Software:Bloody Roar 4

From HandWiki
Short description: 2003 fighting video game
Bloody Roar 4
Bloody Roar 4 European cover art
Developer(s)Hudson Soft, Eighting
Publisher(s)Hudson Soft
Director(s)Kenji Fukuya
Producer(s)Takayuki Sō
Masato Toyoshima
Designer(s)Masaharu Tokutake
Nobuyuki Irie
Shoji Mizumoto
Tetsu Ozaki
Programmer(s)Jumpei Isshiki
Yūichi Ochiai
Artist(s)Mitsuakira Tatsuta
Composer(s)Yoshihiro Tsukahara
SeriesBloody Roar
EngineRenderWare
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
Release
  • NA: November 11, 2003[1]
  • PAL: November 28, 2003
  • JP: May 27, 2004
Genre(s)Fighting
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Bloody Roar 4[lower-alpha 1] is a fighting game developed by Eighting and Hudson Soft in 2003. It is the fifth and final of the Bloody Roar games as well as the second game in the series to appear on the PlayStation 2.

Gameplay

Like the previous games in the series, characters can transform into beasts during battle, using the beast gauge, slightly increasing their power. Unlike the other games, however, the beast gauge acts as its own separate health meter.

Plot

After the events of Bloody Roar 3, Xion, who is possessed by the Unborn, an evil spirit, attacks the dragon temple, awakening the dragon. The dragon is a weapon of Gaia, the Earth's will, and is supposed to awaken in the presence of evil. However, if freed too long, it can inadvertently destroy the world itself. The dragon is successfully resealed by the temple's head miko at the cost of her life, leaving the late miko's sister, Mana, to watch over the seal in Ryoho, the temple's priest and the vessel of the dragon. Other than attacking the temple, Xion also stabs a woman named Nagi, imbuing her with his power as well as that of Gaia's, making her both his lifesaver and enemy.

A year later, the dragon is about to break free again, causing disturbances among the zoanthropes triggering earthquakes. Each of the zoanthropes investigate and eventually find the source in the dragon temple. In some cases, Ryoho and Mana invite them to help strengthen the seal, while others come on their own accord. In most of the characters' endings, Mana manages to seal the dragon and Ryoho comes out alive. In Nagi's ending, in addition to sealing the dragon and saving Ryoho, she kills Xion and the Unborn. In Xion's ending, the Unborn is killed, but not before murdering Ryoho and the dragon. In Reiji's ending, the confrontation at the temple ends with him murdering Ryoho and the dragon.

Characters

The game features eighteen playable characters. Four are new additions:

  • Nagi Kirishima, the Spurious: A human who becomes entangled with the zoanthrope conflict when Xion stabbed her during his rampage on the dragon temple. The incident not only bequeathed her with Xion's essence, thus branding her his clone, but also the power of Gaia, the Earth's will who opposes Xion.
  • Reiji Takigawa, the Crow: A former member of the Yatagarasu, a clan of crow zoanthropes protecting the dragon temple. He went fugitive after killing his father and became a hedonist who messes around zoanthropes for fun.
  • Ryoho and Mana: Two guardians of the dragon temple. Ryoho, who real name is Rao Mamurasaki, is a priest who is secretly a vessel for Gaia's dragon, whereas Mana is a young nine-tailed fox tasked to keep the dragon's seal. In gameplay, the two work in tandem, with Mana serving as the zoanthrope transformation.
  • Ryoho, the Dragon: The character is Ryoho after he is possessed by the dragon. He is no longer accompanied by Mana and instead has his own zoanthrope transformation. No matter which difficulty the player chooses, Ryoho's dragon form is very difficult to defeat normally without any chance to continue fighting him, and requires tactics to defeat him in Arcade Mode.

The other fourteen return from previous games:

  • Yugo Ogami, the Wolf.
  • Alice Tsukagami, the Rabbit.
  • Alan Gado, the Lion.
  • Long Shin, the Tiger.
  • Uriko Nonomura, the Cat.
  • Kenji Ogami/Bakuryu, the Mole.
  • Stun, the Insect.
  • Shina, the Leopard.
  • Jenny Burtory, the Bat.
  • Hajime Busuzima, the Chameleon.
  • Shenlong, the Tiger.
  • Xion, the Unborn.
  • Kohryu, the Iron Mole.
  • Uranus, the Chimera.

Audio

The Japanese voice cast includes Akimitsu Takase as Yugo, Ruri Asano as Alice, Akira Ishida as Bakuryu, Yuki Hamano as Uriko, Kenji Hamada as Shenlong, Ayaka Kodama as Jenny, Akio Ōtsuka as Gado, Tōru Ōkawa as Stun, Shōto Kashii as Busuzima, Mitsuaki Madono as Xion, Nao Takamori as Nagi, Masakazu Suzuki as Reiji, Naomi Kusumi as Ryoho, Ema Kogure as Mana, Naoki Bandō as Long, Atsuko Tanaka as Marvel/Shina, Takeshi Aono as Kohryu and Eriko Fujimaki as Uranus.

The English voice cast includes Rob Narita as Yugo, Rumiko Varnes as Alice, Raj Ramayya as Bakuryu, Lynn Harris as Uriko, David Schaufele as Shenlong, Alison Noonan as Jenny, Murray Johnson as Gado, Ward Sexton as Stun, Micheal Rhys as Busuzima, Walter Roberts as Xion, Erica Ash as Nagi, Eric Kelso as Reiji, Angus Waycott as Ryoho, Helen Morrison as Mana, Chris Wells as Long, Karen Lee as Shina, Greg Irwin as Kohryu and Donna Burke as Uranus.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic59/100[2]
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGM3.67/10[3][lower-alpha 2]
Famitsu28/40[4]
Game Informer7.5/10[5]
GameSpot6.2/10[6]
GameSpyStarStar[7]
GameZone6/10[8]
IGN6/10[9]
OPM (US)Star[10]
PSM6/10[11]
X-PlayStarStarStar[12]

The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[2] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 28 out of 40.[4] GamePro said of the game, "While Bloody Roar 4 might not challenge for the Best Fighting Game crown, it does offer extremulicious action."[13][lower-alpha 3]

Notes

  1. ↑ Buraddi Roa Fō (ブラッディロア4)
  2. ↑ In Electronic Gaming Monthly's review of the game, one critic gave it 4/10, and the rest gave it each a score of 3.5/10.
  3. ↑ GamePro gave the game two 4/5 scores for graphics and fun factor, and two 3.5/5 scores for sound and control.

References

  1. ↑ Scott, Jonathan (November 11, 2003). "Unleash the Beast Within". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/11/12/unleash-the-beast-within. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Bloody Roar 4 for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Fandom. https://www.metacritic.com/game/bloody-roar-4/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2. 
  3. ↑ Elliott, Shawn; Byrnes, Paul; Linn, Demian (December 2003). "Bloody Roar 4". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (173): 222. https://retrocdn.net/images/b/bb/EGM_US_173.pdf. Retrieved July 27, 2023. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "BLOODY ROAR 4 （ブラッディロア4）" (in ja). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=10484&redirect=no. Retrieved July 27, 2023. 
  5. ↑ Speer, Justin (December 2003). "Bloody Roar 4". Game Informer (GameStop) (128): 150. http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/6C3E4313-AC0B-4875-997A-C47C78FC8BF1.htm. Retrieved July 27, 2023. 
  6. ↑ Kasavin, Greg (November 26, 2003). "Bloody Roar 4 Review". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/bloody-roar-4-review/1900-6084798/. 
  7. ↑ Steinberg, Scott (November 28, 2003). "GameSpy: Bloody Roar 4". IGN Entertainment. http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/bloody-roar-4/497664p1.html. 
  8. ↑ Knutson, Michael (December 17, 2003). "Bloody Roar 4 - PS2 - Review". https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/bloody_roar_4_ps2_review/. 
  9. ↑ Perry, Douglass C. (March 8, 2004). "Bloody Roar 4". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/03/08/bloody-roar-4. 
  10. ↑ Davison, John (December 2003). "Bloody Roar 4". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) (75): 152. https://archive.org/details/official-u.-s.-playstation-magazine-issue-75-december-2003/page/n155/mode/2up. Retrieved July 27, 2023. 
  11. ↑ Frost, Stephen (Christmas 2003). "Bloody Roar 4". PSM (Future US) (79): 44. https://archive.org/details/psm-issue-079-holiday-2003/page/n49/mode/2up. Retrieved July 27, 2023. 
  12. ↑ Bemis, Greg (January 27, 2004). "'Bloody Roar 4' (PS2) Review". TechTV. http://www.techtv.com/xplay/story/0%2C24330%2C3597963%2C00.html. 
  13. ↑ Manny LaMancha (December 2003). "Bloody Roar 4". GamePro (IDG) (183): 133. https://retrocdn.net/images/f/fc/GamePro_US_183.pdf. Retrieved July 27, 2023. 
  • 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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