Software:Eric the Unready

From HandWiki
Short description: 1993 video game
Eric the Unready
Cover art by Boris Vallejo
Developer(s)Legend Entertainment
Publisher(s)Legend Entertainment
Designer(s)Bob Bates
Programmer(s)
  • Duane Beck
  • Glen R. Dahlgren
  • Michael Lindner
Artist(s)
  • Tanya Isaacson
  • Paul Mock
  • Kathleen Bober
Composer(s)Glen R. Dahlgren
Platform(s)MS-DOS
Release1993
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Eric the Unready is an adventure game developed and published by Legend Entertainment for MS-DOS in 1993. Eric the Unready is a parody of the fantasy genre in general, though it parodies numerous other topics as well, ranging from Star Trek to Zork. It tells a comedic story of the titular unqualified knight on a quest to rescue a princess. The game also adapts the character Morgan le Fay from Arthurian legend. The game was well received.

Gameplay

The game engine of Eric the Unready uses an interactive fiction style interface. A graphical display of the player's location and viewpoint is provided in a window. Other windows can feature a point-and-click interface, including a listing of the player's inventory and a command list with multiple-choices menus.

Plot

According to a prophecy, King Fudd the Bewildered is expected to die next week, and the unmarried princess at his side shall inherit the Kingdom. His legitimate daughter, Princess Lorealle the Worthy, comes to the castle to be on his side but disappears mysteriously the next day. Early in the game, the player learns of the scheme by Fudd's wife and Lorealle's stepmother, the wicked Queen Morgana the Black, who plots with her lover Sir Pectoral to have her daughter by a previous marriage to be on the dying King's side and therefore become the sole heir. Lorealle has been abducted and held in the castle of Morgana's witch sister with the intent to marry the evil Beast in order to be excluded from the prophecy. In order to make certain that Lorealle will be not rescued in time by any knight, Morgana conspires so that the Union Hall picks the most incompetent and unworthy of them, Eric the Unready – the player character.

Bud the Wizard (a pun on Budweiser) informs the player that in order to access the castle, he must find several magical items: the Pitchfork of Damocles, in the leaves of the tallest tree in the Enchanted Forest; the Crescent Wrench of Armageddon, within the walls of Blicester Castle; the Raw Steak of Eternity, guarded by the Stygian Dragon; the Crowbar of the Apocalypse in the mists around the Mountain of the Gods; and the Bolt Cutters of Doom owned by an enchanter in the Swamp of Perdition. Each mission is somehow timed: the evil Sir Pectoral is after him; if the player takes too long to reach the object, the game will end. With each acquisition, Eric creates some disaster, usually an explosion, which hurls him to the next area the following day. The player can collect a newspaper from each area/day which describes Eric's latest mishaps and other fictional "news" of the game world, usually puns on pop culture. Eric's final destination is the witch's castle, where he uses the magical objects to open its gate. He then prevents the Princess' wedding and destroys the Beast along with a castle full of monsters. After that, the King orders Morgana and her daughter to be exiled along with Sir Pectoral, and Sir Eric and Princess Lorealle are about to marry.[1]

Reception

Eric the Unready received positive reviews, including being rated 4 out of 5 stars from Dragon,[2] and scoring 78% and 75% from German magazines PC Games and PC Players, respectively.[3][4] Compute! review stated: "Perfectly realized from concept to execution, Eric the Unready is a rare treat that's not to be missed."[5] The game received or was nominated to several awards and accolades, including Computer Game Review Golden Triad Award, Game Bytes Editor's Choice Award, Computer Choice Awards (finalist), and Strategy Plus Adventure Game of the Year (Nominee).[6] Computer Gaming World magazine in 1993 named it Adventure Game of the Year (with Star Control II),[7] in 1994 called it "a comic masterpiece",[8] and featured it in their 1996 list of the "150 Best Games of All Time" in 103rd place, also ranking it as #9 Funniest Computer Game, #11 Most Memorable Game Hero, and #7 Most Rewarding Ending.[9]

Jim Trunzo reviewed Eric the Unready in White Wolf #36 (1993), rating it a 3 out of 5 and stated that "If you're ready to face the dreaded Ninja Attack Turtles, prepared to thwart the diabolical plans of the evil Queen Morgana and her lover Sir Pectoral, and ready to help the farmer get his beloved daughter, who has been turned into a pig, out of the muck in the bottom of the outhouse, you're ready to become Eric the Unready!"[10]

See also

  • Æthelred the Unready, a historical English king.

References

  1. ↑ "Aktueller Software Markt - Sonderausgabe 1993/20". https://archive.org/stream/Aktueller_Software_Markt_-_Sonderausgabe_1993.20/Aktueller%20Software%20Markt%20-%20Sonderausgabe%201993.20#page/n17/mode/2up/. 
  2. ↑ Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (May 1993). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (193): 57–63. 
  3. ↑ "PC.Games.N007.1993.04-fl0n". 10 April 2014. https://archive.org/stream/PC.Games.N007.1993.04-fl0n#page/n53/mode/2up/. Retrieved 26 November 2014. 
  4. ↑ "PC Player forever - History Spieletests". http://www.pcplayer.de/history/spieletests/gametest.php?game=etu=2. Retrieved 2016-08-12. 
  5. ↑ "Eric the Unready". http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/issue156/96_Eric_the_Unready.php. Retrieved 2016-08-12. 
  6. ↑ "Awards". http://www.bobbates.com/bob_awards/. Retrieved 2016-08-12. 
  7. ↑ "Computer Gaming World's Game of the Year Awards". Computer Gaming World: 70–74. October 1993. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=111. Retrieved 25 March 2016. 
  8. ↑ Wilson, Johnny L. (August 1994). "The Toxic Humormonger". Computer Gaming World: 46–48. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=121. 
  9. ↑ "150 Best Games of All Time". Computer Gaming World: 64–80. November 1996. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1996&pub=2&id=148. Retrieved 25 March 2016. 
  10. ↑ Trunzo, Jim (1993). "The Silicon Dungeon". White Wolf Magazine (36): 29-30. https://imgur.com/a/sNm33TN. 
  • 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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