Software:Casper: Spirit Dimensions

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Short description: 2001 video game
Casper: Spirit Dimensions
French PlayStation 2 cover art
Developer(s)Lucky Chicken Games
Publisher(s)TDK Mediactive
EngineRenderWare
Platform(s)PlayStation 2, GameCube
ReleasePlayStation 2
  • NA: October 1, 2001[1]
  • PAL: February 2, 2002
GameCube
  • NA: October 14, 2002[2]
  • PAL: February 14, 2003
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Casper: Spirit Dimensions is an action-adventure game published by TDK Mediactive in 2001 for the PlayStation 2 and then a year later for the GameCube. It is based on the Harvey Comics cartoon character Casper the Friendly Ghost.

Gameplay

Casper: Spirit Dimensions a 3D action-adventure game. It is the first 3D game to have a movable camera in the Casper series. Both right and left analog sticks are needed to move Casper allowing him to fly up and down as well as forwards, backwards and sideways. Oddly, the default setting has the primary movement of Casper mapped to the right stick, and the viewpoint controlled with the left. This contrasts with the conventional dual-stick control layout of movement with the left stick and viewpoint with the right, though there is an option to switch it using the control configuration in the options menu. If Casper leaves a dimension before completing a task he must start the task all over again upon re-entry. Casper can move faster using his "Casper Comet" which uses his energy which he can recover while not using this power or by picking up a Ghost Speed sphere. Casper can fire super spirit blasts which use up a Ghost Power Point each time he uses this attack. Ghost Power Points can also be used to enable Casper's ethereal shield which make him temporarily invincible and allow him to pass through grated obstacles. Throughout the dimensions are ethereal energy spheres which allow Casper to enhance his attacks as well as restore his health, energy and Ghost Power Points. At seven points in the game Casper can choose a reward increasing his speed, health or power. In most dimensions before the Ghost Ship there are gems to collect with every 100 gems collected giving him an extra life (even a ghost can lose his soul according to Kibosh). If Casper loses a life, by losing all his health, he must restart the task he is on as if he left the dimension.

Plot

Casper meets Wendy the Good Little Witch, who tells him that he is the only free ghost left who can defeat the evil Kibosh. Wendy uses her magic to open a door that leads Casper into the first dimension, the Medieval World. Casper meets the knight Sir Richard, who needs help with finding five parts of his armor and completing three other tasks to collect parts of the key to enter the cave to defeat the dragons which Kibosh put in charge of the Medieval World. After Casper defeats the dragons the Medieval World is free.

Casper goes back to his house to enter the second dimension, Vlad's Amusement Park. After collecting two parts of a ticket to enter the circus tent, Casper defeats Krank, a giant jack-in-the-box who Kibosh put in charge of the second dimension. In the third dimension, the Spirit Factory, Casper meets Professor Neutron who had been forced to build a machine that will make monsters for Kibosh. After collecting two parts of a key card, Casper defeats Professor Neutron's arch enemy Doctor Deranged and his robot. Back at Casper's house Wendy is captured by Kibosh then an older witch, Vanessa, who is a friend of Wendy opens the door to the next dimension. To get to Kibosh's Castle Casper has to take a Ghost Ship after defeating its captain, Pegleg Potbelly, who works for Kibosh.

Inside the castle, Casper needs to free the Guardian of Light, the rightful ruler of the Spirit World. In order to do this Casper has to complete four obstacle courses each with a generator at the end needed to be shut down to free the Guardian. After this, Casper proceeds to Kibosh's lair to face him. Upon defeating him, Casper frees Wendy who informs him that Kibosh went into the Dark, a dimension of eternal darkness which no ghost has returned from. Casper feels sorry for him feeling that no ghost deserves such a fate not even Kibosh. Wendy assures him that it is not his fault and the spirits Kibosh had imprisoned sent him there and he had no control over it. In the Dark, Kibosh swears that he will have revenge on Casper and ends with his evil laugh.

Reception

Reception
Review score
PublicationScore
GCPS2
IGN5.5 out of 10[4]6.0 out of 10[3]
Aggregate scores
GameRankings57.5% (2 reviews)[6]57.1% (12 reviews)[5]
Metacritic58% (7 reviews)[7]

The game received mixed reviews from critics, primarily criticizing its controls for moving. The unusual default analog stick configuration popularized the famous southpaw control scheme. Other critics noted that the game's imagery and themes may be too frightening or off-putting for children.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Casper: Spirit Dimensions". http://ps2.gamezone.com/gamesell/p18506.htm. 
  2. ↑ "TDK Ships Casper Spirit Dimensions - News". http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/7884/tdk-ships-casper-spirit-dimensions. 
  3. ↑ "PlayStation 2 review". IGN. October 2001. http://ps2.ign.com/articles/166/166277p1.html. 
  4. ↑ "GameCube review". IGN. 12 November 2002. http://cube.ign.com/articles/377/377163p1.html. 
  5. ↑ "Aggregate score for PlayStation 2". Game Rankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/476127.asp. 
  6. ↑ "Aggregate score for GameCube". Game Rankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/563172.asp. 
  7. ↑ "Aggregate score for PlayStation 2". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps2/casperspiritdimensions. 
  8. ↑ "Horror at hand". 28 October 2002. https://www.jaehakim.com/2002/10/horror-at-hand/. 
  • 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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