Software:Fret Nice

From HandWiki
Fret Nice
Cover art
Developer(s)Pieces Interactive AB
Publisher(s)Tecmo
Platform(s)Xbox 360 (XBLA)
PlayStation 3 (PlayStation Network)
ReleaseFebruary 4, 2010 (Xbox 360)
February 24, 2010 (PS3)
Genre(s)Platform game
Music video game
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Fret Nice is a platform game developed by Pieces Interactive AB and published by Tecmo. The game was released on Xbox Live Arcade on February 4, 2010, and PlayStation Network on February 24, 2010.[1] The game was designed to use a guitar controller, but can also be played using a normal gamepad. Players control the "Vibrant Chords", a rock band duo, as they traverse side-scrolling stages while avoiding enemies and hazards. The player can defeat enemies by strumming notes that correspond with their visual appearance, and they progress through the game by earning medals through meeting thresholds in the game.

Reviewers criticized the guitar controller control scheme, noting that the way different actions were mapped to it generally made the game difficult to play. With a standard controller, most critics felt that it was a mostly standard platform game experience that did not differentiate itself from other similar offerings.

Gameplay

Fret Nice is a side-scrolling platform game where the player controls the "Vibrant Chords", a rock band duo, either in single-player or in co-op, and moves from left to right to reach the end of the level.[2][3] The character uses a guitar to defeat enemies by strumming the instrument in the air.[2] Monsters in the game have five different faces, which are visual cues to show which note must be played to defeat them.[2] The player can achieve a combo by strumming notes together while undergoing a single leap and defeating multiple enemies.[2] At the end of each level, the player jumps onto a helicopter and can then shoot bells to create a melody.[2] Players earn medals in the game by defeating monsters with combos and earning a high enough score, finishing levels at particular speeds, and clearing as many monsters as possible. These medals can then be used to open up further levels in the game.[2] The game contains a total of 12 levels, each individual one having 10 medals that can be earned through gameplay.[4]

The game can be controlled using either a guitar controller or a standard controller.[4] When playing with a guitar, the player must swing the neck of the guitar upwards to jump, and uses the green and yellow buttons on a guitar controller to move left and right.[3] They must also use the other face buttons on the stem to target monsters.[3] Some actions are assigned to the same inputs on the guitar controller: strumming the controller on the ground makes the player run, while strumming in the air makes the player freeze in place.[3] Players can also use a standard controller, with the strumming controls mapped to the trigger and face buttons.[4]

Development

Brüggemann was inspired to make a game that used guitar controllers, like these pictured from the Guitar Hero series, by Donkey Kong Jungle Beat.

Fret Nice was created by Swedish video game developer Mårten Brüggemann as his college thesis at the University of Skövde.[5] Brüggemann was inspired by Donkey Kong Jungle Beat to create a game that used a guitar controller to control characters in a platform game; Brüggemann intentionally made Fret Nice play differently from Jungle Beat to differentiate it.[5] Brüggemann noted that the guitar controller had a large influence on the overall game design as well.[6] Because the guitar controller was difficult to use for controlling the game, Brüggemann decided to have your momentum carry you forward, inspired by games like Sonic the Hedgehog.[5] Brüggemann worked with a schoolmate, Emil Burner, who created the artwork for the game.[5][6] Brüggemann used Multimedia Fusion 2 because he "isn't good at programming" and thought it would do enough for what he wanted out of Fret Nice.[6] The version of the game that was submitted to the 2008 Independent Games Festival took 6 months to make: the first half went to creating the core game mechanics, while the second half went to designing each level in tandem with Burner.[6]

Reception

Reviewers roundly criticized the implementation of the guitar controller in the title. IGN's Daemon Hatfield said that the need to swing the neck of the guitar controller up to jump "becomes old fast."[2] Eurogamer's Keza MacDonald felt that the guitar controller's poor responsiveness "made me really appreciate how essential a control system is."[3] GameSpot's Tom McShea said that it was worth trying out the game with the guitar controls "if for no other reason than to gain a new appreciation for a traditional controller."[4] 1Up's Cole Jones said that the jump mechanic that requires the player to raise their guitar stem makes the control scheme feel "immediately broken."[7] Despite the criticism of the control scheme from reviewers, however, receive the "Best Innovation" prize from the Swedish Game Awards in 2007 for its use of the guitar controller.[8]

Most reviews also highlighted that with a normal controller, the game was still lacking. McShea noted that the game had a repetitive mission design that had "mushy" controls, even when playing with a standard controller option.[4] MacDonald criticized the medals setup as "add[ing] considerably to the frustration."[3] Hatfield said that with a normal controller, Fret Nice is just a "run-of-the-mill game" that was not worth a purchase.[2] Jones, with an overall positive review, disagreed and compared the game favorably to LocoRoco, and said that Fret Nice is "a quirky platformer with an awesome aesthetic, a humorous story, and a ton of collectibles" as long as the player uses the standard control scheme.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Fret Nice" (in en). https://www.metacritic.com/game/fret-nice/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-3. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Hatfield, Daemon (2010-02-24). "Fret Nice Review" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/02/24/fret-nice-review. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 MacDonald, Keza (2010-03-03). "Fret Nice" (in en-gb). Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/fret-nice-review. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 McShea, Tom (2014-09-03). "Fret Nice Review" (in en-US). https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/fret-nice-review/1900-6252592/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Doucet, Lars (2007-09-15). "Interview with the creator of Fret Nice". https://jayisgames.com/review/interview-with-the-creator-of-fret-nice.php. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Murphy, Patrick (2007-10-25). "Road To The IGF: Fret Nice Takes Guitar Hero Controller" (in en). https://www.gamedeveloper.com/pc/road-to-the-igf-i-fret-nice-i-takes-i-guitar-hero-i-controller-platforming. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Jones, Cole (2010-02-08). "Fret Nice Review for PS3 from 1UP.com". http://www.1up.com/reviews/fret-nice-review. 
  8. ↑ "Hall of Fame Swedish Game Awards" (in en). https://www.gameawards.se/hall-of-fame. 
  • Fret Nice at Xbox.com
  • 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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