Software:Gangland (video game)

From HandWiki
Gangland
Developer(s)MediaMobsters[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)Whiptail Interactive
Platform(s)Windows, Mac OS X
ReleaseWindows
Mac OS X
August 10, 2005[3]
Genre(s)Real-time strategy, simulation, role-playing video game
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

Gangland is a video game created by Danish studio Mediamobsters. It has the premise of mixing real-time strategy, role-playing video game and simulation game.

Story

The player takes the role of Mario Mangano, whose four brothers, Romano, Angelo, Sonny, and the eldest Chico, are caporegime of the Mangano crime family based in Palermo. When their father, the Don of the Borgata, dies, a power struggle hits the family and ends with Chico being nominated as the new boss. Romano, Angelo, and Sonny murder Chico after his promotion and flip away from Italy to the new world, escaping the police manhunt meant to capture them. Two years later, Mario's uncle Vincenzo Mangano calls Mario's grandfather and says that the three brothers are in his city, Paradise City. The single-player campaign begins when Mario is sent to Paradise City by his grandfather to work under Vincenzo until he is powerful enough to hunt down and kill the three murderous brothers.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic63/100[4]
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGWStarStarStar[5]
Game Informer6.5/10[6]
GameRevolutionC−[7]
GameSpot6.9/10[8]
GameSpyStarStarStar[9]
GameZone6.9/10[10]
IGN5.8/10[11]
PC Gamer (UK)62%[12]
PC Gamer (US)68%[13]
X-PlayStarStarStar[14]
Playboy75%[15]
The TimesStarStarStar[16]

The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[4]

A common criticism of Gangland was its repetitive gameplay. The game also suffered from a poorly implemented checkpoint saving system, as well as game mechanics that would discourage the use of certain units because of future penalties. Some of the actions a player could perform could be considered game breaking actions (such as the permanent destruction of vital resources) that could ruin multiplayer games.[citation needed]

Maxim gave it a score of eight out of ten, saying, "It ain't pretty, but it's business."[17] Playboy gave it 75%, saying, "Think of this strategy game as The Sims meets The Sopranos."[15] However, The Times gave it three stars out of five, saying, "Releasing a game without a save mode is a brave move; releasing a game without a save mode because you forgot is just worrying. For those of you hoping to play Gangland and complete it, my advice is to wait until a save patch becomes available, supposedly in the next month or so."[16]

Sequel

On October 1, 2007, publisher CDV announced that Escape From Paradise City had gone gold and would be available later that month. Escape from Paradise City was developed by Sirius Games.[18]

Notes

  1. ↑ Ported to Mac by Virtual Programming.

References

  1. ↑ Adams, David (2004-03-04). "Gangland Ships" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/03/04/gangland-ships. 
  2. ↑ "Gangland to receive save game patch" (in en-gb). Eurogamer.net. 2004-02-27. https://www.eurogamer.net/news270204gangland. 
  3. ↑ "Virtual Programming offers Gangland, Crusader Kings" (in en). https://www.macworld.com/article/176606/vpltd-3.html. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Gangland for PC Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/gangland/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved November 27, 2017. 
  5. ↑ Gehringer, Stephen (June 2004). "Gangland". Computer Gaming World (239): 87. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_239.pdf. Retrieved November 27, 2017. 
  6. ↑ Biessener, Adam (May 2004). "Gangland". Game Informer (133): 107. http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/D0D573A0-F4C3-4CE7-AB30-691E9A42661A.htm. Retrieved November 27, 2017. 
  7. ↑ Ferris, Duke (March 2004). "Gangland Review". Game Revolution. http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/33225-gangland-review. 
  8. ↑ Colayco, Bob (March 15, 2004). "Gangland Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/gangland-review/1900-6091479/. Retrieved November 27, 2017. 
  9. ↑ Lackey, Alan (April 3, 2004). "GameSpy: Gangland". GameSpy. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/gangland/503255p1.html. 
  10. ↑ Hopper, Steven (March 15, 2004). "Gangland - PC - Review". GameZone. http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/gangland_pc_review. 
  11. ↑ McNamara, Tom (March 15, 2004). "Gangland Review". http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/03/15/gangland-review. Retrieved November 27, 2017. 
  12. ↑ "Gangland". PC Gamer UK. May 2004. 
  13. ↑ "Gangland". PC Gamer: 74. June 2004. 
  14. ↑ Bemis, Greg (April 9, 2004). "'Gangland' (PC) Review". X-Play. http://www.g4techtv.com/xplay/features/366/Gangland_PC_Review.html. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Gangland". Playboy: 32. February 2004. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Miles, Stuart (March 20, 2004). "Gangland". The Times. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/gangland-mkgdsb2gbbk. Retrieved November 27, 2017. 
  17. ↑ Steinberg, Scott (February 14, 2004). "Gangland". Maxim. http://www.maximonline.com/entertainment/reviews/review_games_6939.html. Retrieved November 27, 2017. 
  18. ↑ "Escape from Paradise City goes gold". Cdv Software Entertainment. October 1, 2007. http://www.cdvusa.com/news/view/192. 
  • Official website (archived)
  • 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 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]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

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. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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