Software:Killing Time (video game)

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Killing Time
Developer(s)Studio 3DO (3DO)
Logicware (Win, Mac)
Publisher(s)The 3DO Company
Director(s)Larry Reed
Al Tofanelli
Producer(s)JuliAnn Juras Appler
Programmer(s)Larry Reed
Artist(s)Al Tofanelli
Composer(s)Robert Vieira
Platform(s)3DO, Windows, Macintosh
Release3DO
  • EU: November 10, 1995[1]
  • NA: November 1995
Windows
Macintosh
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single player

Killing Time is a horror-themed first-person shooter video game developed by Studio 3DO. Originally an exclusive for their 3DO Interactive Multiplayer console, it was later remade for the Windows platform in 1996 by Logicware and for the Macintosh after the 3DO system was discontinued. On July 23, 2015, ZOOM Platform announced the release of an updated version of Killing Time exclusively for their store. The update work was done by Jordan Freeman Group and published by ZOOM Platform and Prism Entertainment.[4]

The player takes on the role of a former Egyptology student, trapped within the estate of a wealthy heiress on Matinicus Isle, Maine. In 1932, during the night of the Summer Solstice, heiress Tess Conway, while attempting to use a mystical Ancient Egyptian Water-Clock which purportedly grants eternal life, vanished, along with many of her society friends. The player's objective is to find, and destroy, the Water-Clock, and discover the secrets of the estate, all while beating back the many horrors that now occupy the island from beyond the grave.

Throughout the game the plot is slowly revealed to the player through numerous cut scenes performed by live actors. An unusual aspect of the game is that live action full motion video characters also sometimes overlap with the real time gameplay, without breaking to cut scenes.[5]

Gameplay

The gameplay follows the standard set by most first-person shooters with the player using an assortment of weapons. These include a crowbar, dual-pistols, a shotgun, a Thompson submachine gun (Tommy-gun), Molotov cocktails, a flamethrower, and a magical Ankh which can be used to wipe out many enemies at a time. The game does not come with any form of multiplay. To beat the game one must collect a number of vases spread throughout Matinicus Isle, each containing a symbolic part of Tess Conway's spirit. These vases also grant one-time per playthrough power ups. Some sections require the player to strafe, crouch, or jump. The game takes place on a rather large, nonlinear island, with no load times in between sections. Enemies defeated and items taken are permanent for the duration of a playthrough, with guarded weapon caches scattered throughout the island.

Plot

The player character is a college student out to discover the mystery behind a missing Egyptian artifact. The ancient "Water-Clock of Thoth" had been discovered by his Egyptology professor, Dr. Hargrove, but the artifact went missing soon after a visit by the expedition's patron, Tess Conway. Tess is the heiress of her family's estate on Matinicus Isle, where she keeps her friends, and pawns close by so that she might gain the true power of the Water-Clock. As the game progresses, the player finds out that Tess has used a number of people to gain what she desires, but at a price. Something went horribly wrong, transforming everyone on the entire isle into either restless ghosts, demons or the undead. In the opening cinematic on all versions of the game, Boldt Castle located on Heart Island in the Thousand Islands region of the Saint Lawrence River is used as the visual representation of the Conway Estate.

Characters

  • Tess Conway (played by actress Lise Bruneau): Inheritor of her parents' wealth as well as the Conway Estate, Tess will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Obsessed with being young and beautiful forever, Tess acquires the ancient Egyptian Water-Clock in the hopes of using it to stop time itself. Tess keeps her most useful pawns close to her on the isle, nourishing them with food and drink long enough for her to have them help her fulfill truest ambitions. When at last she has the power of the Water-Clock within her grasp, she is murdered and subsequently activates the Water-Clock too soon in order to save her life and curse her killer. This action ends-up trapping all the people on the island, and the timing causes the experiment to go horribly wrong. Tess and her friends become restless spirits while the rest are turned into mindless zombies.
  • Duncan DeVries: Tess' associate, and key to the black market. Duncan is an ambitious bootlegger trying to make a name for himself in the world of crime. His goal to marry Tess in order to acquire her property and wealth, Duncan does whatever Tess asks, in order to gain her favor. With a short temper and a broad mean streak, it's no wonder how quickly he turns to murder when he finds out that Tess has no mind for marriage. With her dying breath, Tess curses Duncan, and possesses his body with the vengeful spirit of Set (Seth).
  • Byron: Tess' Archaeologist friend, Byron falls hopelessly in love with Tess, while helping her to decipher the instructions for the Water-Clock. All his efforts to woo Tess however, are futile of course, and the lonely Byron is reduced to nothing but another hapless pawn in the long run of things. Cleverer than anyone else, however, he knows the true power of the Water-Clock, which he keeps it to himself, carefully observing Tess' attempt for immortality so that he might learn from her mistakes.
  • Mike: Duncan's rent-a-cop body guard, Mike follows Duncan around and makes sure everything goes smoothly. Officially the "guard" of the estate, Mike finds himself without much of a job to do most of the time. He appears only once by himself in the game to offer a quick warning to beware of both Duncan and Tess.
  • Robert: Robert has been the Conways' official butler for years, and even goes as far as to reminisce over Tess and Lydia's adolescence together. Perhaps one of the game's only "truly innocent" characters, Robert laments over Tess' transformation after the death of her parents, and keeps a wary eye on Duncan, whom he openly distrusts. He is Byron's only friend and appears often to offer friendly advice on how to navigate the Conway estate. Robert dislikes what is going on but remains a loyal servant out of honor for the dying memory of the Conway family.
  • Lydia Tweksbury: Tess' childhood friend, Lydia is kept on the isle for reasons unknown, though it would seem as though Tess gains confidence from being two steps ahead of Lydia at all times. Lydia confesses later in the game that she is sick of being in the shadow of Tess and works to bring her whole establishment down from the inside by leaking as much information as she can to Duncan. Both Duncan and Mike grow fond of Lydia during the course of the game primarily because she is physically attractive. All the same, she remains miserably trapped on the isle and spends most of her time drowning her worries in gin.
  • Angela Conway: Tess' niece, this ghost of a young girl appears often in the game to spout cryptic poems, particularly in junctions in the hedge maze. Seemingly wise beyond her years, she understands what must be done and where to go and hopes that one can decipher her riddles in order to get the job done.

Release

The game's original release came as a red CD. Players found a glitch in the game that happens in the clown stage.[citation needed] The screen becomes pixelated and obscures the view of the entire area. The publisher allowed purchasers to mail them their red copy for a fixed version of the game, which appears on a black disk. Since so few purchasers sent in copies, the red version remains fairly common, but the black version is rare.[citation needed] The 3DO Game Guru includes a save file patch which fixes the bug.

In 1996 Acclaim Entertainment acquired the rights to release three Studio 3DO games for the PlayStation, Saturn, and PC, including Killing Time.[6][7] However, while Acclaim did publish the other two games for those platforms, they did not do so with Killing Time, even though a release date was announced[8] and it was advertised in magazines[9] and on the back of some manuals on games published by the company.

On July 23, 2015, ZOOM Platform announced the release of an updated version of Killing Time exclusively for their store. The update work was done by Jordan Freeman Group and published by ZOOM Platform and Prism Entertainment.[10]

The game was also re-released onto gog.com on November 10, 2016.[11]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarStarHalf star (3DO)[13]
StarStarStar (MAC)[14]
StarStar (PC)[15]
Next GenerationStarStarStarStar (3DO)[12]

The original 3DO release received mostly positive reviews. Critics for both Next Generation and GamePro praised the fast game engine and combination of intense first-person shooting with brain-stimulating adventure elements.[12][16] GamePro also approved of the stylish visuals and music and especially the use of real-life weapons for the player's arsenal, though they criticized the need to use button combinations to change weapons or look up and down.[16] Next Generation complimented the humor and concluded, "In short, Killing Time is the bastard child of Doom and 7th Guest, and it works."[12]

The game was awarded the 3DO Adventure Game of the Year.[17] In 1996, GamesMaster ranked the 3DO version 2nd on their "The GamesMaster 3DO Top 10."[18]

References

  1. ↑ "Arcade smash unleashed". Heartland Evening News: the Voice of Nuneaton, Hinckley, Bedworth and Atherstone: pp. 8. November 11, 1995. https://www.newspapers.com/image/904028103/?terms=%22killing%20time%22%20%223DO%22&match=1. ""There's a new first person perspective shoot 'em up out on the 3DO machine this week entitled Killing Time."" 
  2. ↑ "Online Gaming Review". 1997-02-27. http://www.ogr.com/news/news1196.html. 
  3. ↑ "Logicware, Inc. What's New". 1998-06-10. http://www.logicware.com/home/LW-WhatsNew.html. 
  4. ↑ "Zoom Releases Killing Time Game and Announces Strategic Partnership with Prism Entertainment". July 23, 2015. http://lightningreleases.com/zoom-releases-killing-time-game-and-announces-strategic-partnership-with-prism-entertainment/. 
  5. ↑ "Killing Time". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (76): 142–143. November 1995. 
  6. ↑ "In the Studio". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (19): 20. July 1996. https://archive.org/details/Next-Generation-1996-07/page/n21. 
  7. ↑ "Acclaim to Bring 3DO Titles to PSX, Saturn". GamePro (IDG) (85): 17. August 1996. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_085_August_1996/page/n17. 
  8. ↑ "Coming Soon". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (94): 29. May 1997. 
  9. ↑ "Advertisement". GamePro (IDG) (105): 95. June 1997. 
  10. ↑ "Exclusive Release: Killing Time". July 23, 2015. https://www.zoom-platform.com/#news--exclusive-release-killing-time. 
  11. ↑ "Release: Killing Time". November 10, 2016. https://www.gog.com/news/release_killing_time. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Killing Time - Rating 3DO". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (12): 185. December 1995. https://archive.org/details/nextgen-issue-012/page/n185. 
  13. ↑ Sackenheim, Shawn. "Killing Time (3DO) Review". http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2390&tab=review. 
  14. ↑ Lisa Karen Savignano. "Killing Time (Macintosh) Review". http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=6984&tab=review. 
  15. ↑ Michael L. House. "Killing Time (PC) Review". http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=5715&tab=review. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Atomic Dawg (January 1996). "ProReview: Killing Time". GamePro (IDG) (88): 104. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_078_January_1996/page/n105. 
  17. ↑ "And The Winner Is... 3DO Awards Honor Best of the Best for 1995; Electronic Arts' Road-Ripping Need for Speed Named "Game of the Year"". December 19, 1995. Archived from the original on February 4, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140204024431/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/And+The+Winner+Is...+3DO+Awards+Honor+Best+of+the+Best+for+1995%3b...-a017907292. Retrieved August 13, 2021. 
  18. ↑ "The GameMasters 3DO Top 10". GamesMaster (44): 75. July 1996. https://retrocdn.net/images/c/cf/GamesMaster_UK_044.pdf. 
  • 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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