Software:Ghost Battle

From HandWiki
Short description: 1991 video game
Ghost Battle
Developer(s)Interactive Design[1]
Publisher(s)Thalion Software[1]
Programmer(s)Erwin Kloibhofer[1][2]
Artist(s)Henk Nieborg[1][2]
Composer(s)Jochen Hippel[1][3]
Platform(s)Amiga, Atari ST
Release
Genre(s)Action, platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Ghost Battle is a 1991 action-platform video game developed by Interactive Design and published by Thalion Software for the Amiga and ported later to the Atari ST.[4] After finishing Ghost Battle as freelancers, Austrian programmer Erwin Kloibhofer and Dutch graphic designer Henk Nieborg got an in-house job at Thalion. They went on to design another side-scrolling platform game, Lionheart (1993). It received a higher critical reception. Nieborg cited influences for Ghost Battle as Ghosts 'n Goblins, Green Beret, and various horror films.[5]

Gameplay

The game is a side-scrolling platformer that consists of five levels.[6] Three difficulty levels can be chosen at the beginning: easy, normal, hard. The player is a barbarian that has wandered into an evil forest and witnesses a princess being captured.[7] The barbarian can throw rocks and bombs at the enemies.[8] Additional weapons are available that are guarded by monsters.[6]

Reception

Reception
Review score
PublicationScore
The One77% (Amiga)[10]

Ghost Battle received generally average reviews from critics. Amiga Action recommended the game overall but didn't like the slow movement of the main character and the badly translated manual.[6] Amiga Format concluded: "It is not the best platform romp ever designed, but the evil puzzles, good pics and excitable soundtracks are far better than the box lets on."[3] Games-X compared the game to Horror Zombies from the Crypt (1990). Graphics and sound were praised, the gameplay was said to be uninteresting at first but getting better over time.[8] The One found the music to be the game's best feature. Graphics were described as nothing special, gameplay as "largely uninspired", and controls as "very finicky".[10]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Interactive Design (1991). Ghost Battle. Amiga. Thalion Software. Level/area: Title screen. "By Erwin Kloibhofer and Henk Nieborg, music by Jochen Hippel, produced by Interactive Design, (C) 1991 by Thalion" 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Games Reviews - Ghost Battle [Atari ST"]. Games-X (Europress) (16): 23. 8 August 1991. https://retrocdn.net/images/6/65/GamesX_UK_16.pdf#page=23. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Webb, Trenton (August 1991). "Screenplay - Ghost Battle". Amiga Format (Future plc) (25): 82-83. https://amr.abime.net/review_2185. 
  4. ↑ Interactive Design (1991). Ghost Battle. Atari ST. Thalion Software. Level/area: Title screen. "Converted to Atari by Michael Bittner" 
  5. ↑ "RVG Interviews: Henk Nieborg". at RVG. 7 June 2018. https://www.retrovideogamer.co.uk/rvg-interviews-henk-nieborg/. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Reviews - Ghost Battle". Amiga Action (Europress) (23): 90. August 1991. https://archive.org/details/amigaaction23/page/n91/mode/2up. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Fuchser, Dirk (July 1991). "Barbarisch" (in German). Aktueller Software Markt (Tronic-Verlag) 6 (7/91): 60. https://retrocdn.net/images/a/ac/ASM_DE_1991-07.pdf#page=60. "Preis/Leistung: 4/12". 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Sharp, Brian (24 May 1991). "Games Reviews - Ghost Battle [Amiga"]. Games-X (Europress) (5): 18. https://retrocdn.net/images/c/c4/GamesX_UK_05.pdf#page=18. 
  9. ↑ Fuchser, Dirk (January 1992). "Konvertierungen - Ghost Battle" (in German). Aktueller Software Markt (Tronic-Verlag) 7 (1/92): 112. https://retrocdn.net/images/b/b1/ASM_DE_1992-01.pdf#page=112. "Gesamtnote: 5/12". 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Presley, Paul (July 1991). "Review - Ghost Battle". The One (EMAP) (34): 64. https://archive.org/details/theone-magazine-34/page/n63/mode/2up. 
  • 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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