Software:Critical Depth (video game)

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Critical Depth
North American cover art
Developer(s)SingleTrac
Publisher(s)GT Interactive
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • NA: November 21, 1997[1]
  • EU: December 1997
Genre(s)Vehicular combat
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Critical Depth is a vehicular combat game made for the PlayStation, developed by the game studio SingleTrac and published by GT Interactive. It was released on November 21, 1997.[1]

Critical Depth is based on the concept and engine of SingleTrac's original best selling Twisted Metal franchise (a demolition derby which permits the usage of ballistic projectiles), but occurs under water.[2] All vehicles in the game are submarines. Players choose a sub and an arena in single mode to engage in fights with opposing sailors. A variety of weapons and upgrades are obtainable by pick-ups scattered throughout the stage as well as each sub having their own exclusive "special weapon". The goal on an arena is to retrieve all five pods, which are scattered throughout the level, and find the escape gateway. Each pod gives its holder an extra power.

The game features three modes of play: a mission/story mode, where the player (or two players cooperatively) can battle through eleven levels; a battle mode, where the player captures pods in a selectable level; and deathmatch, where the player battles against the computer or another human in a split-screen mode.

Story

The story is based on the disappearance of undersea explorer Douglas McKragen and the discovery of five mysterious and powerful alien pod-shaped objects. Twelve different factions enter the sea to find out more about these forces and uncover their mystery, each for its own reasons. Each faction battles several competitors in order to retrieve the pods.

Gameplay

The playable ships are divided into factions, one of which the player must align with at the beginning of the game. Once they do, a mix of the eleven other ships will constantly stand in their way. Four additional characters can be unlocked by reaching certain goals in the game.

Levels are cleared by recovering the four pods found in each level to open a slipgate to the next level.[3]

Development

SingleTrac initially intended to publish Critical Depth themselves.[2] However, during the game's development the company was purchased by GT Interactive, so Critical Depth became the first game to go towards the fulfillment of SingleTrac's terms of acquisition.[4] The game was showcased at E3 1997.[5]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGM7.25/10[6]
GameSpot7.5/10[7]
IGN5/10[8]

Critical Depth received a wide variety of reviews. At one end, GameSpot cited several gameplay innovations and assessed that "It's a worthy successor to SingleTrac's Twisted Metal line and fans of the series should be very pleased."[7] At the other, IGN razed the game's submarine designs, environments, and controls, before concluding, "It's not totally dreadful -- it's fun for a while -- but it just lacks lasting appeal and is filled with irritations. To be honest, the whole thing feels like an early '96 PSX game, and certainly doesn't compare to the likes of Twisted Metal II".[8] Electronic Gaming Monthly's (EGM) four reviewers were evenly split, with Shawn Smith and Howard Grossman saying the game is flawed but enjoyable, while Kraig Kujawa and Kelly Rickards found it slow-paced and unexciting.[6] GamePro similarly judged, "What sets CD apart from Twisted Metal is the game's slow pace. Even with a sub's turbo kicked on, the game drags as you search out enemies in levels that offer too many hiding places."[9]

One point of contention was the game's level of strategic depth. EGM's Shawn Smith and IGN's Jaz Rignall both said that most levels can be won by letting the enemy craft fight each other over the pods, collecting power-ups while waiting for one of them to acquire all five pods, then taking out the remaining enemy to seize the pods and quickly heading to the exit, a strategy which they found too simple and easy.[6][8] GameSpot's Joe Fielder, however, argued that this strategy is not reliable: "Certainly, you can try to hide from the computer opponents and wait until they've worn each other down a bit. But the downside of that is you could find yourself against a much stronger pod-enhanced enemy, or you might even lose the match to a ship that sneaked off through the gateway with all five pods in tow."[7]

The graphics were generally not well-regarded. GameSpot and GamePro both noted considerable draw in,[7][9] while EGM and GameSpot criticized the frame rate[6][7] and IGN cited ugly textures and pixelation.[8] EGM and IGN both praised the game's deathmatch mode as its strongest point.[6][8]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "GT Interactive Blasts Into Retail With New SingleTrac Underwater Action Adventure Game For The Playstation, 'Critical Depth'". November 19, 1997. Archived from the original on February 6, 1998. https://web.archive.org/web/19980206052509/http://www.singletrac.com:80/pressreleases6.html. Retrieved May 14, 2022. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Just Add Water". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (94): 96–97. May 1997. 
  3. ↑ "Critical Depth: SingleTrac Goes Unda' the Sea". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (100): 73. November 1997. 
  4. ↑ "GT Interactive Buys Singletrac, Makes Agreements with BMG and Warner Bros. Interactive". GamePro (IDG) (108): 20. September 1997. 
  5. ↑ "GT Interactive Unleashes New Singletrac Action Thriller, 'Critical Depth,' This Fall". 1997. Archived from the original on July 8, 1997. https://web.archive.org/web/19970708021116/http://www.singletrac.com:80/pressreleases5.html. Retrieved May 14, 2022. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 "Review Crew: Critical Depth". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (102): 159. January 1998. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Fielder, Joe. "Critical Depth Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/critical-depth-review/1900-2547164/. Retrieved 18 August 2020. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Rignall, Jaz (November 18, 1997). "Critical Depth". https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/11/18/critical-depth. Retrieved 18 August 2020. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Scary Larry (January 1998). "PlayStation ProReview: Critical Depth". GamePro (IDG) (112): 94. 
  • Critical Depth at GameSpot
  • 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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