Software:Grand Prix Legends

From HandWiki
Short description: 1998 video game

Grand Prix Legends
North American boxart
Developer(s)Papyrus Design Group
Publisher(s)Sierra Sports
Director(s)Matt Sentell
Designer(s)Randy Cassidy
David Kaemmer
Brian C. Mahony
Matt Sentell
Richard Yasi
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
Genre(s)Racing simulation
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Grand Prix Legends is a computer racing simulator developed by Papyrus Design Group and published in 1998 by Sierra On-Line under the Sierra Sports banner. It is inspired by the 1967 Formula One season[3] and includes the teams Brabham, BRM, Eagle, Ferrari and Lotus. Two fictional teams called "Murasama" and "Coventry" replaced Honda and Cooper within the game.

Gameplay

Replay mode (cockpit view)

The game offers several modes in which the player can race alone or against AI opponents. The game also features multiplayer via LAN. Many parameters affecting the skill and aggressiveness of the AI drivers can be specified.

Development

The game was in development for three years[4] with a team of 25 to 30 people.[5] Inspired by the 1966 film Grand Prix, the developers chose to base the game on the 1967 Formula 1 Grand Prix season because during that period tracks were narrow and lined with trees, houses, and other elements that in a video game can serve as backgrounds to enhance the sensation of speed.[3] In addition, the more primitive suspension of cars of the time meant that the car physics could be more visually dramatic.[3]

However, the amount of time that has passed since the 1967 Grand Prix season meant that some of the tracks the designers wanted to recreate no longer existed in their original form. The team visited town halls to get blueprints for defunct tracks.[3] Papyrus co-founder Dave Kaemmer commented that the licensing for the game was difficult, but they had people who helped them during the development.[3]

Reception

Critical reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings84%[6]
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGSPStarStarStarStarHalf star[8]
CGWStarStarStarStar[9]
Edge9/10[10]
GameProStarStarStarStarHalf star[11]
GameRevolutionA[12]
GameSpot8.9/10[13]
Jeuxvideo.com17/20[14]
Next GenerationStarStarStarStarStar[15]
PC Gamer (US)70%[17]
PC Zone90%[18]

The game received "favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[6] GameSpot said that Grand Prix Legends has the most intense racing experience ever seen on a personal computer.[13] Next Generation highly praised the graphics, gameplay, the recreation of 1967 Grand Prix season (in addition to its cars and tracks of its era), artificial intelligence and realistic driving model physics.[15] The magazine ranked it at #47 in its list of the Fifty Best Games of All Time.[19]

Sales

The game was a commercial failure;[20][21] Andy Mahood of PC Gamer US described its sales as "abysmally poor".[20] In 2003, writer Mark H. Walker reported that "the game sold only a few thousand copies" in the United States, which he attributed to the general unpopularity of Formula One racing in the country. He noted that its "steep learning curve kept many fans away" in European markets.[21] GameSpot's Gord Goble attributed its performance to the "combination of treacherous gameplay, sometimes glacial frame rates, and esoteric subject matter". It ultimately totalled 200,000 sales by 2004.[22]

Despite its commercial underperformance, the game developed a cult following among racing simulator fans attracted by its realism and challenge. A number of fan mods were developed and adopted by players.[23]

Awards

The game was the runner-up for Computer Gaming World's 1998 "Best Driving" award, and for GameSpot's 1998 "Driving Game of the Year" award, both of which ultimately went to Software:Need for Speed III: Hot Pursuit.[24][25] The staff of the former commented that Grand Prix Legends was the most ambitious and realistic driving simulation game of 1998, and the toughest to play.[24]

The game won Computer Games Strategy Plus' 1998 "Sports Game of the Year" award. The staff wrote that a few racing games could come close to Grand Prix Racing's level of sophistication and uncompromising detail.[26] It also won the Best Racing Game award at the 1998 CNET Gamecenter Awards.[27]

Legacy

References

  1. ↑ Gentry, Perry (October 6, 1998). "What's in Stores This Week". CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/News/Item/0,3,0-2154,00.html. 
  2. ↑ "Sierra Sports - Press Release". October 5, 1998. http://www.sierrasports.com/sierrasports/pr/grandprix.html. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "NG Alphas: Grand Prix Legends". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (29): 66–69. May 1997. https://archive.org/stream/NEXT_Generation_29#page/n66. 
  4. ↑ "Grand Prix Legends Interview". October 25, 1998. http://www.sports-gaming.com/racing/gpl/interview1.shtml. 
  5. ↑ "Circuit Breaker". The Sydney Morning Herald (Fairfax Media): p. 206. September 26, 1998. https://www.newspapers.com/article/107580802/the-sydney-morning-herald/. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Grand Prix Legends for PC". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/52156-grand-prix-legends/index.html. 
  7. ↑ Mahood, Andy (October 29, 1998). "Grand Prix Legends". CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0,6,0-2220,00.html. 
  8. ↑ Bauman, Steve (October 28, 1998). "Grand Prix Legends". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/015/048/grandprixl_review.html. 
  9. ↑ Goble, Gord (January 1999). "Blast From the Past (Grand Prix Legends Review)". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (174): 340–41. https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_174.pdf. Retrieved September 3, 2023. 
  10. ↑ Edge staff (November 1998). "Grand Prix Legends". Edge (Future Publishing) (64): 82–83. https://retrocdn.net/images/0/0a/Edge_UK_064.pdf. Retrieved September 3, 2023. 
  11. ↑ Morris, Daniel (1999). "Grand Prix Legends Review for PC on GamePro.com". GamePro (IDG Entertainment). http://www.gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/865.shtml. Retrieved January 17, 2019. 
  12. ↑ Cooke, Mark (December 1998). "Grand Prix Legends Review". CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/32992-grand-prix-legends-review. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Poole, Stephen (December 17, 1998). "Grand Prix Legends Review [date mislabeled as "May 1, 2000""]. Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/grand-prix-legends-review/1900-2536263/. 
  14. ↑ lightman (October 21, 1998). "Test: Grand Prix Legends" (in fr). Webedia. https://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0000/00000200_test.htm. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Grand Prix Legends". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (49): 100. January 1999. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_49/page/n101/mode/2up. Retrieved December 25, 2020. 
  16. ↑ Klett, Steve (January 1999). "Grand Prix Legends". PC Accelerator (Imagine Media) (5): 90. https://archive.org/details/PCXL05Jan1999/page/n89/mode/2up. Retrieved December 29, 2020. 
  17. ↑ McDonald, T. Liam (January 1999). "Grand Prix Legends". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 6 (1). http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/23.html. Retrieved January 17, 2019. 
  18. ↑ Hill, Steve (November 1998). "Grand Prix Legends". PC Zone (Dennis Publishing) (69): 104–5. https://archive.org/details/PC_Zone_69_November_1998/page/n103/mode/2up. Retrieved December 25, 2020. 
  19. ↑ "The Fifty Best Games of All Time (#47)". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (50): 73. February 1999. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_50/page/n73/mode/2up. Retrieved December 25, 2020. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Mahood, Andy (December 2000). "Staying Ahead of the Game". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 7 (12). http://www.pcgamer.com/columns/simcolumn/column_2001-07-27c.html. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Walker, Mark H. (June 25, 2003). Games That Sell!. Wordware Publishing. p. 194. ISBN 155622950X. 
  22. ↑ Goble, Gord (July 24, 2004). "History of Papyrus Racing Games [date mislabeled as "June 8, 2005" (Page 6: A Daring Move)"]. Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/history-of-papyrus-racing-games/1100-6103365/. 
  23. ↑ Davies, Dylan (2005). "Why I loved hardcore racing sim Grand Prix Legends". PC Gamer (UK) (Bath: Future plc) (145). https://www.pcgamer.com/why-i-loved-hardcore-racing-sim-grand-prix-legends/. Retrieved 26 December 2025. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 CGW staff (April 1999). "Computer Gaming World's 1999 Premier Awards (Best Driving)". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (177): 100. https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_177.pdf. Retrieved September 3, 2023. 
  25. ↑ GameSpot staff (1999). "The Best & Worst of 1998 (Driving Game of the Year - Nominees)". Ziff Davis. http://gamespot.com/features/awards1998/genre3.html. 
  26. ↑ CGSP staff (February 11, 1999). "The Best of 1998 (Best Sports Game)". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/017/163/sports_of_year.html. 
  27. ↑ Gamecenter staff (January 29, 1999). "The CNET Gamecenter.com Awards for 1998! (Racing Winner)". CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Features/Exclusives/Awards98/ss08c.html. 
  • 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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