Software:Bolt (video game)

From HandWiki
Bolt
Developer(s)Avalanche Software
Altron (NDS)
Publisher(s)Disney Interactive Studios
Director(s)Troy Leavitt
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Wii
Xbox 360
PlayStation 2
PlayStation 3
Nintendo DS
Release
  • NA: November 18, 2008
  • AU: December 4, 2008
  • AU: December 18, 2008 (DS, Wii)
  • EU: February 13, 2009
Windows
  • NA: December 4, 2008
  • PAL: January 15, 2009
Genre(s)Beat 'em up, Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Bolt is a video game developed by Avalanche Software and published by Disney Interactive Studios for Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, and Microsoft Windows. It is based on the 2008 film of the same name.[1] Mark Walton, Sean Donnelan, and Malcolm McDowell reprise their roles as Rhino, Penny's TV father, and Dr. Calico respectively. Miley Cyrus, who voiced Penny, is replaced by Ashleigh Prather.

Synopsis

Setting

In the game, the player follows and controls the super dog Bolt and Penny on various missions taking place in the fictional TV show universe from the movie. The levels are shared between Bolt and Penny. By using Bolt's superpowers, the player can fight hordes of enemies. New powers, such as Superbark and Laser Eyes, will be unlocked during the game. While Bolt has superpowers, Penny has only her maneuverability by using her Wheelbar and is incentivized to take down enemies in a stealthy way. The game focuses on Bolt's fake TV life, not the actual movie storyline. Penny's father has been kidnapped by the evil Dr. Calico, and Penny and Bolt must travel through 5 countries to rescue him.

All of this is actually on TV, and Rhino is watching a DVD pack of all the 25 Bolt episodes, possibly at the rural home at the end of the movie with Bolt's family (Penny, Mittens, Bolt himself, and Penny's mother). On the Nintendo DS version, players can play a mini-game called Rhino's Mission, where they go through mazes and avoid obstacles, like cannons.

Despite that the end of the Bolt film shows a new storyline, it can be implied that these episodes featured in the game are mostly the episodes in the first season, despite the movie starting with the chase sequence.

Plot

Penny's father has been captured by Calico and his organization in an attempt to construct a powerful weapon of untold power. Penny and Bolt travel to Italy in an effort to find out more, but they get nowhere other than learning of Calico's location in Belize.

Calico finally manages to capture Penny once she and Bolt find his temple base in the Yucatán jungle. To prove to Penny's father that she is alive and being held hostage, Calico gives Penny a cell phone with her father on the other line. Calico then attempts to flee the crumbling temple with his new captive but decides to leave her there with Bolt to die, saying, "As long as the professor believes she's alive, he will do what is asked and finish the weapon. Too bad we can't all have nine lives".

However, Penny and Bolt survive and discover Calico's new base in the Russian Arctic with a large rocket in the center. But upon entering, Penny notices micro-focusing mirrors and realizes that it is her father's satellite instead of a warhead. All too late as Calico seals the entrance and, to Bolt's horror, launches it with Penny inside screaming for help. Bolt then jumps onto the rocket and dismantles it in mid-flight, crashing it into the snow.

The two then venture to Calico's harbor in China (discovered by Penny by hacking into a computer system), where they discover a ship full of warheads. Just then, Calico arrives at the harbor, enraged to find Penny still alive, and even more so as he watches his prized freight ship sink to the bottom, thanks to Bolt, who then pursues Calico, escaping in his car to a nearby train station. He arrives at the station and boards his train, closely followed by Penny and her dog. Just as the duo finally corners the doctor, he slips into a hidden room and escapes on his private jet, though not before Penny secures a homing beacon onto the hull, leading them right to Calico's base.

Penny and Bolt trace his jet back to his main base, where Penny's father is being held. Upon arriving, Calico tests his new weapon on Bolt, draining him of his powers and strength and capturing Penny, due to her emotions getting in the way of the mission. Once Penny is inside, he explains his plan to use Penny's father's micro focusing mirror-equipped satellites to bounce a beam around the Earth and neutralize all atomic weaponry except for his own, meaning he can nuke anyone, when he wants, how he wants. As he leaves, he violently kicks Bolt's cage proving Penny of her limited knowledge. During this, Penny maneuvers her way out of her hand bindings.

Once free, she attempts to find her father to save Bolt, but is only captured by Calico once again, just as Bolt regains his powers and Penny sabotages the control panel, raising the bridge so Bolt could reach her. Once he does, Penny escapes from her guard captors yet again and launched a pre-prepared, rocket-powered cart at the main power generator (which Bolt exposed). Then, using what power remains in the generator, Calico duels with Bolt, using powerful lightning bursts. After the lengthy and hard-fought battle, Bolt finally defeats him. Beaten and weakened, he attempts to escape on his private helicopter, launching numerous missiles as a decoy, just as Penny finally finds her father (aboard the helicopter). While Bolt tries to apprehend Calico by grabbing his foot, Penny's father pleads to her and Bolt to allow Calico to escape with himself to stop the missiles, reminding her that she had the power to find him again. Regretfully, Penny orders Bolt to stop the missiles as Calico escaped with her father.

The game closes with an epilogue informing the player of Penny's continuing battle. Then, depending on the version, you either get a "tune in next week" style message or cut to Rhino's dialogue.

Gameplay

Disney has released multiple versions for different game systems including Nintendo Wii, PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 2 and 3. The main console versions play similarly to each other, where for the majority of the game the player will control Bolt, using various attacks and superpowers to beat up Calico's henchmen, while Penny solves simple puzzles and goes through levels with simplistic stealth gameplay. These versions also have hacking mini-games that are constant throughout the game, where the player shoots at various shapes in a twin-stick Shoot 'em up gameplay. The Nintendo DS version is separate, with reduced graphics quality and slightly different gameplay mechanics. Additionally, the DS version is not voiced, but instead uses captions on the screen to tell the user what the characters are saying.

A mobile game was also released. The game was developed by Enorbus and Disney Mobile. The mobile version is a 2D platformer, with 4 levels in three different locations, making for a total of 12 levels. The three locations are (in order): L.A., Bolivia, and Dr. Calico's Secret Island. The player uses Bolt's Super Bark, Super Bite, and Super Speed to battle enemies and level bosses. One difference between the various platforms are the "host" characters, or the lack thereof. For instance, in the Wii edition, Rhino is the "host", appearing at the beginning and end of the game, and making comments when the "pause" button is selected. In the mobile game, Rhino and Mittens are both seen before and after each level as watching the Bolt TV show. And in the DS version, there's no "host" character to be seen (even though Rhino does get his own mini-game), but letters are displayed onscreen, informing the user on the storyline.[2]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
DSPCPS2PS3WiiXbox 360
Famitsu23/40[3]N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
GameRevolutionC−[4]N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A
GameSpot4.5/10[5]N/AN/A7/10[6]N/A7/10[6]
GameZone4/10[7]N/AN/A7/10[8]N/A6.5/10[9]
IGN4.5/10[10]N/A5.1/10[11]5.1/10[12]5.1/10[11]5.1/10[11]
OPM (UK)N/AN/AN/A6/10[13]N/AN/A
OXM (UK)N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A3/10[14]
OXM (US)N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A7/10[15]
PSM3N/AN/AN/A44%[16]N/AN/A
TeamXboxN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A5.3/10[17]
The Daily TelegraphN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A6/10[18]
VarietyN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A(unfavorable)[19]
Aggregate score
Metacritic48/100[20]50/100[21]52/100[22]59/100[23]50/100[24]57/100[25]

Bolt received "mixed" reviews on all platforms except the DS version, which received "generally unfavorable reviews", according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[20][21][22][23][24][25] Ryan Clements of IGN criticized the bland story of the console versions, which he described as "paper thin". He also criticized said versions' optimization, boring voice acting and repetitive music, as well as their short lasting appeal.[11][12] In Japan, where the DS version was ported for release on August 13, 2009,[26] Famitsu gave it a score of three sixes and one five for a total of 23 out of 40.[3]

References

  1. "Disney's Bolt at Nintendo :: Games". https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/kxNsyx0Ysc8dq_aa3rfKiGcA_RSoN2jK. 
  2. "Jamster: Bolt Mobile Game". July 26, 2011. http://www.jamster.com/fw/goto/games/mobile-games/doc-23999659/info-page. [|permanent dead link|dead link}}]
  3. 3.0 3.1 Brian (August 5, 2009). "Famitsu review scores". https://nintendoeverything.com/famitsu-review-scores-55/. 
  4. Schaller, Kevin (December 10, 2008). "Bolt Review (DS)". CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/42443-bolt-review. 
  5. Tong, Sophia (December 19, 2008). "Bolt Review (DS)". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/bolt-review/1900-6202601/. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 Dodson, Joe (December 5, 2008). "Bolt Review (PS3, X360)". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/bolt-review/1900-6202044/. 
  7. Hopper, Steven (December 22, 2008). "Bolt - NDS Review". https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/bolt_nds_review/. 
  8. Bedigian, Louis (January 19, 2009). "Bolt - PS3 - Review". https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/bolt_ps3_review/. 
  9. Grabowski, Dakota (February 5, 2009). "Bolt - 360 - Review". https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/bolt_360_review/. 
  10. DeVries, Jack (December 4, 2008). "Bolt Review (NDS)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/12/05/bolt-review. 
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Clements, Ryan (November 24, 2008). "Bolt Review (PS2, Wii, Xbox 360)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/11/24/bolt-review-3. 
  12. 12.0 12.1 Clements, Ryan (November 24, 2008). "Bolt Review (PS3)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/11/24/bolt-review-5. 
  13. "Bolt (PS3)". PlayStation Official Magazine – UK (Future plc): 100. February 2009. 
  14. "Review: Bolt". Official Xbox Magazine UK (Future plc): 95. May 2009. 
  15. "Bolt". Official Xbox Magazine (Future US): 74. December 25, 2009. 
  16. "Review: Bolt (PS3)". PSM3 (Future plc): 74. March 2009. 
  17. Price, Tom (November 24, 2008). "Bolt Review (Xbox 360)". IGN Entertainment. http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1633/Bolt/p1/. 
  18. Hoggins, Tom (January 30, 2009). "Bolt: Video game review (X360)". The Daily Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/video-games/4398613/Bolt-Video-game-review.html. 
  19. Chick, Tom (November 24, 2008). "Bolt (X360)". Penske Media Corporation. https://variety.com/2008/digital/features/bolt-2-1200472052/. 
  20. 20.0 20.1 "Disney Bolt for DS Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/bolt/critic-reviews/?platform=ds. 
  21. 21.0 21.1 "Bolt for PC Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/bolt/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  22. 22.0 22.1 "Bolt for PlayStation 2 Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/bolt/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2. 
  23. 23.0 23.1 "Bolt for PlayStation 3 Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/bolt/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-3. 
  24. 24.0 24.1 "Bolt for Wii Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/bolt/critic-reviews/?platform=wii. 
  25. 25.0 25.1 "Bolt for Xbox 360 Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/bolt/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360. 
  26. "ボルト [DS"] (in Japanese). Enterbrain. https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=5469&redirect=no. 
  • 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. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari



  • 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. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari