Software:Battlestations: Midway

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Battlestations:Midway
Developer(s)Eidos Hungary
Publisher(s)Eidos Interactive
Feral Interactive
(Mac OS X)
Designer(s)Györei Viktor
Szalasci Botond
Programmer(s)Somfai Ákos
Artist(s)Nagy Zoltán
Composer(s)Richard Jacques
SeriesBattlestations
Platform(s)Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X
Release
  • NA: January 30, 2007
  • EU: February 9, 2007
  • AU: February 16, 2007
Macintosh
July 28, 2008
Genre(s)Action, real-time tactics
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Battlestations: Midway is a video game developed by Eidos Hungary and released in 2007 for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The Mac version of this game was developed by Robosoft Technologies, based out of India and published in July 2008 by Feral Interactive.[1]

Set in the Pacific during World War II, it is a hybrid of action and real-time tactics as the player can both command their fleet assets and assume control of any one of them at will. The single-player campaign is a series of missions from Pearl Harbor commanding an Elco PT Boat to the Battle of Midway commanding an entire carrier battle group.

Gameplay

In either the single-player or multiplayer game the player starts with a ship, submarine, aircraft, shipyard, airfield or a combination of any of them. The player can switch between their allocated units in order to complete objectives. Each unit also has its own unique features and controls. For example, using a carrier, shipyard or airfield, players can release carrier aircraft, ships, or land-based aircraft respectively. These units can then be used to engage in naval battles, undersea actions or dogfights and bombing runs.

Players are encouraged to work together online. In multiplayer, each player controls a different group of units. Each player has different units allocated to them, each with unique strengths and weaknesses. Each side will have a specific objective to complete, whether it being to destroy or protect a certain unit or reach a certain point on the map. The team wins when they are the first to complete their objective(s).

Single-player

The single-player campaign contains 11 historically based missions from the American perspective and is played through the eyes of Henry Walker, an aspiring young man trying to follow in his father's footsteps of being a great Navy Admiral, and his best friend Donald Locklear, an ace in the Flying Tigers.

Battlestations: Midway offers several challenge levels where the player's skills are tested.

The game has appearances by John F. Kennedy, commanding Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Multiplayer

Battlestations: Midway supports multiplayer matches of up to eight players. Matches are team-based, beginning with each player choosing either an Allied or a Japanese starting base from a list of preset slots in the lobby. Each slot has its own unique unit or building allocation. A slot can have up to four units. Each multiplayer map is essentially a "set-piece" battle whereby all of the units on the map at the beginning of the match are the only units available to the players for the entire match. The two exceptions to this are units that can be spawned (e.g. aircraft from airfields, aircraft carriers, etc.) and the planes that respawn in the map "Air Superiority at Luzon", which is very infrequently played.

Since December 2012 GameSpy closed down all their support for Battlestations: Midway. Players trying to play the Multiplayer (powered by GameSpy) are getting only error messages.

Development

The game entered development in around March 2002 for Microsoft Windows under the Midway: Naval Battles title for a late 2003 to early 2004 release.[2] After SCi Games acquired the game's publishing rights, the game was rebranded as Battlestations: Midway, and Gizmondo, PlayStation 2, and Xbox versions were commissioned.[3][4][5][6] These versions were later cancelled in favour of an Xbox 360 release.[7]

Demo

A multiplayer demo was released on the Xbox Live Marketplace on January 18, 2007. The PC demo was followed shortly on January 26 and the Mac OS X demo released on July 24, 2008. The demos contained the multiplayer map Battle of Solomon Islands, which supported up to 8 players. The PC demo worked only for LAN play. Players could disconnect frequently when attempting to play via the internet. The Xbox 360 demo functioned correctly via Xbox Live online play at the time.

Downloadable content

Eidos released the "Iowa Mission Pack" on the Xbox Live Marketplace on March 28, 2003. This update included several new ship models, as well as the "Raid on Truk" ship challenge and the "Battle of Sibuyan Sea" multiplayer map. It is also preserved and available for the PC version via Mod DB and other place(s). A patch has been released for the PC version.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
MacintoshPCXbox 360
EdgeN/AN/A5/10[10]
EGMN/AN/A6.5/10[11]
EurogamerN/AN/A7/10[12]
FamitsuN/AN/A(360) 30/40[13]
27/40[13]
Game InformerN/A6.5/10[14]6.5/10[14]
GameProN/AN/AStarStarStarHalf star[15]
GameSpotN/A7.9/10[16]7.8/10[17]
GameSpyN/AN/AStarStarStarHalf star[18]
GameZoneN/A8.2/10[19]8/10[20]
IGNN/A8.5/10[21](US) 8.5/10[22]
(AU) 8.2/10[23]
OXM (US)N/AN/A7/10[26]
PC Gamer (US)N/A82%[27]N/A
The A.V. ClubN/AB[28]B[28]
The Sydney Morning HeraldN/AStarStarStarHalf star[29]StarStarStarHalf star[29]
Aggregate score
MetacriticN/A76/100[8]73/100[9]

The PC version received "generally favorable reviews", while the Xbox 360 version received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[8][9] In Japan, where the latter was ported and published by Spike on February 7, 2008, Famitsu gave it a score of one six and three sevens, while Famitsu X360 gave it a score of one seven, two eights, and one seven.[13]

411Mania gave the Xbox 360 version nine out of ten, calling it "a must-own for hardcore strategy nuts and World War II hobbyists."[30]

Sequel

Eidos Interactive released Battlestations for Windows and Xbox 360 in May 2009.[31][32] This sequel takes place right after Battlestations: Midway and has twice as many missions as the game before. It also includes 21 new units and add the ability to command troops to fight on the islands, though the player has no control over any individual land unit.[33] Naval mine and kamikazes have also been added. A new feature includes the ability to play as the Japanese from commanding the Pearl Harbor attack to Midway. Details have been added for a more realistic effect; for example, while submerged in a sub flora and fauna are visible, as well as a sea floor. The game also provides an alternate history timeline for the Japanese, a what-if scenario that tells the story of the IJN's victory at Midway, which later considers Pearl Harbor a threat to its already overextending conquest borderline, therefore forcing an invasion of Hawaii. It is also possible to, at the start of the attack on Pearl Harbor, "kill" the two main characters of Battlestations: Midway. If the player managed to sink Henry's PT boat, the pilot would comment: "His name was Henry. This is not his story." After shooting down Donald's more advanced plane, he would go on to comment that "Fighter ace, huh? At least you died in the air," pointing back to Donald's death on the USS Yorktown at the Battle of the Coral Sea.

See also

  • Cultural depictions of John F. Kennedy

References

  1. ↑ "Battlestations: Midway". https://support.feralinteractive.com/en/mac-linux-games/bsm/. 
  2. ↑ József "Szittyó" Szigetvári, Károly "ZeroCool" Mezei (September 2002). "Új vizekre tévedve… Midway: Naval Battles" (in hu). GameStar (IDG Magyarország Lapkiadó Kft.): 18–20. 
  3. ↑ "Virtuális tengeri hadviselés – konzolra hangolva" (in hu). 576 Konzol (Comgame Kft.) IX (4): 8–9. April 2005. ISSN 1417-9296. https://archive.org/details/576-konzol-1998-2008/576%20Konzol%202005-04/page/n9/mode/1up. Retrieved March 21, 2021. 
  4. ↑ "SCi Games announce BATTLESTATIONS: MIDWAY". 2 September 2004. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/sci-games-announce-battlestations-midway. 
  5. ↑ "Battlestations: Midway". 14 December 2006. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/eg_bmp_dan. 
  6. ↑ "Hungarian Developers Accuse SCi of Theft". 10 July 2006. https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/100962/Hungarian_Developers_Accuse_SCi_Of_Theft.php. 
  7. ↑ "E3 06: The tide turns for BattleStations: Midway". 12 May 2006. https://www.gamesradar.com/e3-06-the-tide-turns-for-battlestations-midway/. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Battlestations: Midway for PC Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/battlestations-midway/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Battlestations: Midway for Xbox 360 Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/battlestations-midway/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360. 
  10. ↑ Edge staff (March 2007). "Battlestations: Midway (X360)". Edge (Future plc) (173): 87. 
  11. ↑ EGM staff (March 2007). "Battlestations: Midway (X360)". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (213): 88. 
  12. ↑ Reed, Kristan (March 2, 2007). "Battlestations Midway (Xbox 360)". Gamer Network. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/battlestations-midway-review. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Tanaka, John (March 5, 2008). "Gaming Life in Japan". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/03/05/gaming-life-in-japan-54. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Vore, Bryan (March 2007). "BattleStations: Midway". Game Informer (GameStop) (167): 104. http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/E80CAD8F-E59B-4D5A-BD79-DDD388A85A61.htm. Retrieved June 30, 2021. 
  15. ↑ Lunchbox (February 6, 2007). "Review: BattleStations: Midway [sic (X360)"]. GamePro (IDG Entertainment). http://www.gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox360/games/reviews/96068.shtml. Retrieved June 30, 2021. 
  16. ↑ Mueller, Greg (January 31, 2007). "Battlestations: Midway Review (PC)". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/battlestations-midway-review/1900-6165083/. 
  17. ↑ Mueller, Greg (January 31, 2007). "Battlestations: Midway Review (X360)". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/battlestations-midway-review/1900-6165086/. 
  18. ↑ Chapman, David (February 16, 2007). "GameSpy: Battlestations: Midway (X360)". IGN Entertainment. http://xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/battlestations-midway/765526p1.html. 
  19. ↑ Smith, Brock (February 22, 2007). "Battlestations: Midway - PC - Review". https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/battlestations_midway_pc_review/. 
  20. ↑ Valentino, Nick (February 12, 2007). "Battlestations: Midway - 360 - Review". https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/battlestations_midway_360_review/. 
  21. ↑ Miller, Jonathan (January 30, 2007). "Battlestations Midway Review (PC)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/01/30/battlestations-midway-review. 
  22. ↑ Miller, Jonathan (January 26, 2007). "Battlestations Midway Review (X360)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/01/26/battlestations-midway-review-2. 
  23. ↑ Ring, Bennett (February 16, 2007). "Battlestations Midway AU Review (X360)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/02/16/battlestations-midway-au-review. 
  24. ↑ Stern, Zack (October 3, 2008). "Battlestations Midway". Future US. http://www.maclife.com/article/reviews/battlestations_midway. 
  25. ↑ Holt, Chris (November 23, 2008). "Review: Battlestations Midway". IDG Entertainment. https://www.macworld.com/article/193534/battlestationsmidway-2.html. 
  26. ↑ "Battlestations: Midway". Official Xbox Magazine (Future US): 80. March 2007. 
  27. ↑ "Battlestations: Midway". PC Gamer (Future US) 14 (4): 58. April 2007. 
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Mastrapa, Gus (March 26, 2007). "Battlestations: Midway". G/O Media. https://www.avclub.com/battlestations-midway-1798210996. 
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Fish, Eliot (March 12, 2007). "Battlestations: Midway". The Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Media). https://www.smh.com.au/technology/battlestations-midway-20070312-gdpn8l.html. 
  30. ↑ McCarver, Chris (February 19, 2007). "Battlestations: Midway (Xbox 360) Review". http://www.411mania.com/games/reviews/50868. 
  31. ↑ "Get Ready for War on an Epic Scale With Battlestations: Pacific". Yahoo!. February 28, 2008. http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080228/aqth101.html?.v=33. 
  32. ↑ Battlestations Wikipedia
  33. ↑ "Battlestations: Pacific Release". February 28, 2008. http://www.battlestations.net/news/?id=15. 
  • Battlestations: Midway official site
  • 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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