Software:Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom

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Short description: 2002 video game
Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom
Cover art
Developer(s)BreakAway Games
Impressions Games
Publisher(s)Sierra Entertainment
Producer(s)Ed Beach
Jon Payne
Designer(s)Charles Kibler
Ed Beach
Tony Leier
Programmer(s)Andy House
Artist(s)Stephen Langmead
Mike Phillips
Andrea Muzeroll
Composer(s)Jeff van Dyck
SeriesCity Building
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: September 9, 2002
  • EU: September 20, 2002
Genre(s)City-building
Mode(s)Single-player, Multiplayer

Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom is the sixth title in the City Building series. BreakAway Games was contracted for Emperor after having previously worked on Queen of the Nile. Emperor is the last of the series to use the same 2D-sprite game engine as seen in the earlier titles, and the first to introduce a multiplayer option.

Like the earlier games, Emperor focuses on the building and development of a city in ancient times, this time Ancient China, from the Xia Dynasty (2033 BC) to the Song-Jin dynasties (1234 AD).

Gameplay

The most basic task in each mission is to maintain the city. This involves keeping the populace well-fed, healthy, and safe from hazards. If food and basic goods and services are provided in abundance, the city will eventually improve. Beyond this, the player must manage trade and taxes in order to fund further development and expansion.

In the meantime, the player may elect to make offerings to the ancestral heroes, as well as prominent figures in Chinese philosophy, Daoism, and Buddhism. Principally, offerings are made to appease the heroes and prevent them from becoming angry and inflicting disasters upon the city. But heroes can also be made very happy, which can prompt them to visit the city and confer benefits to it.

Beyond the city itself, the player must pay heed to rivals and enemies. Unlike previous city-building games in the series, the player must respond to requests and standing of various other cities, rather than just maintaining favor of the monarch. Troops and guards are necessary to protect the city from military invasions and subterfuge. The player can build defensive walls and man them with archers for improved defense.

Eventually, the player may be required to build monuments, which are costly both in time and materials, giving enemies an opportunity to take advantage of possible weaknesses. As such, building a monument generally requires that the city first establish a strong economy and military.

The seven campaigns of Emperor span nearly 3300 years of classical Chinese history, from the Xia Dynasty to the Jin dynasty and Song dynasty. Notable monuments that can be built include the Great Wall of China, the Grand Canal connecting the Yellow and Yangzi Rivers, and the Terracotta Army. In the first campaign, the player is simply a humble village elder, in charge of leading a nomadic tribe to settle down along the river. In the final levels, the player is servant to the Emperor of China, and oversees the construction of the Imperial capital Zhongdu (modern-day Beijing) and fortifying its defense to foil the invading Mongols and their leader, Genghis Khan.

Foodstuffs, technologies, and religions evolve over the centuries, closely matching the actual history of Chinese culture. Because players serve several dynasties and Emperors throughout the game, they will not always be building the same city. Often, they will be sent to build up a new city, or be sent back to a previous city to accomplish a new goal. In some cases, a city may be revisited after centuries have passed, having changed dramatically or fallen into ruins during the intervening years.

Players may play the campaigns in any order they choose, though the difficulty level ramps up parallel to the chronology. Often the objectives involve producing a set amount of a commodity, conquering other cities, achieving a certain population level, or building a monument.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic77/100[1]
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGMStarStarStarHalf star[2]
CGWStarStarStarHalf star[3]
Game Informer9.25/10[5]
GameSpot7.7/10[6]
GameSpyStarStarStarStar[7]
GameZone9.3/10[8]
IGN8.8/10[9]
Jeuxvideo.com15/20[10]
PC Gamer (US)72%[11]

The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[1] Despite the positive reviews many were critical of the lack of originality and reported little difference between the game and previous Impression games.[citation needed]

In February 2017 the game was re-released on GOG.com.[12]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom Reviews". Red Ventures. https://www.metacritic.com/game/emperor-rise-of-the-middle-kingdom/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved April 27, 2022. 
  2. ↑ "Review: Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom". Computer Games Magazine (theGlobe.com) (144): 88. November 2002. 
  3. ↑ Chick, Tom (November 2002). "Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (220): 126–27. https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_220.pdf. Retrieved April 27, 2022. 
  4. ↑ Grant, Jules (October 8, 2002). "Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom". Greedy Productions Ltd.. Archived from the original on July 2, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20030702210101/http://www.elecplay.com/review.html?article=9813&full=1#mr_toppy. Retrieved April 27, 2022. 
  5. ↑ Brogger, Kristian (September 2002). "Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (113): 93. Archived from the original on September 23, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090923212032/http://gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200209/R03.0801.1428.18143.htm. Retrieved April 27, 2022. 
  6. ↑ Dulin, Ron (September 10, 2002). "Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom Review". Red Ventures. Archived from the original on December 12, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20041212162036/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/emperorriseofthemk/review.html. Retrieved April 27, 2022. 
  7. ↑ Abner, William (September 21, 2002). "GameSpy: Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom". IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on March 9, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070309132212/http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/emperor-rise-of-the-middle-kingdom/593280p1.html. Retrieved April 27, 2022. 
  8. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (September 10, 2002). "Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom Review". Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081006201435/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r19809.htm. Retrieved April 27, 2022. 
  9. ↑ Adams, Dan (September 10, 2002). "Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom". Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 16, 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20020916113156/http://pc.ign.com/articles/370/370608p1.html. Retrieved April 27, 2022. 
  10. ↑ Romendil (December 16, 2002). "Test: Empereur : L'Empire Du Milieu" (in fr). Webedia. https://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0000/00002740_test.htm. Retrieved April 27, 2022. 
  11. ↑ Poole, Stephen (November 2002). "Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 9 (11): 128. Archived from the original on March 15, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060315131511/http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/07/emperor_rise_of.html. Retrieved April 27, 2022. 
  12. ↑ "Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom". CD Projekt. https://www.gog.com/game/emperor_rise_of_the_middle_kingdom. Retrieved March 15, 2020. 
  • 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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