Software:El Viento

From HandWiki
Short description: 1991 video game
For other uses, see Software:El Viento (disambiguation).
El Viento
Cover art for the Japanese version
Developer(s)Wolf Team
Publisher(s)
  • JP: Wolf Team
  • NA: Renovation Products
Director(s)Hiroyuki Kayano
Producer(s)Masaaki Uno
Programmer(s)Yukihiko Tani
Hiroshi Izumino
Artist(s)Kazutoshi Yamane
Writer(s)Chishio Otsuyama
Composer(s)Motoi Sakuraba
Platform(s)Genesis
Release
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

El Viento (エル・ヴィエント, Eru Viento, from Spanish meaning "The Wind") is a 1991 platform game developed and published by Wolf Team for the Sega Genesis. It is the first in a trilogy of games, which includes Earnest Evans and Anett Futatabi, despite taking place after the former.[3]

Gameplay

El Viento is a platform game. The player has access to an endless supply of bladed boomerangs and eventually up to five spell attacks. Each level ends in a fight against a stage boss.[4]

Plot

The game shares the same fictional universe with Earnest Evans, and happens several years later. It also features many references to H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. The game takes place in New York City during the late 1920s, when cult leader Henry, the gangster Al Capone (Vincente DeMarcoto in the American localization), and a sorceress named Restiana plot to awaken the ancient and malevolent god Hastur. There are some people that have descended from Hastur's ancient bloodline, one of which is the young Peruvian sorceress, Anett Myer. With some assistance from Earnest Evans, Anett attempts to stop the cult from resurrecting Hastur using the very spells of this bloodline.

Reception

El Viento was given mixed but mostly positive reviews, including being rated 93% by Joystick in France,[5] 66% by Super Play,[6] and 68% by Video Games[7] in Germany. Damian Butt from Sega Pro gave it a score of 89%: "With super fast graphics and brutal gameplay, El Viento will take your breath away."[4] On the other hand, Entertainment Weekly gave it a D−, opining that "only the game's amusing historical anachronisms-like denim-clad blond bikers wielding scimitars-save it from rating as a total failure."[8] MegaTech gave a score of 80% summarizing: "A tough 'n' challenging platform which doesn’t look particularly hot, but is surprisingly addictive and keeps you playing for ages."[9]

Retrospectively, Rodger Swan from Sega-16 gave this "great and challenging action game" an 8 out of 10 in spite of being at times "far too difficult," stating: "It may not have as pretty graphics or music as the Valis titles, but it has some really fast game play that gets players in the mood for action. This is a game that I encourage all action fans to pick up, and fans of Valis will appreciate the sense of speed!"[10] According to Kurt Kalata of Hardcore Gaming 101, "overall, it's a bit of a sloppy game, with haphazard action and iffy level design, but the fast pace and overall craziness make this worth looking into, especially since it's one of Wolf Team's better titles."[3]

References

  1. ↑ "The Road to Renovation Products: El Viento". Electronic Gaming Monthly (27): 102. October 1991. https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_27/page/n101/mode/1up. Retrieved January 10, 2022. 
  2. ↑ "Software List (Software Licensee Release)" (in ja). Sega Corporation. https://www.sega.jp/history/hard/megadrive/software_l.html. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kalata, Kurt. "Hardcore Gaming 101: Earnest Evans Series". Hardcore Gaming 101. http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/earnestevans/earnestevans.htm. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Out-of-Print Archive • Mega Drive reviews • El Viento". Outofprintarchive.com. https://www.outofprintarchive.com/articles/reviews/MegaDrive/ElViento-SegaPro1-1.html. 
  5. ↑ "El Viento article image" (in fr) (JPG). Download.abandonware.org. https://download.abandonware.org/magazines/Joystick/joystick_numero021/Joystick%20021%20-%20Novembre%201991%20-%20Page%20144.jpg. 
  6. ↑ "Die Powerplay und ASM Fan Site". Kultpower.de. https://www.kultpower.de/powerplay_testbericht_extern.php3?im=elviento.jpg. 
  7. ↑ "Video Games (1991-04)(Markt & Technik)(DE)". April 1991. https://archive.org/stream/Video_Games_1991-04_Markt_Technik_DE/Video_Games_1991-04_Markt__Technik_DE#page/n27/mode/2up/. 
  8. ↑ "El Viento | Digital Review". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,309729,00.html. Retrieved 2015-11-12. 
  9. ↑ "El Viento review". MegaTech (EMAP) (1): 77. December 1991. https://archive.org/details/mega-tech-uk-01/page/n76/mode/1up. Retrieved June 2, 2024. 
  10. ↑ "Sega-16 – El Viento". Sega-16.com. 2007-03-12. https://www.sega-16.com/2007/03/el-viento/. 
  • 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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