Software:Irritating Stick

From HandWiki
Short description: 1998 video game
Irritating Stick
Developer(s)Saurus
Publisher(s)Jaleco Entertainment
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • JP: March 19, 1998
  • NA: February 4, 1999
Genre(s)Puzzle video game
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Irritating Stick, also known as Ucchan Nanchan no Honō no Challenger: Dengeki Iraira Bou Returns (ウッチャンナンチャンの炎のチャレンジャー電擊イライラ棒 リターンズ; lit. "Ucchan Nanchan's Challengers of Fire: Irritating Electric Stick Returns" in Japanese), is a PlayStation video game published by Jaleco Entertainment.[1]

History

Irritating Stick was originally released in Japan on March 19, 1998, under the name Dengeki Iraira Bou,[1][2] and in North America on February 4, 1999.[3]

Description

It is based a segment on the Japanese game show Ucchan Nanchan no Honō no Challenger: Kore ga Dekitara Hyakuman En (ウッチャンナンチャンの炎のチャレンジャーこれができたら100万円!!; lit. "Ucchan Nanchan's Challengers of Fire: 1,000,000 Yen If You Can Do This!!"). The segment in turn was based on a carnival game,[2] where the player tries to maneuver a metal rod through a metal maze without touching the sides. When the sides were touched by the baton, the controller rumbles.[1]

The player would also hear a loud announcer screaming to confuse them while trying to escape the maze.[2] In the American version of the game, the voices (except for when the maze is finished) were removed for unknown reasons.

There is also a demo of the Japanese version released in North America in 1998 on the "PlayStation Underground Jampack" in the "imports" section of the vault where it was spelled: "Ira-Ira Bo". The player could only play up to level three, and some of the features were removed such as "multiplayer", "TV studio", "bonus", and "options". Besides some of the removed content everything else such as the voice acting, narration, and intro movie were still there. Japanese PlayStation games would not work on the American PlayStation console, since this was a direct transfer of the game from the original disk, when a level is beaten or the player gets a "game over", the PlayStation console must be restarted.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings39%[4]
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGM3.125/10[5][lower-alpha 1]
Famitsu29/40[6]
GameFan59%[7][lower-alpha 2]
GameSpot3/10[8]
IGN5.5/10[9]
OPM (US)StarStarStar[10]

The game received "unfavorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[4] It was voted the #1 worst game name of all time by GameRevolution.[11] In Japan, however, Famitsu gave it a score of 29 out of 40.[6]

Notes

  1. ↑ Four critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game each a score of 5/10, 2/10, 4.5/10 and 1/10.
  2. ↑ Three critics of GameFan gave the game each a score of 50, 81, and 45.

See also

  • Ucchan Nanchan no Honō no Challenge: Denryū Ira Ira Bō

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Virtually Overlooked: Irritating Stick" (in en). https://www.engadget.com/2008-07-31-virtually-overlooked-irritating-stick.html. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 (in en) Irritating Stick - IGN, 5 February 1999, https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/02/05/irritating-stick-2, retrieved 2021-01-22 
  3. ↑ "Jaleco Ships Irritating Stick". February 4, 1999. http://www.psxnation.com/news/020499b.shtml. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Irritating Stick for PlayStation Reviews". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190501073534/https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/197656-irritating-stick/index.html. Retrieved February 16, 2021. 
  5. ↑ Boyer, Crispin; Davison, John; Hager, Dean; Williams, Ken "Sushi-X" (February 1999). "Irritating Stick". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (115): 174. https://archive.org/details/electronicgamingmonthlyissue115february1999/page/n187/mode/2up. Retrieved February 16, 2021. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "ウッチャンナンチャンの炎のチャレンジャー電擊イライラ棒 リターンズ [PS"] (in Japanese). Famitsu (Enterbrain). Archived from the original on October 27, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181027232020/https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=4908. Retrieved February 4, 2019. 
  7. ↑ Super Teeter; Ngo, George "Eggo"; Weitzner, Jason "Fury" (March 1999). "Irritating Stick". GameFan (Shinno Media) 7 (3): 14. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_7_Issue_03/page/n15/mode/2up. Retrieved November 8, 2020. 
  8. ↑ Gerstmann, Jeff (February 25, 1999). "Irritating Stick Review". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/irritating-stick-review/1900-2547936/. Retrieved November 17, 2016. 
  9. ↑ Harris, Craig (February 4, 1999). "Irritating Stick". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/02/05/irritating-stick-2. Retrieved November 17, 2016. 
  10. ↑ MacDonald, Mark (March 1999). "Irritating Stick". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) 2 (6): 83. https://archive.org/details/Official_US_PlayStation_Magazine_Volume_2_Issue_6_1999-03_Ziff_Davis_US/page/n81. Retrieved July 4, 2019. 
  11. ↑ Ferris, Duke (June 12, 2006). "The 50 Worst Game Names Ever". CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/features/18-worst_game_names. Retrieved November 8, 2020. 
  • 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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