Software:Battle Realms: Winter of the Wolf

From HandWiki
Short description: 2002 video game
Battle Realms: Winter of the Wolf
Developer(s)Liquid Entertainment
Publisher(s)Ubi Soft
Crave Entertainment
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: November 5, 2002[1]
  • EU: November 29, 2002
Genre(s)Real-time strategy
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Battle Realms: Winter of the Wolf is an expansion pack for the real-time strategy video game Battle Realms, developed by Liquid Entertainment and co-published by Ubi Soft and Crave Entertainment. The game was announced on July 7, 2002,[2] and released on November 5, 2002, in North America.[1]

Synopsis

Winter of the Wolf features exclusively new units and other gameplay elements, such as snow-terrain maps. Shown here, the Battle Maidens are the new armies and a Zen Master, Teppo, from the Dragon clan's arsenal.

The martial arts-themed RTS takes place seven years prior to the events in the first game.[3][4]

The story begins with Grayback, the last heir to the Wolf clan's throne, explaining that long ago that life was better for their clan before the storms came and drowned their paradise. (Home island) They were saved from death by their druidess order using their clan's most sacred treasure the white wolf's skull, given to them by their clan's totem, the white wolf.[4]

The skull guided them to the lands of the Serpent empire where their new neighbors the Serpent and Lotus clan welcomed them as allies but unfortunately they trusted them. Thinking that their lives seemed simple and good again little did they know that Lord Zymeth of the Lotus clan made a deal with the Serpent emperor and attacked them by surprise. The Serpent clan looked away as the Lotus burned their towns and killed their people, many wolvesmen tried to fight back but were unsuccessful, the survivors of the battle became slaves in the Lotus shale mines, ever since then Grayback trained his fellow miners in the arts of war, led them to rebellion and struggle for freedom from the grip of their slave master Mistress Yvaine.[4]

Grayback and some slaves had the chance to escape slavery from the shale mines, and formed new equipment along with reinforcements led by Longtooth, Grayback's old friend. With the successful escape of Grayback and his Wolfmen, they recruited fellow clans to aid their war. Soon they rallied around different Lotus and Serpent camps and destroyed them one by one.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings66.67%[5]
Metacritic71 out of 100[6]
Review scores
PublicationScore
1Up.comStarStar[7]
GameSpot7.3 out of 10[3]
GameZone8.5 out of 10[8]
IGN7.5 out of 10[4]
PC Gamer (US)68%[9]
X-PlayStarStarStar[10]
ActionTrip8.1 out of 10[11]

Battle Realms: Winter of the Wolf received "mixed or average," according to review aggregator Metacritic, based on reviews from 10 professional critics.[6] Greg Kasavin from GameSpot criticized the chaotic combat and difficulty "to keep track of what's happening in the game's large-scale battles," limited user interface, relatively "small unit counts" and "limited base defenses," and lack of "any huge changes to the original;" rating the game 7.3 out of 10.[3] Similarly, IGN's Dan Adams rated it 7.5 out of 10, claiming that "levels can be unimaginative and the character development and dialogue are uninspired," and didn't like the "short overall campaign."[4] GameZone gave it 8.5 out of 10, the highest of all reviews.[8]

Winter of the Wolf was packaged with the original game in North America for $29.99, with a $10 rebate offer for those who already owned Battle Realms.[1][3] It was also sold separately.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Calvert, Justin (November 5, 2002). "Battle Realms: Winter of the Wolf ships". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/battle-realms-winter-of-the-wolf-ships/1100-2896701/. Retrieved November 22, 2014. 
  2. ↑ Walker, Trey (July 1, 2002). "Battle Realms: Winter of the Wolf announced". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/battle-realms-winter-of-the-wolf-announced/1100-2873042/. Retrieved November 22, 2014. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Kasavin, Greg (November 21, 2002). "Battle Realms: Winter of the Wolf Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/battle-realms-winter-of-the-wolf-review/1900-2898297/. Retrieved November 22, 2014. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Adams, Dan (2002-11-18). "Battle Realms: Winter of the Wolf". IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/11/18/battle-realms-winter-of-the-wolf. Retrieved 2014-11-22. 
  5. ↑ "Battle Realms: Winter of the Wolf for PC". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/561880-battle-realms-winter-of-the-wolf/index.html. Retrieved 2014-11-22. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Battle Realms Winter of the Wolf for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. November 21, 2002. https://www.metacritic.com/game/battle-realms-winter-of-the-wolf/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved November 22, 2014. 
  7. ↑ "Battle Realms: Winter of the Wolf". Computer Gaming World: 108. March 2003. http://www.1up.com/reviews/battle-realms-winter-wolf. Retrieved 2014-11-22. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Schutz, Jake (2002-12-02). "Battle Realms: Winter of the Wolf - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 2009-01-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20090116174940/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r20743.htm. Retrieved 2014-11-22. 
  9. ↑ Peckham, Matthew (February 2003). "Battle Realms: Winter of the Wolf". PC Gamer: 84. Archived from the original on 2005-02-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20050207030403/http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/archives/review_2004-07-01af.html. Retrieved 2014-11-22. 
  10. ↑ Bemis, Greg (2002-11-16). "'Battle Realms: Winter of the Wolf' (PC) Review". X-Play. Archived from the original on 2002-12-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20021217074657/http://www.techtv.com/extendedplay/reviews/story/0%2C24330%2C3410661%2C00.html. Retrieved 2014-11-22. 
  11. ↑ Pavlovic, Uros "Vader" (2002-11-06). "Battle Realms: Winter of the Wolf Review". ActionTrip. Archived from the original on 2014-07-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20140726165045/http://www.actiontrip.com/reviews/battle-realms-winter-of-the-wolf.phtml. Retrieved 2014-11-22. 
  • The official *BattleRealms.com 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 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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