Software:Bermuda Syndrome

From HandWiki
Short description: 1995 video game
Bermuda Syndrome
Developer(s)Century Interactive
Publisher(s)BMG Interactive
Platform(s)Windows
Release1995
Genre(s)Cinematic platformer
Mode(s)Single-player

Bermuda Syndrome is a video game developed by Century Interactive for Microsoft Windows and published by BMG Interactive in 1995. The game is similar in gameplay and appearance to the 1992 game Flashback. The player controls the main character from a third person sidescrolling perspective.

Plot

The first panel

The main character is Jack Thompson, a member of a US air force strategic bomber squadron during World War II. During a mission above Germany his plane gets attacked by German fighters and catches fire. Somehow, a portal opens up as the plane is going down, and it enters what is presumably a parallel universe or an alternate timeline. Jack finds himself descending not upon the German countryside, but on a strange, unfamiliar jungle landscape. Meanwhile, on the ground, we see a tied up young woman, struggling to get loose as a gigantic carnivorous dinosaur approaches. Jack's plane luckily hits and decapitates the creature, preventing the woman from being eaten. At the last second Jack bails out, and at the beginning of the game he dangles in his parachute from a tree, with a boot-knife as his only weapon. After cutting the woman loose, she is revealed to be a princess who was going to be sacrificed as an attempt to save her father's life. She becomes Jack's companion throughout the game.

Gameplay

The adventure consists of a large number of static panels across which the player moves to solve puzzles and battle dinosaurs. Objects can be picked up, and using them in the right context is often required to progress to the next screen. Other problems are often solved by jumping or interacting with the princess.

Reception

The game received mixed reviews. Most agreed however that the game's graphics were excellent for its time. Coming Soon magazine wrote: "The most delightful aspect of this game has to be the background scenery. Every panel is unique and represents enormous effort and talent."[1] justadventure.com, however, were overall critical of the game because of its hard puzzles, and gave it a "D" on a scale running from A through F. The reviewer wrote: "Eye and ear candy are nothing if a game's no fun to play, and The Bermuda Syndrome is definitely not fun to play."[2] On the other hand, a-for-adventure.com praised the graphics as well as the challenge provided for experienced adventure-gamers.[3]

Legacy

After the end of support for the game, Gregory Montoir reverse engineered in 2007 the game engine and wrote a substitute which allowed the porting of the game to modern platforms,[4][5] like the OpenPandora handheld.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Soucy, Glenn (1996). "Bermuda Syndrome Review". csoon.com. http://www.csoon.com/issue19/bermuda.htm. 
  2. ↑ Rodman, Adam. "Bermuda Syndrome Review". justadventure.com. http://www.justadventure.com/reviews/Bermuda_Syndrome/Bermuda.shtm. 
  3. ↑ Grave Digger (2003-09-13). "Bermuda Syndrome Review". a-for-adventure.com. http://www.a-for-adventure.com/gamereview.php?id=270. 
  4. ↑ Bermuda Syndrome on cyxdown.free.fr
  5. ↑ cyxx on github.com
  6. ↑ Bermuda Syndrome for OpenPandora on openhandhelds.org

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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