Software:Codename Eagle

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For former U.S. President Clinton's codename, see Secret Service codenames.
Short description: 1999 video game
Codename Eagle
European cover art
Developer(s)Refraction Games
Publisher(s)
Producer(s)Patrick Söderlund
Designer(s)Niklas Pehrson
Programmer(s)Mats Dal
Artist(s)Stefan Vukanovic
Rikard Hultman
Composer(s)Örjan Strandberg
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Codename Eagle is a first-person shooter video game developed by Refraction Games and published by Take-Two Interactive and TalonSoft. Codename Eagle was released initially in the United Kingdom in November 1999, and later in North America in March 2000.

In 2000, DICE acquired Refraction Games and inherited the in-development Battlefield 1942.[3] Codename Eagle is considered a spiritual predecessor to Battlefield 1942.[2][4]

Gameplay

Codename Eagle is an open-world first-person shooter with drivable land, air and sea vehicles.[2] In multiplayer mode, the players can battle in one of three modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag.

Plot

The game is set in an alternate timeline, centered around events starting in Petrograd, Russia in 1917. World War I and the 1917 October Revolution never happened. Germany has yet to become involved with any of the other world powers. The story starts when Tsar Nicholas of the Russian Empire is betrayed by one of his closest friends, General Popov. One night, Popov sends assassins to kill the Tsar and the rest of the Royal Family to ensure that there are absolutely no living heirs to the throne of Russia. Popov would later cover up the murder by addressing the Russian people that a "terrible accident had befallen the Royal Family". The villainous general then later presents Lieutenant Oleg to the people of Russia as the "sole surviving son of Tsar Nicholas: Prince Alexander" and has Oleg crowned as the new Tsar.

Unknown to Popov, Colonel Sergei of the Army Staff somehow managed to overhear the General's plans, and he immediately rescues two children from the doomed family: the real Prince Alexander and Princess Anastasia, who earlier was "shot and left for dead, somehow managing to survive". It is unknown how Anastasia managed to still be in Russia, but Sergei arranges Dr. Meier of the famous Russian Scientific Institute to hypnotize Prince Alexander to temporarily erase his memory of his real heritage and replace it with that of a "farm boy who grew up in the countryside of England". This is a precaution to save Alexander from giving himself away as the true son of Tsar Nicholas. Meanwhile, with Oleg as a fake Tsar, General Popov, who is hell-bent on world domination, manages to take over almost all of Europe, throwing the continent into a bloody war. Soon, all free nations of the world form an alliance known as "Shadow Command" to rebel against the evil might of the Russian Empire.

Ten years later, in 1927, Prince Alexander (with his temporary memory) has grown up to become "Agent Red" of Shadow Command, and he is assigned the most difficult missions that the alliance has to offer. He is also the only playable character in the game. Red's main friends who fight on his side are Captain Potter, his instructor for his missions, the female "Agent Goggles", and the male "Agent Mortar". The main goal of Shadow Command is to defeat the Russian Empire, using whatever means possible to defeat the Russian war machine from within.

Along the way, Red meets up with Colonel Sergei, who he at first mistakes for an enemy officer, but later listens to the Colonel as he is told of his true heritage. Red has a hard time believing this story, but he soon starts having frequent flashbacks of his real family being murdered by General Popov's henchmen as a result of this. Red rescues Dr. Meier, who soon reveals the whole story of his true heritage and restores his memory back to normal. With his memory restored, Red soon meets up with his sister Anastasia. At first, Red/Alexander was to be the new Tsar of Russia, but now, his mind's made up, asking his sister to address the Russian people and reveal the truth about General Popov and his evil actions against their family and take the throne, becoming Tsarina of Russia. At first, Anastasia disagrees with him, but her brother says to her that his destiny now "lies with Shadow Command. I'm sworn to them, and must honor my promise". Following this chat, Red soon seeks out the last remains of an Allied spy airship mission that was forced down in the Alps to retrieve secret document from it.

When he gets there, Red finds Agent Mortar alive and well, now a traitor who's turned against Shadow Command. Mortar stole the documents earlier, even set Red up at an earlier point when Red saved Dr. Meier, who warned him of his friends. After a brief confrontation of his old friend, Mortar tries unsuccessfully to deliver the Allied documents to General Popov, but Red manages to stop him from getting away. Following this, Red finally reaches the Tsar's palace but not before disarming a doomsday device on a train on the way there. When he gets there, he finds the fake Tsar Oleg and manages (with some difficulty) to eliminate him. While dying, Oleg reveals to Red that General Popov is headed for London with another Doomsday Device in a double-structured Zeppelin.

Following this, in the last level of the game, Red then reaches the destination of Popov's Zeppelin on board the British aircraft carrier HMS York. First, Red has to man the AA guns on the carrier to defend the carrier against the fighter-bomber escorts of the Zeppelin. After this threat is dealt with, Popov's Zeppelin (escorted by two more zeppelins) enters the area. Red then takes off in his plane to shoot down the Zeppelin to avenge his murdered family. After a real difficult battle, the General's Zeppelin is shot down. Popov tries to escape in another Russian bomber, which Red shoots down, killing the evil man who had killed his family ten years earlier. The world is saved, and Russia is now under rule of Tsarina Anastasia. Most online sources cover up the true story and say that the main villain is Pietre instead of Popov, whose father died earlier.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings62%[5]
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGWStarHalf star[7]
CVGStarStarStar[8]
Eurogamer4/10[9]
GameProStarStarStarStar[10]
GameSpot5.7/10[11]
GameSpy78%[12]
IGN7.3/10[13]
PC Gamer (US)52%[14]
PC Zone44%[15]

The game received mixed reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[5]

According to former DICE employee Sean Decker, the game sold about 20,000 units.[16]

References

  1. ↑ "Virtual Press Office". http://www.talonsoft.com/c_info/press.html. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Codename Eagle". Electronic Arts. https://www.dice.se/game/codename-eagle. 
  3. ↑ nnirvi (2 November 2006). "Digital Illusions – taisteluni". https://www.pelit.fi/artikkelit/digital-illusions-taisteluni/. 
  4. ↑ Plunkett, Luke (25 October 2011). "The Game That Started the Battlefield Series". G/O Media. https://kotaku.com/the-game-that-started-the-battlefield-series-5852979. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Codename Eagle for PC". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/196946-codename-eagle/index.html. 
  6. ↑ Bub, Andrew S. (16 May 2000). "Codename Eagle". CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0%2C6%2C0-4102%2C00.html. 
  7. ↑ Liberatore, Raphael (August 2000). "Codename Eagle". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (193): 112. https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_193.pdf. Retrieved 6 January 2023. 
  8. ↑ "Codename Eagle". Computer and Video Games (EMAP) (218): 89. January 2000. https://retrocdn.net/images/c/c3/CVG_UK_218.pdf. Retrieved 6 January 2023. 
  9. ↑ Bye, John "Gestalt" (1 February 2000). "Codename Eagle [date mislabeled as "July 4, 2006""]. Gamer Network. https://www.eurogamer.net/codename. 
  10. ↑ Olafson, Peter (4 May 2000). "Codename Eagle Review for PC". GamePro (IDG Entertainment). http://www.gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/5446.shtml. Retrieved 6 January 2023. 
  11. ↑ Wolpaw, Erik (17 April 2000). "Codename Eagle Review". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/codename-eagle-review/1900-2558588/. 
  12. ↑ Law, Caryn (20 April 2000). "Codename: Eagle [sic"]. IGN Entertainment. http://www.gamespy.com/legacy/reviews/cne_a.shtm. 
  13. ↑ Butts, Steve (6 April 2000). "Codename Eagle". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/04/07/codename-eagle. 
  14. ↑ St. John, Don (July 2000). "Codename Eagle". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 7 (7). http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/06/codename_eagle.html. Retrieved 6 January 2023. 
  15. ↑ Korda, Martin (Christmas 1999). "Codename Eagle". PC Zone (Dennis Publishing) (84): 108. https://archive.org/details/PC_Zone_Issue_084_1999_Dennis_Publishing_GB_christmas_edition/page/n107/mode/2up. Retrieved 6 January 2023. 
  16. ↑ Kuchera, Ben (3 May 2014). "CCP VP admits Dust 514 wasn't a great game, promises to do better with Project Legion as fans riot". Vox Media. https://www.polygon.com/2014/5/3/5677566/Dust-514-project-legion-reaction. 
  • 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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