Software:Cardinal Syn

From HandWiki
Short description: 1998 video game

Cardinal Syn
European box art
Developer(s)Kronos Digital Entertainment
Publisher(s)
Producer(s)Andy Koo
Sany Abe-Tsukii
Designer(s)John Paik
Programmer(s)Mohammad Asaduzzaman
Artist(s)Albert Co
Writer(s)Stanley Liu
Patricia Winters
Composer(s)Brian Min
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
Genre(s)Fighting
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Cardinal Syn is a 1998 fighting video game developed by Kronos Digital Entertainment and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. 989 Studios released it in North America.[4] It received mixed reviews.

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot

Cardinal Syn is 3D fighting game with free roaming features that allow the player to move around a small interactive stage during the fight,[5] similar to Ehrgeiz and Bushido Blade. Moving away from the sci-fi theme in Criticom, Cardinal Syn takes place in a dark medieval and bloody world.[6] The combatants too fit within this dark fantasy design and are somewhat similar to Dungeons & Dragons, and a great number of them non-human, each armed with melee weapons fitting for the style. The title character gives access to combos, juggles, stage hazards, finishing moves, projectiles and battlefield power-ups.

Small crates found in each stage can be broken open to acquire items.[7]

Plot

Warfare had engulfed the Clans of the Bloodlands for many generations, each having a great hatred for the other. But one day a mysterious being put a stop to the carnage, summoning all the clans together and read from his Book of Knowledge which spoke of the harmony they could achieve by uniting in peace. For many years, the Clans put aside their weapons and enjoyed peace under the guidance of the stranger they had named the "Wanderer". Then when the land seemed to be paling and dying, the stranger divided the Book into scrolls and gave one to each clan before he vanished before their very eyes. It took no time at all before the Clans were at each other's throats, vying for control of all the scrolls in the Book's entirety and war again fiercely reclaimed the Bloodlands.

In the middle of a particularly brutal battle, a mysterious and powerful sorceress known as Syn appeared brandishing the icon of the Wanderer that he had used as a symbol of clan unity. She coerced the clan leaders to hand their scrolls over to her where she turned them into three inscribed swords which held the knowledge of the Book. She then declared a tournament. Each clan would send its greatest warrior to engage in battles to the death. The survivor and winner of the tournament would be declared ruler of their Clan and given the entire Bloodlands to command, as well as gain access to the secrets of the swords. Yet that first tournament saw no winner, as Syn herself secretly killed the final warrior. Centuries passed and the wars raged on, but now a new tournament is about to be held and the Clan leaders are sending their very best to battle for the rite to power.

Characters

Cardinal Syn has eight playable fighting characters, each with their own goal for retrieving the Book of Knowledge:[6]

  • Mongoro, a cannibalistic cyclops
  • Plague, an undead corpse
  • Nephra, an Egyptian princess
  • Vanguard, a knight
  • Heckler, an insane jester
  • McKrieg, a dwarf
  • Princess Orion
  • Finkster, a thief

Development

The game was showcased at E3 1997.[8]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings57%[9]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStar[10]
EGM3.125/10[11][lower-alpha 1]
Game Informer7/10[13]
GameRevolutionB−[14]
GameSpot4.8/10[15]
Hyper70%[16]
IGN5.5/10[17]
Next GenerationStarStar[18]
OPM (US)StarStarStar[19]

The game received "mixed or average" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[9] Next Generation's early review called it "a pretty, if confusing, waste of time and effort".[18] GamePro's early review said it "isn't the kind of action sedative you need—especially in the middle of a heated match. The Syn committed in this game is syn-ple: Mediocrity."[20][lower-alpha 2]

Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, with a score of 3 out of 5, praised "beautiful graphics" and a "KILLER end-boss!", but were critical of AI and that it would not be deep for fighting game enthusiasts.[19] GameSpot in its review wrote that "Cardinal Syn has some nice graphics and sound to set it apart from other games in the genre [..] with its typical weapon-based fighting system that plays like Soul Blade and Dynasty Warriors, Cardinal Syn just ends up coming off as another 3D fighting game knockoff".[15]

A common theme that many reviewers, including Electronic Gaming Monthly, had, was that the computer AI is too weak.[11] On a more positive note, Game Informer, while acknowledging that the game has flaws in gameplay and controls, praised Cardinal Syn's concept, presentation and gore.[13]

Notes

  1. ↑ Four critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game each a score of 4/10, 5/10, 3.5/10, and 3/10 in an early review.
  2. ↑ GamePro gave the game 4/5 for graphics, two 3.5/5 scores for sound and control, and 3/5 for fun factor in an early review.

References

  1. ↑ "Cardinal Syn Finally Arrives". Game Informer. August 25, 1998. http://www.gameinformer.com/news/aug98/082598d.html. Retrieved May 11, 2024. 
  2. ↑ "Key Dates". Staines and Ashford Leader: pp. 3. June 11, 1998. https://www.newspapers.com/image/896431722. "June 26th//Cardinal Syn" 
  3. ↑ "Perfect for a head-to-head". Bolton Evening News: pp. 16. June 27, 1998. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1054514840. "Cardinal Syn//(SCEE / Kronos Digital Entertainment)//For PlayStation//Price: £34.99//Out Now" 
  4. ↑ "Sneak Previews: Cardinal Syn". GamePro (IDG) (113): 62. February 1998. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_103_February_1998. Retrieved September 5, 2023. 
  5. ↑ "NG Alphas: Cardinal Syn". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (32): 64. August 1997. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_32. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 D'Aprile, Jason (September 29, 1998). "Cardinal Syn". CNET. Archived from the original on August 23, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000823210700/http://gamecenter.com/Consoles/Sony/Cardsyn/. Retrieved September 5, 2023. 
  7. ↑ "Cardinal SYN: This Time, Fighting's Not a SYN". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (102): 64. January 1998. Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230703235249/https://retrocdn.net/images/8/8a/EGM_US_102.pdf. Retrieved September 5, 2023. 
  8. ↑ "Commit the Cardinal Syn". June 19, 1997. Archived from the original on December 8, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20001208064000/http://www.scea.com/news/press_example.asp?ReleaseID=9480. Retrieved May 20, 2025. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Cardinal Syn for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190501144552/https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/196869-cardinal-syn/index.html. Retrieved November 28, 2020. 
  10. ↑ Thorpe, Damien. "Cardinal Syn - Review". All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141115114728/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=7835&tab=review. Retrieved October 23, 2020. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Smith, Shawn; Davison, John; Boyer, Crispin; Williams, Ken "Sushi-X" (July 1998). "Cardinal Syn". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (108): 138. https://retrocdn.net/images/4/45/EGM_US_108.pdf. Retrieved September 5, 2023. 
  12. ↑ Lucas, Victor (October 7, 1998). "Cardinal Syn". Greedy Productions Ltd.. Archived from the original on July 5, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20030705212724/http://www.elecplay.com/review.html?article=227&full=1#mr_toppy. Retrieved September 5, 2023. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 McNamara, Andy; Storm, Jon; Reiner, Andrew (June 1998). "Cardinal Syn". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (62). http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=psx&path=jun98&doc=cardinal. Retrieved November 28, 2020. 
  14. ↑ Zimring, Jason (September 1998). "Cardinal Syn - Playstation [sic Review"]. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on April 19, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040419233215/http://www.game-revolution.com/games/sony/action/cardinal_syn.htm. Retrieved November 28, 2020. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 MacDonald, Ryan (July 8, 1998). "Cardinal Syn Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 1, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050101104713/http://www.gamespot.com/ps/action/cardinalsyn/review.html. Retrieved September 5, 2023. 
  16. ↑ Toose, Dan (June 1998). "Cardinal Syn". Hyper (Next Media Pty Ltd) (56): 48, 53. https://archive.org/details/hyper-056. Retrieved November 28, 2020. 
  17. ↑ Harris, Craig (October 23, 1998). "Cardinal Syn". Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on August 19, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230819054353/https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/10/24/cardinal-syn. Retrieved September 5, 2023. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Cardinal Syn". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (43): 112. July 1998. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_43. Retrieved November 28, 2020. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Mollohan, Gary (June 1998). "Cardinal Syn". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) 1 (9): 94. https://archive.org/details/official-u.-s.-play-station-magazine-volume-1-issue-09-june-1998. Retrieved October 5, 2024. 
  20. ↑ Scary Larry (July 1998). "Cardinal Syn". GamePro (IDG) (118): 66. Archived from the original on October 31, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20041031072304/http://www.gamepro.com/sony/psx/games/reviews/262.shtml. Retrieved November 28, 2020. 
  • 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. 
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