Software:Bone: Out from Boneville

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This page is about the video game. For the comic book on which it is based, see Out from Boneville.
Bone: Out from Boneville
Developer(s)Telltale Games
Publisher(s)Telltale Games
Designer(s)Dave Grossman
Heather Logas
Composer(s)Jared Emerson-Johnson
EngineTelltale Tool
Platform(s)
Release
  • Windows
    • NA: September 15, 2005
    • EU: May 18, 2007
  • Mac OS X
    • WW: October 13, 2006
  • Steam
    • NA: June 17, 2008
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Bone: Out from Boneville is an episodic adventure game by Telltale Games. It was Telltale's first adventure game,[1] and their second game overall, following Telltale Texas Hold'em. A Mac port of the game was released on October 13, 2006, ported by Vanbrio.[2]

It was released for Microsoft Windows in September 2005 after around seven months in production. The game is based on Out from Boneville, the first volume of the Bone comic series by Jeff Smith.[3] It follows the adventures of Fone Bone and his two cousins, Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone (the first two of which are both playable characters).[4]

Plot

Bone: Out from Boneville screenshot where Fone Bone is talking to the Great Red Dragon

At the beginning of the game, Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone have been run out of their hometown of Boneville due to one of Phoney Bone's schemes of robbing. They find themselves lost in the desert with only a mysterious map to help them figure out where they are. The cousins are separated when a swarm of locusts descends upon them. The player must then help Fone Bone and Phoney Bone explore a mysterious valley to find their cousin Smiley. In the process, they make friends with a tiny bug named Ted, a beautiful girl named Thorn, her energetic grandmother Gran'ma Ben, and a trio of playful 'possum kids. The sinister rat creatures are always on their tails but the enigmatic Red Dragon keeps them at bay.

Reception

The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[5]

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic68/100[5]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Adventure GamersStarStarStarHalf star[4]
CGWStarStarStar[6]
Eurogamer6/10[7]
GamesRadar+StarStarStarStar[8]
GameZone7/10[9]
IGN5.9/10[10]
PC Format62%[11]
PC Gamer (UK)76%[12]
PC Gamer (US)62%[13]
PC Zone57%[14]

GamesRadar said the game was "probably too lightweight, too easy and unsophisticated for most adventure gamers... but don't hold that against it".[8] PC Zone said that the game "creates a warm feeling that doesn't provide belly-laughs, but at least fixes you up with a permanent half-grin".[14] However, PopMatters gave it four stars out of 10 and stated that the game "isn’t all that dissimilar from older PC adventure games: for the most part it’s a one-click interface; one clicks on objects and characters to interact with them. There are also several minigame-style segments: a pair of chase sequences, a logic puzzle, a hide-and-seek sequence. The unfortunate thing is that none of this is particularly fun".[15] In PC Gamer US, Chuck Osborn wrote: "Newcomers to Bone are better off putting their money toward the collected graphic novel". He criticized its high cost and short playtime.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Hall, Shannon (2005-11-18). "Bone: Out From Boneville". Just Adventure. Archived from the original on 2005-11-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20051127025959/http://www.justadventure.com/reviews/Bone/Bone.shtm. Retrieved 2014-04-20. 
  2. ↑ "Vanbrio Releases Jeff Smith's Bone: Out from Boneville Now Available for the Macintosh". Business Wire. 2006-10-13. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20061013005193/en/Vanbrio-Releases-Jeff-Smiths-Bone-Boneville-Macintosh#.UsgeCvuzFNE. Retrieved 2014-01-04. 
  3. ↑ "Telltale announces first adventure title". The International House of Mojo. 2005-02-20. http://mixnmojo.com/news/Telltale-announces-first-adventure-title. Retrieved 2012-10-29. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Michaud, Rob (2005-09-23). "Bone: Out from Boneville review". Adventure Gamers. http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/17883. Retrieved 2012-10-29. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Bone: Out From Boneville for PC Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/bone-out-from-boneville/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved 2013-11-07. 
  6. ↑ Green, Sarah Jassler (December 2005). "Bone: Out From Boneville". Computer Gaming World (257): 110. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_257.pdf. Retrieved 2017-04-11. 
  7. ↑ Reed, Kristan (2005-10-12). "Bone: Out From Boneville". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_bone_pc. Retrieved 2014-04-21. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Kim, Alan (2006-01-31). "Bone: Out From Boneville". GamesRadar. http://www.gamesradar.com/bone-out-from-boneville-review/. Retrieved 2013-11-07. 
  9. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (2006-01-05). "Bone: Out from Boneville - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 2009-01-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20090105065407/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r25949.htm. Retrieved 2014-04-21. 
  10. ↑ Goldstein, Hilary (2005-10-03). "Bone: Out from Boneville". http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/10/03/bone-out-from-boneville. Retrieved 2014-04-20. 
  11. ↑ "Bone: Out from Boneville". PC Format (181): 62. December 2005. 
  12. ↑ "Bone: Out from Boneville". PC Gamer UK. December 2005. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Osborn, Chuck (March 2006). "Gamut Minis; Bone: Out from Boneville". PC Gamer US 13 (3): 102. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 PC Zone Staff (2005-11-28). "Review: Bone: Out From Boneville". PC Zone. Archived from the original on 2014-12-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20141202183714/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/130105/reviews/bone-out-from-boneville-review/. Retrieved 2015-07-05. 
  15. ↑ Goodness, Richard. "Bone: Out From Boneville". PopMatters. http://www.popmatters.com/review/bone-out-from-boneville/. Retrieved 2013-11-07. 

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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