Software:CyberRace

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CyberRace
Manual front-cover
Developer(s)Cyberdreams
Publisher(s)Cyberdreams
Designer(s)Syd Mead
Platform(s)MS-DOS
Release
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player

CyberRace is a futuristic single player racing game developed and published by Cyberdreams in 1993 for MS-DOS. It features flying car vehicles, called sleds, designed by industrial designer Syd Mead.

The 1995 game Cyber Speedway is a spiritual sequel to CyberRace.[1]

Plot

In the game manual the background setting for the game's universe is told. There are two main rivaling empires: Terra and Kaladasia. After the galaxy was nearly destroyed, war battles were replaced with racing competition. The player in the role of Clay Shaw is forced to become a sled pilot for the Terran team, as his girlfriend is held captive by a Terran agent named Dobbs. Terra wants Shaw as a pilot because his father, John Shaw, was a well-known, successful pilot, and Clay is hoped to become equally good.

Gameplay

The player can select strategy options and equipment for the sled before the race. The races take place on different planets which provide the background for the racing circuits. The player must fly the sled along the circuit for several rounds, the number of rounds increasing with progression in the game. The player and computer-generated competitors can use weapons (e.g. missiles) and shields.

Cockpit view during the race.

Release

CyberRace was released in two editions: on six 3½-inch floppy disks and on one Compact Disc. Both packages included a manual, a quick reference card, a small plastic model of a racing sled and a signed card by Syd Mead. As the game was programmed for DOS, playing it on modern PCs is usually not possible under modern operating systems without the use of an emulator such as DOSBox.

Plastic model of a sled, part of the game package.

Reception

Reception
Review score
PublicationScore
Hyper75%[2]

Computer Gaming World stated in February 1994 that CyberRace was "primarily action intensive", but that with Mead helping to develop the storyline, "the story itself may actually eclipse game play", with "strong appeal among sci-fi fans and racing enthusiasts".[3] A longer review in March 1994 described the graphics as "spectacular ... amazing" and the racing as "a lot of fun", albeit "fairly easy" after time. It reported, however, that CyberRace did not live up to the hype of a game "from the man who brought you Blade Runner", stating that Mead's influence was only visible in the sled designs and that good voice acting did not compensate for poor writing, non-racing animation, and not enough playtesting. The magazine concluded that "CyberRace is a fun, visually stunning race simulator with a rather weakly constructed and executed narrative framework".[4] In April 1994 the magazine said that "while the racing can be mildly interesting ... an uninteresting plot and characters fail to keep interest, despite some pretty neat artwork".[5]

In 1996, Computer Gaming World declared CyberRace the 39th-worst computer game ever released.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Grand Chaser". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (4): 65. April 1995. 
  2. ↑ Mansill, Ben (February 1994). "CyberRace". Hyper (3): 60. https://archive.org/details/hyper-003/page/60/mode/2up?q=%22james+pond+3%22. Retrieved July 2, 2021. 
  3. ↑ "Taking A Peek". Computer Gaming World: 212–220. February 1994. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=115. 
  4. ↑ Schuytema, Paul C. (March 1994). "Go, Go Syd's Racers". Computer Gaming World: 48, 50. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=116. 
  5. ↑ "Invasion Of The Data Stashers". Computer Gaming World: 20–42. April 1994. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=117. 
  6. ↑ Staff (November 1996). "150 Best (and 50 Worst) Games of All Time". Computer Gaming World (148): 63–65, 68, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 84, 88, 90, 94, 98. 
  • 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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