Software:Juiced (video game)

From HandWiki
Juiced
Cover art featuring Mazda RX-8
Cover art featuring Mazda RX-8
Developer(s)Juice Games
Publisher(s)THQ
Director(s)Tim Preece
Designer(s)Richard Badger
Programmer(s)Rob Anderson
Artist(s)Andrew Bate
Platform(s)Windows
PlayStation 2
Xbox
Mobile phone
Release
  • NA: 7 May 2005 (Mobile)
  • NA: 13 June 2005
  • EU: 17 June 2005
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer, online multiplayer

Juiced is a racing video game by British studio Juice Games for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and mobile phones. The game was delayed for release in 2004 because the original publisher, Acclaim Entertainment, went defunct. Juice Games and Fund 4 Games retained ownership of the property and sold the game to THQ, who funded the project for a further six months of improvements. In early 2006, British software publisher Focus Multimedia re-released the PC version of Juiced at a new budget price as part of its "Essential" games series. The game offers different modes including career and arcade that present the player with challenges of increasing difficulty. The player can customise the car to suit their style and unlock new ones in arcade mode. The game features nitrous boosts, similar to that of other racing games. Juiced went to number one in the United Kingdom MCV sales charts and its first version sold 2.5 million units.

Gameplay

The game is set in a fictional Californian city called Angel City, based on Los Angeles. Angel City is composed of eight districts, San Ricardo, Campbell Hills, Downtown, Angel North Central, Angel Westside, Southside Beach, East Angel Island and Anderson. The districts are controlled by rival crews in the game, and the player can host events at different districts if they get enough Respect.

Racing modes

There are four different racing types:

  • Circuit (classic race to the finish line in a closed track with a certain number of laps)
  • Point-to-point (classic race to the finish line in a track from point A to point B)
  • Sprint (drag race, speed race in a straight line (or mostly) in which automatic transmission is disabled by the game so the player must change from gear to gear manually)
  • Showoff (timed event in which the player must do stunts in order to score points; the game includes a bunch of tutorial videos for these events, offered right before entering the car selection menu for the Showoff event and also available in Main Menu > Extras)

There are not only races in which every racer is a rival, but also crew races comprising two racers from one crew (2 vs 2 vs 2, as well as 2 vs 2), as well as composed of three members of the same crew (3 vs 3). In these races, all of the racers of one same crew must cross the line before any other crew does to win the race.

In the Career mode, if the player achieves a minimum of 600 respect with a certain rival crew, they can participate in Pink Slip races (Sprint, Point-to-point or Circuit races in which both racers bet their cars).

The Custom Race mode features a Solo mode as well so the player can race any circuit with no racers, no time limit and no laps count.

Development

Juiced was originally intended to be published by Acclaim Entertainment, and released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC in late 2004. However, the game was caught up in Acclaim's Chapter 7 bankruptcy issues and never released by them. Game magazines around the world wrote reviews on nearly finished copies of the game. It was then picked up by THQ as the new publisher and later released in 2005.

Promotion

Lawton eMarketing and Maverick Media created an advertisement for Juiced in the United Kingdom in which two male gamers customising an in-game vehicle discover they also have control over a female bystander (Alex Sim-Wise), prompting them to manipulate her body and remove her clothing.[1]

The advertisement generated controversy due to its depiction of women, leading to it being pulled.[2][3] Despite the controversy, it was voted the best viral ad created by a UK digital creative agency in Channel 4's Ideas Factory viral competition.[1]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
mobilePCPS2Xbox
EdgeN/A6/10[4]
5/10 (Beta)[5]		6/10[4]
5/10 (Beta)[5]		6/10[4]
5/10 (Beta)[5]
EGMN/AN/A6.83/10[6]6.83/10[6]
EurogamerN/AN/AN/A6/10[7]
FamitsuN/AN/A29/40[8]N/A
Game InformerN/AN/A7.5/10[9]
5.75/10 (Beta)[10]		7.5/10[9]
5.75/10 (Beta)[10]
GameProN/AN/AStarStarStar[11]StarStarStar[11]
GameSpotN/A6.1/10[12]6.3/10[13]6.3/10[13]
GameSpyN/AStarStarStar[14]StarStarStarHalf star[15]StarStarStarHalf star[15]
GameZoneN/AN/A6.5/10[16]7.4/10[17]
IGNN/A6/10[18]6.5/10[19]6.8/10[20]
OPM (US)N/AN/AStarStarStarHalf star[21]N/A
OXM (US)N/AN/AN/A8.1/10[22]
PC Gamer (US)N/A68%[23]N/AN/A
Detroit Free PressN/AN/AStarStar[24]N/A
The TimesN/AStarStarStarStar[25]StarStarStarStar[25]StarStarStarStar[25]
Aggregate scores
GameRankings77%[26]67%[27]68%[28]71%[29]
MetacriticN/A63/100[30]68/100[31]68/100[32]

Juiced received "mixed or average reviews" on all platforms according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[30][31][32]

Right before the bankruptcy issues by Acclaim, Lisa Mason of Game Informer gave the beta version of the game a score of 5.75 out of 10 in its October 2004 issue, stating that it "falls to the lower end of the goodness scale. [...] Depending on what I am doing, I yearn for any of the more-polished (and more playable) racing titles that it tries to emulate. Juiced's particular mix of sim and arcade racing is best summed up as a failed experiment."[10] After the THQ acquirement and redevelopment of the game, however, Mason raised the rating to 7 out of 10 in her Second Opinion in the magazine's July 2005 issue, calling it "an exponentially better game than it was when I reviewed it many months ago. Does that mean that it's a super awesome, edge of your seat thrill ride? Not so much, but it does have its charms and is a nicely varied street racer."[9] Matthew Kato of the same publisher agreed, giving the game a better score of 7.5 out of 10 and saying that it "certainly has the makings of an average street racer, with lots of customisables and affected street appeal."[9]

The Times gave the game four stars out of five and stated, "The gameplay is varied enough to maintain interest, and its clutch of quirky distractions adds to the experience. After all its development setbacks, it's definitely worth a spin."[25] The Sydney Morning Herald gave the PS2 version four-and-a-half stars out of five and said that it was "instantly approachable".[33] Conversely, Playboy gave the same version 70%;[34] likewise, Detroit Free Press gave the similar version two stars out of four, criticising the costly upgrades, but praising the musical selection that "features a nice mix of techno, rock and hip-hop."[24] In Japan, Famitsu gave the same console version a score of one eight and three sevens for a total of 29 out of 40.[8]

Sequels

In 2006, Juiced was released for the PlayStation Portable and mobile phones. Juiced 2 was released in 2007.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Whitehead, Jennifer (11 January 2006). "Juiced ad wins Channel 4 'viral Oscars' online poll". https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/juiced-ad-wins-channel-4-viral-oscars-online-poll/534674. 
  2. ↑ "The Juiced Ad they don't want you to See". 13 June 2005. http://kotaku.com/107433/the-juiced-ad-they-dont-want-you-to-see. 
  3. ↑ Wortmann, Fletcher (25 March 2013). "The 5 Most Offensive Attempts at Video Game Marketing". https://www.cracked.com/article_20339_the-5-most-offensive-attempts-at-video-game-marketing.html. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Edge staff (June 2005). "Juiced". Edge (150): 95. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Edge staff (November 2004). "Juiced [Beta]". Edge (142). 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 EGM staff (July 2005). "Juiced (PS2, Xbox)". Electronic Gaming Monthly (193): 110. 
  7. ↑ Reed, Kristan (17 June 2005). "Juiced (Xbox)". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_juiced_x. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Famitsu #910 review scores". NeoGAF. 10 May 2006. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=99526. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Kato, Matthew (July 2005). "Juiced (PS2, Xbox)". Game Informer (147): 116. http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/D4DFF099-A9EB-47F8-A32C-4AA8658D6936.htm. Retrieved 30 November 2014. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Mason, Lisa (October 2004). "Juiced [Beta] (PS2, Xbox)". Game Informer (138): 129. http://gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/46C3D1CC-369E-4FBC-A18B-023D736E3490.htm. Retrieved 30 November 2014. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Funky Zealot (23 June 2005). "Juiced (PS2, Xbox)". GamePro. http://www.gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox/games/reviews/46128.shtml. Retrieved 30 November 2014. 
  12. ↑ Navarro, Alex (13 June 2005). "Juiced Review (PC)". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/juiced-review/1900-6127429/. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Navarro, Alex (13 June 2005). "Juiced Review". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/juiced-review/1900-6127425/. 
  14. ↑ Osborne, Scott (27 June 2005). "GameSpy: Juiced (PC)". GameSpy. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/juiced/629357p1.html. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Leeper, Justin (16 June 2005). "GameSpy: Juiced". GameSpy. http://xbox.gamespy.com/xbox/juiced/626250p1.html. 
  16. ↑ Wrentmore, John (7 August 2005). "Juiced – PS2 – Review". GameZone. http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/juiced_ps2_review. 
  17. ↑ Knutson, Michael (4 July 2005). "Juiced – XB – Review". GameZone. http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/juiced_xb_review. 
  18. ↑ Lewis, Ed (10 June 2005). "Juiced (PC)". http://pc.ign.com/articles/624/624535p1.html. 
  19. ↑ Lewis, Ed (10 June 2005). "Juiced (PS2)". http://ps2.ign.com/articles/624/624299p1.html. 
  20. ↑ Lewis, Ed (10 June 2005). "Juiced (Xbox)". http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/06/11/juiced. 
  21. ↑ "Juiced". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: 76. July 2005. 
  22. ↑ "Juiced". Official Xbox Magazine: 83. June 2005. 
  23. ↑ "Juiced". PC Gamer: 62. September 2005. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Toby, Al (14 August 2005). "'Juiced' (PS2)". Detroit Free Press. http://www.freep.com/entertainment/videogames/gmini14e_20050814.htm. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 Wapshott, Tim (18 June 2005). "Juiced". The Times. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/film/dvd/article2437216.ece. 
  26. ↑ "Juiced for Mobile". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/mobile/927810-juiced/index.html. 
  27. ↑ "Juiced for PC". http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/919654-juiced/index.html. 
  28. ↑ "Juiced for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/919652-juiced/index.html. 
  29. ↑ "Juiced for Xbox". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox/919653-juiced/index.html. 
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 "Juiced for PC Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/juiced/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 "Juiced for PlayStation 2 Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/juiced/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2. 
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 "Juiced for Xbox Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/juiced/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox. 
  33. ↑ Hill, Jason (9 June 2005). "Conspiracy-laden plot". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/Games/Conspiracyladen-plot/2005/06/08/1118123845067.html. 
  34. ↑ "Juiced (PS2)". Playboy. July 2005. 
  • 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 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]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

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. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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