (5): 96. February 1999. https://archive.org/details/Official_US_PlayStation_Magazine_Volume_2_Issue_5_1999-02_Ziff_Davis_US/page/n95/mode/2up. Retrieved 25 November 2021. 
  • 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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