Software:Hostages (video game)

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Hostages
European MS-DOS cover art
Developer(s)Infogrames
Publisher(s)Infogrames
Superior Software
Designer(s)Philippe Agripnidis
Composer(s)Alberto Jose González
Platform(s)Acorn Electron, Archimedes, Amiga, Apple IIGS, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, MSX, NES, ZX Spectrum
Release
Genre(s)Tactical shooter
Mode(s)Single-player

Hostages[lower-alpha 1] is a 1988 tactical shooter video game developed and published by Infogrames for the Acorn Electron, Archimedes, Atari ST, Amiga, Apple IIGS, Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, MSX, Nintendo Entertainment System, and ZX Spectrum. The game depicts a terrorist attack and hostage crisis at an embassy in Paris, with the player controlling a six-man GIGN counterterrorist team as they are deployed to defeat the terrorists and free their hostages.

An indirect sequel, Alcatraz, was released for the Amiga, Atari ST, and MS-DOS in 1992.[1]

Gameplay

Hostages is split into two or three (depending on platform) distinct sections with different gameplay styles.

In the first section, the player controls GIGN snipers Delta, Echo, and Mike (names vary between versions, such as "Mike", "Steve", and "Jumbo" in the NES version) as they attempt to reach designated vantage points in buildings across the street from the embassy to cover the main assault; however, the terrorists have set up searchlights and are scanning the street for movement. The player controls one operative at a time in a side-scroller segment where they must reach one of the vantage points while avoiding the searchlights. To do so, the player must time their movements, take cover behind fences or in buildings, or roll, crawl, and dive to avoid the searchlights. If an operative is spotted by a searchlight, the terrorists will shoot at them; the player must roll, dive, or enter cover to avoid getting hit. Once an operative enters a building containing a vantage point, the player takes control of the next operative at the starting area. The section ends when all three operatives have reached a vantage point.

In the second section (linked to the first section in some versions), the player controls Delta, Echo, and Mike from the vantage points as they besiege the embassy with their sniper rifles while the entry team, Hotel, Tango, and Bravo (names again vary between versions, such as "Ron", "Dick", and "Kemco" in the NES version), deploy to the embassy's roof via helicopter and rappel down the sides to enter through the windows. Similar to a shooting gallery game, the player views the side of the embassy (which side depends on the sniper's vantage point) through a scope and must secure the operative's descent by observing the windows, shooting them to break them open, and shooting terrorists whose silhouettes are visible in the windows. Once the player deems their side clear, they can assume control of the rappelling operative as they lower themselves down the side of the embassy. The operative can choose which floor and window to enter on, and the section ends when the operative enters the embassy.

In the third section, the rappelling operative, armed with a submachine gun, enters the embassy on the selected floor and must search the building for hostages while defeating the terrorists. Here, gameplay is performed through two perspectives: a first-person perspective in hallways and a third-person perspective in rooms. The player must search each room, assisted by a map of the floor (which marks the locations of other entities on the floor in some ports), to locate the hostages while shooting the terrorists. Here, the entry team can be supported by the snipers outside, provided they can view into the rooms. When a hostage is recovered, they will follow the operative; some ports require the player to secure the hostage in a designated safe room. The section, as well as the game itself, ends when all terrorists are defeated and all hostages are secured.

Once the game is completed, the player's speed, accuracy, hostages rescued, and operative safety are evaluated. The end result is displayed in a newspaper excerpt that details the player's actions and whether the operation was a success: if the player completed the mission perfectly without casualties, the news report will be a glowing commendation, while if the player lost several hostages and operatives, the report will be critical.

Reception

Amiga floppy disk

Hostages was well-received by critics. The game received 5 out of 5 stars in Dragon.[2] Computer Gaming World gave the PC version a positive review, but noted poor joystick and keyboard response was a significant problem in an otherwise "great" game.[3] Compute! called Hostages "one of the better Amiga combat games", noting that it did not involve aliens or swords.[4]

In a 2020 retrospective, Destructoid favorably deemed it a spiritual predecessor to the Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six franchise of tactical shooters—the first installment of which was released a decade after Hostages—praising the game's "unparalleled" and "genuinely innovative" design and commending Infogrames for maintaining the game's visuals, sound design, cutscenes, and level structure across all of its ports.[5]

Reviews

  • Atari ST User (Jan, 1989)[6]
  • Raze (Mar, 1991)[7]
  • Compute's Amiga Resource (Aug, 1989)[8]
  • Crash! (Aug, 1990)[9]
  • ST Format (Mar, 1993)[10]
  • Raze (Jul, 1991)[11]
  • Your Amiga (Jun, 1989)[12]
  • CU Amiga (Sep, 1991)[13]
  • The One (Oct, 1988)[14]
  • The Games Machine (Apr, 1989)[15]
  • ST/Amiga Format (Oct, 1988)[16]
  • The Games Machine (Dec, 1988)[15]
  • Tilt (Sep, 1990)[17]
  • Joystick (French) (Apr, 1991)[17]
  • The Games Machine (Oct, 1989)[18]
  • Zzap! (Sep, 1989)[19]
  • Your Sinclair (Oct, 1990)[20]
  • The Games Machine (Apr, 1989)[15]
  • Info (May, 1989)[21]
  • Power Play (1989)[22]
  • Power Play (Nov, 1988)[23]
  • Zzap! (Italy) (Oct, 1989)[24]
  • ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment) (May, 1989)[25]
  • ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment) (Dec, 1988)[26]
  • The Games Machine (Sep, 1990)[27]
  • Computer and Video Games (Mar, 1991)[28]
  • Mean Machines (Feb, 1991)[29]
  • Antic's Amiga Plus (Aug, 1989)[30]
  • Jeux & Stratégie #54 (as "Operation Jupiter")[31]

Notes

  1. ↑ Released as Hostage: Rescue Mission in the United States and Operation Jupiter in France . Additionally, the NES port is titled Rescue: The Embassy Mission.

References

  1. ↑ "Alcatraz". MobyGames. http://www.mobygames.com/game/alcatraz. 
  2. ↑ Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (June 1989). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (146): 68–79. 
  3. ↑ Struble, Robert (August 1989), "Code Blue, Code Blue, All Units...", Computer Gaming World (62): 38 
  4. ↑ Anzovin, Steven (September 1989). "Compute! Specific / Amiga". Compute!: p. 76. https://archive.org/stream/1989-09-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_112_1989_Sep#page/n77/mode/2up. 
  5. ↑ "Hostages: The original Rainbow Six Siege" (in en-US). 2020-12-05. https://www.destructoid.com/hostages-the-original-rainbow-six-siege/. 
  6. ↑ "Atari ST User (Vol. 3, No. 11) - January - 1989: Atari magazine scans, PDF". http://www.atarimania.com/atari-magazine-issue-atari-st-user-vol-3-no-11_1124.html. 
  7. ↑ "RAZE - Issue 05 (1991-03)(Newsfield Publishing)(GB)". March 1991. https://archive.org/details/RAZE_Issue_05_1991-03_Newsfield_Publishing_GB/page/n92/mode/2up. 
  8. ↑ "COMPUTE!'s Amiga Resource - Volume 1 Number 3 (1989-08)(COMPUTE! Publications)(US)". August 1989. https://archive.org/details/COMPUTEs_Amiga_Resource_Volume_1_Number_3_1989-08_COMPUTE_Publications_US/page/n82/mode/2up. 
  9. ↑ "CRASH 79 - Hostages". http://www.crashonline.org.uk/79/hostages.htm. 
  10. ↑ "ST Format (Issue 20) - March - 1991: Atari magazine scans, PDF". http://www.atarimania.com/atari-magazine-issue-st-format-issue-20_1411.html. 
  11. ↑ "RAZE - Issue 09 (1991-07)(Newsfield Publishing)(GB)". July 1991. https://archive.org/details/RAZE_Issue_09_1991-07_Newsfield_Publishing_GB/page/n51/mode/2up. 
  12. ↑ "Hostages review from Your Amiga (Jun 1989) - Amiga Magazine Rack". http://amr.abime.net/review_4967. 
  13. ↑ "Hostages review from CU Amiga (Sep 1991) - Amiga Magazine Rack". http://amr.abime.net/review_8986. 
  14. ↑ "TheOne Magazine Issue 01". October 1988. https://archive.org/details/theone-magazine-01/page/n27/mode/2up. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "The Games Machine Magazine Issue 17". https://archive.org/details/thegamesmachine-magazine-17/page/n49/mode/2up. 
  16. ↑ "ST/Amiga Format issue 4 1988". https://archive.org/stream/ST_Amiga_Format_Issue_04_1988-10_Future_Publishing_GB#page/n63/mode/2up.  [|permanent dead link|dead link}}]
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Le site des anciennes revues informatiques - www.abandonware-magazines.org". https://www.abandonware-magazines.org/erreur404.php. Retrieved 7 January 2024. 
  18. ↑ "The Games Machine Issue 23". https://archive.org/details/the-games-machine-23/page/n90/mode/2up. 
  19. ↑ "ZZap!64 Magazine Issue 053". September 1989. https://archive.org/details/zzap64-magazine-053/page/n15/mode/2up. 
  20. ↑ "Archived copy". http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/articles/hostages.htm. 
  21. ↑ "Info Magazine Issue 26". https://archive.org/details/info-magazine-26/Info_Issue_26_1989_May_Jun/page/n54/mode/2up. 
  22. ↑ "Kultpower Archiv: Komplettscan Powerplay best of 1989". http://www.kultpower.de/archiv/heft_powerplay_1989-beste-spiele_seite48. 
  23. ↑ "Kultpower Archiv: Komplettscan Powerplay 12/1988". http://www.kultpower.de/archiv/heft_powerplay_1988-12_seite64. 
  24. ↑ "Pagina 28 di Zzap! Numero 38". http://www.zzap.it/explorer.php?album=38&immagine=28. 
  25. ↑ "ACE Magazine Issue 20". May 1989. https://archive.org/details/ace-magazine-20/page/n76/mode/2up. 
  26. ↑ "ACE Magazine Issue 15". December 1988. https://archive.org/details/ace-magazine-15/page/n55/mode/2up. 
  27. ↑ "The Games Machine Issue 34". https://archive.org/details/the-games-machine-34/page/n61/mode/2up. 
  28. ↑ "Computer and Video Games 112". https://archive.org/stream/computer-video-games-magazine-112/CVG112_Mar_1991#page/n73/mode/2up.  [|permanent dead link|dead link}}]
  29. ↑ "Rescue - Nintendo Entertainment System - Mean Machines review". http://www.meanmachinesmag.co.uk/review/88/rescue.php. 
  30. ↑ "Hostage review from Antic's Amiga Plus Vol 1 No 3 (Aug - Sep 1989) - Amiga Magazine Rack". http://amr.abime.net/review_10541. 
  31. ↑ "Jeux & stratégie 54". December 1988. https://archive.org/details/jeux-et-strategie-54/page/74/mode/2up. 
  • Short description: Video game database
MobyGames
Logo since March 2014
Screenshot
Frontpage as of April 2012
Type of site
Gaming
Available inEnglish
OwnerAtari SA
Websitemobygames.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional
LaunchedJanuary 30, 1999; 26 years ago (1999-01-30)
Current statusOnline

MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes nearly 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] The site is supported by banner ads and a small number of people paying to become patrons.[2] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It is currently owned by Atari SA.

Content

The database began with games for IBM PC compatibles. After two years, consoles such as the PlayStation, were added. Older console systems were added later. Support for arcade video games was added in January 2014 and mainframe computer games in June 2017.[3]

Edits and submissions go through a leisurely verification process by volunteer "approvers". The approval process can range from immediate (minutes) to gradual (days or months).[4] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copyediting.[5]

Registered users can rate and review any video game. 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 subforum.

History

Logo used until March 11, 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999 by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, then joined by David Berk 18 months later, three friends since high school.[6] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience.

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[7] This was announced to the community post factum and a few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.

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).[8] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel.[9]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[10] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[11][12]

See also

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

References

  1. ↑ "MobyGames Stats". https://www.mobygames.com/moby_stats. 
  2. ↑ "MobyGames Patrons". http://www.mobygames.com/info/patrons. 
  3. ↑ "New(ish!) on MobyGames – the Mainframe platform.". Blue Flame Labs. 18 June 2017. http://www.mobygames.com/forums/dga,2/dgb,3/dgm,237200/. 
  4. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  5. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/32856/Report_MobyGames_Acquired_By_GameFly_Media.php. 
  8. ↑ 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. 
  9. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/207882/Game_dev_database_MobyGames_getting_some_TLC_under_new_owner.php. 
  10. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  11. ↑ "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/. 
  12. ↑ "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/. 





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