Software:Centurion: Defender of Rome

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Short description: 1990 video game
Centurion: Defender of Rome
Developer(s)Bits of Magic
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Designer(s)Kellyn Beck
Platform(s)MS-DOS, Amiga, Sega Genesis, FM Towns, NEC PC-9801
Release1990 (DOS)
1991 (Amiga, Genesis)
1993 (FM Towns, PC-98)
Genre(s)Turn-based strategy, real-time strategy, action
Mode(s)Single-player

Centurion: Defender of Rome is a turn-based strategy video game with real-time battle sequences, designed by Kellyn Beck and Bits of Magic and published by Electronic Arts. Originally released for MS-DOS in 1990, the game was later ported to the Amiga and the Sega Genesis in 1991. Centurion shares much of the concept and feel with Beck's earlier game Defender of the Crown (1987).

Plot

The game begins in Ancient Rome in the year 275 BC, placing the player in the sandals of a centurion in the Roman army, at first leading a single legion. The player's ultimate goal is to become a Caesar through a mix of successful military conquests and internal politics of "Bread and Circuses".

Gameplay

The bulk of the game involve turn-based strategic planning and management on the world map and the real-time battles (with on-demand pauses to give orders to formations) against various enemies of the Roman Empire, such as the Celts, Carthaginians and Parthians. Centurion also featured other "side-show" activities, such as gladiatorial combat (the player's duties involve financing the ludi events), chariot racing in the Circus Maximus, and naval battles. There is also some diplomacy (it is even possible to seduce the queen Cleopatra after forming an alliance with Egypt).[1]

Development

The game's designer, Kellyn Beck, was also the creator of several Cinemaware games and Centurion was similar in look to those games, featuring "cinematic" graphics, animation and sound effects. His inspiration for the game came from watching the films Ben Hur and Spartacus and the game's working title was Caesar.[2] The team Bits of Magic, who co-designed and programmed the game, included Nicky Robinson.

Reception

The PC version of Centurion received 3 out of 5 stars in Dragon.[3] Other magazines, however, usually gave the game better reviews, with scores mostly in the range of 75-90%.[4] Computer Gaming World gave it three-plus stars out of five in 1990. The magazine praised the VGA graphics and audio, and said that as a game as opposed to an accurate historical simulation, Centurion "succeeds admirably ... those who liked those old gladiator movies" would enjoy it.[5][6] In 1993, the magazine gave the game two-plus stars, describing it as a "graphical tour de force—a historic tour de farce".[7]

Reviews

  • Consoles Plus (September 1991)[8]
  • Raze (August 1991)[9]
  • Amiga Action (June 1991)[10]
  • CU Amiga (April 1991)[11]
  • ASM (Aktueller Software Markt) (July 1991)[12]
  • Zero (June 1991)[13]
  • ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment) (September 1991)[14]
  • Zero (August 1990)[15]
  • Amiga Computing (August 1991)[16]
  • Amiga Format (July 1991)[17]
  • ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment) (September 1990)[18]
  • Tilt (September 1991)[19]
  • ASM (Aktueller Software Markt) (September 1991)[20]
  • Video Games (September 1991)[21]
  • Amiga Joker (June 1991)[22]
  • Amiga Power (June 1991)[23]
  • The Games Machine (August 1990)[24]
  • Amiga Power (July 1991)[25]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine{{cbignore} media| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZkS-FT8vV0%7C title = Centurion: Defender of Rome Cleopatra Seduction Scene | website=YouTube}}
  2. ↑ Computer Gaming World 55 (January 1989), p.14
  3. ↑ Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (November 1990). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (163): 47–50. 
  4. ↑ "Centurion review from Joystick 8 (Sep 1990) - Amiga Magazine Rack". https://amr.abime.net/review_43515. Retrieved 4 February 2024. 
  5. ↑ Brooks, M. Evan (September 1990). "A Funny Game Happened on the Way to the Forum / Electronic Arts' Centurion: Defender of Rome". Computer Gaming World (74): 43. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1990&pub=2&id=74. Retrieved 16 November 2013. 
  6. ↑ Brooks, M. Evan (October 1990). "Computer Strategy and Wargames: Pre-20th Century". Computer Gaming World: 11. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1990&pub=2&id=75. Retrieved 16 November 2013. 
  7. ↑ Brooks, M. Evan (June 1993). "An Annotated Listing of Pre-20th Century Wargames". Computer Gaming World: 138. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=107. Retrieved 7 July 2014. 
  8. ↑ "Le site des anciennes revues informatiques - www.abandonware-magazines.org". https://abandonware-magazines.org/affiche_mag.php?mag=51&num=6576. Retrieved 4 February 2024. 
  9. ↑ "RAZE - Issue 10 (1991-08) (Newsfield Publishing) (GB)". August 1991. https://archive.org/details/RAZE_Issue_10_1991-08_Newsfield_Publishing_GB/page/n37/mode/2up. 
  10. ↑ "Centurion review from Amiga Action 21 (Jun 1991) - Amiga Magazine Rack". http://amr.abime.net/review_4811. 
  11. ↑ "Centurion: Defender of Rome review from CU Amiga (Apr 1991) - Amiga Magazine Rack". https://amr.abime.net/review_10682. Retrieved 4 February 2024. 
  12. ↑ "Kultboy.com - DIE Kult-Seite über die alten Spiele-Magazine und Retro-Games!". https://www.kultboy.com/index.php?site=t&id=11550. Retrieved 4 February 2024. 
  13. ↑ "Centurion review from Zero 20 (Jun 1991) - Amiga Magazine Rack". https://amr.abime.net/review_11648. Retrieved 4 February 2024. 
  14. ↑ "ACE Magazine Issue 48". September 1991. https://archive.org/details/ace-magazine-48/page/n59/mode/2up. 
  15. ↑ "Zero Magazine Issue 10". August 1990. https://archive.org/details/zero-magazine-10/page/n58/mode/2up. 
  16. ↑ "Centurion review from Amiga Computing 39 (Aug 1991) - Amiga Magazine Rack". http://amr.abime.net/review_8037. 
  17. ↑ "Centurion: Defender of Rome review from Amiga Format 24 (Jul 1991) - Amiga Magazine Rack". http://amr.abime.net/review_2153. 
  18. ↑ "Centurion: Defender of Rome review from ACE: Advanced Computer Entertainment 36 (Sep 1990) - Amiga Magazine Rack". https://amr.abime.net/review_37784. Retrieved 4 February 2024. 
  19. ↑ "Le site des anciennes revues informatiques - www.abandonware-magazines.org". https://www.abandonware-magazines.org/erreur404.php. Retrieved 4 February 2024. 
  20. ↑ "Kultboy.com - DIE Kult-Seite über die alten Spiele-Magazine und Retro-Games!". https://www.kultboy.com/index.php?site=t&id=12172. Retrieved 4 February 2024. 
  21. ↑ "Kultpower Archiv: Komplettscan Videogames 3/1991". http://www.kultpower.de/archiv/heft_videogames_1991-03_seite86. 
  22. ↑ Reviewgamespy.com
  23. ↑ "Centurion review from Amiga Power 2 (Jun 1991) - Amiga Magazine Rack". http://amr.abime.net/review_119. 
  24. ↑ "Centurion review from the Games Machine 33 (Aug 1990) - Amiga Magazine Rack". http://amr.abime.net/review_9917. 
  25. ↑ "Amiga Power Issue 3 1991". https://archive.org/stream/Amiga_Power_Issue_03_1991-07_Future_Publishing_GB#page/n94/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 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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  • Centurion: Defender of Rome can be played for free in the browser on the Internet Archive



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