Software:Ghost Master

From HandWiki
Short description: 2003 video game by Sick Puppies
For other uses, see Ghost master (disambiguation).
Ghost Master
Macintosh cover art
Developer(s)
  • Sick Puppies
  • Spiral House (PS2, Xbox)
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Gregg Barnett
Producer(s)Andy Severn
Designer(s)
  • Chris Bateman
  • Gregg Barnett
  • Neil Bundy
  • Nick Martinelli
Programmer(s)
  • David Hunt
  • Neal Tringham
Artist(s)
  • James Ellis
  • Mike Philbin
  • Nick Martinelli
Writer(s)
  • Chris Bateman
  • Richard Boon
Composer(s)Paul Weir
Platform(s)
Release
  • Windows
    • EU: May 23, 2003
    • NA: August 26, 2003
    • JP: January 29, 2004
  • Mac OS & OS X
    • WW: 2003
  • PlayStation 2 & Xbox
    • EU: August 27, 2004
  • Steam
    • NA: December 21, 2006
Genre(s)Puzzle, strategy
Mode(s)Single-player

Ghost Master (released as Ghost Master: The Gravenville Chronicles on the Xbox and PlayStation 2) is a puzzle strategy game developed by British studio Sick Puppies for Windows. The game was later published on Mac OS X by Feral Interactive. The player assumes the role of a Ghost Master, a bureaucratic spirit tasked to perform certain duties. While the bulk of a Ghost Master's duties consist of hauntings, a Ghost Master may also be "called in" to increase belief in the supernatural, avenge deaths, and conscript renegade ghosts. Because a Ghost Master cannot directly interfere in the world of mortals, the Ghost Master is given a team of subordinate ghosts to do so. When not haunting, the Ghost Master is responsible for the training of the ghosts under their command.

Gameplay

The game consists of 15 levels. In most levels, the primary goal is to scare all the mortals (humans) and cause them to flee the area in fear or succumb to madness.

Ghost Master plays similarly to a real-time strategy game. The player first chooses the ghosts to field in the level. The player cannot field every ghost in every place. Each ghost has one or two types of objects (or "fetters") it can be bound to. For example, a ghost who was murdered might only be bound to "murder" fetters (such as a corpse, or a murder weapon), whereas a water spirit can be bound to a bath, a sink, a puddle of water, etc. Some objects have multiple fetter types (e.g., "violence" and "murder" for the corpse of a murder victim) and some fetters are more common than others, with more powerful haunters limited to rarer fetters. Less powerful haunters can take advantage of very flexible fetters, such as "thoroughfares" (usually hallways), "indoors" or "outdoors"; several of these haunters possess abilities which permit them to change their fetter to pursue mortals (usually from one "indoor" fetter to another).

Another limiting factor is "Plasm". This numerical resource dictates which abilities a ghost can use. When a human becomes frightened, Plasm is generated. With more Plasm, stronger abilities (and more ghosts) can be fielded at any one time.

Once the objective(s) for a level has been completed, the game rates the player's performance. Many factors are considered, including time, amount of impact on the mortals, and how many mortals fled. If the player is able to complete the mission fairly quickly, there is a multiplier added to the final score. This score determines the amount of "Gold Plasm" given to the player, which is used to add more abilities to ghosts' arsenals.

The game ends with a cliffhanger, with the Ghostbreakers bringing in a bomb that would completely erase supernatural presence in the city where the game takes place. Because of the lack of a sequel, a bonus level was released for fans, which provides some closure. However, the bonus level is only available for the UK version of the game and was not released for the retail US version.

Bonus content

The bonus level is included in the Steam and GOG.com release of the game. The bonus level "Class of Spook'em High" is the only downloadable content released for the game. In the level, the Ghostbreakers attack the HQ of the Ghost Master, an old, abandoned mansion where the player has to defeat the Ghostbreakers in order to win the game. The bonus content was released in place of a sequel.

Restless spirits

Each level also has "Restless Spirits", haunters bound to a certain location; usually, there is a backstory as to why they are there. The spirits' powers can be used like any other haunter's, but they cannot be benched or bound to another fetter until freed. The player can use the haunters on their team as well as the bound spirit itself to free them using a certain move or combination of moves. For example, in the first level, the restless spirit Weatherwitch is bound to a vacuum cleaner that the player must destroy in order to free her. A freed spirit permanently joins the player's roster of haunters.

Mortal defenses and abilities

All mortals have a belief level, which partially determines the effectiveness of a ghost's powers upon them. The belief bar is raised slightly with every scare, and particular powers are able to raise belief better than others. Every mortal also has conscious and subconscious fears which are linked to certain ghost's powers. Scaring a mortal with a power that targets their individual fear – especially their subconscious fear – is particularly effective. These are usually unknown at the beginning of each level, but some ghosts have the ability to expose these fears.

Mortals also have a terror level and a madness level, with certain limits to each. When a human's terror bar is raised to a certain level, they flee; this is the objective of most of the in-game levels. The madness bar is filled only by the use of certain powers. When a mortal's madness bar reaches a certain point, they go insane, which is visible in that they now just roam the area of the scenario in a frenzy and are unable to be scared or maddened any more. The fear bar reduces as time progresses in the game, but the belief and madness bars do not. Making a mortal go insane awards more points than frightening them away.

Somewhere between average humans and ghosts are priests, witches, and mediums. These humans have the ability to banish ghosts that are fielded. Banished ghosts are no longer usable during that level, but are returned after the mission is complete. Also, a large score penalty is levied on players who allow ghosts to be banished. If all ghosts are banished, or the amount of Plasm used by fielded ghosts exceeds the Plasm limit for too long, the level must be replayed.

Ghostbreakers are the most dangerous mortals, from a supernatural perspective. They are able to detect and banish ghosts at a much faster speed than the other "special" mortals mentioned previously. They are also able to field special wards, which prevent the player from fielding, or benching, ghosts trapped underneath them. Only if the electrical generators are destroyed do the wards fail.

Reception

The PC and PlayStation 2 versions received "generally favorable reviews", while the Xbox version received "mixed" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[1][2][3]

GameSpot named Ghost Master the best computer game of August 2003.[4] The staff of X-Play nominated Ghost Master for their 2003 "Best Strategy Game" award,[5] which ultimately went to Rise of Nations.[6]

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
PCPS2Xbox
CGWStarStarStarHalf star[7]N/AN/A
Edge6/10[8]N/AN/A
Eurogamer7/10[9]N/A7/10[10]
Game Informer7.25/10[11]N/AN/A
GameProStarStarStarStar[12]N/AN/A
GameSpot8.8/10[13]N/AN/A
GameSpyStarStarStarStar[14]N/AN/A
GameZone9/10[15]N/AN/A
IGN7/10[16]N/AN/A
OPM (UK)N/A5/10[17]N/A
OXM (UK)N/AN/A7.5/10[18]
PC Gamer (US)90%[19]N/AN/A
Aggregate score
Metacritic81/100[1]75/100[2]59/100[3]

See also

  • Dungeon Keeper and Dungeon Keeper 2, video games in which the player controls hellish creatures.
  • Evil Genius, a video game where the player controls an evil genius who is bent on world domination.
  • Haunting Starring Polterguy, a similar 1993 comedy-horror video game.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Ghost Master for PC Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/ghost-master-2003/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved June 8, 2022. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Ghost Master: The Gravenville Chronicles (ps2: 2004): Reviews". Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080913122109/http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps2/ghostmaster. Retrieved October 23, 2016. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Ghost Master: The Gravenville Chronicles (xbx: 2004): Reviews". Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080913102351/http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbx/ghostmaster. Retrieved October 23, 2016. 
  4. ↑ ((The Editors of GameSpot)) (August 28, 2003). "GameSpot's Month in Review: August 2003". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 1, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040301080329/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/gotm/082803/index.html. 
  5. ↑ Staff (December 24, 2003). "X-Play Best of 2003 Awards". X-Play. Archived from the original on August 31, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040831225443/http://www.g4techtv.com/xplay/features/47022/XPlay_Best_of_2003_Awards.html. 
  6. ↑ X-Play Staff (December 24, 2003). "X-Play's Best of 2003 Award Winners". X-Play. Archived from the original on August 31, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040831225801/http://www.g4techtv.com/xplay/features/47031/XPlays_Best_of_2003_Award_Winners.html. 
  7. ↑ Ardai, Charles (November 2003). "Ghost Master". Computer Gaming World (232): 144. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_232.pdf. Retrieved October 23, 2016. 
  8. ↑ Edge staff (August 2003). "Ghost Master". Edge (126). 
  9. ↑ Taylor, Martin (June 13, 2003). "Ghost Master (PC)". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_ghostmaster_pc. Retrieved October 23, 2016. 
  10. ↑ Reed, Kristan (September 17, 2004). "Ghost Master [The Gravenville Chronicles (Xbox)"]. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_ghostmaster_x. Retrieved October 23, 2016. 
  11. ↑ Mason, Lisa (November 2003). "Ghostmaster [sic"]. Game Informer (127): 174. http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200311/R03.1121.1122.42557.htm. Retrieved October 23, 2016. 
  12. ↑ Jango Fatt (September 25, 2003). "Ghost Master Review for PC on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on February 14, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050214002903/http://www.gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/31165.shtml. Retrieved October 23, 2016. 
  13. ↑ Todd, Brett (August 26, 2003). "Ghost Master Review". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/ghost-master-review/1900-6074005/. Retrieved October 23, 2016. 
  14. ↑ Harker, Carla (September 15, 2003). "GameSpy: Ghost Master". GameSpy. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/ghost-master/6174p1.html. Retrieved October 23, 2016. 
  15. ↑ Tha Wiz (September 11, 2003). "Ghost Master - PC - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on January 20, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090120230202/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r20617.htm. Retrieved October 23, 2016. 
  16. ↑ Adams, David (September 11, 2003). "Ghost Master Review". http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/09/12/ghost-master-review. Retrieved October 23, 2016. 
  17. ↑ "Ghost Master: The Gravenville Chronicles". Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine (52). November 2004. 
  18. ↑ "Ghost Master: The Gravenville Chronicles". Official Xbox Magazine UK (37). November 2004. 
  19. ↑ Chan, Norman (December 2003). "Ghost Master". PC Gamer: 96. Archived from the original on March 15, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060315140119/http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/07/ghost_master.html. Retrieved October 23, 2016. 
  • Ghost Master on IMDb
  • 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. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari



  • 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. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

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