Software:Clash at Demonhead

From HandWiki
Short description: 1989 video game
For the fictional band, see List of Scott Pilgrim characters § Bands.
Clash at Demonhead
North American cover art
Developer(s)Vic Tokai
Publisher(s)Vic Tokai
Designer(s)Haruhiko Kawamura
Programmer(s)Norihiro Hisamatsu
Tomiko Narusawa
Mayumi Sano
Artist(s)Kazuaki Kinoshita
Composer(s)Michiharu Hasuya
Platform(s)Nintendo Entertainment System
Release
Genre(s)Action-adventure, platform, Metroidvania[4]
Mode(s)Single-player

Clash at Demonhead, known in Japan as Dengeki Big Bang! (Japanese: 電撃ビッグバン!, Hepburn: Dengeki Biggu Ban!, Blitz Big Bang!), is an action-adventure platform game released by Vic Tokai for the Nintendo Entertainment System on January 27, 1989 in Japan and December 1989 in North America.

Gameplay

After being killed by some small enemies, Billy's soul went to heaven.

Clash at Demonhead is an open-ended platformer. The player takes control of Billy "Big Bang" Blitz, who is capable of running, jumping, and shooting. He is initially armed with a handgun, though various upgrades can be purchased from a shop, such as the boomerang gun. He later gains the ability to perform various powers by collecting Force, including shrinking, teleportation to previously-visited areas, flight, healing, and invincibility.[5] The game is divided into a number of smaller stages, each representing a point on the over-world map. There are over 40 routes the player can take in the game, and the player must explore the world to progress. The game is non-linear in that the player can choose which direction they go, being allowed to backtrack and visit different stages.

Plot

Billy "Big Bang" Blitz is a sergeant in S.A.B.R.E. (Special Assault Brigade for Real Emergencies).[6] He is contacted during a vacation at the beach with his girlfriend Mary to save Professor Plum, creator of a Doomsday Bomb capable of destroying the world.[7] Bang soon encounters Tom Guycot, the skeleton mastermind behind the abduction, and he learns that the Doomsday Bomb is controlled by six medallions which have been distributed among the seven governors of Demonhead.[8] On his journey, Bang encounters Michael, who claims to be Bang's ally and tells him about a grieving sprite. Upon meeting the sprite, he learns of a captured hermit who teaches Bang various force powers upon rescuing him. While searching for the rest of the medallions, Bang repeatedly experiences strange mental discomfort.

Bang later discovers that the discomfort is a failed attempt at mind control by a demon trapped beneath the mountain at Demonhead's northern end. The demon failed to control Bang, but manages to control Bang's ally, Michael. The demon sets up a plot through Michael to entice Bang with treasure requiring the use of a Magic Stone. The Magic Stone ends up being the key to freeing the demon from its imprisonment. After Bang fails to defeat the demon, it seeks out and kills Tom Guycot and steals his medallion. Bang learns from the hermit that the demon can only be destroyed with the Sword of Apollo.[9]

Upon defeating the demon and recovering Guycot's medallion, Bang attempts to rescue Professor Plum, but learns that the Doomsday Bomb is already complete. The bomb turns out to be technology from an alien race responsible for creating humanity one thousand years ago. They have grown disappointed with their creation's destructive tendencies, and intend to use the bomb to hasten what they believe is the inevitable end of the world. The only way to defuse the bomb is with the medallions, but with no instructions, Bang can only guess where each medallion is placed, and is working against a countdown timer that triggers the bomb. When Bang succeeds, the alien voices its disdain that humanity will live on and announces that the alien race intends to leave Earth to its own devices and never return. Bang responds that from now on humans will look after themselves. Bang escapes Demonhead with the Hermit to reunite with Mary and receives congratulations from his commander, who also informs that Professor Plum managed to free himself and the aliens tried to fool Bang with an impostor. The Hermit offers Bang an apprenticeship, but Bang declines to see about "making a game based on these adventures!"[10]

Regional differences

Aside from the language, there are a few difference between the Japanese and American releases. The Japanese version uses the yen for the money currency in the game whereas the American localization has the dollar sign instead. Other changes brought to the American version include a different titlescreen, the removal of some dialogues in the game and the adding of a mustache to the shopkeeper. Like several video games from that era, the Japanese version has ending credits that were removed on the American localization.

Reception

Allgame gave the game a score of 2.5 out of 5.[11]

"The Clash at Demonhead" is the name of a band in the comic book series Scott Pilgrim. The band also appears in the 2010 film adaptation of the novels, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,[12] as well as in the subsequent video game adaptation.[13] The band is named after the 1989 video game, as well as their drummer - Lynette Guycott - being named after Tom Guycott. The creator of the comic book, Bryan Lee O'Malley, has said that Clash at Demonhead was the first NES title he ever played.[14][15]

References

  1. ↑ "Availability Update". Computer Entertainer 8 (10): 22. January 20, 1990. https://retrocdn.net/images/d/d9/ComputerEntertainer_US_Vol.8_10.pdf#page=22. 
  2. ↑ "The Official Game Pak Directory". Nintendo Power (Nintendo of America). May 1993. https://archive.org/details/NintendoPower-OfficialGamePakDirectory. 
  3. ↑ "電撃ビッグバン！ (FC)の関連情報 | ゲーム・エンタメ最新情報のファミ通.com". https://www.famitsu.com/games/t/20043/. 
  4. ↑ Fletcher, J.C. (June 7, 2007). "Virtually Overlooked: Clash at Demonhead". Engadget. https://www.engadget.com/2007/06/07/virtually-overlooked-clash-at-demonhead-for-thursday/. Retrieved July 11, 2016. ""There are a ton of items and upgrades, which actually affect your character's appearance, but can also open up different areas of the game, similar to the method of progression in a Metroidvania game."" 
  5. ↑ Clash at Demonhead Instruction Manual. Japan: Vic Tokai. 1989. p. 17. 
  6. ↑ Box art for Clash at Demonhead. Vic Tokai., Ltd. 1989.
  7. ↑ Clash at Demonhead Instruction Manual. Japan: Vic Tokai. 1989. pp. 4, 5. 
  8. ↑ Vic Tokai. Clash at Demonhead. Nintendo Entertainment System. Vic Tokai. Level/area: Route 1. "Tom Guycot: You haven't got a chance of getting to camp without the royal medaliions of the seven governors." 
  9. ↑ "Clash at Demonhead". Nintendo Power (Nintendo of America) (10): 38. Jan–Feb 1990. 
  10. ↑ Tieryas, Peter (28 November 2019). "Clash At Demonhead Is Like Playing A Ridiculously Fun 8-Bit Anime" (in en-us). https://kotaku.com/clash-at-demonhead-is-like-playing-a-ridiculously-fun-8-1840016604. 
  11. ↑ Rating for Clash at Demonhead at allgame
  12. ↑ "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Movie Production Notes". CinemaReview.com. http://www.cinemareview.com/production.asp?prodid=5975. 
  13. ↑ "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game – Hardcore Gaming 101". http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/scott-pilgrim-vs-the-world-the-game/. 
  14. ↑ "Scott Pilgrim Creator Talks About Cut DLC For The Game, Including Playable Envy". January 14, 2021. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/01/scott_pilgrim_creator_talks_about_cut_dlc_for_the_game_including_playable_envy. 
  15. ↑ Jurkovich, Tristan (January 21, 2021). "The 10 Best Video Game Easter Eggs In Scott Pilgrim Vs The World: The Game". https://gamerant.com/scott-pilgrim-vs-world-game-easter-eggs/. 
  • 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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