Software:Crimson Gem Saga

From HandWiki
Crimson Gem Saga
Developer(s)IRONNOS
Publisher(s)
  • WW: NateGames
(iOS)
Platform(s)PlayStation Portable
iOS
ReleasePlayStation Portable
  • JP: October 23, 2008
  • NA: May 26, 2009
iOS
  • NA: August 3, 2010
Genre(s)RPG
Mode(s)Single-player

Crimson Gem Saga is a role-playing video game developed for the PlayStation Portable and iOS. It was developed by South Korean studio IRONNOS and published in Korea by SK Telecom as Astonishia Story 2. It was released in North America on May 26, 2009 by Atlus under the title Crimson Gem Saga, and was released in Japan under the title Garnet Chronicle by Sega.

The game is set in the world of Latein, where, unbeknownst to the public, an artifact formerly known as the Crimson Gem is being sought. One of the parties caught up in the whirlwind is Killian von Rohcoff, a recent graduate of the Green Hill Chevalier Academy, the game's protagonist. The game is a sequel in story to Astonishia Story, but since much of the game's mechanics were changed, the title in all regions was also changed.

Gameplay

Combat in Crimson Gem Saga is similar to many turn-based RPGs. The most noticeable quirk is the ambush system. If contact between the player's icon and a generic monster icon occur on a field map, a battle will occur. If the player touches the monster icon while the monster is facing away from the player, the player will gain an immediate preliminary attack with the combined force of all party members. If the monster has a "!" symbol appear above their head, and contacts the player after that symbol disappears, the enemy may begin battle with a preemptive attack on the player with the combined force of all the enemy party members.

The game also features a weapon and skill customization system, as well as combination attacks that include anywhere from 2 to 4 party members.

Story

The story of the game revolves around the protagonist Killian von Rohcoff, who seems to always be on the wrong end of fate. He somehow gets caught up with the search for a powerful ancient artifact.

Characters

Killian von Rohcoff: Killian is the protagonist of this game. When the game begins we find him attempting to shake off the effects of last night's partying in order to make it in time to attend his own graduation.

Herbert von Guterrian: Herbert is Killian's rival, and they've been enemies since the day they first met at Green Hill Academy. He constantly annoys Killian with his arrogance, his unique laugh, and the way that he always beats Killian at everything.

Spinel: Spinel is an elf, and a self-described "treasure hunter extraordinaire". She meets up with Killian at the beginning of the game and only further complicates his life.

Jeffrey: Jeffrey also meets up with Killian at the beginning of the game, and is probably the only character who has even worse luck than Killian. He first runs into Killian while in the middle of a dispute with Spinel.

Henson: Henson's a mysterious, wise-cracking mage who is both quick with a burning insult and a burning fireball. Not much is known about his past.

Gelts: Gelts is a former priest who has renounced his old ways. Now his hobbies include boozing and womanizing. He wields a giant hammer in battle.

Lahduk: Lahduk is even more mysterious than Henson, and likely even more powerful.

Acelora: Acelora is one of the Radiant Crusaders that serve the Order of Light. She's quickly rising through the ranks, and thinks of nothing other than aiding the Order.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings(PSP) 79.02%[1]
(iOS) 69.75%[2]
Metacritic(PSP) 78/100[3]
(iOS) 70/100[4]
Review scores
PublicationScore
GamePro(PSP) StarStarStarStar[5]
(iOS) StarStarStarHalf star[6]
GameSpot5/10[7]
GamesRadar+StarStarStarHalf star[8]
GameZone8.5/10[9]
IGN8.4/10[10]
PSMStarStarStarStar[11]

The game was met with positive to average reception. GameRankings and Metacritic gave it a score of 79.02% and 78 out of 100 for the PSP version,[1][3] and 69.75% and 70 out of 100 for the iOS version.[2][4]

Most reviewers noted that the game doesn't do anything particularly innovative or new, but it follows the formula so well that they can forgive that. Many of the early reviews have also favorably commented on both the quality of the writing,[12] and the quality of the voice acting.[13] GameSpot has been the most critical so far, with their reviewer noting that they felt the game was simple and uninspired.[7]

iOS release

On August 3, 2010 Crimson Gem Saga was released on Apple's App Store for iOS. It was featured on the App Store's "New and Noteworthy"[14] category for Role Playing iOS Games specifically and for all iOS Games, "Top Grossing Role Playing Game"[15] and "What's Hot"[16] categories. It has not been updated for years, and no longer functions on the current iOS.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Crimson Gem Saga for PSP". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/psp/950794-crimson-gem-saga/index.html. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Crimson Gem Saga for iOS (iPhone/iPad)". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/iphone/604469-crimson-gem-saga/index.html. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Crimson Gem Saga for PSP Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/crimson-gem-saga/critic-reviews/?platform=psp. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Crimson Gem Saga for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/crimson-gem-saga/critic-reviews/?platform=ios-iphoneipad. 
  5. ↑ Koehn, Aaron (May 26, 2009). "Review: Crimson Gem Saga (PSP)". GamePro. http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/210425/crimson-gem-saga. 
  6. ↑ Rigney, Ryan (August 13, 2010). "App Store Games of the Week: August 13th Edition". GamePro. http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/216105/app-store-games-of-the-week-august-13th-edition. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Stella, Shiva (May 26, 2009). "Crimson Gem Saga Review (PSP)". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/crimson-gem-saga-review/1900-6210259/. 
  8. ↑ Aquino, Ian (June 11, 2009). "Crimson Gem Saga review (PSP)". GamesRadar. http://www.gamesradar.com/crimson-gem-saga-review/. 
  9. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (May 25, 2009). "Crimson Gem Saga - PSP - Review". GameZone. http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/crimson_gem_saga_psp_review. 
  10. ↑ Bishop, Sam (May 27, 2009). "Crimson Gem Saga Review (PSP)". IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2009/05/27/crimson-gem-saga-review. 
  11. ↑ "Crimson Gem Saga". PlayStation: The Official Magazine: 79. August 2009. 
  12. ↑ Love, Jamie (May 27, 2009). "Review: Crimson Gem Saga". Toronto Thumbs. http://www.torontothumbs.com/2009/05/27/review-crimson-gem-saga/. 
  13. ↑ Chandran, Neal (May 26, 2009). "Crimson Gem Saga (PSP)". RPGFan. http://rpgfan.com/reviews/Crimson_Gem_Saga/index.html. 
  14. ↑ Official Facebook Fan Page 1
  15. ↑ Official Facebook Fan Page 2
  16. ↑ Official Facebook Fan Page 3
  • Official North American website from Atlus U.S.A.
  • 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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