Software:Bubba 'n' Stix

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Bubba 'n' Stix
CD32 cover art
Developer(s)Core Design
Publisher(s)Tengen
Designer(s)Simon Phipps
Composer(s)Nathan McCree
Platform(s)Genesis, Amiga, CD32
Release1994
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Bubba 'n' Stix is a side-scrolling platform game for the Sega Genesis, Amiga and CD32 developed and released by Core Design. The Genesis version was released by Tengen in the United States and featured a promotional tie-in with the Bubblicious bubble gum brand.

The player controls Bubba, a redneck character, who is accompanied by a sentient stick named Stix. Stix can be used in various ways to help Bubba defeat enemies and get past obstacles: for instance, Stix can be thrust into a hole in the side of a platform so that Bubba can climb higher.

Development

According to designer Simon Phipps, originally Core Design had wanted a "moody, dark and atmospheric" game featuring an adventurer wielding a multipurpose stick. It became apparent to him that a realistic approach to the design was not feasible. As a result, Phipps, along with collaborator Billy Allison, sketched out a large number of mostly outlandish uses for the game's central tool. After reviewing the drawings, Core subsequently gave the go-ahead to develop the game.[1]

The game's protagonist started out as a green long-necked alien and went through several iterations until the developers settled on Bubba.[1]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameSMD: StarStarStarHalf star[7]
EGMSMD: 6.75/10[9]
FluxSMD: 7/10[8]

The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Genesis version a 6.75 out of 10, particularly praising the originality of the gameplay concept and the highly challenging puzzles.[10] GamePro likewise praised the game's originality and "thought-provoking challenges".[11] Flux magazine gave the genesis version a 7 out of 10 and saying the game's humor makes Bubba 'n' Stix stand out from other games and they also praised the graphics describing it as "bright, cartoonish and cute".[12] In 1995, MegaZone included the game on their "Top 50 Games In History".[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Bubba 'n' Stix Videogame Design". simonphipps.com. http://www.simonphipps.com/design/bubbanstix.htm. Retrieved January 7, 2012. 
  2. ↑ Clays, Simon (February 1994). "Bubba n Stix". Amiga Computing (70): 133. https://amigareviews.leveluphost.com/bubbanst.htm#bubbanstixac. Retrieved April 1, 2021. 
  3. ↑ Bradley, Stephen (March 1994). "Bubba n Stix". Amiga Format (57): 54–55. https://amigareviews.leveluphost.com/bubbanst.htm#bubbanstixaf. Retrieved April 1, 2021. 
  4. ↑ Bradley, Stephen (April 1994). "Bubba n Stix CD32". Amiga Format (58): 60. https://amigareviews.leveluphost.com/bubbanst.htm#bubbanstixcd32af. Retrieved April 1, 2021. 
  5. ↑ Winstanley, Mark (February 1994). "Bubba n Stix". Amiga Power (34): 34–35. https://amigareviews.leveluphost.com/bubbanst.htm#bubbanstixap. Retrieved April 1, 2021. 
  6. ↑ Campbell, Stuart (May 1994). "Bubba n Stix CD32". Amiga Power (37): 82–83. https://amigareviews.leveluphost.com/bubbanst.htm#bubbanstixcd32ap. Retrieved April 1, 2021. 
  7. ↑ Brett Alan Weiss. "Bubba 'N' Stix Review". http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=12558&tab=review. 
  8. ↑ Amrich, Dan (September 1994). "Bubba & Stix Review". Flux (1): 78. https://archive.org/details/Flux1Sept1994/page/n61/mode/2up. Retrieved March 18, 2022. 
  9. ↑ "Review Crew: Bubba 'N' Stix". Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM Media, LLC) (59): 34. June 1994. 
  10. ↑ "Review Crew: Bubba 'N' Stix". Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM Media, LLC) (59): 34. June 1994. 
  11. ↑ "ProReview: Bubba 'N' Stix". GamePro (IDG) (60): 58. July 1994. 
  12. ↑ Amrich, Dan (September 1994). "Bubba & Stix Review". Flux (1): 78. https://archive.org/details/Flux1Sept1994/page/n61/mode/2up. Retrieved March 18, 2022. 
  13. ↑ "Top 50 Games In History". MegaZone (50): 3. April 1995. https://archive.org/details/sup50top50games/page/n1/mode/2up. 
  • 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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