Software:Golden Gate Killer

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Short description: 1995 video game

Golden Gate Killer
Cover art
Developer(s)Interworks
Publisher(s)Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc
Director(s)Julie Marsh
Designer(s)Paul Drexler
Composer(s)Russell Lieblich
Platform(s)Windows 95, Windows 3.1, Mac OS
Release1995
Genre(s)First-person true-crime murder mystery video game, Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Golden Gate Killer (marketed under SFPD Case File: The Body in the Bay in the UK and SFPD Homicide in the US) is an interactive police detective simulation developed by American studio Interworks and released in 1995,[1] and published by Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc and 3 Prong Plus. The game is based on the real life murder case of Colvin McCright.[2] The game was released for Macintosh, Windows 95, and Windows 3.1.

Development

The game was developed by Julie Marsh and Paul Drexler, who consulted with Detective Falzon to receive fictionalized details on a real crime.[3] Interworks began in 1991 out of Marsh and Drexler's cottage home and in March 1995 they relocated to an artists' warehouse. They filmed the game at 20 locations throughout San Francisco.[3]

The game design incorporated both full motion video and photo graphics, while a narrative was crafted that saw the player takes up the role of a San Francisco Police Department detective tasked with clearing up a series of murders. Interworks states in their online company profile that the software is used to train detectives and insurance investigators.[1]

The Body in the Bay was intended to the first title in a series called SFPD Homicide.[3]

Gameplay and plot

Marketed as a first-person true-crime murder mystery video game, the player takes the role of San Francisco's newest homicide detective who has teamed up with a real investigator for a partner and guide. A 50-something white male is found floating in the bay near Pier 91, bound and gagged.

Using evidence, clues and procedures from the actual case, the player must explore the victim's life, vices and secret passions. Along the way, the player can interact with more than 40 characters from the victim's life as the case takes the detective from the city's posh nightclubs to its deserted piers. The player's tasks encompass examining crime scenes and securing evidence as well as interrogating witnesses and suspects to uncover the identity of the serial killer.

It is notable that, like many other FMV games of the era, Golden Gate Killer uses Apple's QuickTime technology for its integration of movies and sound, and also comes on a hybrid Windows/Macintosh CD-ROM (i.e. a single disc containing both the Mac and Windows versions of the game).

SFPD Homicide uses an interface that allows the player to cross-reference clues from crime scenes, witness statements, as well as test results.[4] The game requires interviewing, research, inductive and deductive reasoning, thoroughness, and following a set of steps with defined parameters.[5]

Critical reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Next GenerationStarStarStarStar[4]
PC Joker60%[6]
PC PlayerStarStarStarStar[6]
Generation 4StarStarStar[7]
Awards
PublicationAward
Milia D'Or awardsNamed "Prize of the Professionals" for 1996[8]
New MediaAmerican Bookseller's Spring Booksellers' Choice 1996[8]

Next Generation reviewed the PC version of the game, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "Finding a suspect, building a case, and then collaborating with the D.A. to make the case is a hearty request in the time allotted and is likely to have you reworking the case a few times before justice is served."[4] PC Joker gave the game a rating of 60%[6] while PC Player offered 4 stars[6] and Generation 4 gave it 3 stars.[7] Coming Soon Magazine said it was exciting, well done and mind-challenging.[9] PC Me recommended the game for the "intellectually inclined".[10]

The game won the popular vote award Prize of the Professionals at the Intermedia World 96 award ceremony.[11]

See also

  • Golden State Killer, a serial killer and rapist

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Company Profile. InterWorks. 2010-05-23. URL:http://www.interw.com/. Accessed: 2010-05-23. (Archived by WebCite at)
  2. ↑ "Independent from Long Beach, California · Page 3". 11 July 1972. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/25963743/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Beresford, Larry (December 1995). "Noe Couple Creates an Interactive Whodunit: The Body in The Bay". Noe Valley Voice (Sarah Smith & Jack Tipple) XIX (11): 33. https://archive.org/details/noevalleyvoice11unse_0/page/33/mode/1up. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Finals". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (16): 97. April 1996. 
  5. ↑ Clark, Ruth C.; Kwinn, Ann (2007-03-22). The New Virtual Classroom: Evidence-based Guidelines for Synchronous e-Learning. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9780787995027. https://books.google.com/books?id=zqSIk7tUmrQC&q=%22SFPD+Homicide%22++%22InterWorks%22OR%223+Prong+Plus%22&pg=PA223. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Kultboy.com - DIE Kult-Seite über die alten Spiele-Magazine und Retro-Games!". http://www.kultboy.com/index.php?site=t&id=15345&s=2. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Le site des anciennes revues informatiques - www.abandonware-magazines.org". https://www.abandonware-magazines.org/erreur404.php. Retrieved 9 June 2023. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "SFPD Case File: The Body in the Bay Home Page". Grolier Interactive. http://gi.grolier.com/gi/products/games/sfpd/docs/sfpdmain.html. 
  9. ↑ "SFPD Homicide Case File: The Body in the Bay - PC Review - Coming Soon Magazine". http://www.csoon.com/issue11/sfpd.htm. 
  10. ↑ "PCM&E; Review - SFPD Homicide Case File: The Body in the Bay". 1997-06-24. http://www.pcme.com/FANTASY/SFPD/sfpd.htm. 
  11. ↑ Perlmutter, Martin (1996-03-04). "Peek at the multimedia future". SFGate. https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Peek-at-the-multimedia-future-3157795.php. 
  • 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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