Software:Chronomaster

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Chronomaster
Developer(s)DreamForge Intertainment
Publisher(s)IntraCorp
Capstone Software
U.S. Gold
Designer(s)Jane Lindskold
Roger Zelazny
Programmer(s)Mike Breitkreutz
Rip Jaffurs
Don Wuenschell
Artist(s)Jane Yeager
Michael Nicholson
Composer(s)Jamie McMenamy
Platform(s)MS-DOS
ReleaseDecember 20, 1995
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Chronomaster is an adventure game developed by DreamForge Intertainment for MS-DOS compatible operating systems and published by IntraCorp on 20 December 1995. Its main plot was written by novelist Roger Zelazny and was his last known work, as he died during the development of the game. Due to Roger's passing, Dreamforge used in-house puzzle and game designers John McGirk and Aaron Kreader to complete a majority of the game puzzles, while leaving the overall game plot and concept intact as per Roger's vision.

Chronomaster narrates the story of Rene Korda (voiced by Ron Perlman), a retired and formerly renowned designer of "pocket universes" — self-contained worlds developed according to the tastes of the person who finances their construction. Korda is hired by a representative of the "Terran Regional government" to restore two pocket universes from a state of "temporal stasis" and to find out who is responsible for the situation.

Gameplay

Each pocket universe contains a single solar system with anywhere from one to several worlds Korda can visit. Each world requires Korda to travel to magnetic North and use a "resonance tracer" to locate the universe's "world key". The world key (each protected by a unique puzzle) stops or starts the universe's temporal flow. Each pocket universe has a unique feel to it, reflecting the personality and interests of its owner. Verdry for example, owned by a woman known for creating a philosophical movement centered on nonsense and unreality, contains a world shaped and colored like an Easter egg.

In order to move within pocket universes in which time is stagnant, Korda employs "bottled time", a container which when opened provides him with a field in which times flows normally. Bottled time may also be used to activate objects and trigger ongoing events which were halted by the temporal stasis. He also counts on the help of a versatile context-sensitive tool which makes available different functions to him, depending on the pocket universe he visits. During his journey Korda is accompanied by his personal digital assistant (PDA) Jester (voiced by Lolita Davidovich), a flying blue spherical robot who provides more comic relief than help with gameplay. Korda is eventually joined by Milo, (voiced by Brent Spiner) a former student of Korda's and the sole survivor of a horrific pirate attack on his homeworld.

Chronomaster makes heavy use of CG cutscenes. Chronomaster possesses a degree of non-linearity in that many tasks exist which are unnecessary to complete the game, and puzzles frequently have two possible solutions.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Next GenerationStarStarStarStar[1]
PC Gamer (US)84%[2]
PC Zone68%[3]
MaximumStarStarStarStarStar[4]
Computer Games Strategy PlusStarStarStarStar[5]
Computer Game Review81/88/95[6]
PC Review9/10[7]

According to Charles Ardai of Computer Gaming World, Chronomaster was commercially unsuccessful.[8]

A reviewer for Next Generation hailed the game for its detailed graphics, simple and intuitive interface, "entertaining" dialogue, puzzles which are mostly neither too easy or overly hard, and deep story based "around the concepts of immortality, universe construction, and the nature of time itself." He was also pleased with the voice acting from big-name stars, though he said that some of the less-known actors give "painful" performances.[1] A reviewer for Maximum lauded Chronomaster for its story and presentation, calling the game "a prime example of [Roger Zelazny's] ability to create a compelling story that rewrites the rules of science as it goes." He described the prerendered graphics as "stunning" and said the voice actors "add atmosphere to an already intriguing adventure."[4]

Chronomaster was a runner-up for Computer Gaming World's 1995 "Adventure Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream. The editors wrote, "Both the script and the voice talents lift Chronomaster well above the usual standards of the genre."[9] Chronomaster was also nominated as Computer Games Strategy Plus's 1996 adventure game of the year, although it lost to The Neverhood.[10]

Legacy

Chronomaster was adapted to novel form in 1996, closely following the game's plot and coauthored by Roger Zelazny and Jane Lindskold.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Hour Favorite". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (16): 92. April 1996. 
  2. ↑ Poole, Steve (April 1996). "Chronomaster". PC Gamer US. Archived from the original on December 5, 1999. https://web.archive.org/web/19991205092644/http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/249.html. Retrieved July 2, 2019. 
  3. ↑ "Pick N' Mix". PC Zone (38): 90. May 1996. https://archive.org/details/PCZONE038/page/n107/mode/2up. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Maximum Reviews: Chronomaster". Maximum: The Video Game Magazine (Emap International Limited) (4): 159. March 1996. 
  5. ↑ Baker, Samuel Brown (May 16, 1996). "Chronomaster". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on March 1, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050301092728/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/004/110/chronomaster_review.html. 
  6. ↑ "Time to Play God". Computer Game Review. March 1996. Archived from the original on December 21, 1996. https://web.archive.org/web/19961221184104/http://www.nuke.com/cgr/reviews/9603/chrono/chrono.htm. 
  7. ↑ "PC Zone - Issue 38 (May 1996)". May 1996. https://archive.org/details/PCZONE038/page/n99. 
  8. ↑ Ardai, Charles (August 1997). "The Death of Science Fiction". Computer Gaming World (157): 219. 
  9. ↑ Staff (June 1996). "The Computer Gaming World 1996 Premier Awards". Computer Gaming World (143): 55-56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 66-67. 
  10. ↑ "Computer Games Strategy Plus announces 1996 Awards". Computer Games Strategy Plus. March 25, 1997. Archived from the original on June 14, 1997. https://web.archive.org/web/19970614161401/http://www.cdmag.com/news/0325971.html. Retrieved November 2, 2010. 
  • Short description: Video game database
MobyGames
Logo since March 2014
Screenshot
Frontpage as of April 2012
Type of site
Gaming
Available inEnglish
OwnerAtari SA
Websitemobygames.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional
LaunchedJanuary 30, 1999; 26 years ago (1999-01-30)
Current statusOnline

MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes nearly 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] The site is supported by banner ads and a small number of people paying to become patrons.[2] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It is currently owned by Atari SA.

Content

The database began with games for IBM PC compatibles. After two years, consoles such as the PlayStation, were added. Older console systems were added later. Support for arcade video games was added in January 2014 and mainframe computer games in June 2017.[3]

Edits and submissions go through a leisurely verification process by volunteer "approvers". The approval process can range from immediate (minutes) to gradual (days or months).[4] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copyediting.[5]

Registered users can rate and review any video game. 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 subforum.

History

Logo used until March 11, 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999 by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, then joined by David Berk 18 months later, three friends since high school.[6] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience.

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[7] This was announced to the community post factum and a few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.

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).[8] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel.[9]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[10] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[11][12]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ "MobyGames Stats". https://www.mobygames.com/moby_stats. 
  2. ↑ "MobyGames Patrons". http://www.mobygames.com/info/patrons. 
  3. ↑ "New(ish!) on MobyGames – the Mainframe platform.". Blue Flame Labs. 18 June 2017. http://www.mobygames.com/forums/dga,2/dgb,3/dgm,237200/. 
  4. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  5. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/32856/Report_MobyGames_Acquired_By_GameFly_Media.php. 
  8. ↑ 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. 
  9. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/207882/Game_dev_database_MobyGames_getting_some_TLC_under_new_owner.php. 
  10. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  11. ↑ "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/. 
  12. ↑ "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/. 





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