Software:Dragon Lore

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Short description: 1994 video game
Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins
European DOS cover art
Developer(s)Cryo Interactive
Publisher(s)Mindscape
Director(s)Fabrice Bernard
Designer(s)Fabrice Bernard
François Marcela Froideval
Johan K. Robson
Programmer(s)Fabrice Bernard
Composer(s)Stéphane Picq
SeriesDragon Lore
Platform(s)DOS, 3DO
ReleaseDOS
  • EU: 1994
  • NA: December 1994
3DO
Genre(s)Adventure game
Mode(s)Single-player

Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins is a point-and-click adventure game released in 1994 by Cryo Interactive for MS-DOS, and later ported to the 3DO video game console.[1][2] The game was a commercial success, with sales of 300,000 units by 1997.[3] An emulated version was released for Microsoft Windows and macOS in 2013.[4]

Gameplay

Dragon Lore is a point and click adventure game seen from the first person perspective. The player character must interact with various characters in a fantasy atmosphere, solve puzzles, and fight enemies. Fighting with enemies depends largely on equipment found and some enemies are not defeated in face to face confrontation, but by solving puzzles.[5][6]

Plot

Werner Von Wallenrod, a farm boy uncovers that he is the orphaned son of Axel von Wallenrod, a "Dragon Knight." Werner sets out to uncover his past and reclaim his heritage. Werner's ultimate goal is to earn the favor of enough of the current Dragon Knights so as to be voted into their order. He also has to deal with his rival, Haggen Von Diakkonov.[7]

Release

The game was bundled with multimedia kits such as the Reveal kit that featured a SC400 sound card, speakers, and a large bundle of multimedia software, including games and educational titles. Besides Dragon Lore, this kit featured another Cryo Interactive game, MegaRace. At the time, many personal computers were not equipped with CD-ROMs and sound cards out of the box, and users wanting these features may have chosen their kit based on the pack-in software.

In Spain , it was originally marketed in an edition with Spanish texts and English voices. In 1996 it was re-released by Planeta DeAgostini as part of the Juegos CD-ROM collection together with Cyclemania, in a new Spanish dubbed edition.[citation needed]

GOG.com released an emulated version for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X in 2013.[8]

Technical issues

The PC version had relatively high memory requirements, which made the game difficult to run unless the user first edited the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files and/or created a boot disk.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGWStarStarStar (DOS)[10]
Next GenerationStarStarStar (DOS)[11]
PC Gamer (US)82%[9]

Dragon Lore was a commercial success, with sales of 300,000 units by 1997.[3]

A reviewer for Next Generation applauded the game for its fast-moving rendered graphics, captivating plot, and gratifyingly difficult puzzles in its later sections. He added that the inclusion of fighting segments, in addition to being satisfying of themselves, serve to break up the monotony that puzzle adventure games sometimes suffer from.[11]

Computer Gaming World praised the game for its "tremendous graphics" and "meaningful game options" but criticized how the game world appeared "too empty and non-interactive"[12]

GamePro's brief review of the 3DO version stated, "Smooth, rendered 3D animation and voice clips accompany the great mythological storyline to make up a well-rounded game. RPG fans will enjoy the attention to detail as well as the intuitive motions and menus ... slow access time is one of the few setbacks."[13]

Legacy

Cryo Interactive released a sequel named Dragon Lore II: The Heart of the Dragon in 1996.[14]

See also

  • List of Cryo Interactive video games

References

  1. ↑ "Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins (1994)". https://www.mobygames.com/game/dragon-lore-the-legend-begins. 
  2. ↑ "Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins" (in en). https://www.igdb.com/g/3cm. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ichbiah, Daniel (1997). La saga des jeux vidéo. Pocket. p. 324. ISBN 2-266-08763-0. https://archive.org/details/lasagadesjeuxvid00dani. 
  4. ↑ "Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins" (in en). https://www.gog.com/game/dragon_lore_the_legend_begins. 
  5. ↑ "Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins (Game)" (in en). https://www.giantbomb.com/dragon-lore-the-legend-begins/3030-12917/. 
  6. ↑ "Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins - Review". http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/reviews/49. 
  7. ↑ "Dragon Lore – Hardcore Gaming 101" (in en-US). http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/dragon-lore/. 
  8. ↑ "Release: Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins". CD Projekt. November 14, 2013. https://www.gog.com/news/release_dragon_lore_the_legend_begins. 
  9. ↑ Ward, Trent (May 1995). "Dragon Lore". PC Gamer US. http://www.pcgamer.com:80/reviews/1335.html. 
  10. ↑ Peter Olafson (January 1995). Computer Gaming World - Issue 126. p. 150. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_126.pdf. Retrieved October 29, 2015. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Dragon Lore". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (6): 107. June 1995. 
  12. ↑ Olafson, Peter (1995-01-01). "When Men Were Men And Dragons Were Dragons". Computer Gaming World. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_126.pdf. Retrieved 2021-08-08. 
  13. ↑ "Quick Hits: Dragon Lore". GamePro (IDG) (92): 72. May 1996. 
  14. ↑ "Dragon Lore II: The Heart of the Dragon Man (1996)". https://www.mobygames.com/game/dragon-lore-ii-the-heart-of-the-dragon-man. 
  • Dragon Lore at Giant Bomb
  • 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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