Software:Beyond the Limit: Ultimate Climb

From HandWiki
Short description: 1996 video game
Beyond the Limit: Ultimate Climb
Developer(s)Magnet Interactive Studios
Publisher(s)Microsoft
Platform(s)Windows
Release1996
Genre(s)Simulation
Mode(s)Single-player

Beyond the Limit: Ultimate Climb is a 1996 video game developed by Magnet Interactive Studios and published by Microsoft. It is a mountain climbing simulation video game targeted at younger players where the objective is to climb across mountain trails set across the world.

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot

Players navigate and climb across over 100 locations set in the southwest of North America, the Congo, the Himalays, the Arctic Circle and South America including deserts, mountain roads and traversing cliffs.[1][2] Before starting a trail, players select available trails by navigating a 3D headquarters.[1] They can select their character and assistant from two male and two female characters, with different levels of stamina, strength, and skill.[1][2][3] Assistants provide the player with instructions as the player climbs.[4] Players also put together equipment for their climb;[2] these include food, water, lanterns, rope, spikes and other gear, as well as items that may be situationally useful if encountering an animal, such as a whistle.[5] The backpack only has a limited number of slots, requiring players to collect and discard items throughout their journey.[4] During the climb, players can choose different paths towards the goal of ascending the mountain.[2] When players reach a cliff face, they vertically ascend by selecting crevices on the rock face and using spikes to secure themselves, whilst avoiding hazards such as falling boulders.[5] Players may also encounter hazards such as wild animals that can end their climb.[4] Completion of individual climbs and resolving hazards earns the player points, with harder routes earning more points; players are able to progress to the next stage if they reach the top of the highest peak with enough points.[4]

Development

Microsoft announced Beyond the Limit in July 1996 as part of its educational multimedia line-up for children,[6] marketed for players ages 9 and up.[3] The game uses full motion video for its climbers, which were filmed using actors at a studio in Los Angeles.[2]

Reception

Reception
Review score
PublicationScore
Tekno65%[4]

Praising the "unusual and unexpected" focus of the game, Paul Rosano of the Hartford Courant found the game straightforward to play and visually appealing, but performance could be slow.[5] MicroTimes praised the game's characters for their humor, writing that they felt like "real people with their own individual characteristics".[3] Initially dismissing the game as a "real dust collector", Bengt-Ake Olofsson of Tekno wrote that he found the charm of navigating routes and climbing rock faces, but felt the game was slow and the animations of the characters was awkward.[4]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Beyond All Borders". CD Panorama: 38. February 1997. https://archive.org/details/cd_panorama_1994_2001/cd_panorama_1997-02/mode/2up?q=%22beyond+the+limit%22+%22ultimate+climb%22. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Beyond the Limit: Ultimate Climb". PC Ultra (14): 30-1. May 1997. https://archive.org/details/pc_ultra_1996/pc_ultra_1997-02/mode/2up?. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Beyond the Limit: Ultimate Climb". MicroTimes At Home (2): 70. Fall 1997. https://archive.org/details/microtimesfallis00unse/mode/2up?q=%22beyond+the+limit%22+%22ultimate+climb%22. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Olofsson, Bengt-Ake (1997). "Chain Ring". Tekno (1): 49. https://archive.org/details/tekno-cyberworld-nr1/page/48/mode/2up?q=%22beyond+the+limit%22+%22ultimate+climb%22. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Rosano, Paul (6 July 1997). "CD-Rom -- Beyond The Limit: Ultimate Climb". https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19970706/2548075/cd-rom----beyond-the-limit-ultimate-climb. 
  6. ↑ "Microsoft Provides Kids Opportunities to Discover, Create and Learn". 9 July 1996. https://news.microsoft.com/source/1996/07/09/microsoft-provides-kids-opportunities-to-discover-create-and-learn/. Retrieved 26 March 2026. 
  • 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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