Software:Gyromite

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Gyromite
File:Gyromite front.jpg
North American cover art
Developer(s)Nintendo Research & Development 1
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Programmer(s)Tohru Narihiro[1]
Composer(s)Hirokazu Tanaka
Platform(s)Nintendo Entertainment System
Release
  • JP: August 13, 1985
  • NA: October 18, 1985
  • EU: September 1, 1986
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

Gyromite, also known as Robot Gyro (ジャイロ, Jairo), is a video game released in 1985 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, designed for use with the Robotic Operating Buddy. Gyromite is one of two games in Nintendo's Robot Series, the other being Stack-Up (AKA Robot Block). The opening screen of the game shows the title Robot Gyro, the Japanese name of the game for the Family Computer. Essentially, the Gyromite game program is unchanged from the Famicom Robot Gyro cartridge, and many Gyromite cartridges contain the circuit board from a copy of "Robot Gyro," attached to an adaptor that allows the game to be played on NES consoles. Famicom games had 60-pin connectors, so the adaptor converted the game so it can be used with the 72-pin connector in an NES.

Plot

R.O.B. equipped for Gyromite

Professor Hector and his assistant, Professor Vector, navigate side-scrolling platform levels with the help of their creation, R.O.B. Their lives are threatened by dynamite and hungry little bird-like creatures called Smicks, and Professor Hector's sleep-walking tendencies get him in trouble as well.

Gameplay

As the Professor character moves through the levels, R.O.B. must aid navigation by raising and lowering red and blue gates. When a Gyro depresses the red pedestal, a lever presses the B button on Controller #2 and red gates are lowered. When a Gyro depresses the blue pedestal, a lever presses the A button on Controller #2 and blue gates are lowered. The action on the screen never stops, so while operating R.O.B., the on-screen character continues to be vulnerable.

Game modes

File:Gyromite NES screenshot.png
Gyromite in-game screenshot

Game A

In this mode for 1 or 2 players, the player controls both R.O.B. and a Professor character, switching on the fly. Professor Hector (Player 1) and Professor Vector (Player 2) must collect all of the bundles of dynamite in each of 40 successive levels. When the player presses start: the screen turns blue, the Professor looks outward from the screen toward R.O.B., and the next button pressed issues one command to R.O.B.—every command to R.O.B. must be preceded by a press of the Start button. Wandering Smicks are a threat, but are harmless when eating the turnips found throughout the phases, which the professor may pick up and move at will. A Smick crushed in a gate is worth 500 points. Bundles of dynamite are worth 100 points. Tens of Seconds left on the clock after each level are worth 100 points, while the ones digit are worth 10 points. Five extra lives are supplied.

Game B

In this single-player mode, Professor Hector is sleepwalking, and the player controls only R.O.B. Commands need not be preceded by the Start button, as R.O.B. is controlled directly. The Professor starts at the left edge of the screen, and walks slowly toward the right side of the screen. If he hits a gate, he will just continue to walk straight into it until it moves out of his way. The player must use R.O.B. to move the gates, allowing the Professor to reach the right side of the screen. Smicks are present in this mode, but they mostly confine themselves to dead ends. There are 25 phases in this mode. Three extra lives are supplied.

Test

Serves only to confirm that the R.O.B. can receive signals via the television. Pressing select sends a signal that should cause his red LED to light up.

Direct

In this mode, no game is played: commands are simply sent directly to R.O.B. First-time players or players who just want to operate R.O.B. without playing Gyromite can use this mode to deliver R.O.B.'s commands. Pressing up or down on the directional pad causes the arms to move up and down. Left and right make the arms swivel counter-clockwise and clockwise. The A button opens the arms, and the B button closes them.

Famicom Adaptor

A Famicom pin adaptor pulled from an early-run Gyromite cartridge.

The game ROM of Gyromite did not have localized versions for different regions, and this was taken advantage of to expedite manufacturing: early releases of the cartridge contained a circuit board from the Japanese Famicom version of the game along with a cartridge adapter so it can be played on the North American and European NES. The internal cartridge adapter can be removed from affected copies of the game and used to play other Japanese Famicom games on the NES.[2]

  • 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.[3] 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".[4] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[5] 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.[6] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[7]

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.[8][9] 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.[7] 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.[7]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[10] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[9] 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).[11] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[12] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[9]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[13] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[14][15][16] 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.[3] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[17]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[18] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[19]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ "Iwata Asks - Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon". http://tanasmanor.net/sites/fe11/interview/interview1.html. Retrieved February 23, 2017. 
  2. ↑ "VC&G | How to Tell if a Copy of Gyromite has a Famicom Adapter in it". vintagecomputing.com. http://www.vintagecomputing.com/index.php/archives/23. Retrieved 2014-05-27. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 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/. 
  4. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  5. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  6. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  8. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  10. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  11. ↑ 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. 
  12. ↑ 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. 
  13. ↑ "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. 
  14. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  15. ↑ "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/. 
  16. ↑ "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/. 
  17. ↑ 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/. 
  18. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  19. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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References




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