Software:CrimeWave

From HandWiki
CrimeWave
Developer(s)Eidos Interactive
Publisher(s)Eidos Interactive
Designer(s)Jim Blackler
Artist(s)Joe Groombridge
David Banner
Composer(s)Joe Myers
Mike Ash
Platform(s)Sega Saturn
Release
  • EU: November 8, 1996
  • NA: March 10, 1997[1]
Genre(s)Vehicular combat
Mode(s)Single-player


CrimeWave is a vehicular combat video game, developed and published by Eidos Interactive, released as a Sega Saturn exclusive in 1996-1997.

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot.

The player's task is to patrol the city and chase down violent vehicle-bound criminals, destroying the offenders with various weaponry within a given time limit. Each criminal killed earns the player bounty money (called "Meks"), but money is subtracted for every civilian vehicle the player destroys in the process. Additional weapons and ammunition can be collected as powerups scattered throughout the map or salvaged from destroyed enemies. Other cops sometimes show up; they treat the player as competition and attack them as well as the criminals. After set amounts of Meks have been earned, additional regions of the city open up.[2] If the player fails to kill enough criminals within the time limit, their vehicle self-destructs, resulting in a game over.

The game takes an isometric overhead view with the cars being pre-rendered sprites, but the buildings and scenery are rendered in 3D.[3]

Plot

CrimeWave takes place in the fictional futuristic city of Mekeo, plagued by rampant crime and chaos. To combat this crimewave, the corrupt mayor has privatized the city's police force and offers bounties to anyone that takes out a wanted criminal, effectively turning the police into bounty hunters. The player takes the role of a member of the Mekeo Vehicle Police patrolling the city with their heavily armed police car to take out criminals and collect bounty money while simultaneously fighting off rival cops that are out for the same bounties.

Development

CrimeWave was Eidos Interactive's first Sega Saturn game. It was developed specifically with the Saturn in mind, primarily because Saturn development kits were less expensive than the ones for the Sony PlayStation at the time.[4] Though Eidos originally announced the game as a multiplatform title,[5] only the Saturn version was ultimately released. A promotional disc with a playable demonstration of the game was also released in Europe.[6]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarHalf star[7]
Edge4/10[8]
EGM6.125/10[9]
Famitsu18/40[11]
Game Informer7.5/10[12]
GameSpot5.3/10[13]
IGN7/10[14]
Next GenerationStarStarStar[15]
Sega Saturn Magazine73%[16]

CrimeWave received mediocre reviews. While critics complimented the sharpness of the graphics and great amount of detail,[9][13][16][17] they generally found that the sensitive controls,[9][16][17] the high density of vehicles on the road,[9][16] and the rotation of the camera when the player's car turns[9][13][17] make the game disorienting and sometimes frustrating to play. Rob Allsetter wrote in Sega Saturn Magazine, "Although Crimewave has its moments, it's let down by gameplay that's too repetitive and controls that are often frustrating."[16] GamePro's Coach Kyle similarly described it as "an average driving/shooting game that's neither varied enough nor thrilling enough to offer great gunplay."[17][lower-alpha 1] Shawn Smith and Crispin Boyer of Electronic Gaming Monthly were slightly more positive, with Boyer opining, "Crime Wave doesn't offer revolutionary graphics or especially innovative gameplay. It's just a fun title that delivers plenty of arcade action." Co-reviewers Dan Hsu and Sushi-X fell more in line with the majority; Hsu said the game made him throw his controller down in frustration.[9] Ryan MacDonald of GameSpot concluded that CrimeWave "isn't bad", but that the gameplay is limited and average enough that it becomes dull after a relatively short time.[13]

Next Generation had a different take, arguing that the level design and controls are brilliant, but that the mid-level loading "leaves the player frustrated and transforms it into a merely noteworthy game instead of a classic."[15]

Notes

  1. ↑ GamePro gave the game 3.5/5 for graphics, 3.5/5 for sound, 2/5 for control, and 3/5 for fun factor.

References

  1. ↑ "Crime Wave". 1997-06-06. http://www.sega-saturn.com/saturn/software/crimewave.htm. 
  2. ↑ "Crimewave: No One Is Innocent". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (88): 206. November 1996. 
  3. ↑ "NG Alphas: Crimewave". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (23): 115. November 1996. https://archive.org/details/NextGeneration23Nov1996/page/n115/mode/2up. Retrieved July 26, 2021. 
  4. ↑ "INTERVIEW: Jim Blackler". http://www.segacollection.com/specials/jimbinterview.htm. 
  5. ↑ "Coming Soon: Crime Wave [sic"]. Sega Saturn Magazine (EMAP) (8): 13. June 1996. https://archive.org/details/Sega_Saturn_Magazine_Issue_08_1996-06_EMAP_Images_GB/page/n11/mode/2up. Retrieved July 26, 2021. 
  6. ↑ "CrimeWave Playable Demonstration Disk (Europe)". https://www.satakore.com/sega-saturn-demo,,610-6455,,Crimewave-Playable-Demonstration-Disk-EUR.html. 
  7. ↑ Romero, Joshua. "CrimeWave - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=7701&tab=review. 
  8. ↑ Edge staff (January 1997). "Crime Wave [sic]". Edge (Future Publishing) (41): 92. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Smith, Shawn; Boyer, Crispin; Hsu, Dan; Sushi-X (February 1997). "Review Crew: Crime Wave [sic]". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (91): 57. 
  10. ↑ Lucas, Victor (May 22, 1997). "CrimeWave". Greedy Productions, Inc.. http://www.elecplay.com/sega/crimewave.html. 
  11. ↑ "クライムウェーブ [セガサターン"] (in ja). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=15096&redirect=no. Retrieved July 26, 2021. 
  12. ↑ "Crimewave [EU Import"]. Game Informer (FuncoLand) (45). January 1997. http://www.gameinformer.com/jan97/cwave.html. Retrieved July 26, 2021. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 MacDonald, Ryan (April 22, 1997). "CrimeWave Review [date mislabeled as "May 2, 2000""]. CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/crimewave-review/1900-2533853/. 
  14. ↑ IGN staff (May 6, 1997). "CrimeWave Review". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/05/06/crimewave-review. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Crimewave". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (32): 117. August 1997. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_32/page/n117/mode/2up. Retrieved July 26, 2021. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Allsetter, Rob (December 1996). "Review: Crimewave". Sega Saturn Magazine (EMAP) (14): 82–83. https://archive.org/details/Sega_Saturn_Magazine_Issue_14_1996-12_EMAP_Images_GB/page/n81/mode/2up. Retrieved July 26, 2021. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Coach Kyle (February 1997). "Saturn ProReview: Crime Wave [sic]". GamePro (IDG) (101): 84. 
  • 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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