Software:Bazooka Bill

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Short description: 1985 video game

Bazooka Bill
Developer(s)Melbourne House
Publisher(s)Melbourne House
Platform(s)Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum
Release1985
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single-player

Bazooka Bill is a side-scrolling video game created by Melbourne House in 1985 for the Commodore 64. It was also ported to the ZX Spectrum. It is a clone of the video game Green Beret.[1] The game starts off with a soldier known as Bazooka Bill on a mission to rescue General Douglas MacArthur.

Gameplay

Bazooka Bill has to rescue General MacArthur who is being held on an archipelago consisting of the Leyte, Mindano and Corregidor Islands, making up levels 2-4 of the game. The first level tasks Bill with getting to Clark Airbase to fly to each island where he is accosted by enemy soldiers and must fight his way through them.

The player can use punches, a throwing knife, machine gun, flamethrower, and later a bazooka. With the exception of punching, each weapon is picked up as Bill moves through the level, and lasts for a timed duration before reverting Bill back to basic punching. Despite the game name, the bazooka only appears as a timed weapon on stages two and four.

Each level is in the run and gun format, with enemies approaching Bill from both sides of the screen. Levels also include helicopters out of Bill's range, that drop bombs on him as they pass. After completing each main level a sub-level consists of Bill flying to the next island. These stages are similar to the previous run and gun format with enemy planes and helicopters approaching Bill from both directions, but Bill has movement over the entire screen to engage or avoid them.

[2][1]

Reception

Bazooka Bill was polarised by reviewers; for the Commodore 64 version, Zzap!64 gave it 30%, stating "...don't buy Bazooka Bill, just go to the computer shop and laugh at it",[1] whereas Computer and Video Games rated it as a C+VG HIT! awarding it 9/10 saying "Bazooka Bill is an action packed, addictive, arcade blaster".[3] The ZX Spectrum version was equally varied - Sinclair User gave it four stars out of five, but said "there isn't anything new in it [...] themewise and programmingwise, but it ought to do well" and Your Sinclair gave it four out of ten - "I reckon this one should be renamed 'Bazooka Bilge'! But you might like it!"[4][5]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Bazooka Bill review - Zzap!64". Zzap!64. Newsfield Publications Ltd. December 1986. p. 191. https://archive.org/details/zzap64-magazine-1986-christmas/page/190/mode/2up. 
  2. ↑ "Bazooka Bill cassette inlay". Melbourne House. https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/zxdb/sinclair/entries/0000475/BazookaBill_Back.jpg. 
  3. ↑ Metcalfe, Tim (January 1987). "Bazooka Bill review - C&VG". Computer and Video Games. EMAP. p. 66. https://archive.org/details/Computer_Video_Games_Issue_063_1987-01_EMAP_Publishing_GB/page/n65/mode/2up. 
  4. ↑ Taylor, Graham (March 1987). "Bazooka Bill review - Sinclair User". Sinclair User. EMAP. pp. 60, 61. https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=60&page=62. 
  5. ↑ Robson, Rick (April 1987). "Bazooka Bill review - Your Sinclair". Your Sinclair. Dennis Publishing. https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/page.php?issue_id=237&page=66. 
  • 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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