Software:F1 ROC II: Race of Champions

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Short description: 1993 video game
Exhaust Heat II
F1 ROC II: Race of Champions
North American cover art
Developer(s)SETA
Publisher(s)SETA
Designer(s)Mitsuhiro Takeda
Composer(s)Masanao Akahori[1]
H.Nakayama[1]
SeriesExhaust Heat
Platform(s)Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Release
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player

F1 ROC II: Race of Champions, originally released in Japan as Exhaust Heat II (エキゾースト・ヒートII),[3] is a 1993 racing video game developed and published by SETA Corporation for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the sequel to F1 ROC: Race of Champions, and similarly features Formula One licensing. Unlike that game, F1 ROC II was not released in Europe.

Gameplay

Moon City, the first track of F1 ROC II.

Gameplay is mostly like the first F1 ROC, though this game features a new system of handling that greatly resembles later F-ZERO games; normal turning is 'ice'-like, and tapping the accelerator (referred to as 'boost turning' in F-ZERO) corrects the vehicle.

The game's career structure is no longer simply a Formula One season, and is now similar to games like the PC Engine version of F1 Dream or Software:Formula One: Built to Win; starting from smaller local races, one progresses through the Group C division, Formula 3000, and finally Formula One.

Once the player reaches the Formula One part, things change. First, they must choose one of three teams: Footwork, Larrousse, and Benetton. Second, the season's tracks must be done in order, instead of being able to choose or even re-race a track like in the earlier divisions. Third, this part uses a season standings system in addition to keeping the times of individual races; the object of the game changes from simply winning the races to acquiring as many points as possible in order to win the championship. Finally, the game becomes more punishing: hitting obstacles, frequent usage of the pit stop, and other careless mistakes will destroy championship hopes just like in the real Formula One.

Development

The ST-0010.

The hardware of F1 ROC II features the ST010 (also known as the NEC μPD96050) DSP chip, which is used for general functions and for handling the intelligence of the computer cars. The chip presumably allowed computer-controlled drivers to perform realistically aggressive maneuvers, emulating the speed and accuracy of real Formula One drivers, considered a rarity at the time.[4]

However, the chip's program ROM was eventually extracted, where it was found that only a fraction of the chip's space was used for these specific instructions, and that the algorithms themselves were relatively simple.[5]

Reception

GamePro acknowledged F1 ROC II's large amount of content, smooth control, and the innovative mechanics fueled by the game's custom DSP chip, but rated the overall game as "only above-average", citing poor sound effects and a lack of detail in the car graphics.[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Composer information and sound dump at SNES Music
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Release date". GameFAQs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/snes/data/588317.html. 
  3. ↑ Packaging bears an additional subtitle, F1 Driver he no Kiseki (F1ドライバーへの軌), which is not used in the game. Note that the kana given in the packaging does not have any type of numeral.
  4. ↑ "Repasamos 10 juegos de SNES que necesitaron de cartuchos especiales" (in es). Univision. Univision Communications. August 18, 2016. https://www.univision.com/entretenimiento/cultura-pop/repasamos-10-juegos-de-snes-que-necesitaron-de-cartuchos-especiales. 
  5. ↑ "SNES Development Wiki". 24 May 2022. https://wiki.superfamicom.org/st010. 
  6. ↑ "F1 Tries Hard to Roc". GamePro (IDG) (64): 184. November 1994. 
  • 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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