Software:Dark Rift

From HandWiki
Short description: 1997 video game
This page is about the video game. For the feature in the Milky Way galaxy, see Great Rift (astronomy). For other uses, see Dark Rift (disambiguation).
Dark Rift
North American Nintendo 64 box art
Developer(s)Kronos Digital Entertainment
Publisher(s)Vic Tokai
Designer(s)Stan Liu
Albert Co
Matt Arrington
Andy Koo
Ted Wornock
John Paik
Platform(s)Nintendo 64, Windows
ReleaseNintendo 64
  • NA: July 8, 1997[1]
  • EU: July 30, 1997
Windows
  • NA: October 22, 1997
Genre(s)Fighting
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Dark Rift is a 1997 fighting video game developed by Kronos Digital Entertainment and published by Vic Tokai for the Nintendo 64 and Microsoft Windows. It is notable for being the first N64 game to run at 60 frames per second.[2]

Though Dark Rift has been referred to as the Nintendo 64's first native fighting game,[3] in actuality it started development as a Sega Saturn game.[4][5] In addition, it was originally announced that the Windows version of the game would precede the Nintendo 64 version by one month.[6]

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot

Players choose from eight playable characters to start; there are also two hidden characters which are unlocked by completing the game in single-player mode.[7] Fights go for a default three-out-of-five rounds, as opposed to the more conventional two-out-of-three.[3]

Plot

Dark Rift takes place far in the future, sometime after the events of Criticom. Gameplay spans three dimensions: the Neutral Dimension (where Earth is located), the Dark Dimension (home to demons), and the Light Dimension (home to energy beings). Although the creatures of the Dark Dimension are demonic, there is no indication that the inhabitants of the Light Dimension have any angelic qualities.

The crystal (the acquisition of which is the main motivation of the characters of Criticom) turns out to be the Core Prime Element of a Master Key, one which holds the power to all the secrets in the universe. The Master Key was found eons ago lodged in a spatial tear. When it was retrieved it burst into three pieces, sending two pieces into alternate dimensions, and widening the tear into the game's namesake Dark Rift.

Development

It was originally announced under the title "Criticom II",[8] and is the second of three fighting games developed by Kronos Digital, falling between Criticom and Cardinal Syn. Stan Liu (head and founder of Kronos) said "we got stuck doing fighting games for a while simply because we were one of the very few U.S. game developers that actually made a fighting game. Hence, Dark Rift and Cardinal Syn."[9]

Unlike its predecessor Criticom, motion capture was used to create all the fighter animations in Dark Rift.[10] The animation work was directed by Ted Warnock, whose background was in traditional animation.[7]

The game was localized to Japan under the name Space Dynamites[lower-alpha 1] on March 27, 1998.[11]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings57% (N64)[12]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Edge5/10 (N64)[13]
EGM5.625/10 (N64)[14][lower-alpha 2]
Famitsu24/40[11]
Game Informer6.5/10[15]
GameFan80%[16][lower-alpha 3]
GameSpot5/10 (N64)[3]
GameStar49% (WIN)[17]
Hyper71%[18]
IGN5.4/10 (N64)[2]
N64 Magazine72% (US)[19]
69% (EU)[20]
Next GenerationStarStarStar (N64)[21]
Nintendo Power3.725/5 (N64)[22]

Dark Rift received generally mixed reviews. A number of critics deemed it a dramatic improvement over Kronos's previous fighting game, Criticom.[23][2][21] Doug Perry of IGN, for example, concluded that "Kronos has overcome its Criticom syndrome: the level of character detail is there, the many chained combos, the feel of the game, the variety of fighters and fighting styles are all good. Dark Rift shines through its weaknesses, and, for the time being, can be called the best fighter on Nintendo 64."[2] The most widely praised aspects were the graphics[14][23][3][2] and animation;[14][3][2][21] Shawn Smith of Electronic Gaming Monthly went so far as to compare it to Virtua Fighter 3 (a game which ran on cutting edge arcade hardware) in this respect. However, he and his three co-reviewers further commented that the game is weak in every other respect,[14] and Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot said that it "feels like a Virtua Fighter-inspired mishmash of monsters, demons, and guys with guns. The graphic effects are the only things that save Dark Rift from falling below average."[3] By contradiction, Perry and a Next Generation critic both highly praised the character designs, particularly Demonica and Morphix.[2][21]

The specific criticisms of the game varied. Perry and EGM's Dan Hsu said that the projectiles are slow to the point of being useless.[14][2] Edge criticized Dark Rift for lacking original features, calling it an average fighting game that "fails to produce a single surprise or elicit one impressive moment of action."[13] GamePro found the combos too difficult to perform, but nonetheless deemed Dark Rift "a fast, fun, polygon-based 3D fighting game that's imaginative with its use of graphics, and may break ground for other poly-fighters like Tekken on the N64."[23][lower-alpha 4]

Notes

  1. ↑ Space Dynamites (スペースダイナマイツ, Supēsu Dainamaitsu)
  2. ↑ Four critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Nintendo 64 version each a score of 6/10, 4.5/10, 5.5/10, and 6.5/10.
  3. ↑ In GameFan's early viewpoint of the Nintendo 64 version, three critics gave it each a score of 78, 80, and 82.
  4. ↑ GamePro gave the Nintendo 64 version 4.5/5 for graphics, 4.0/5 for fun factor, 3.5/5 for control, and 4.0/5 for sound.

References

  1. ↑ IGN staff (July 8, 1997). "Dark Rift Arrives". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/07/09/dark-rift-arrives. Retrieved December 27, 2020. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Perry, Doug (July 10, 1997). "Dark Rift". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/07/11/dark-rift. Retrieved December 27, 2020. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Gertsmann, Jeff (July 10, 1997). "Dark Rift Review [date mislabeled as "April 28, 2000""]. CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/dark-rift-review/1900-2544304/. Retrieved December 27, 2020. 
  4. ↑ "Dark Rift (Preview)". Electronic Gaming Monthly (84): 77. July 1996. 
  5. ↑ "E3: Dark Rift". GamePro (IDG) (95): 49. August 1996. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_085_August_1996/page/n49/mode/2up. Retrieved December 27, 2020. 
  6. ↑ "In the Studio". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (24): 17. December 1996. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_24/page/n17/mode/2up. Retrieved December 27, 2020. "Dark Rift has been penciled in for launch in April '97, one month after the title appears on PC.". 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Dark Rift: Stick It To Your Enemy...Literally!". Electronic Gaming Monthly (95): 78. June 1997. http://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-1955-78.jpg. Retrieved December 27, 2020. 
  8. ↑ "Video Game Graveyard: Criticom II". CNET. http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/vg_graveyard/saturn_03.html. Retrieved June 25, 2012. 
  9. ↑ Lui, Chi Kong (April 4, 2001). "Interview with Stan Liu – Part 1". https://gamecritics.com/chi-kong-lui/interview-with-stan-liu-part-1/. Retrieved December 27, 2020. 
  10. ↑ "Dark Rift (Preview)". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (91): 52. February 1997. http://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-1951-52.jpg. Retrieved December 27, 2020. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "スペースダイナマイツ [NINTENDO64"] (in ja). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=14526&redirect=no. Retrieved December 27, 2020. 
  12. ↑ "Dark Rift for Nintendo 64". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/n64/197049-dark-rift/index.html. Retrieved December 27, 2020. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Dark Rift". Edge (Future Publishing) (49): 82. September 1997. http://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-1699-82.jpg. Retrieved December 27, 2020. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Smith, Shawn; Hsu, Dan; Boyer, Crispin; Williams, Ken "Sushi-X" (June 1997). "Dark Rift". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (95): 43. http://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-1955-43.jpg. Retrieved December 27, 2020. 
  15. ↑ McNamara, Andy; Anderson, Paul; Reiner, Andrew (June 1997). "Dark Rift - Nintendo 64". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (50). http://www.gameinformer.com/june97/rift.html. Retrieved December 27, 2020. 
  16. ↑ Halverson, Dave "E. Storm"; Jevons, Dan "Knightmare"; Griffin, Mike "Glitch" (June 1997). "Dark Rift". GameFan (Metropolis Media) 5 (6): 18. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_5_Issue_06/page/n19/mode/2up. Retrieved December 27, 2020. 
  17. ↑ "Dark Rift" (in de). GameStar (Webedia). February 1998. 
  18. ↑ Fish, Eliot (March 1998). "Dark Rift (N64)". Hyper (Next Media Pty Ltd) (53): 44–45. https://archive.org/details/hyper-053/page/44/mode/2up. Retrieved December 27, 2020. 
  19. ↑ "Dark Rift (Import)". N64 Magazine (Future Publishing) (5). August 1997. 
  20. ↑ Davies, Jonathan (December 1997). "Dark Rift". N64 Magazine (Future Publishing) (9): 54. http://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-480-54.jpg. Retrieved December 27, 2020. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 "Dark Rift". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (31): 155. July 1997. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_31/page/n159/mode/2up. Retrieved December 27, 2020. 
  22. ↑ "Dark Rift". Nintendo Power (Nintendo of America) 98: 97. July 1997. http://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-440-97.jpg. Retrieved December 27, 2020. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Scary Larry (July 1997). "Nintendo 64 ProReview: Dark Rift". GamePro (IDG) (106): 80. 
  • 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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