Software:Formula One 99

From HandWiki
Short description: 1999 video game


This page is about the 1999 videogame. For the motor racing season, see 1999 Formula One World Championship.
Formula One 99
Cover art featuring from left to right: Jean Alesi, Michael Schumacher and Mika Häkkinen
Developer(s)Studio 33
Publisher(s)Psygnosis
SeriesFormula One
Platform(s)PlayStation, Microsoft Windows
ReleasePlayStation
  • JP: 21 October 1999
  • EU: 29 October 1999[1]
  • NA: 16 December 1999[2]
Microsoft Windows
  • EU: 10 December 1999
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Formula One 99 is a racing video game developed by Studio 33 and published by Psygnosis for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. Sony Computer Entertainment released the game in Europe on the PlayStation. It is the sequel to the 1998 video game Formula 1 98 and was based on the 1999 Formula One World Championship.

Following the disappointment of Formula 1 98, and the subsequent split with Visual Science, Psygnosis hired Studio 33 to develop Formula One 99, after their successful development of Newman/Haas Racing the previous year. During production of the game, Sony Computer Entertainment acquired Psygnosis, making this the final Formula One game to be released by Psygnosis independently.

The game is unique in having substitute drivers appear in the game as they did in the real 1999 season (such as Mika Salo replacing Michael Schumacher for the races between Austria and Europe). A new grid editor tool was also introduced, allowing players to customise the starting grid to their own liking before a race. Despite the lack of an arcade mode that had featured in previous titles, the game was widely praised as an overwhelming improvement in comparison to the 1998 game.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankingsPS: 78%[3]
Review scores
PublicationScore
EdgePS: 7/10[4]
FamitsuPS: 28/40[5]
Game InformerPS: 7.75/10[7]
GameFanPS: 65%[6]
GameProPS: StarStarStarStar[8]
GameSpotPS: 7.7/10[9]
IGNPC: 4.2/10[10]
PS: 8.5/10[11]
OPM (AU)PS: 8/10[12]
OPM (UK)PS: 8/10[13]
OPM (US)PS: StarStarStarHalf star[14]
PC Gamer (US)PC: 40%[16]
Gamers' RepublicPS: B+[17]

The PlayStation version received "favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[3] Official UK PlayStation Magazine said that the game "put the series back on track after last year's debacle", with top gameplay and a true sense of speed.[13] GameSpot praised the controls and grid editor tool.[9] IGN called it the best F1 game for PlayStation.[11] In Japan, where the PlayStation version was ported and published by Sony Computer Entertainment on October 21, 1999, Famitsu gave it a score of 28 out of 40.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "PlayStation plus 4 New Releases". Daily Mirror: pp. 14. October 29, 1999. https://www.newspapers.com/image/790308680/?terms=%22Formula%20One%2099%22&match=1. 
  2. ↑ "Psygnosis Ships Stellar F1 99". December 16, 1999. http://www.psxnation.com/news/121699c.shtml. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Formula One 99 for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/197373-formula-one-99/index.html. 
  4. ↑ Edge staff (December 1999). "Formula One 99 (PS)". Edge (Future plc) (78). 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "フォーミュラ ワン 99 [PS"] (in ja). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=18874. Retrieved January 18, 2019. 
  6. ↑ "REVIEW for Formula One 99 (PS)". GameFan (Shinno Media). January 3, 2000. 
  7. ↑ Anderson, Paul (January 2000). "Formula 1 '99 (PS)". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (81). https://gameinformer.com/reviews/review_detail.cfm?ITEM_ID=4794. Retrieved January 18, 2019. 
  8. ↑ The Freshman (2000). "Formula One 99 Review for PlayStation on GamePro.com". GamePro (IDG Entertainment). http://gamepro.com/sony/psx/games/reviews/4092.shtml. Retrieved January 18, 2019. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 MacDonald, Ryan (January 4, 2000). "Formula 1 99 Review (PS) [date mislabeled as "April 28, 2000""]. CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/formula-1-99-review/1900-2547603/. 
  10. ↑ Rouse, Rich (May 30, 2000). "Formula One 99 (PC)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/05/31/formula-one-99. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Bishop, Sam (February 2, 2000). "Formula One '99 (PS)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/02/03/formula-1-99-2. 
  12. ↑ "Greymatter". PlayStation Official Magazine – Australia (32): 106–109. March 2000. https://archive.org/details/official-australian-playstation-magazine-32-march-2000/page/106/mode/2up?q=%22Formula+One+99%22. Retrieved August 4, 2021. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Formula One 99". Official UK PlayStation Magazine (Future plc) (52). December 1999. 
  14. ↑ "Formula One 99". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis). 2000. 
  15. ↑ Hamm, Tom (June 2000). "Formula One 99". PC Accelerator (Imagine Media) (22): 85. https://archive.org/details/PCXL22Jun2000/page/n85/mode/2up. Retrieved February 5, 2021. 
  16. ↑ Goble, Gord (2000). "Formula One 99". PC Gamer (Imagine Media). http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/07/formula_one_99.html. Retrieved January 18, 2019. 
  17. ↑ Hobbs, Mike. "Formula One 99". Gamers' Republic (20): 64. https://archive.org/details/Gamers_Republic_Issue_20/page/n65/mode/2up?q=%22Formula+One+99%22. Retrieved August 4, 2021. 
  • 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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