Software:J.B. Harold Murder Club

From HandWiki
Short description: 1986 video game
Cover art for the TurboGrafx-CD release
Developer(s)Riverhillsoft, Althi, Inc (DS, Switch)
Publisher(s)Riverhillsoft (PC-98)[1]
Micro Cabin (MSX)[2]
Kyodai (DOS)[1]
Hudson Soft (TG16CD)[1]
FonFun (DS)[1]
SETA Corporation (FC)
Platform(s)Famicom, Fujitsu FM-7, FM Towns, NEC PC-88, NEC PC-98, MSX, Sharp X1, Sharp X68000, MS-DOS, TurboGrafx-CD, Windows, Nintendo DS, iOS, Nintendo Switch
ReleaseNEC PC-88[1]
  • JP: August 1986
NEC PC-98[1]
Fujitsu FM-7[1]
Sharp X1[1]
MSX[2]
Sharp X68000
Famicom
  • JP: June 30, 1989
MS-DOS[1]
TurboGrafx-CD[1]
Windows[1]
Nintendo DS
  • JP: February 21, 2008
iOS[3]
February 15, 2011
Nintendo Switch[4]
  • JP: August 10, 2017
Genre(s)Adventure game
Visual novel
Mode(s)Single-player

J.B. Harold Murder Club, known as J.B. Harold no Jikenbo #1: Murder Club in Japan,[2] and as Murder Club in North America (MS-DOS),[5] is a 1986 murder mystery adventure game,[1] developed by Riverhillsoft and released for the NEC PC-98,[1] MSX,[2] MS-DOS, NEC TurboGrafx-CD (TurboDuo) and Nintendo DS platforms.[1] The TurboGrafx-CD version featured still photographs, text and audio voices as well as the option to select the language, English or Japanese. It was the first entry in the J.B. Harold series, which have been released on various platforms and sold 200,000 copies as of 2011.[3]

Story and gameplay

A horrible murder has taken place in the sleepy little town of Liberty. Bill Robbins, a wealthy man known for his wild womanizing ways is the victim and, list of possible suspects keeps growing. As J.B. Harold the player must figure out the who, what, where and why of the case. To solve the mystery it will be necessary to travel to various locations, interview people and search for clues.[6] The game is laid out over a grid map that displays various locations, though other than that, the game is mainly presented in the form of still photos.[7]

Reception

DOS

Dennis Owens (in the voice of a character named "Rocco") reviewed the game for Computer Gaming World, and stated that "Da goods on dis game iz dat, if youse can fuhgit dat dis iz nuttin' but a compudah game, which da game in no ways lets youse fugit, den youse might finds its to be sum kind o' complex moidah mystery."[5]

TurboGrafx-CD

The game was reviewed in 1991 in Dragon #176 by Hartley, Patricia and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4 out of 5 stars. They wrote that it is "a great game for mystery fans" and "a thinking game that is well worth the money".[8] Dragon criticized the game for not including "a warning on the box about the mature subject matter in this game" in reference to an unsolved rape case.[8]

Video Games and Computer Entertainment critic, Donn Nauert, praised the game's sound, graphics, and playability, giving it an overall score of 9 out of 10.[6] Commenting on the game's unsolved rape, Nauert wrote: "I don't think this is a subject that the American public is comfortable with in a video game, even though it's not dealt with graphically..."[6] Defunct Games stated: "This is the type of game that will no doubt appeal to the gamers who love a good murder mystery, and while it's not perfect there's no denying that it's the best game of its kind. This is the type of game you don't see much anymore, which is a real shame because for what it is J.B Harold is a lot of fun". They gave the game a score of 70%.[7]

The PC Engine version was rated 21.74 out of 30 by PC Engine Fan magazine.[9]

GameSpot included the game in its list of titles that deserve an enhanced remake, stating that it was "one of the most difficult games ever made", had "some of the most memorable voice acting of all time", and that "to this day there isn't much out there quite like it". They compared it to more recent titles such as the adventure games Shenmue (1999) and Shadow of Memories (2001) as well as the role-playing video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003), saying that it similarly features "character interaction as the major gameplay element" and has "a similar type of multiple phrase response".[10]

Legacy

J.B. Harold Murder Club is the first in the Japanese J. B. Harold series of murder mystery graphic adventure games, which includes Manhattan Requiem (1987),[11] Kiss of Murder (1988), D.C. Connection (1989),[12] and Blue Chicago Blues (1995).[11] J.B Harold Murder Club was the first title in the series to be released in the United States.[13] After the series sold 200,000 copies, an iOS version of the second game Manhattan Requiem was released in the Western world.[3]

In 2008, an enhanced remake of the game was released for the Japanese Nintendo DS,[13] under the title Keiji J.B. Harold no Jikenbo: Satsujin Club.

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Murder Club at MobyGames
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "JB Harold no Jikenbo #1: Murder Club". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/msx/action/jbharoldnojikenbo1murderclub/index.html. Retrieved 2011-03-24. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Manhattan Requiem". iTunes Store. 26 January 2011. https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/id399354708?affId=2049622. Retrieved 6 February 2012. 
  4. ↑ "Nintendo Switch「刑事 J.B.ハロルドの事件簿 マーダー・クラブ」が8月10日に配信決定―刑事J.B.ハロルドとなって難事件解決を目指していくADV". https://www.gamer.ne.jp/news/201708020041/. Retrieved August 2, 2017. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Owens, Dennis (December 1989). "Da Goods on da New Moidah Mystery: Kyodai's "Murder Club"". Computer Gaming World 1 (66): 46, 95. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Video Games and Computer Entertainment, July 1991, p. 44
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 John Huxley (May 20, 2007). "J.B. Harold Murder Club". Defunct Games. Archived from the original on 2007-10-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20071031231417/http://www.defunctgames.com/shows.php?id=review-880. Retrieved 2011-03-24. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (December 1991). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (176): 57–62. 
  9. ↑ "Adventure Game". PC Engine Fan (PC Engine All Catalog '92: PC Engine Fan Appendix): 49-57 (52-3). August 1992. https://archive.org/details/pc-engine-all-catalog-92-pc-engine-fan-appendix-august-1992/PC%20Engine%20All%20Catalog%20%2792%20-%20PC%20Engine%20Fan%20Appendix%20%28August%201992%29/page/52/mode/2up. 
  10. ↑ Ryan Mac Donald & Tim Tracy, "J.B. Harold Murder Club", Games That Should Be Remade (GameSpot) IV: p. 3, archived from the original on 2012-07-07, https://web.archive.org/web/20120707202217/http://uk.gamespot.com/features/6086894/p-3.html, retrieved 2011-03-24 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 J.B. Harold Series at MobyGames
  12. ↑ "JB Harold no Jikenbo". GameSpot. http://uk.gamespot.com/search.html?qs=JB+Harold+no+Jikenbo. Retrieved 2011-03-24. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "J.B. Harold Murder Club rises from the grave | Joystiq". http://nintendo.joystiq.com/2007/12/03/j-b-harold-murder-club-rises-from-the-grave/. 

References

  • Video Games and Computer Entertainment, July 1991, p. 44
  • 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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