Software:Contract J.A.C.K.

From HandWiki
Short description: 2003 video game
Contract J.A.C.K.
Developer(s)Monolith Productions
Publisher(s)Vivendi Universal Games
Sierra Entertainment
Producer(s)Ellen Beeman
Designer(s)Craig Hubbard
Programmer(s)Kevin Stephens
Artist(s)David Longo
Wes Saulsberry
EngineLithtech Jupiter
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Contract J.A.C.K. is a 2003 first-person shooter video game and the prequel to No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way. It was developed by Monolith Productions and published by Vivendi Universal Games and its subsidiary Sierra Entertainment. J.A.C.K. ("Just Another Contract Killer") is set in the time frame between the events of the original Software:The Operative: No One Lives Forever and its sequel, No One Lives Forever 2.

Story

The game follows John Jack, a professional killer recruited by H.A.R.M., a criminal organization central to the No One Lives Forever series. Contract J.A.C.K. is set between No One Lives Forever and No One Lives Forever 2. The game does not involve UNITY, the organization for which Cate Archer works and that opposed H.A.R.M. in the other two games. Rather, J.A.C.K. pits H.A.R.M. against a rival criminal organization, Danger Danger.

After a night of heavy drinking, Jack is apprehended by thugs, who are ordered to kill him. Before they can, he breaks free from the ropes that tied him to a chair and slaughters the thugs that swarm the building. Before he can leave, he receives a phone call from Dimitrij Volkov, H.A.R.M.'s Director of Executive Action. Volkov tells Jack to report to a job interview at the Roman ruins on Malta. The interview consists of Jack mowing down waves of H.A.R.M. troopers as Volkov taunts them over a loudspeaker. In the end, Jack is hired by H.A.R.M.

For his first assignment, Jack must infiltrate a Czechoslovak military base to figure out why Danger Danger is interested in it. Upon delving deeper into the base, Jack becomes aware that the facility is a secret rocket launch site. Danger Danger is trying to use a Czech rocket to recover Dr. Harij, a H.A.R.M. scientist stranded on the Moon after the destruction of H.A.R.M.'s space station in No One Lives Forever. Although Danger Danger is able to launch a rocket full of their men, Jack commandeers a second rocket and heads to the Moon after them.

On the Moon, Jack must fight through Danger Danger goons to get to Dr. Harij. Danger Danger reaches the scientist first, and they begin destroying the lunar base to prevent Jack from escaping. Jack reaches Danger Danger's rocket seconds before it lifts-off. The effects of the rocket's propulsion and the base's explosion send Jack floating through space on a collision course with the Sun. Il Pazzo (Italian for "The Crazy One"), leader of Danger Danger, begins dispatching men to kill Jack, but he fails, and Jack floats to the other rocket, which had been floating among the debris of the base.

Jack crashes his rocket into the Italian countryside of Tuscany. Il Pazzo is nearby with Dr. Harij, and he flees on a gondola. Jack steals a machine gun-equipped Vespa and pursues them while crossing the city of Florence. After killing hordes of Il Pazzo's men, Jack arrives at a castle where Il Pazzo is holed up with Dr. Harij. Using cannons positioned around the building, Jack kills the defenders. A long-distance battle then ensues between Jack and Il Pazzo. Jack wins, but is not able to kill Il Pazzo completely. After rescuing Dr. Harij, Jack is shot by Volkov and left to die. The game ends with Jack rising up and limping toward Volkov's skis. It is believed that the ending implied why Volkov is confined in a wheelchair and covered in a full-body plaster cast in No One Lives Forever 2.

Game engine

Contract J.A.C.K. uses the same Lithtech Jupiter engine as used in the base release of No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.'s Way; however, none of the upgrade paths that are available to boost abilities in the latter are present in J.A.C.K.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic56/100[4]
Review scores
PublicationScore
4Players68%[5]
CGMStarStar[6]
CGWStarStar[7]
Game Informer5.5/10[8]
GameSpot5.9/10[9]
GameSpyStarStarStar[10]
GameZone6.3/10[11]
IGN6.1/10[12]
Jeuxvideo.com13/20[13]
PC Gamer (US)63%[15]

The game received mixed reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Burnes, Andrew (2003-10-31). "Contract Jack Gold" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/10/31/contract-jack-gold. 
  2. ↑ "Contract J.A.C.K. for PC at GameSpot". 2004-06-10. http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/contractjack/index.html. 
  3. ↑ "Contract J.A.C.K. - PC - GameSpy". http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/contract-jack/. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Contract J.A.C.K. for PC Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/contract-j-a-c-k/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved November 24, 2011. 
  5. ↑ Kautz, Paul (December 21, 2003). "Test: Contract J.A.C.K." (in de). 4Players GmbH. https://www.4players.de/4players.php/dispbericht/PC-CDROM/Test/3681/2472/0/Contract_JACK.html. Retrieved July 11, 2021. 
  6. ↑ "Review: Contract J.A.C.K.". Computer Games Magazine (theGlobe.com) (158): 65. January 2004. 
  7. ↑ Coffey, Robert (February 2004). "Contract J.A.C.K.". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (235): 79. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_235.pdf. Retrieved July 11, 2021. 
  8. ↑ McNamara, Andy (January 2004). "No One Lives Forever 2: Contract JACK [sic"]. Game Informer (GameStop) (129): 157. http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/2F76D890-A6B2-4627-BA3F-943098A2F7DE.htm. Retrieved July 11, 2021. 
  9. ↑ Todd, Brett (November 14, 2003). "Contract J.A.C.K. Review". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/contract-jack-review/1900-6083661/. Retrieved July 11, 2021. 
  10. ↑ Accardo, Sal (November 10, 2003). "GameSpy: Contract J.A.C.K.". IGN Entertainment. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/contract-jack/6344p1.html. Retrieved July 11, 2021. 
  11. ↑ David, Mike (December 15, 2003). "Contract J.A.C.K. - PC - Review". Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081005085944/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r22631.htm. Retrieved July 11, 2021. 
  12. ↑ McNamara, Tom (November 19, 2003). "Contract J.A.C.K. Review". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/11/20/contract-jack-review. Retrieved July 11, 2021. 
  13. ↑ Dinowan (November 28, 2003). "Test: Contract J.A.C.K." (in fr). Webedia. https://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0000/00003703_test.htm. Retrieved July 11, 2021. 
  14. ↑ Bishop (December 2003). "Contract J.A.C.K." (in fr). Joystick (Future Publishing) (154): 124–25. 
  15. ↑ Chan, Norman (January 2004). "Contract J.A.C.K.". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 11 (1): 104. Archived from the original on March 15, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060315140726/http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/06/contract_jack.html. Retrieved July 11, 2021. 
  • Official site
  • Contract J.A.C.K. on IMDb
  • 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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