Software:Kong Strikes Back!

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Kong Strikes Back!
ZX Spectrum cover art
Developer(s)Ocean Software
Publisher(s)Ocean Software
Producer(s)Jon Woods
Programmer(s)N. Alderton, J. M. Smith[1]
Platform(s)Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum
Release
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Kong Strikes Back! is a 1984 platform video game published by Ocean Software in 1984 for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum. While its predecessor, Kong, is a Donkey Kong clone, Kong Strikes Back! is a clone of Mr. Do's Wild Ride with Donkey Kong-inspired graphics.

Gameplay

The player must rescue a damsel in distress on a rollercoaster in a fairground, and the goal of each level is to reach the top of the level to save her from Kong, a large ape. The player must avoid rollercoaster carts and various hazards by climbing up ladders on the track, and then climbing down and continuing up the track after the hazards pass.[3]

Development

Kong Strikes Back!'s graphics are inspired by Donkey Kong, while its gameplay is a clone of Mr. Do's Wild Ride. Kong Strikes Back! was released in the EU in mid-November 1984,[2] and TV advertisements for the game aired around Christmas 1985.[4][2] To promote the release of Kong Strikes Back!, Ocean ran a caption contest in Home Computing Weekly, with the winners receiving a copy of either the Commodore 64 or the ZX Spectrum version of the game.[5]

Kong Strikes Back! appears on both the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 versions of the 1986 video game compilation Off the Hook, which donated all proceeds to the charity The Prince's Trust to help fight drug abuse.[6]

Kong Strikes Back! is one of the first games with music composed by Martin Galway.[citation needed]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Amstrad Action83% (Amstrad)[3]
Home Computing WeeklyStarStarStarStar[7]
Crash73% (Spectrum)[1]
Sinclair Programs65% (Spectrum)[8]

Amstrad Action gave the Amstrad CPC version of Kong Strikes Back! an overall score of 83%, praising its "slick" graphics, "great" music, and "intense" action gameplay.[3] Crash gave the ZX Spectrum version an overall score of 73%, criticizing the lack of a backstory for the game, further expressing that the game's graphics are "old fashioned" and "quite plain", particularly criticizing the damsel's "ugly" sprite. Crash praised the game's difficulty curve, as well as its "fast" movement and 'intuitive' controls, further calling Kong Strikes Back! "definitely above average".[1]

Sinclair Programs gave the ZX Spectrum version an overall score of 65%, praising its "addictive" gameplay as well as its difficulty, further calling Kong Strikes Back! a "well-thought out and immaculately constructed" game.[8] Home Computing Weekly gave the Commodore 64 version four stars out of five.[7]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Reviews: Kong Strikes Back". Crash (Newsfield) (13): 130. February 1985. ISSN 0954-8661. https://archive.org/details/Crash_Magazine_013/page/130/mode/2up. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "News: Roland's Rat Adventure". Home Computing Weekly (Argus Specialist Publications) (83): 6. October 1984. https://archive.org/stream/home-computing-weekly-083/Home_Computing_Weekly_083#page/n5/mode/2up. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Amsyclopedia! - Arcade-Action - Kong Strikes Back". Amstrad Action (Future Publishing) (1): 71. October 1985. ISSN 0954-8068. https://archive.org/details/Amstrad_Action_Issue_001/page/70/mode/2up. 
  4. ↑ "News: Leading Ocean's games list for Christmas". TV Gamer (Boytonbrook): 8. November 1984. https://archive.org/stream/TV_Gamer_1984-11_Boytonbrook_GB/TV_Gamer_1984-11_Boytonbrook_GB#page/n7/mode/2up. 
  5. ↑ "Competition: Monkey Business". Home Computing Weekly (Argus Specialist Publications) (99): 8. February 1985. https://archive.org/stream/home-computing-weekly-099/Home_Computing_Weekly_099#page/n7/mode/2up. 
  6. ↑ "Off the Hook Magazine Advertisement". Computer Gamer (Argus Specialist Publications) (14): 97. May 1986. https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gamer_Magazine_Issue_014/page/96/mode/2up. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Ryan, Margaret (February 5, 1985). "Now Follow That!". Home Computing Weekly (Argus Specialist Publications) (98): 25. https://archive.org/details/home-computing-weekly-098/page/n23/mode/2up. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Soft Focus: Kong Strikes Back". Sinclair Programs (EMAP) (30): 21. April 1985. ISSN 0263-0265. https://archive.org/details/sinclair-programs-30/page/n19/mode/2up. 
  • Kong Strikes Back! at Lemon 64
  • 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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