Software:Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball

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Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball
Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball
North American box art
Developer(s)Tose[1]
Publisher(s)Tonkin House[1]
Brøderbund[1]
Composer(s)Yuko Sano
Platform(s)NES[1]
Release
Genre(s)Sports (softball) [1]
Mode(s)Single-player
Multiplayer (up to 2 players)

Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball (released in Japan as Softball Tengoku) is a one- or two-player NES video game where players can select various fictional softball players and customize their own team to take to the championship.[2]

Gameplay

In 1-player mode, the player attempts to win one game on each available field. Upon doing so, the player then faces a difficult all-female team called "The Amazons" on the professional field. Defeating the Amazons beats the game. In 2-player mode, players play an "exhibition game."

Players choose either fast-pitch or slow-pitch mode, the playing field, a team of ten players from the 60 available characters, and a team name from a list of 26 names, one for each letter of the alphabet.

Despite the game being a softball game, the rules are more reminiscent of baseball, with the exception that each game is played to a maximum of seven innings (unless extra innings are needed to break a tie). The game also features a mercy rule, with the game ending if someone leads by 10 or more runs after an entire inning is played.

Characters

Players assemble their teams from 60 characters, some of whom have noticeable trademarks. For instance:

  • Diablo looks like an ogre. He bats with a club, and runs very slowly.
  • Zelda looks like a witch, and bats with a broom.
  • Froggy skips as he runs.
  • Casey has the ability to float in the air while playing defense.[3]

Fields

The game features six different playing fields, each with its own features and ground rules.

  • Sandlot: Based on a traditional sandlot, the field has areas with high grass and rocks that can interfere with a live play. To hit a home run, the player only has to hit a ball over the "home run line," not beyond the fence.
  • Park: There is a pond in foul territory. The area beyond the home run line has trees, park benches, and a mud puddle that can interfere with the play.
  • Cliff: Any hit that rolls under the picket fence in right field is a ground-rule double.
  • School: Based on a schoolyard. A fly ball that lands beyond the home run line is a home run, but if it breaks a window on the school building then it's an automatic out instead.
  • Island: Similar to a professional field, with an outfield fence.
  • Professional: Standard field. Only available in 1-player mode after defeating the computer on the other five fields.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "Release information". GameFAQs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/data/587257.html. Retrieved 2008-08-12. 
  2. ↑ "Basic information". NES Player. http://www.nesplayer.com/features/famicom/7.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-12. 
  3. ↑ "Dusty Diamond's All-Star Softball / Softball Tengoku". 30-30.club. https://30-30.club/wiki/dusty-diamonds-all-star-softball-softball-tengoku/. Retrieved 2023-12-03. 
  • 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 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]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

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. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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