Software:Eternam

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Eternam
PC cover art
Developer(s)Infogrames
Publisher(s)Infogrames
Designer(s)Hubert Chardot
Platform(s)MS-DOS, FM Towns
Release1992 (MS-DOS)
1993 (FM Towns)
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Eternam is a graphical adventure game from Infogrames, released originally in 1992 for MS-DOS. A CD-ROM version with full speech was published in 1993.[1] The game was developed by Hubert Chardot, who is better remembered from his Lovecraft-themed games Shadow of the Comet and Prisoner of Ice. While the game is mainly a two-dimensional adventure game, it contains a three-dimensional subgame, which pays homage to Drakkhen, a roleplaying game from Infogrames.[2][3] This game was re-released digitally on GOG.com in mid 2019.[4]

Plot

The plot of Eternam combines futuristic elements with historical settings. The player assumes the role of officer Don Jonz in Orion United Forces, who is starting a vacation in the planet Eternam. The planet is described as a galactic amusement centre, where different islands represent different periods of Earth's history.[2][3]

After arriving on the planet and changing into a costume of barbarian warrior, Don Jonz learns that his archenemy Mikhail Nuke has taken over Eternam. The player must then make their way through the five islands of Eternam to Nuke's lair. The only help is planet's one remaining technician, Tracy, who has digitized herself into Eternam's network.[2][3]

The game contains references to various historical eras, such as Ancient Egypt and the French Revolution . The locations are often absurd and contain anachronisms – for instance, statues of a medieval castle are addicted to television.[2][3]

The story of this game is mainly based on the movie Westworld, its sequel Futureworld, and the short-lived television series, Beyond Westworld. In these movies Delos, the owner of an amusement park, offers vacation for rich people in areas which represent different time periods such as West World (the American Old West), Medieval World (medieval Europe), Roman World (pre-Christian Rome) and Futureworld; and in these amusement parks the attendants are androids and they are almost indistinguishable from human beings.

Gameplay

The overworld of Eternam is represented as a three-dimensional subgame, which resembles a first-person shooter. The islands Eternam are filled with flying reptiles, which attack the player. The player can defend themselves by shooting the reptiles, by pressing the space bar. The 3D engine was developed by Frederic Raynal, who is better known for his work on the Alone in the Dark and Little Big Adventure series.[2][3]

Within towns and buildings, the game changes into a two-dimensional adventure game. The game is hampered by the fact that while it is structured as a point-and-click adventure, it lacks mouse support, requiring icons describing possible actions to be activated by keyboard commands. All interesting items in a room are automatically revealed by a vector line combining the player character with the item in question, allowing them to be selected. Later the same engine was used in Shadow of the Comet, and in the CD version mouse support was added, to remove this limitation.[2][3]

Reception

In comparison with other adventure games and action adventures of Infogrames, Eternam has remained in obscurity.[2] German magazine Power Play SH in 1992 gave the game a score of 76%. The reviewer noted that the variety of locations compensated for the technical deficiencies, although the game was not up to the standards of Lucasfilm adventure games.[5] Computer Gaming World in 1993 called Eternam "a first-rate adventure", with "hefty doses of humor" in a "remarkably compelling story".[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Eternam Entry at MobyGames". MobyGames. http://www.mobygames.com/game/eternam. Retrieved 2012-06-11. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 "Hardcore Gaming 101: Eternam". https://hg101.kontek.net/eternam/eternam.htm. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "Plato's Cavern". http://platoscavern.com/m/742966. 
  4. ↑ "Eternam release at GOG.com". GOG.com. July 2, 2019. https://www.gog.com/news/release_eternam. Retrieved 2019-07-13. 
  5. ↑ Eisenmenger, Richard. "Eternam". Power Play SH (4/1992). 36.
  6. ↑ Greenberg, Allen L. (September 1993). "Capstone's Eternam". Computer Gaming World: 50. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=110. Retrieved 30 July 2014. 


  • 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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