Software:In Pursuit of Greed

From HandWiki
In Pursuit of Greed
CD Cover art
Developer(s)Mind Shear Software
Publisher(s)Softdisk
WizardWorks
Memorex Software
Designer(s)Jeremy Stanton, Chris Tallent
Programmer(s)Robert W. Morgan III[1]
Writer(s)Jeremy Stanton
Composer(s)Andrew Sega
EngineRaven Engine
Platform(s)DOS
Release1995
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

In Pursuit of Greed (also known as Assassinators) is a science fiction-themed first-person shooter (FPS) video game released in 1995 for DOS, developed by Mind Shear Software and published by Softdisk.[2]

Release

After Mind Shear Software's release of Ironseed in 1994, Softdisk Publishing reached out to them with the suggestion that they take advantage of the pre-alpha Doom code that Softdisk had access to in order to create a shooter, in the hopes of capitalizing on the popularity of Doom. (This was Id's Raven engine, licensed to Raven Software for their 1993 game ShadowCaster.) Mind Shear agreed enthusiastically, expecting that they would be working on a nearly complete Doom engine. Only after contracts were signed and development was underway did they discover just how buggy and incomplete the codebase was. Problems with lag, jerky animation, and slow rendering plagued the project right up until a significantly delayed release.

The game was re-released under the name Assassinators by Memorex Software in 1998.

The game and its source code were released as non-commercial freeware by the programmer around 2014.[3]

Reception

Reception of the game by press and gamers was mostly unimpressed to negative.[4][5][6] However, some game aspects like curved surfaces, the "rear mirror" mechanic, and the colorful protagonists were positively mentioned.[7] Also the soundtrack, done by Andrew Sega, was positively noted. The game was not the hoped for commercial success due to the technical problems with the unfinished engine and the competing high-profile title Duke Nukem 3D, released shortly after Greed, which lead to a cool reception from the press and the public alike.

The game received a 59/100 in the PC Gamer August 1996 issue, stating "The Doom frenzy breeds another strange offspring, where mercenary cows, lizards, and cyborgs kill for sport. It's all pretty forgettable.".[4]

Home of the Underdogs gave it a 7/10 saying "All in all, if you have enough patience to slog through the first few levels, you will find an interesting and above-average game lurking behind the tedious beginning. It is by no means a classic, but it's worth a look."[5] Old PC Gaming gave In Pursuit of Greed 2.5 stars calling it "not a particularly irredeemable game, just somewhat formulaic and woefully outdated"[6]

References

  1. ↑ Ironseed on redshadowsoftware.com
  2. ↑ Greed: Gut Feelings, Growth, and History Wiley & Sons by A. F. Robertson "In Pursuit of Greed is a kickin' new multiplayer 3D-game from Softdisk."
  3. ↑ Greed on redshadowsoftware.com "These sources are provided for educational and historical purposes. No assets or code may be used in any way commercially. Personal and educational use only." (2014)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 PC Gamer 1996-08 by T. Liam Mcdonald "The Ultimate Preview of the Year's Hottest Games: the 50 most anticipated games in the coming year" (August 1996)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 In Pursuit of Greed on Home of the Underdogs
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 in pursuit of greed review on Old PC Gaming (October 26, 2016)
  7. ↑ The Technology Behind ID's Games on slashdot.com by Sean Clifford "Softdisk tried to produce a couple of games, one called Greed (later In Pursuit of Greed) which was basically a 3D Doom-clone shooter. There was some neat technology (e.g. curved surfaces), but the art was...uh, well weak. The gameplay was decent, but there were some bugs to stomp and the ship date slipped...and slipped...and slipped. It was released, but didn't live up to the hype. The game was torn to shreds in the reviews." (August 13, 2002)
  • 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





Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:In_Pursuit_of_Greed&oldid=692432"