Software:Chocobo's Dungeon 2

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Chocobo's Dungeon 2
North American version cover art
Developer(s)Square
Publisher(s)Square
Director(s)Kazuhiko Aoki
Producer(s)Hironobu Sakaguchi
Designer(s)Nobuaki Komoto
Hiroshi Takahashi
Programmer(s)Shin Kimura
Composer(s)Kenji Ito
Yasuhiro Kawakami
Tsuyoshi Sekito
Kumi Tanioka
SeriesChocobo
Mystery Dungeon
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • JP: December 23, 1998
  • NA: December 17, 1999[1]
Genre(s)Role-playing game
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Chocobo's Dungeon 2[lower-alpha 1] is the 1998 role-playing video game by Square for the PlayStation. It is the sequel to 1997's Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon.

Gameplay

The player plays as Chocobo, navigating randomly-generated levels of mysterious dungeons to progress the story. Each time the player enters the same dungeon, the path through the maze will be different, although the same set of monsters will be encountered.[2] Chocobo may have a partner character assisting him throughout the dungeon, which typically resolves in a boss fight. There are several partner characters, most of which will be recognizable to Final Fantasy veterans, including Cid; a young white mage girl, Shiroma; and Mog, a moogle. Though the game is an isometric 2D adventure, there are occasionally 3D cutscenes.[2]

In the beginning of the game, Chocobo can only carry a few items in his inventory. If he dies in the dungeon, all items in the inventory are lost. As the game progresses, the player will be able to rent storage space in town and send extra items there. Items in storage are not lost if Chocobo dies. Deeper dungeons become more difficult and more powerful items are obtainable.[2]

Combat is conducted in a turn-based manner, with player and enemy alternating their actions. Chocobo and his partner can attack in any of eight different directions.[3] Aside from attacking, characters may also use items, spells, or character-specific abilities.[2] These actions may be augmented by feathers, which provides special abilities such as kicking items through wall, unlocking area of effect spells, and substituting the partner with powerful summon characters.

Chocobo can also equip various claws as weapons and saddles as armors. Claws and saddles may be combined in stoves to improve its statistics and with the correct combination, produce powerful effects such as the ability to attack in multiple directions or resistance to multiple status effects. Chocobo and his partner can also temporarily assume the form of some of the creatures from the game through the use of morph tonic or traps, gaining unique abilities such as flying over traps or turning enemies into toads.

After the credits run at the end of the game, the player is offered a new mode where it is possible to revisit any of the dungeons as one of Chocobo's partners. This second playthrough also has a secret dungeon with 30 levels.

Story

Characters

There are many characters in Chocobo's Dungeon 2, and each of them helps Chocobo in a different way at one point in the game. For example, Mrs. Bomb lets Chocobo stay at her house.

Some characters join Chocobo and can be controlled by a second player or the AI. These include Mog, Shiroma, and Cid. There are also characters that Chocobo can summon by collecting feathers, such as Titan, Sylph, Ramuh and Bahamut.

Setting

Chocobo's Dungeon 2 is mostly based in a village. There is a beach near the village and a vast sea. Towering over the village is a large tower covered in ivy, Cid's Tower. North of the village is a huge forest, a swamp and a looming mountain, Snow Mountain. When progressing through the game, the overworld changes a few times.

Plot

At the start of the game, Mog takes Chocobo treasure hunting. They enter a monster-filled dungeon and Mog flicks a switch that separates him from Chocobo. Chocobo then meets the white mage Shiroma. She claims she has important work to do in the dungeon and leaves. Then Chocobo enters the dungeon again and finds Shiroma again.

Shiroma decides to help Chocobo find his friend Mog. They succeed, but due to Mog's greed he ends up sinking the dungeon into the sea and destroying Shiroma's home, forcing them to go to a nearby village where Shiroma's "Aunt Bomb" lets Mog and Chocobo stay. However, Shiroma is then kidnapped and it is up to Chocobo to save her. Chocobo gets the help of the local inventor Cid after helping him clear out the imps taking over his tower.

Development and release

Squaresoft announced Chocobo's Dungeon 2 in July 1998, alongside plans to release the game that December. Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon, the game's predecessor, had been released the previous year.[4] Chocobo's Dungeon 2 became the first Mystery Dungeon title released outside Japan.[5] IGN was surprised that the word "mysterious" was removed from the title, and wondered why the game was being released in America as the previous title had moderate sales in Japan, and the original had never been released at all outside Japan.[6] They also noted that it seemed to generate the least amount of "fanfare" or press attention of Square's announcements at the 1999 Tokyo Game Show.[6]

Longtime Chocobo character designer Toshiyuki Itahana made designs and models for the protagonist of Chocobo's Dungeon 2.[7] The music was composed by Kenji Ito, and was well reviewed by RPGFan, saying the music was lighthearted, enjoyable, and no tracks were "skippable".[8]

The game was released in Japan on December 23, 1998,[9] and was supposed to be released in North America on January 12, 2000,[2] before the date was pushed earlier to December 17, 1999.[10] On release, the game came packed with demos of game such as Parasite Eve or Bushido Blade 2.[11] A version of the game was planned for the WonderSwan Color, but was never released.[12]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings68%[13]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarStarHalf star[14]
EGM6 of 10[15][lower-alpha 2]
Famitsu33 of 40[17]
Game Informer6.75 of 10[18]
GameFan(G.N.) 73%[19]
65%[20][lower-alpha 3]
GameRevolutionC−[21]
GameSpot6.1 of 10[22]
IGN6.5 of 10[3]
Next GenerationStarStarStar[23]
OPM (US)StarStarHalf star[24]

The game received average reviews. Chris Charla of NextGen was generally positive to the game, despite noting that the game does not bring anything new to the genre.[23] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 33 out of 40.[17]

David Zdyrko of IGN called the game "boring", and said that "it lacks just about every feature that is important in a masterful role-playing experience".[3] Andrew Vestal of GameSpot praised the Japanese import's graphical design, calling it endearing, and praising said import's replayability.[22] George Ngo of GameFan called the game "slow-paced, drab and gloomy", saying the gameplay is repetitive and boring, and describing the dungeons as mono-colored.[19] E. Coli of GamePro said that Chocobo's Dungeon 2 is primarily aimed at younger audience due to its cuteness in the game, also saying that the seasoned players would not find anything new in it.[26][lower-alpha 4]

Famitsu rated the game as the 53rd best PlayStation game in November 2000.[27]

Legacy

Square Enix designers considered basing Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon Every Buddy!, a 2019 remaster of the Wii game Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon, around Chocobo's Dungeon 2, as it was cited as one of the more popular Chocobo Dungeon games in the series.[28] The enemy creature Skull Hammer was incorporated into that port.[29]

Notes

  1. ↑ Known in Japan as Chocobo no Fushigina Dungeon 2 (Japanese: チョコボの不思議なダンジョン2, Hepburn: Chokobo no Fushigina Danjon 2, lit. Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon 2).
  2. ↑ Four critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game each a score of 7/10, 6/10, 7.5/10, and 3.5/10.
  3. ↑ In GameFan's viewpoint of the game, three critics gave it each a score of 58, 67, and 71.
  4. ↑ GamePro gave the game 4.5/5 for graphics, 2.5/5 for sound, 4/5 for control, and 3/5 for fun factor.

References

  1. ↑ Kennedy, Sam (December 17, 1999). "Chocobo's Dungeon 2 Released". Fandom. Archived from the original on March 2, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000302140429/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/99_12/17_vg_choc/index.html. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Perry, Douglass C. (December 14, 1999). "Chocobo's Dungeon 2 (Preview)". Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231008161101/https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/12/15/chocobos-dungeon-2. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Zdyrko, David (January 24, 2000). "Chocobo's Dungeon 2". Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230131090140/https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/01/25/chocobos-dungeon-2-2. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  4. ↑ Ohbuchi, Yutaka (July 15, 1998). "Square Revives Chocobo". Fandom. Archived from the original on March 7, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000307024430/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_07/15_chocrace/index.html. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  5. ↑ "History Lesson #45: Shiren the Wanderer". NGamer (48): 99. April 2020. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Kaufmann, Andrew (September 9, 1999). "What's in the Cards for Square?". Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190609030624/https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/09/10/whats-in-the-cards-for-square. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  7. ↑ Ding, Lowey (March 20, 2019). "Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon Every Buddy! Out Today, Character Designer Art Showcase". Sony Interactive Entertainment. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230903194103/https://blog.playstation.com/2019/03/20/chocobos-mystery-dungeon-every-buddy-out-today-character-designer-art-showcase/. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  8. ↑ Gann, Patrick (October 15, 2000). "Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon 2 Original Soundtrack". Emerald Shield Media LLC. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130116215905/http://rpgfan.com/soundtracks/chocod2/index.html. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  9. ↑ IGN staff (December 11, 1998). "Chocobo Brings Surprise Extras". Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230326182953/https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/12/12/chocobo-brings-surprise-extras. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  10. ↑ IGN staff (December 17, 1999). "Chocobo's Dungeon 2 Ships Early". Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230326182952/https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/12/18/chocobos-dungeon-2-ships-early. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  11. ↑ "Pero Quien Es Este Pequeno Chocobo?" (in es). Revisita Loading: 56–57. August 1999. 
  12. ↑ Sato, Yukiyoshi Ike (December 1, 1999). "Square WonderSwan games update". Fandom. Archived from the original on March 4, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000304122017/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/99_12/01_vg_usquare/index.html. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  13. ↑ "Chocobo's Dungeon 2 for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191205215624/https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/196912-chocobos-dungeon-2/index.html. 
  14. ↑ Ottoson, Joe. "Chocobo's Dungeon 2 - Review". All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141115133305/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=21428&tab=review. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  15. ↑ Chou, Che; Smith, Shawn; Johnston, Chris; Hsu, Dan "Shoe" (February 2000). "Chocobo's Dungeon 2". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (127): 180. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230316080953/https://retrocdn.net/images/3/37/EGM_US_127.pdf. Retrieved October 9, 2023. 
  16. ↑ Lopez, Miguel (February 16, 2000). "Chocobo's Dungeon 2". Greedy Productions Ltd.. Archived from the original on March 30, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20030330133119/http://www.elecplay.com/review.html?article=2061&full=1#mr_toppy. Retrieved October 9, 2023. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "チョコボの不思議なダンジョン2" (in ja). Famitsu (Enterbrain). Archived from the original on October 29, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151029165600/https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=1504. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  18. ↑ Reppen, Erik (January 2000). "Chocobo's Dungeon 2". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (81). Archived from the original on May 22, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000522185251/http://gameinformer.com/reviews/review_detail.cfm?ITEM_ID=4470. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Ngo, George "Eggo" (February 2000). "Chocobo's Dungeon 2". GameFan (Shinno Media) 8 (2): 31. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_8_Issue_02/page/n31/mode/2up. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  20. ↑ Mylonas, Eric "ECM"; Weitzner, Jason "Fury"; Rodriguez, Tyrone "Cerberus" (February 2000). "Chocobo's Dungeon 2". GameFan (Shinno Media) 8 (2): 12. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_8_Issue_02/page/n13/mode/2up. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  21. ↑ Liu, Johnny (January 2000). "Chocobo's Dungeon 2 Review". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150930103033/http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/chocobos-dungeon-2. Retrieved October 9, 2023. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Vestal, Andrew (February 11, 1999). "Chocobo's Dungeon 2 Review [JP Import"]. Fandom. Archived from the original on August 21, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150821062047/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/chocobos-dungeon-2-review/1900-2547000/. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Charla, Chris (February 2000). "Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon 2 [sic"]. NextGen (Imagine Media) (62): 96. https://archive.org/details/NextGen62Feb2000/page/n97/mode/2up. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  24. ↑ MacDonald, Mark (February 2000). "Chocobo's Dungeon 2". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) 3 (5): 96. https://archive.org/details/Official_U.S._Playstation_Magazine_Issue_29_February_2000/page/n95/mode/2up. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  25. ↑ Tan, Jeremy (December 25, 1999). "Chocobo's Dungeon 2". Emerald Shield Media LLC. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231008235016/https://www.rpgfan.com/review/chocobos-dungeon-2/. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  26. ↑ E. Coli (February 2000). "Chocobo's Dungeon 2". GamePro (IDG) (137): 122. Archived from the original on December 20, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20041220113654/http://www.gamepro.com/sony/psx/games/reviews/4355.shtml. Retrieved October 9, 2023. 
  27. ↑ IGN staff (November 20, 2000). "Famitsu Weekly PlayStation Top 100". Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on January 27, 2001. https://web.archive.org/web/20010127055200/http://psx.ign.com/news/28060.html. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  28. ↑ Wong, Alastair (February 23, 2019). "Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon: Every Buddy Removes Pop-Up Duels, Romantic Phrases". Gamurs. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230903115505/https://www.siliconera.com/chocobos-mystery-dungeon-every-buddy-removes-pop-up-duels-romantic-phrases/. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  29. ↑ Ding, Lowey (March 20, 2019). "Celebrate the PS4 launch of Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon Every Buddy! with these stunning pieces of art". Sony Interactive Entertainment. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230903142804/https://blog.playstation.com/archive/2019/03/20/celebrate-the-ps4-launch-of-chocobos-mystery-dungeon-every-buddy-with-these-stunning-pieces-of-art/. Retrieved October 8, 2023. 
  • 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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