Software:Culdcept Saga

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Culdcept Saga
Developer(s)OmiyaSoft, Jamsworks
Publisher(s)Namco Bandai Games
Writer(s)Tow Ubukata
Composer(s)Kenji Ito
Platform(s)Xbox 360
Release
  • JP: November 22, 2006
  • NA: February 5, 2008
Genre(s)Board game, Collectible card game
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Culdcept Saga (カルドセプト サーガ, Karudoseputo Sāga) is a video game in the Culdcept series developed exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game console. It is the first entry for a Microsoft console in the franchise.

A demo of the title was made available to Xbox Live users on December 4, 2007. The demo includes two different pre-made card decks and supports both single player gameplay and local multiplayer for up to four players.[1] Initially released in Japan in 2006, the full game wasn't released in North America until more than a year later, in February 2008, but has never been released in Europe or Australia.

Story

As the game begins, the player-nameable "Boy" protagonist sells himself into slavery to help his struggling village. While departing the village with his new owner, the two encounter a mysterious woman carrying a deck of magical cards which respond powerfully to the young man's presence. As the woman, Princess Faustina, pleads with the slaver to release the boy (whom she refers to as "the savior"), all three are set upon by Rilara, a traveling bandit. It is here that the young man, controlled by the player, learns that he is actually a Cepter, a powerful individual who can control magical cards. Using cards borrowed from Faustina, he defeats Rilara and begins his journey towards becoming a master Cepter.

The protagonist is sold by the slaver to an arena, and must fight other Cepters to earn his freedom. When he finally does, Faustina takes him to her home, the Advatarian Empire. Her father tells her to go to the four neighboring elementally-themed lands and negotiate for peace. However, after they finish doing this, it is revealed that the king only did it as a ploy to launch an all-out attack. The protagonist must flee along with Faustina to avoid execution. Soon after, Faustina is kidnapped by High Priest Sapphius, one of the world's most powerful Cepters, who seeks to destroy the Empire and the world.

Too weak to resist the High Priest, the protagonist is forced to undergo the Trials, an ancient proving grounds for Cepters overseen by Diarna, a former Imperial knight who became a hermit. He passes them, despite the interference of Rilara, and becomes a true Cepter, learning that a Cepter's purpose is to reassemble the cards into Culdcept, the book of creation. Meanwhile, the High Priest attacks and destroys the Empire. The protagonist can choose to travel to the Northern or Southern Continent to face the High Priest, but, each time, Faustina perishes, either by the hand of the High Priest or his own. Both times, he reassembles Culdcept, and is granted the power of a god by the world's goddess Zeromn, but he chooses to return to the past, as he finds creating a world pointless without Faustina alive.

Finally, the protagonist is able to choose a third option, going to the island between the continents. There, aided by Rilara, who has now become a true Cepter herself, the protagonist convinces Faustina, who had joined the High Priest, to rejoin him, and fights Sapphius. It is revealed that Sapphius was being manipulated by Baltias, an evil god who cast a curse on Culdcept. The protagonist defeats Baltias, and both he and Faustina become gods together, finally creating a new world.

Gameplay

Drawing a card at the start of a turn.

As in Monopoly, players in Culdcept Saga roll dice and move around a game board, attempting to claim spaces and assess fees against other Cepters who land there. Unlike Monopoly, squares are claimed by summoning creatures to guard them, and players who land on them can opt to challenge this creature with one of their own rather than pay the toll. If successful, the challenger claims ownership of the square. The winner of the game is the first player to return to the starting location after amassing a sufficient quantity of magic/mana.

Cards

Creatures are summoned from customized decks ("books") of cards which players design ahead of time from their available pool of cards. Other cards in these decks bestow items to temporarily enhance creature abilities, or represent spells which can influence players or locations on the game board. The standard gameplay options fix the size of each deck at 50 cards, although this is customizable during multiplayer matches.

There are nearly 500 different cards in total, but players must earn the majority of these through skillful play and story mode progression before they can be used. Cards are earned simply for completing a match, regardless of whether one wins or loses, although the winner earns a greater number of cards than the opponent(s).

Strategy

While the game relies somewhat heavily on luck,[2] strategy and planning play a strong role as well. Players have a choice over what cards make up their decks, as well as when to play those cards. The squares in the game consist of different terrain or elemental types (fire, earth, water, or air), and a creature's defense power is raised when the element of the square is in accordance with the placed color of the creature there. Also the offensive capabilities of creatures can be bolstered by deploying them on an aligned square. Several more powerful creatures can only be summoned when a certain number of squares of a given terrain type are already controlled.

Players must also decide when to upgrade the squares which they currently control. Upgraded squares exact higher magic tolls than non-upgraded squares when landed on.

New features

As a title in the roughly decade-old Culdcept series, Culdcept Saga expands upon and refines the existing gameplay concept without radically altering it. While more than 300 cards were included from the previous title, some of these were tweaked for balance, and over 100 new cards were added.[3] New features include support for online multiplayer play against up to three other players via Xbox Live, complete with leaderboards and rankings. If desired, custom rules for such online matches can be defined in order to modify the experience. Also new to the series is the ability to unlock various items with which to graphically customize in-game avatars.

Other improvements include high-resolution graphics, now rendered (at least partially) in 3D.

Development

The story for Culdcept Saga was written by Tow Ubukata, a science fiction and anime author.[3]

The main composer for the game's music was Kenji Ito, who worked previously on titles such as those in the SaGa series, as well as earlier Culdcept installments.[4] The massive soundtrack spans 4 CDs, and while not released outside Japan in any physical format, is available on iTunes.[3] Card artwork was provided by a large number of different artists from across Japan, each using their own style and imagination to come up with appropriate illustrations. The time required for the artists to complete their work and then have the images imported into the game totalled over a year.[4]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic75/100[5]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Destructoid7.5/10[6]
EGM7.83/10[7]
Famitsu34/40[8]
(X360) 32/40[8]
Game Informer7/10[9]
GamePro3.75/5[10]
GameRevolutionB[11]
GameSpot8/10[12]
GameSpyStarStarStarHalf star[13]
GameTrailers7.9/10[14]
GameZone7.9/10[15]
Hardcore Gamer3.5/5[16]
IGN6.5/10[17]
OXM (US)7/10[18]

The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[5] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 34 out of 40, while Famitsu X360 gave it a score of one nine, two eights, and one seven for a total of 32 out of 40.[8]

IGN commented that game length can be quite excessive (4+ hours for a single match with multiple opponents) and that the game never really moves too far beyond the core "roll dice, play creature" mechanics.[17] However, they later named the game one of the "hidden gems" of 2008.[19] GameSpy shared concerns about the lengthy time required per match, and noted that the game could be quite frustrating when luck wasn't on one's side, although the review did note that the game included a "clever mix of strategy and good old-fashioned luck".[13] Both reviews expressed dismay and confusion over the way the game routinely shows what cards are in player's hands, observing that this limits elements of strategic surprise. 1Up.com, however, praised its depth and online play.[20]

Culdcept Saga sold 27,960 units in Japan as of November 30, 2008.[21]

GameSpot nominated it for Best Game No One Played.[22] Gaming Target selected it as one of their "40 Games We'll Still Be Playing From 2008."[23]

References

  1. ↑ "Culdcept Saga - Demo". IGN Entertainment. 2007-12-04. Archived from the original on 2008-02-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20080214160727/http://blogs.ign.com/NB_CuldceptSaga/2007/12/04/73447/. 
  2. ↑ Nardozzi, Dale (2008-02-04). "Culdcept Saga Review (Xbox 360)". IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2008-04-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20080410014355/http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1463/Culdcept-Saga/p1/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Litten, Matt (2008-01-30). "VGB Feature: Culdcept Saga Interview With Localization Producer Nobu Taguchi". Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20110717194738/http://www.vgblogger.com/?p=2460. Retrieved 2023-05-10. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Culdcept Saga - The A/V Department". IGN Entertainment. 2008-01-17. Archived from the original on 2008-01-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20080119141426/http://blogs.ign.com/NB_CuldceptSaga/2008/01/17/77344/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Culdcept Saga for Xbox 360 Reviews". Fandom. https://www.metacritic.com/game/culdcept-saga/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox-360. Retrieved 2021-10-10. 
  6. ↑ North, Dale (2008-03-04). "Destructoid review: Culdcept Saga". Gamurs. https://www.destructoid.com/destructoid-review-culdcept-saga/. Retrieved 2021-10-10. 
  7. ↑ EGM staff (February 2008). "Culdcept Saga". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (225): 82. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "カルドセプト サーガ" (in ja). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=443&redirect=no. Retrieved 2023-05-10. 
  9. ↑ Juba, Joe (February 2008). "Culdcept Saga". Game Informer (GameStop) (178): 101. http://gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/1C37DCF6-8185-471F-989E-2B670955A921.htm. Retrieved 2023-05-10. 
  10. ↑ Balistrieri, Emily (May 2008). "Review: Culdcept Saga". GamePro (IDG Entertainment): 84. Archived from the original on 2008-04-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20080401170843/http://www.gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox360/games/reviews/173128.shtml. Retrieved 2023-05-10. 
  11. ↑ Hunt, Geoffrey (2008-03-24). "Culdcept Saga Review". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 2015-09-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20150921204456/http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/culdcept-saga. Retrieved 2023-05-10. 
  12. ↑ McShea, Tom (2008-12-01). "Culdcept Saga Review". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/culdcept-saga-review/1900-6201783/. Retrieved 2021-10-10. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Villoria, Gerald (2008-02-04). "GameSpy: Culdcept Saga". IGN Entertainment. http://xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/culdcept-saga/849417p1.html. 
  14. ↑ "Culdcept Saga". Defy Media. 2008-02-12. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141115055215/http://www.gametrailers.com/reviews/16bmzs/culdcept-saga-review. Retrieved 2023-05-10. 
  15. ↑ Aceinet (2008-02-12). "Culdcept Saga - 360 - Review". Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20081006125308/http://xbox360.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r29485.htm. Retrieved 2023-05-10. 
  16. ↑ Ashby, Alicia "Lynxara"; Hatchett, Geson "Racewing" (April 2008). "Culdcept Saga". Hardcore Gamer (Prima Games) 3 (10). Archived from the original on 2008-03-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20080315211616/http://www.hardcoregamer.com/index.php?option=com_magazine&type=article&id_article=6. Retrieved 2023-05-10. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Ahearn, Nate (2008-02-04). "Culdcept Saga Review". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/02/04/culdcept-saga-review. Retrieved 2021-10-10. 
  18. ↑ Lewis, Cameron (February 2008). "Culdcept Saga". Official Xbox Magazine (Future US): 78. Archived from the original on 2008-02-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20080207085924/http://www.oxmonline.com/article/reviews/xbox-360/a-f/culdcept-saga. Retrieved 2023-05-10. 
  19. ↑ Hwang, Kaiser (2008-12-18). "The Hidden Gems of 2008". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/12/18/the-hidden-gems-of-2008. Retrieved 2023-05-10. 
  20. ↑ Suttner, Nick (2008-02-04). "Culdcept Saga". Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20160307121831/http://www.1up.com/reviews/culdcept-saga. Retrieved 2023-05-10. 
  21. ↑ "Japanese total sales from 10 December 2005 to 17 February 2008". Archived from the original on 2008-03-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20080318173956/http://www.japan-gamecharts.com/360.php. Retrieved 2009-01-10. 
  22. ↑ "GameSpot's Best Games of 2008: Best Game No One Played". Fandom, Inc.. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamespots-best-of-2008-awards/1100-6202606/. 
  23. ↑ GT staff (2009-01-05). "40 Games We'll Still Be Playing From 2008: Part 1". https://www.gamingtarget.com/article.php?artid=9239. Retrieved 2009-01-05. 

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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