Software:Cool Boarders (video game)

From HandWiki
Cool Boarders
North American cover art
Developer(s)UEP Systems
Publisher(s)
SeriesCool Boarders
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • JP: August 30, 1996
  • NA: January 15, 1996[1]
  • EU: January 1997
Genre(s)Snowboarding
Mode(s)Single-player

Cool Boarders is a snowboarding video game developed by UEP Systems for the PlayStation.

The game consists of three main courses (plus two additional unlockables) in which the player attempts to gain the fastest time, most points from performing tricks, and also total points, a combination of the two previous disciplines.

This early game, while simple, led the way for the development of much more popular, extreme sport games.

Release

Cool Boarders was first released in Japan in August 1996. At this time Sony Computer Entertainment officials stated that, though snowboarding was not yet as popular in the West as in Japan, they were "seriously considering" localizing the game to North America.[2] An emulated release for the PlayStation Network as a PS one Classic was released in North America on December 4, 2006, in Europe on November 8, 2007 in Japan on October 26, 2011.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings74% (6 reviews)[3]
Review scores
PublicationScore
CVGStarStarStar[4]
Edge6/10[5]
EGM7/10[6]
GamePro4/5[7]
GameRevolutionB+[8]
GameSpot7.4/10[9]
Hyper78%[10]
IGN7/10[11]
Jeuxvideo.com13/20[12]
Mega Fun62%[13]
Next GenerationStarStarStar[14]
Video Games (DE)60%[15]

Reviews for Cool Boarders were mixed. The game received an average score of 74% at GameRankings, based on an aggregate of 6 reviews.[3] Critics praised the selection of boards which offer differing gameplay[6][9][14] and the thrills in the experience,[9][14][7] but criticized the lack of a two-player mode or AI competitors to race against[6][14] and the bizarre physics, such as how the player character tends to get caught between closely placed barriers, ricocheting back and forth between them, and how hitting certain objects can make them slide uphill.[9][14] Kraig Kujawa and Dean Hager of Electronic Gaming Monthly found that the game, while reasonably fun overall, could only be recommended to fans of snowboarding and other "extreme" sports.[6] GamePro commented: "The controls allow for tight handling and make performing tricks a breeze. Although the graphics show minor breakup, they're still well animated in the popular polygonal style".[7] Next Generation summarized: "Surprisingly, the first dedicated snowboarding game for PlayStation is a great deal of fun to play and offers a challenge like nothing else on the system. However, too many goofy flaws keep it from being a total success".[14] GameSpot found the physics and limited ability to go off-course frustrating, and like Next Generation expressed hope that a sequel would fix the problems that kept the game from being great.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Sony PlayStation Available Software sorted by Release Date @ www.vidgames.com". 1998-06-11. http://www.vidgames.com/ps/software/release.html#1996. 
  2. ↑ "Cool Boarders". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (87): 173. October 1996. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Cool Boarders for PlayStation". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps/196979-cool-boarders/index.html. Retrieved September 30, 2014. 
  4. ↑ Lomas, Ev (January 1997). "Cool Boarders". Computer and Video Games (182): 60–61. https://archive.org/details/Computer_and_Video_Games_Issue_182_1997-01_EMAP_Images_GB/page/n59/mode/1up. Retrieved June 3, 2021. 
  5. ↑ "Cool Boarders". Edge (42): 89. February 1997. https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=File:Edge_UK_042.pdf&page=89. Retrieved June 3, 2021. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Team EGM Box Scores: Cool Boarders". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (91): 151. February 1997. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 The Rookie (March 1997). "Cool Boarders". GamePro (IDG) (102): 92. 
  8. ↑ Cooke, Mark. "Cool Boarders Review". GameRevolution. Archived from the original on October 23, 1997. https://web.archive.org/web/19971023000551/http://www.game-revolution.com/games/sony/cool.htm. Retrieved June 3, 2021. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 "Cool Boarders Review". January 31, 1997. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/cool-boarders-review/1900-2547099/. Retrieved 9 February 2018. 
  10. ↑ Polak, Steve (February 1997). "Cool Boarders". Hyper (40): 38–39. https://archive.org/details/hyper-040/page/38/mode/2up. Retrieved June 3, 2021. 
  11. ↑ "Cool Boarders". IGN. December 13, 1996. Archived from the original on October 18, 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20021018091829/http://psx.ign.com/articles/150/150071p1.html. Retrieved June 3, 2021. 
  12. ↑ Nuktos (November 23, 2011). "Cool Boarders" (in fr). Archived from the original on December 5, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111205234852/http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0001/00016177-cool-boarders-test.htm. Retrieved June 3, 2021. 
  13. ↑ Bjorn (February 1997). "Cool Boarders". Mega Fun: 65. https://archive.org/details/MegaFun0297/page/n47/mode/2up?q=%22cool+boarders%22. Retrieved June 3, 2021. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 "Cool Boarders". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (27): 85. March 1997. 
  15. ↑ "Cool Boarders". Video Games: 86. February 1997. https://archive.org/details/video-games-de-1997-02/page/86/mode/2up?q=%22cool+boarders%22. Retrieved June 3, 2021. 
  • 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 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]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

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. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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