Software:Bigfoot (video game)

From HandWiki
Bigfoot
North American cover art
Developer(s)Beam Software
Publisher(s)Acclaim
Designer(s)Adam Lancman
Andrew Davie
Russell Conte
Programmer(s)Andrew Davie
Composer(s)Tania Smith
Platform(s)Nintendo Entertainment System
Release
  • NA: July 1990
  • EU: January 24, 1991
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player

Bigfoot is a racing video game released in July 1990 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was developed by Beam Software and published by Acclaim.[1] The game was advertised by the legendary monster truck of the same name in the cartoon segment of the 1990 television show, Video Power, titled The Power Team. The show also often used sound effects for the actions of not only Bigfoot, but others as well.

Gameplay

The gameplay involves racing monster trucks including the title truck, Bigfoot (blue). The computer controlled trucks are green (The Growler), and yellow (The Charger). The player begins competing against The Growler, but if the computer's truck runs out of money it will forfeit the race and be replaced with The Charger. Should The Charger run out of money it will be replaced with a second green vehicle and so on. It was not uncommon for a skilled player to be challenged by three to four different monster trucks during the game. In two player mode the 2nd player's truck is red. The object of the game is to advance to the next level (race) with incurring the least amount of damage as possible. The levels consist of car crushing, mud bog, tractor pull, hill climb, and the later levels are a combination of everything except the sled pull, simply called a drag race. To advance to the next event the player must complete a "cross country" race collecting money, points, etc. without damaging the truck.

  • 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.[2] 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".[3] This approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[4] 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.[5] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[6]

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.[7][8] 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.[6] 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.[6]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[9] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[8] 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).[10] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[11] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[8]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[12] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[13][14][15] 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.[2] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[16]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[17] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[18]

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.[19]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ "Bigfoot (1990)" (in en). https://www.mobygames.com/game/11269/bigfoot/. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 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/. 
  3. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  4. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  5. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  7. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  9. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  10. ↑ 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. 
  11. ↑ 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. 
  12. ↑ "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. 
  13. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  14. ↑ "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/. 
  15. ↑ "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/. 
  16. ↑ 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/. 
  17. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  18. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  19. ↑ "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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References



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