Software:Iridion 3D

From HandWiki
Short description: 2001 video game

Iridion 3D
Iridion 3D cover art
Developer(s)Shin'en Multimedia
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)Game Boy Advance, Windows
ReleaseGame Boy Advance
  • NA: June 11, 2001
  • EU: September 21, 2001
Windows
April 8, 2020[1]
Genre(s)Rail shooter
Mode(s)Single player

Iridion 3D is a quasi-3D rail shooter video game developed by Shin'en Multimedia. A launch title for the Game Boy Advance portable game console, it was released in North America on June 11, 2001 and in Europe on September 21. The player controls a single starship defending Earth from the alien Iridion. The game spans seven levels from Earth to the aliens' home planet, each following a linear path that culminate with a boss.

Iridion began development as a shooter for the Game Boy Color; when Shin'en decided to drop development and shift their focus to the Game Boy Advance, Iridion was the first game by the developer to appear on the system. Though billed as a 3D game, Shin'en used realtime encoding and resizing to manipulate the size of 2D sprites instead of creating a true 3D environment. More room on the game cartridge was available for graphics due to the game's use of the GAX Sound Engine, which allowed real-time decoding of song data in a small file size.

On release Iridion garnered generally mixed reviews. The graphics and sound were generally praised; a year after its release, critics at Extended Play still considered it the best-looking game on the platform. In contrast, critics derided the game's repetitive and frustrating gameplay. Despite lukewarm reception to the title upon release, Iridion 3D was a financial success, and influenced future Shin'en shooters such as Iridion II and Nanostray.

Gameplay

Bosses such as the Refusor usually have a single vulnerability—here, the green core. From top left, the number of lives remaining, score, and ship energy are shown.

The game is a simple forward-scrolling rail shooter, similar to the Star Fox series. Only the Game Boy Advance's directional pad, A, and Start buttons are used during gameplay.[2] The ship remains locked at a set speed and cannot brake or speed up.[3]

The player encounters more than fifteen types of enemy, not including level bosses. Some are easy to destroy; others, including the fire creatures found on the Iridion home world, are indestructible and must be avoided. Other enemies prevent the player from dodging enemy fire by laying mines to block paths. Passive objects, such as garbage or asteroids, can damage or destroy the player's craft. Enemies vary in armor and weaponry—some cannot return fire but travel in waves to ram the player.[3]: 19–22  The player's ship can use five types of weapons, with three levels of power each. Players boost weapon power by collecting powerups that match the current weapon's power; collecting a different color gives the player the first level of that weapon type. If the player's ship is destroyed the power level of the weapon is reduced by one. Flashing powerups restore the craft's shields.[3]: 5 

Each level has the player follow a linear path through waves of enemies and culminates with a boss. In boss stages the player's craft does not move forward, but hovers in front of the boss.[4] Each boss has a single vulnerability which flashes when hit. These areas are often heavily shielded and must be hit repeatedly to remove armor. Other bosses' vulnerabilities are hidden and appear for only short periods. Most bosses have weapons that fire upon the player or reflect the player's shots. At the end of each level, players receive bonuses for defeated enemies, lives remaining, and the energy level of the player's craft.[3]: 4  An extra life is granted if the score reaches certain thresholds.[3]: 28 

Plot

In the opening cinematic of Iridion 3D Earth is attacked without warning by the Iridion, who take over much of the surface and lay mines in orbit and bombs in the Pacific Ocean. The player is the pilot of an experimental SHN fighter, the last hope for defending Earth from the Iridion.[3]: 6  The player pilots his ship alone against hordes of Iridion fighters and natural obstacles. The early stages begin on Earth, with the player fighting through an Iridion garbage tunnel. The player proceeds to the Pacific Ocean and destroys much of the Iridion invasion fleet on Earth before heading into the stratosphere to destroy the orbital blockade around Earth and subsequently annihilating the Iridion boss at the Moon.

With the invasion fleet in ruins, the player heads into the far reaches of space. After destroying an Iridion mining colony within an asteroid belt, the player proceeds into the Iridion home system. Eventually the player fights the Iridion on their home world, destroying the Iridion "mainframe" and ending the alien threat forever.[3]: 27 

Development

Manfred Linzner began developing a shoot-em-up video game in 1996 on his Amiga computer, but abandoned the project after producing a single level and some related music. Linzner later co-founded Shin'en Multimedia in 1999, and Iridion began development as a shooter for the Game Boy Color.[5] On January 10, 2001, Shin'en announced they would stop making games for the Color, instead working on games exclusively for the upcoming Game Boy Advance.[6] Iridion's executive producer was Dan Kitchen, a former programmer for Atari.[7]

Although advertised as a 3D game, Iridion 3D uses solely 2D graphics for texture scrolling and sprites which depict explosions and enemies. The developers created the illusion of 3D by looping background textures—a graphically intensive technique for the Game Boy Advance.[8] Graphical objects shrink or enlarge to depict position relative to the player. Level environments feature changes such as progression from day to night. Kitchen, Majesco's vice president of handhelds, wrote that "by pushing the graphics hardware of the Game Boy Advance to its technical limits, Iridion 3D provides a truly realistic 3D gaming experience." He hoped that players would be impressed by the capabilities of a game on a portable system.[4]

Linzner composed Iridion 3D's music.[9] Some of the music had been started before programming of the game itself.[5] The game was Shin'en's first product to utilize the GAX Sound Engine, which allowed real-time decoding of song data in an extremely small file size; this allowed more space on the cartridge to be used for graphics.[10] The soundtrack was released as part of an arranged collection on compact disc in 2003 and digitally in 2010.[9]

By March 2001, the GBA version of Iridion was shown in workable form. IGN saw early screens and declared that Iridion was "aiming to set the standard" of what Game Boy Advance shooters should be, pushing the platform to its limits and producing the most stunning game seen at the time for the handheld system.[11] GameSpot's Ben Stahl noted the excellent graphics and high frame rate, ending with, "At this point, Iridion 3D looks like it could be a great game for fans of the genre."[12] The game was one of 17 titles that launched alongside the Advance.[13][4]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic53/100[14]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame2/5[15]
Edge6/10[16]
EGM5.5/10, 2/10, 6/10[17][lower-alpha 1]
Game Informer6/10[19]
GameSpot5.6/10[20]
GameSpy45%[8]
IGN5.5/10[21]
Nintendo Power3.5/5[22]
X-Play3/5[23]

Iridion 3D received mixed reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[14] The graphics were often praised;[24][25] reviews from The Washington Post, Popular Science, and GameSpy considered Iridion 3D a standout game for the Game Boy Advance and a showcase for the system's graphic performance.[26][8][27] A year after its release, Extended Play's Miguel Concepcion argued that Iridion remained the best-looking game for the system.[23] Miguel Lopez of GameSpot wrote that "while it's ultimately all smoke and mirrors, Iridion's world is richly detailed, has remarkable depth, and is unbelievably fluid. It's often hard to tell if the game's backgrounds are composed of streaming full motion video or just some really fancy math-powered 2D bitmaps."[20] Less positively, Aaron Curtiss of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the faux-3D visuals of Iridion were a letdown compared to true 3D games like Software:F-Zero: Maximum Velocity.[28]

In contrast to praise for Iridion's graphics, its gameplay was generally panned. IGN's Craig Harris wrote that the shooter would only impress for its visual presentation, and noted that player's freedom of movement was limited.[21][28] Concepcion complained that on a small screen distances were hard to judge and the player's ship was often hit by bullets that appeared to be in the distance.[21][23][17] GameSpy's Andrew S. Bub and Game Informer's Jay Fitzloff criticized the craft placement, as the player's view was often obscured by their own ship.[8][19] Critics observed that Iridion's replay value was low,[20][16] with enemies appearing in the same set sequences across all levels,[17] while Curtiss wrote that the changing environments helped keep the game interesting.[28] Electronic Gaming Monthly's reviewers called the gameplay barebones and rote,[17][29] and AllGame's Skyler Miller called Iridion 3D nothing more than a technology demo.[15] A more positive review came from GamePro, whose reviewer summed up his experience by writing that, "if you're looking for some classic shooter action on your new GBA, Iridion 3D will fit the bill nicely without blowing you away."[30][lower-alpha 2]

The sound design and music received praise.[21] Cindi Lash of the Post-Gazette praised the soundtrack as demonstrating the promise of the Game Boy's hardware to leave "tinny carousel-like tunes" in the past.[24] WiredLounge.com said that "The soundtrack is an instant classic, maybe even one of the best shooter scores ever."[31] Concepcion noted that the game's mood-fitting "high-energy techno" was an oddity coming from a German game company.[23]

Among the launch titles for the Game Boy Advance, Iridion was often considered one of the weaker offerings.[32][28] Despite the reviews, Linzner maintained that Iridion 3D was the best-selling game for the Game Boy Advance without licensed characters.[33] Iridion 3D was one of the more successful third-party titles on the Game Boy Advance, paving the way for a sequel.[5][9] Shin'en followed the game with Iridion II in 2003 and Nanostray in 2005.[34][35] Iridion 3D was released on Steam on April 8, 2020, alongside Iridion II.[1]

Notes

  1. ↑ Three critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly each gave a score out of a possible ten.
  2. ↑ GamePro gave the game three 4/5 scores for graphics, control, and fun factor, and 3.5/5 for sound.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Majesco Releases Iridion Franchise on Steam!". Informa. April 8, 2020. https://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/360990/Majesco_Releases_Iridion_Franchise_on_Steam.php. 
  2. ↑ "Iridion 3D - Controls". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=31373&tab=controls. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Shin'en Multimedia (June 11, 2001). Iridion 3D Instruction Manual. Nintendo. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Ahmed, Shahed (January 10, 2001). "Iridion 3-D [sic GBA Update [date mislabeled as "May 17, 2006""]. Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/iridion-3-d-gba-update/1100-2673383/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Manfred, Linzner (2003). "Behind the scenes". Iridion 3D & II Arranged Soundtrack Perfect Selection (Media notes).
  6. ↑ IGN staff (January 10, 2001). "The End Of A Supernova". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/01/11/the-end-of-a-supernova. 
  7. ↑ "Iridion 3D - Credits". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=31373&tab=credits. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Bub, Andrew S. (January 12, 2002). "Iridion 3D Advance [sic"]. IGN Entertainment. http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/december01/iridion3dgba/. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Sahdev, Ishaan (May 6, 2010). "The History Of Iridion". Gamurs. https://www.siliconera.com/the-history-of-iridion/. 
  10. ↑ Staff. "Music". https://www.shinen.com/music/music.php3?gax. 
  11. ↑ Harris, Craig; Nix, Marc (March 19, 2001). "Iridion 3D (Preview)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/03/20/iridion-3d-2. 
  12. ↑ Stahl, Ben (March 21, 2001). "Iridion 3-D [sic Hands-On [date mislabeled as "May 17, 2006"]"]. Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/iridion-3-d-hands-on/1100-2699789/. 
  13. ↑ Tarr, Greg (June 25, 2001). "Newest GameBoy Gets Snapped Up By Consumers". Twice (Imagine Media) 16 (15): 23. ISSN 0892-7278. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Iridion 3D". Fandom. https://www.metacritic.com/game/iridion-3d/. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Miller, Skyler. "Iridion 3D - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=31373&tab=review. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Edge staff (August 2001). "Iridion 3D". Edge (Future Publishing) (100): 101. https://retrocdn.net/images/4/43/Edge_UK_100.pdf. Retrieved February 16, 2024. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Boyer, Crispin; Hsu, Dan "Shoe"; Einhorn, Ethan (July 2001). "Iridion 3D". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (144): 93. https://retrocdn.net/images/e/ea/EGM_US_144.pdf. Retrieved February 16, 2024. 
  18. ↑ MacIsaac, Jason (August 8, 2001). "Iridion 3D". Greedy Productions Ltd.. http://www.elecplay.com/review.html?article=6485&full=1. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Fitzloff, Jay (July 2001). "Iridion 3D". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (99). http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200107/R03.0805.1745.19171.htm?CS_pid=160035. Retrieved October 20, 2010. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Lopez, Miguel (June 7, 2001). "Iridion 3-D [sic Review [date mislabeled as "May 17, 2006"]"]. Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/iridion-3-d-review/1900-2770814/. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 Harris, Craig (June 14, 2001). "Iridion 3D". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/06/14/iridion-3d. 
  22. ↑ "Iridion 3D". Nintendo Power (Nintendo of America) 145. June 2001. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 Concepcion, Miguel (February 8, 2002). "'Iridion 3D' (GBA) Review". TechTV. http://www.techtv.com/extendedplay/shownotes/story/0,24330,3371160,00.html. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Lash, Cindi (June 8, 2001). "Sleek New Advance Makes the Play More Fun; Game Boy Grows Up". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Block Communications): p. 39. 
  25. ↑ Oxford, Troy (June 17, 2001). "Game Boy Advance offers choice of top titles". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Cox Enterprises): p. P5. 
  26. ↑ Ham, Tom (June 8, 2001). "Game Boy's Big Little Advance". The Washington Post (Nash Holdings): p. E11. 
  27. ↑ Kent, Steven (July 2001). Kirschner, Suzanne. ed. "Hands On: A Better Game, Boy". Popular Science 259 (1): 33. 
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 Curtiss, Aaron (June 7, 2001). "Game Reviews: The Latest Game Boy: a Winner". Los Angeles Times: p. T1. 
  29. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (June 26, 2001). "Iridion 3D". http://gameboy.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r17444_GBA.htm. 
  30. ↑ Air Hendrix (July 2001). "Iridion 3D". GamePro (IDG) (154): 41. https://retrocdn.net/images/3/33/GamePro_US_154.pdf. Retrieved February 16, 2024. 
  31. ↑ Staff. "Iridion". http://www.shinen.com/games/game.php3?iridion. 
  32. ↑ McGehee, Michael (June 13, 2001). "Game Boy, the next generation". Chicago Tribune (Tribune Publishing): p. 10. 
  33. ↑ Sven, P. (July 14, 2005). "Shin´en im Interview: Iridion, Biene Maja und Nanostray" (in de). http://www.demonews.de/interviews/index.php?artikel=509&s=1. 
  34. ↑ Provo, Frank (June 27, 2003). "Iridion II Review". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/iridion-ii-review/1900-6030757/. 
  35. ↑ Parish, Jeremy (July 19, 2005). "Nanostray". Ziff Davis. http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3142124&did=1. 
  • Official site
  • 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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