Software:Fairway Solitaire

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Fairway Solitaire
Developer(s)Big Fish Studios
Babaroga (Windows Phone)
Publisher(s)Big Fish Games
Designer(s)John Cutter
EngineJava
Platform(s)Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, Windows Phone
Release2007
February 15, 2012 (iOS)[1]
2013 (Windows Phone)[2]
Genre(s)Card (Solitaire)
Mode(s)Single player

Fairway Solitaire, alternatively titled Fairway is a casual video game based on the classic card game solitaire and developed by Big Fish Studios. The game is digitally distributed and is available from Big Fish Games.

Gameplay

Fairway Solitaire presents players with a modified type of solitaire with a golf theme. In the game, players use golf clubs and playing cards to clear the table. The goal in Fairway Solitaire is to play through a collection of 70 courses with each course offering a different type of challenge. Once the challenge is met, the next course is unlocked and the player advances in the tournament. Players may be awarded trophies for accomplishing various tasks. Often they are rewarded along with in-game cash or prizes. In addition to the main tournament, daily challenges are available for players to win trophies. Players' scores are recorded and ranked against all other players on the same platform. Additionally, statistics are kept for each player and trophies are awarded for predefined achievements. Adding to the challenge of the game is a gopher, known as Gutsy McDivot, who will stop at nothing to get revenge on the golfers who killed his ancestor, Bravetooth. As the player progresses, cutscenes are shown of McDivot making a contraption he dubs the "Golfinator".

Each Fairway Solitaire course offers water hazards and sand traps. Water hazards are special water cards which must be cleared from the board before the cards to its right are revealed. Sand traps are sand cards which are not revealed until the 'sand wedge' card is uncovered. Occasionally, a player will reveal an iron card. Iron cards have a specific golf club on them and act as magic playing cards without breaking the current drive. A person may play a club at any time to continue adding to a long drive. The clubs are restricted to the 2-9 irons. During Fairway Solitaire game play, wild cards are randomly revealed. One may choose to randomly select an event or pay to skip the risk. The cost to skip is either two cards or $300. These wild cards offer varying opportunities and challenges.

The Fairway Solitaire Club House has a golf shop wherein players can purchase equipment to help them during tournament play. The equipment assists the player during actual game play or during wild card play. Items may vary depending on gender. Handicaps which improve a player's performance on a course can be purchased in the shop with Golf bucks, an in-game currency that is earned through gameplay. Golf bucks can also be used to purchase additional courses for the game.

Development

The Mac version of Fairway Solitaire omits 'Solitaire' from the title, retitling it to just Fairway.[3] A "completely rewritten" version of the Mac version titled Fairway Collector’s Edition was also released.[3] A port of Fairway Solitaire was planned as a launch title for the Windows Phone 8, but was delayed for a year, ultimately releasing in 2013.[2]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Inside Mac Games9.25/10 (Mac)[3]
Pocket Gamer8/10 (iOS)[4]
TouchArcadeStarStarStarStar (iOS)[5]

Fairway Solitaire received generally positive reviews from critics. Multiple critics noted the game as 'strategic'.[3][4][6] Kotaku called its game design as "clever",[7] and Pocket Gamer described the game's combination of golf and solitare as "inventive", calling it "hugely enjoyable" due to the "surprising amount of strategic opportunity" in its gameplay.[4] Game Informer noted it as "hopelessly addict[ing]", and called it "a great puzzle game with a surprising amount of depth and strategy".[6] TouchArcade also praised it as 'addicting', stating in regards to its gameplay that "what it lacks in difficulty it makes up for in sheer mindless entertainment".[5]

Inside Mac Games praised the amount of content in the game, stating that the game has a "great feeling of variety", but criticized the fact that the iOS version has features not present in the Mac version, such as daily courses and additional minigames. IMG praised the game's attention to detail, as well as itscartoony graphics and "funny" cutscenes, further expressing that "everything is beautifully drawn and animated". IMG noted the game's music, sound effects, and golf commentators as highlights of the game, saying that it has "the best voice work I've ever heard in a game".[3]

During the 16th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Fairway Solitaire for "Casual Game of the Year" and "Mobile Game of the Year".[8][9][10]

Legacy

In 2011, Big Fish Games released a sequel titled Fairway Fever, a timed version of the game released on Facebook,[11] which was later made unavailable by 2013, and incorporated as an additional mode in the Mac version of Fairway.[3] A second sequel, Fairway Solitaire Blast, was released on April 3, 2014[12] for iOS & Android devices.[13][14]

References

  1. ↑ Wilson, Will (February 15, 2012). "Golf meets cards in freemium game Fairway Solitaire for iOS". Steel Media. https://www.pocketgamer.com/fairway-solitaire/golf-meets-cards-in-freemium-game-fairway-solitaire-for-ios/. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Acevedo, Paul (June 13, 2013). "Fairway Solitaire finally arrives on Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8". Mobile Nations. https://www.windowscentral.com/fairway-solitaire-finally-arrives-windows-phone-8-and-windows-8. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Hallas, Richard (January 2, 2013). "Fairway Collector's Edition". http://www.insidemacgames.com/reviews/view.php?ID=1237. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Wales, Matt (February 27, 2012). "Fairway Solitaire". Steel Media. http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPhone/Fairway%2BSolitaire/review.asp?c=38206. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Campbell, Nissa (February 22, 2012). "'Fairway Solitaire' Review – A Card Game that's More than the Sum of its Parts". https://toucharcade.com/2012/02/22/fairway-solitaire-review-a-card-game-thats-more-than-the-sum-of-its-parts/. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Reiner, Andrew (February 22, 2012). "My New Addiction: Fairway Solitaire". Game Informer (GameStop). https://www.gameinformer.com/blogs/editors/b/gireiner_blog/archive/2012/02/22/my-new-addiction-fairway-solitaire.aspx. 
  7. ↑ Totilo, Stephen (February 23, 2012). "Trust Me. Fairway Solitaire Is an iPhone Solitaire Game You Should Play.". Gawker Media. https://kotaku.com/trust-me-fairway-solitaire-is-an-iphone-solitaire-game-452565312. 
  8. ↑ "D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details Fairway Solitaire". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. https://www.interactive.org/games/video_game_details.asp?idAward=2013&idGame=1253. 
  9. ↑ Haley, Sebastian (February 7, 2013). "Journey dominates the 2013 D.I.C.E. Awards (full winner list)". https://venturebeat.com/2013/02/07/dice-2013-awards/. 
  10. ↑ Parker, Laura (February 7, 2013). "Journey wins big at D.I.C.E. Awards". CBS Interactive. http://www.gamespot.com/news/journey-wins-big-at-dice-awards-6403336. 
  11. ↑ Webster, Andrew (November 18, 2011). "Fairway Fever Review". http://www.gamezebo.com/games/fairway-fever/review. 
  12. ↑ Albert, Brian (April 3, 2014). "Fairway Solitaire Blast is Out Today". IGN Entertainment. https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/04/03/fairway-solitaire-blast-is-out-today. 
  13. ↑ Squires, Jim (April 3, 2014). "Fairway Solitaire Blast Review". http://www.gamezebo.com/games/fairway-solitaire-blast/review. 
  14. ↑ Slater, Harry (April 4, 2014). "Fairway Solitaire Blast". Steel Media. http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/iPhone/Fairway%2BSolitaire%2BBlast/review.asp?c=58791. 
  • Official website
  • 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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