Software:Kessen III

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Short description: 2004 video game
Kessen III
North American box art
Developer(s)Koei
Publisher(s)Koei
Director(s)Kazuhiro Fujishige
Designer(s)Osamu Mieda
SeriesKessen
Platform(s)PlayStation 2, PlayStation Network
ReleasePlayStation 2
  • JP: December 22, 2004
  • NA: February 22, 2005
  • PAL: May 13, 2005
PlayStation Network
  • NA: August 20, 2013
  • PAL: January 30, 2013
Genre(s)Real-time tactics
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Lua error in Module:Lang/utilities at line 332: attempt to call field '_transl' (a nil value). is the third and final Kessen title by Koei for PlayStation 2. The game is based on the life of Oda Nobunaga.[1]

Historical background

The game's time frame is roughly between the years 1550 to 1590. Contrary to many stories and portrayals that depict him as a villain or demon, Nobunaga is depicted in a more virtuous and ultimately tragic light, making Kessen III rather unusual in relation to other video games based in the same era. It is a heavily fantasized and romanticized depiction of his life, although unlike games such as the Samurai Warriors series it goes into more specific historical details. For example, the existence of the Ashikaga shogunate and Nobunaga's relationship is covered herein but completely omitted from the Samurai Warriors games.

The game paints a positive picture on Nobunaga's life, and then enters a "what if" scenario showing what might have happened if he had survived the betrayal by Akechi Mitsuhide. It describes Nobunaga regaining his power base, and then defeating shogunate forces led by the Akechi Clan and other clans of Western Japan on the shores of Kyūshū, with Nobunaga presumably becoming the new leader.

Tokugawa Ieyasu is in this game, presented as Nobunaga's mild-mannered and dedicated ally, but is shown flying into a rage when he learns that Nobunaga survives his betrayal, believing that he was going to carry out Nobunaga's destiny. Toyotomi Hideyoshi is also shown, under the name of Hideyoshi Hashiba. His unlikely charisma inspires his troops after he is wrongly told of Nobunaga's death.

The game also allows battles against other notable daimyōs, such as Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen.

There is a certain level of inaccuracy, due not only to the fantasy element, but also due to the appearance of Miyamoto Musashi, who had not yet been born when Nobunaga committed seppuku.

Gameplay mechanics

Kessen III refines the mechanics of the previous games even further while introducing new core elements. The flow of the game begins with the player selecting a mission from those available on the map. After being briefed on the mission's details, the player then selects which units to bring into the battle before issuing basic marching orders. During the battle itself, the player is in control of an individual unit and can switch between friendly units at any time, while the other units are controlled by artificial intelligence. Battle commences when friendly and enemy units encounter one another and unit health is measured by the number of troops remaining in the unit. Troops also have specific skills related to their particular type (cavalry, spearmen, ninja, etc.) and officers can learn powerful special skills and abilities such as defensive strategies or attack magic that can turn the tide of battle.

All officers have access to a special skill called "rampage". When used, the action zooms in around that officer, and the player enters a short, timed mini-battle against troops from an enemy unit. During a rampage, the player can earn bonus experience, gold, and restore lost troops to the unit by picking up the proper items dropped by defeated soldiers. After 100 soldiers are defeated, the enemy unit's officer appears, and if the player can defeat them, the officer under the player's control may receive even further bonuses.

Battles end when the primary objective has been achieved. These objectives may include wiping out all enemy units, destroying a specific target, escorting a unit to a particular location, or making an escape. Grades on performance in battle are given at the end of each stage, and are based on how many enemy officers were defeated, the number of friendly officers were kept in battle, and the effective use of troop skills. Better grades yield items that can be used to outfit friendly officers, or gold to buy such items from merchants between battles. Battles are typically lost when Nobunaga's unit is defeated, time runs out, or a special mission requirement could not be completed.

Cinematics

The storyline of Kessen III is very detailed and makes frequent use of cinematic sequences rendered using both the game's own graphics engine and full motion video. These sequences are typically played at the start and end of each chapter, before and after battles, and during special events that take place during the course of a fight.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings75.04%[2]
Metacritic73/100[3]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Edge7/10[4]
EGM6.67/10[5]
Game Informer7.75/10[6]
GameProStarStarStarStar[7]
GameRevolutionC+[8]
GameSpot7.4/10[1]
GameZone8.3/10[9]
IGN8/10[10]
OPM (US)StarStarStar[11]
X-PlayStarStarStar[12]
The Sydney Morning HeraldStarStarStarHalf star[13]

Kessen III was met with positive to average reception upon release; GameRankings gave it a score of 75.04%,[2] while Metacritic gave it 73 out of 100.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Massimilla, Bethany (February 28, 2005). "Kessen III Review". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/kessen-iii-review/1900-6119346/. Retrieved January 9, 2015. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Kessen III for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/578823-kessen-iii/index.html. Retrieved January 9, 2015. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Kessen III for PlayStation 2 Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/kessen-iii/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2. Retrieved January 9, 2015. 
  4. ↑ Edge staff (May 2005). "Kessen III Review". Edge (149): 87. http://www.edge-online.com/reviews/kessen-iii-review/. Retrieved January 9, 2015. 
  5. ↑ EGM staff (April 2005). "Kessen III". Electronic Gaming Monthly (190). http://egm.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3138373&did=2. Retrieved January 9, 2015. 
  6. ↑ Kato, Matthew (March 2005). "Kessen III". Game Informer (143): 130. http://gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/960CCADF-111E-4F84-846B-097235E155AC.htm. Retrieved January 9, 2015. 
  7. ↑ Funky Zealot (February 22, 2005). "Kessen III Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on February 23, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050223151123/http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps2/games/reviews/42250.shtml. Retrieved January 9, 2015. 
  8. ↑ G-Wok (April 8, 2005). "Kessen 3 Review". Game Revolution. http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/kessen-3. Retrieved January 9, 2015. 
  9. ↑ Knutson, Michael (March 8, 2005). "Kessen III - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081005005902/http://ps2.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r24756.htm. Retrieved January 9, 2015. 
  10. ↑ Lewis, Ed (February 16, 2005). "Kessen III". http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/02/17/kessen-iii. Retrieved January 9, 2015. 
  11. ↑ "Kessen III". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. April 2005. Archived from the original on March 5, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050305084428/http://opm.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3138584&did=3. Retrieved January 9, 2015. 
  12. ↑ Marriott, Scott Alan (April 11, 2005). "Kessen III Review". X-Play. Archived from the original on April 14, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050414204300/http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/features/51523/Kessen_III_Review.html. Retrieved January 9, 2015. 
  13. ↑ Wilcox, Mike (June 11, 2005). "Motor mart art". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/Games/Motor-mart-art/2005/06/09/1118123945109.html. Retrieved January 9, 2015. 
  • Official page
  • 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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