Software:Dragon Riders: Chronicles of Pern

From HandWiki
Short description: 2001 video game
Dragon Riders: Chronicles of Pern
Developer(s)Ubi Studios UK
Publisher(s)Ubisoft
Designer(s)Oliver Sykes
SeriesDragonriders of Pern
Platform(s)Dreamcast, Windows
ReleaseDreamcast
  • NA: August 8, 2001
  • PAL: February 8, 2002
PC
  • NA: August 12, 2001
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Dragon Riders: Chronicles of Pern is an adventure game published by Ubisoft in 2001.

The game takes place on the fictional planet Pern created by science fiction writer Anne McCaffrey for her Dragonriders of Pern series of novels. The story, divided into four chapters, follows the dragonrider D'kor who, with the help of his dragon Zenth, searches for girls to be candidates for Impressing a new young gold dragon. Various side-plots are developed throughout the game including a bit of intrigue involving an epidemic sickness that is somewhat reminiscent of the storyline in McCaffrey's novel Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern. The game contains over 120 locations on three continents. The player interacts and speaks with over 170 characters.

Critical reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
DreamcastPC
CGMN/AStarHalf star[1]
GameSpot6.2/10[2]4.9/10[3]
GameSpyN/A33%[4]
IGN3.6/10[5]3.8/10[6]
PC Gamer (US)N/A44%[7]
PC ZoneN/A63%[8]
Aggregate score
Metacritic46/100[9]44/100[10]

The game received "generally unfavorable reviews" on both platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[9][10] The initial version also caused performance problems for users with Pentium 4 processors until a patch was released.[11]

Several sites reviewed the PC version more positively, particularly praising the story. Games Domain called it "an absolute must for fans of the series – it's as engrossing and complex as the best of Anne McCaffrey's novels, and as a stand-alone story, it's fun and well worth it".[12] Quandary said: "It's an absorbing adventure-cum-interactive story with a lot of people to converse with, a lot of good deeds to do, and an arch baddie to expose".[13] The Dreamcast version was better received than the PC version, with GameSpot saying: "Dragonriders is hardly a terrible game, but it has its share of issues and won't appeal to a large group of gamers".[2]

References

  1. ↑ Todd, Brett (October 29, 2001). "DragonRiders: Chronicles of Pern". theGlobe.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040812135632/http://www.cgonline.com/reviews/dragonride-01-r1.html. Retrieved November 20, 2014. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Shoemaker, Brad (September 4, 2001). "Dragonriders: Chronicles of Pern Review (DC)". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/dragonriders-chronicles-of-pern/1900-2810280/. Retrieved August 31, 2016. 
  3. ↑ Dulin, Ron (September 5, 2001). "Dragonriders: Chronicles of Pern Review (PC)". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/dragonriders-chronicles-of-pern-review/1900-2810545/. Retrieved August 31, 2016. 
  4. ↑ Bub, Andrew S. (October 2, 2001). "Dragonriders: Chronicles of Pern (PC)". IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 3, 2001. https://web.archive.org/web/20011003201424/http://www.gamespy.com/reviews/september01/dragonriders/. Retrieved November 30, 2018. 
  5. ↑ Chau, Anthony (September 4, 2001). "Dragon Riders - Chronicles of Pern (DC)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/09/04/dragon-riders-chronicles-of-pern-2. Retrieved November 30, 2018. 
  6. ↑ Sulic, Ivan (October 1, 2001). "Dragon Riders - Chronicles of Pern (PC)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/10/01/dragon-riders-chronicles-of-pern. Retrieved August 31, 2016. 
  7. ↑ Preston, Jim (December 2001). "Dragon Riders: Chronicles of Pern". PC Gamer (Future US) 8 (12). Archived from the original on March 15, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060315144840/http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/07/dragon_riders_c.html. Retrieved November 30, 2018. 
  8. ↑ "PC Review: Dragonriders: Chronicles of Pern". PC Zone (Future plc). 2001. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Dragon Riders: Chronicles of Pern for Dreamcast Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/dragonriders-chronicles-of-pern/critic-reviews/?platform=dreamcast. Retrieved November 30, 2018. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Dragonriders: Chronicles of Pern for PC Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/dragonriders-chronicles-of-pern/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved August 31, 2016. 
  11. ↑ IGN staff (September 14, 2001). "Dragonriders Gets a Little Padding". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/09/14/dragonriders-gets-a-little-padding. Retrieved August 31, 2016. 
  12. ↑ Hildrew, Steve (August 2001). "DragonRiders: Chronicles of Pern (PC)". Yahoo. Archived from the original on January 10, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040110062304/http://www.gamesdomain.com/gdreview/zones/reviews/pc/aug01/pern.html. Retrieved November 20, 2014. 
  13. ↑ Young, Rosemary (September 2001). "DragonRiders: Chronicles of Pern (PC)". Archived from the original on June 22, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080622130007/http://www.quandaryland.com/jsp/dispArticle.jsp?index=375. Retrieved November 20, 2014. 
  • 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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