Software:James Pond: Underwater Agent

From HandWiki
Short description: 1990 video game
James Pond: Underwater Agent
Mega Drive cover art
Developer(s)Vectordean
Publisher(s)Millennium Interactive
Electronic Arts (GEN)
Designer(s)Chris Sorrell
Programmer(s)Chris Sorrell
Artist(s)Chris Sorrell
Composer(s)Richard Joseph
Platform(s)Amiga, Atari ST, Archimedes, Sega Genesis
ReleaseAmiga, Atari ST
Sega Genesis
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

James Pond: Underwater Agent is a 1990 platform video game developed by Vectordean and published by British company Millennium Interactive for the Amiga, Atari ST and Acorn Archimedes. A port to the Sega Genesis was released by Electronic Arts the following year. It was the first in the James Pond series of games.

Gameplay

Amiga screenshot

James Pond has to solve puzzles to defeat the enemy and the gameplay revolves around finding objects to perform specific tasks, such as keys to rescue captured lobsters, or sponges to bung up the holes in leaking oil tankers. James must also fire bubbles at his enemies to trap them, before popping them to finish them off.

Plot

A nefarious supervillain named "Doctor Maybe" (a play on Dr. No) has overtaken the ruthless megacorporation Acme Oil Company, and is not only filling the oceans with radiation and toxic waste but even threatening all the world from his underwater lair. The protagonist of the story and player character of the game is an intelligent, mutated anthropomorphic mudskipper who is given the name "James Pond" (after the legendary spy James Bond) and hired by the British Secret Service to protect the seas and take out the bad guys in underwater areas. He is also suave enough to seduce numerous attractive mermaids, some of whom act as double agents as is common with James Bond's love interests. The game spoofs James Bond movies with levels mimicking their titles, with level names like "License to Bubble" (after Licence to Kill), "A View to a Spill" (after A View to a Kill), "Leak and Let Die" (after Live and Let Die) and "From Three Mile Island with Love" (after From Russia with Love).

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGM4,4,3,6 (SMD)[1]
Mega Action82% (SMD)[2]
Videogames & Computer Entertainment7/10 (SMD)[3]
Console XS70% (SMD)[4]
MegaTech77% (SMD)[5]

James Pond received mixed but mostly positive reviews. VideoGames & Computer Entertainment[6] gave the game seven out of ten, calling it "an entertaining and challenging undersea caper that should please just about anyone". Electronic Gaming Monthly[1] gave it a four, four, three, and six, out of ten, calling it "not exciting or fun", but "a nice kids [sic] game". Mega Action gave James Pond a score of 82% writing: "James Pond does for fish as Sonic does for hedgehogs. It features some really cute baddies, making this game a real joy to play."[7] Console XS gave a review score of 70%, they felt it was not a good conversion from the computer version and wrote that "Everything is far too bland and boring to excite Pond fans."[8] MegaTech gave the Genesis version an overall score of 77% writing: "A cute and entertaining twelve-level aquatic platform game which provides plenty of fun."[9]


Legacy

James Pond was followed by two sequels: James Pond 2: Codename Robocod and James Pond 3: Operation Starfish. There was also a spin-off sports-themed game, entitled The Aquatic Games; James Pond also a cameo in Rolo to the Rescue. After Sony Computer Entertainment acquired Millennium Interactive, CyberLife retained the rights to the series and sold the property to Gameware Europe in 2003.

James Pond returned in James Pond in the Deathly Shallows for the iPhone and the iPad on 30 June 2011.[10] In September 2013, Gameware Europe launched a Kickstarter for a new game in the series, James Pond: Pond is Back!, featuring the game's original designer, Chris Sorrell.[11] The Kickstarter was canceled on October 7 as the funding target looked unlikely to be achieved.[12]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Review Crew: James Pond". Electronic Gaming Monthly (22): 18. May 1991. https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_22/page/n17/mode/1up. Retrieved April 10, 2022. 
  2. ↑ "Mega Library". Mega Action (1): 65. June 1993. https://archive.org/details/mega-action-issue-1-1993-06/page/n63/mode/2up. Retrieved March 21, 2022. 
  3. ↑ "Video Games & Computer Entertainment Issue 28 May 1991". https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Computer_Entertainment_Issue_28_May_1991. 
  4. ↑ "A-Z Software". Console XS (1): 131. June 1992. https://archive.org/details/console-xs-01/page/130/mode/2up. Retrieved March 26, 2022. 
  5. ↑ "Game Index". Megatech (1): 78. December 1991. https://archive.org/details/UneditedUK_marktrade/MegaTech_01/page/n77/mode/2up. Retrieved May 9, 2022. 
  6. ↑ "Video Games & Computer Entertainment Issue 28 May 1991". https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Computer_Entertainment_Issue_28_May_1991. 
  7. ↑ "Mega Library". Mega Action (1): 65. June 1993. https://archive.org/details/mega-action-issue-1-1993-06/page/n63/mode/2up. Retrieved March 21, 2022. 
  8. ↑ "A-Z Software". Console XS (1): 131. June 1992. https://archive.org/details/console-xs-01/page/130/mode/2up. Retrieved March 26, 2022. 
  9. ↑ "Game Index". Megatech (1): 78. December 1991. https://archive.org/details/UneditedUK_marktrade/MegaTech_01/page/n77/mode/2up. Retrieved May 9, 2022. 
  10. ↑ "He's back: James Pond in the Deathly Shallows set for a June 30th iPhone splashdown", Pocket Gamer.
  11. ↑ "James Pond - Pond is Back! (Canceled)". https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gameware/james-pond-pond-is-back. 
  12. ↑ "Update 7: Coming to an early end · James Pond - Pond is Back! (Canceled)". https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gameware/james-pond-pond-is-back/posts/621411. 
  • 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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