Software:Edge of Nowhere

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Edge of Nowhere
Developer(s)Insomniac Games
Publisher(s)Oculus Studios
Director(s)Brian Allgeier
Composer(s)Michael Bross
EngineInsomniac Engine
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
ReleaseJune 6, 2016
Genre(s)Survival Horror, Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Edge of Nowhere is an action-adventure virtual reality video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Oculus Studios. The player controls adventurer Victor Howard as he ventures into Antarctica in order to find his fiancée's lost expedition while encountering unworldly beasts. Edge of Nowhere is based on the work of H.P. Lovecraft, At the Mountains of Madness. The game released on June 6, 2016, exclusively for the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset on Microsoft Windows.[1]

Plot

Victor Howard (based on William Dyer) is searching for his fiancé, Ava Thorne, who is part of a lost expedition in Antarctica. His plane crashes near the shore, killing his co-pilot and leaving him stranded. As he ventures deeper into a dark monstrous world, reality twists and warps around him. Desperate to find the one he loves, Victor must encounter disturbing creatures and climb sheer cliff walls as he descends further into madness from the Great Old Ones that hide deep in the mountain range.

Gameplay

The player climbing up a wall using ice axes

In Edge of Nowhere, the player controls the protagonist Victor Howard (voiced by Robin Atkin Downes) throughout his journey to find his fiancée, Ava Thorne (voiced by Chantelle Barry) who, along with the rest of her scientific expedition, went missing.[1][2]

The game takes place from the third person, with the camera following behind Victor. Besides controlling the camera, head tracking is used to move the direction of the flashlight and to aim weapons.[3] An Xbox Controller is used as the main method of input for the game, as the title precedes the Oculus Touch controllers. Stealth sections are present, the player must avoid Lovecraftian creatures by staying out of their paths or using objects like stones to distract them. The game features numerous climbing sequences, either requiring the use of ice axes to scale walls, or climbing on marked ledges to reach the top.

Development

In an interview the CEO of Insomniac Games, he discussed the collaborative process with Oculus Studios, saying that "They'll give us research that they've created by taking people through various iterations of our games and another games, and they'll share those findings with us and we apply them in our designs." The developers faced challenges with camera movement specifically, as they couldn't move it too fast otherwise the player might become motion-sick.

Designing areas was also a challenge, as they had to be laid out in a way that didn't make the camera go up or backwards too much to avoid player discomfort. The controls had to be simplified with a developer stating "When you're wearing a headset you can't see the controller that you're holding in your hand, so you have to be a little bit more thoughtful about how you lay out your buttons on the controller and what you ask players to do in your game".[4]

The Antarctic setting was chosen as it allowed for the heavy use of fog and other stylized elements in order to reach a high framerate necessary for virtual reality.[5]

As for music, the composer for the game, Michael Bross mentioned some of the differences in scoring a virtual reality game, "there are differences in how the music itself can be mixed and presented in the game. With VR, we have an opportunity to make the music more immersive in a way where it envelops the player, not just in a horizontal space but also in a vertical sense."[6]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic71/100[7]
Review scores
PublicationScore
4Players75%[8]
Destructoid6.5/10[9]
Eurogamer(Recommended)[10]
Game Informer7.5/10[11]
GameSpot8/10[12]
IGN6.7/10[3]
Jeuxvideo.com16/20[13]
PC Gamer (UK)58%[1]
Polygon7.5/10[2]

Edge of Nowhere received above-average reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[7]

Peter Brown, writing for GameSpot, praised the immersive quality that virtual reality brought to the game, writing, "Edge of Nowhere is a third-person experience, but being enveloped in a headset, cut off from the real world, makes the sense of being consumed by darkness and tight-spaces feel eerily convincing". However, he criticized the storage limits on ammunition in the game "when I can't pick up a cache of shotgun ammo lying in an abandoned camp because I'm already carrying four shells... I'm brought back to reality; I'm playing a video game that unreasonably limits my abilities in order to inflate tension".[12]

Game Informer's Jeff Cork liked the game's use of virtual reality to create a sense of scale for the game, "Drops of a few hundred feet aren’t uncommon, and looking down from a precipice is exhilarating". While Cork praised the enemy variety, he criticized the game's implementation of stealth. "Monsters have a knack for getting randomly alerted, however, which gets frustrating. That makes navigating the stealth in some of the cave networks tricky, since it’s hard to get a solid sense of your position in the world; you can’t simply rotate the camera."[11]

In a mixed review for Destructoid, Jed Whitaker criticized the game's overreliance on climbing walls, saying it wasn't interesting and that Edge of Nowhere devoted too much time to the mechanic over its brief runtime. He enjoyed the hallucination sections from the game "While it isn't exactly all that original, I found it to be the best part of the game." He was mixed on the use of virtual reality, feeling that the surround sound helped the game create tension, but that it was difficult to move the camera quickly due to the weight of the headset.[9]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Davenport, James (June 8, 2016). "Edge of Nowhere review". PC Gamer (Future plc). https://www.pcgamer.com/edge-of-nowhere-review/. Retrieved November 22, 2024. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kuchera, Ben (June 6, 2016). "Edge of Nowhere review". Vox Media. https://www.polygon.com/2016/6/6/11852898/edge-of-nowhere-review-insomniac-vr-oculus-rift-pc-windows. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Stapleton, Dan (June 7, 2016). "Edge of Nowhere Review". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2016/06/07/edge-of-nowhere-review. 
  4. ↑ Alvarez, Edgar (March 19, 2016). "Insomniac's CEO on the challenges of making games for VR". Yahoo! Inc. https://www.engadget.com/2016-03-19-insomniac-games-ted-price-interview-gdc-2016.html. 
  5. ↑ Gilyadov, Alex (July 29, 2016). "Edge of Somewhere: How Insomniac Games is Pushing the VR Industry Forward". UVR Media, LLC. https://www.uploadvr.com/insomniac-games-virtual-reality-industry/. 
  6. ↑ Moore, Dan (June 26, 2017). "Interview: Composer Michael Bross talks Insomniac's 'Edge of Nowhere'". https://nerdreactor.com/2017/06/26/interview-michael-bross-edge-of-nowhere/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Edge of Nowhere". Fandom. https://www.metacritic.com/game/edge-of-nowhere/. 
  8. ↑ Oertel, Mathias (July 11, 2016). "Test: Edge of Nowhere (VR)" (in de). 4Players GmbH. https://www.4p.de/test/edge_of_nowhere/81938. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Whitaker, Jed (June 6, 2016). "Review: Edge of Nowhere". Gamurs. https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-edge-of-nowhere/. 
  10. ↑ Donlan, Christian (June 10, 2016). "Edge of Nowhere review". Gamer Network. https://www.eurogamer.net/edge-of-nowhere-review. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Cork, Jeff (June 7, 2016). "Edge of Nowhere Review". Game Informer (GameStop). https://www.gameinformer.com/games/edge_of_nowhere/b/pc/archive/2016/06/07/edge-of-nowhere-review-game-informer.aspx. Retrieved November 21, 2024. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Brown, Peter (June 6, 2016). "Edge of Nowhere Review". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/edge-of-nowhere-review/1900-6416447/. 
  13. ↑ Panthaa (July 7, 2016). "Test: Edge of Nowhere : Quand Tomb Raider rencontre The Thing en réalité virtuelle !" (in fr). Webedia. https://www.jeuxvideo.com/test/511500/edge-of-nowhere-quand-tomb-raider-rencontre-the-thing-en-realite-virtuelle.htm. 
  • 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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