Software:Kid Chameleon

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Short description: 1992 video game
Kid Chameleon
PAL box art depicting the player character, Kid Chameleon (center), and some of his many alternate forms (top)
Developer(s)Sega Technical Institute
Publisher(s)Sega
Director(s)Graeme Bayless
Designer(s)Broderick Macaraeg
Hoyt Ng
Bill Dunn
Steve Woita
Programmer(s)Mark Cerny
Steve Woita
Bill Willis
BC. Tchiu Le
Scott Chandler
Artist(s)Craig Stitt
Yasushi Yamaguchi
Alan Ackerman
Brenda Ross
Paul Mica
Composer(s)Mark Miller
Platform(s)Sega Genesis
Release
Genre(s)Platformer
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

Kid Chameleon[lower-alpha 1] is a 1992 platform game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. The player controls the "Kid Chameleon" as they attempt to save their peers from a virtual reality video game's rogue artificial intelligence. The gameplay sees players going through a series of levels, in which the goal is to reach a flag at the end. The game's central mechanic revolves around different forms, obtained from masks, which are used to progress through levels.

The game has been ported to several platforms via game compilations and digital distribution services.[4]

Gameplay

The player character, Kid Chameleon, can obtain masks that allow them to change "forms" and use new abilities, such as climbing walls.

The player controls Kid Chameleon as he progresses through a series of over 100 levels, featuring an array of enemies and obstacles. Most levels contain a flag, which is the primary goal and method of progressing to the next level. However, a number of teleporters throughout the game can warp the player not only to different places in the same level, but also to other levels, and sometimes to an entirely alternate path through the game. There is no password system or other method of saving the game. As Kid Chameleon moves through the game's levels, he gains access to masks that alter him into different characters. Each character has unique special abilities and varying numbers of hit points. In addition to the offensive abilities of each form, the Kid can also defeat enemies by jumping on them, although he may take damage from some enemies by doing so. Each form can also make use of Diamond Powers that require diamonds collected in the game to use.

Release

The game is included in Sega Genesis Collection for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. It was released for the Virtual Console in Japan on May 22, 2007, North America on May 28, 2007, and Europe on June 1, 2007. The game has also appeared in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection and the Nintendo Classics service.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankingsSMD: 68%[5]
Review scores
PublicationScore
MegaTech64%[6]
Sega Force82%[7]
Console XS89%[8]
Mega Play30/40[9]
Manci GamesB+[10]

Mega placed the game at #35 in their Top Mega Drive Games of All Time.[11] MegaTech magazine said it was let down by the lack of challenge.[6] Sega Force gave the game a review score of 82% praising the graphics, music and citing similarities to the Mario and Sonic games and stating: “Great platform action, but only for fans of the genre.”[12] Console XS gave Kid Chameleon an overall score of 89/100. They praised the game for having constant variety because of the main character's ability to change persona.[13] The four reviewers of Mega Play gave very positive reviews praising the gameplay, calling it "very concise" and commended the levels, the power-ups, graphics and music. They felt Kid Chameleon was similar to other action games and one reviewer said the game "gets to be monotonous after a while."[14] Manci Games praised the graphics, controls and the gameplay and commended the power to swap abilities saying that feature separates the game from what it is inspired by. The reviewer found Kid Chameleon to be similar to Super Mario Bros and the only criticism the reviewer had is the game does not have a save or password system.[15]

Legacy

In 1993, a Kid Chameleon comic strip ran from issues 7–12 in the Fleetway publication Sonic the Comic. Later in 1995, another strip from Issues 54-59 called "Back to UnReality!" was run.

References

  1. ↑ Known in Japan as Chameleon Kid (Japanese: カメレオンキッド, Hepburn: Kamereon Kiddo)
  • 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.[16] 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".[17] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[18] 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.[19] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[20]

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.[21][22] 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.[20] 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.[20]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[23] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[22] 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).[24] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[25] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[22]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[26] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[27][28][29] 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.[16] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[30]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[31] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[32]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ "Kid Chameleon - MegaDrive Review". Mean Machines (18): 56–58. March 1992. http://www.meanmachinesmag.co.uk/pdf/kidchameleonmd.pdf. 
  2. ↑ "CES Special Report: Genesis and SNES Games for 1992". GamePro (IDG) (33): 20. April 1992. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_033_April_1992/page/n21/mode/1up. 
  3. ↑ "Software List (Sega Release)" (in ja). Sega Corporation. https://www.sega.jp/history/hard/megadrive/software.html. 
  4. ↑ Etherington, Darrell (21 June 2017). "SEGA's new SEGA Forever collection brings classic games to mobile for free | TechCrunch". https://techcrunch.com/2017/06/21/segas-new-sega-forever-collection-brings-classic-games-to-mobile-for-free/. 
  5. ↑ "Kid Chameleon for Genesis". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/genesis/586273-kid-chameleon/index.html. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 MegaTech rating, EMAP, issue 5, page 78, May 1992
  7. ↑ Kid Chamelon. Europress Impact. April 1992. pp. 16. https://archive.org/details/sega-force-04/page/n15/mode/2up. 
  8. ↑ "Software A-Z". Console XS (Paragon Publishing) (1): 131. June 1992. https://archive.org/details/console-xs-01/page/130/mode/2up. Retrieved October 10, 2021. 
  9. ↑ "Kid Chameleon Review". Mega Play (11): 62. August 1992. https://archive.org/details/Mega_Play_Issue_11_August_1992/page/n61/mode/2up. Retrieved May 4, 2022. 
  10. ↑ Mercer, Jayson (June 2004). "Kid Chamelon". Manci Games (2): 40. https://archive.org/details/ManciGames02/page/n39/mode/2up. 
  11. ↑ Mega magazine issue 1, page 76, Future Publishing, Oct 1992
  12. ↑ Kid Chamelon. Europress Impact. April 1992. pp. 16. https://archive.org/details/sega-force-04/page/n15/mode/2up. 
  13. ↑ "Software A-Z". Console XS (Paragon Publishing) (1): 131. June 1992. https://archive.org/details/console-xs-01/page/130/mode/2up. Retrieved October 10, 2021. 
  14. ↑ "Kid Chameleon Review". Mega Play (11): 62. August 1992. https://archive.org/details/Mega_Play_Issue_11_August_1992/page/n61/mode/2up. Retrieved May 4, 2022. 
  15. ↑ Mercer, Jayson (June 2004). "Kid Chamelon". Manci Games (2): 40. https://archive.org/details/ManciGames02/page/n39/mode/2up. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 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/. 
  17. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  18. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  19. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  21. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  23. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  24. ↑ 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. 
  25. ↑ 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. 
  26. ↑ "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. 
  27. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  28. ↑ "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/. 
  29. ↑ "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/. 
  30. ↑ 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/. 
  31. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  32. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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