Software:LHX Attack Chopper

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Short description: 1990 video game
LHX Attack Chopper
MS-DOS cover art
Developer(s)Electronic Arts
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Designer(s)Brent Iverson
Platform(s)MS-DOS, Mega Drive/Genesis
Release
  • 1990 (DOS)
  • 1992 (Mega Drive/Genesis)
Genre(s)Combat flight simulation
Mode(s)Single-player

LHX Attack Chopper is a combat helicopter simulation game published by Electronic Arts in 1990. Development was led by Brent Iverson, who later designed Chuck Yeager's Air Combat. The game was released for MS-DOS and ported to the Mega Drive/Genesis. LHX is acronym from Light Helicopter Experimental.

Gameplay

In addition to the LHX prototype scout-attack helicopter, the game includes two flyable US Army helicopters – the AH-64A Apache and UH-60 Blackhawk – and (as of 1990) a prototype MV-22 Osprey (which can actually switch between helicopter and airplane control modes), any of which may be deployed against Soviet-made ground and air military equipment in the three war theaters of Libya, Vietnam and Germany. Allied units are also available, but they do not actively join the fight, nor do the opposing units usually fire upon allied equipment, apart from specific escort missions where a B-2 bomber or a couple of UH-60 helicopters tasked with CSAR will enter into enemy air space. All missile-equipped units (both ground and air) have a limited number of shots, often matching the number of ready-to-fire missiles available in the real system. Land units do not move, but air units do.

The game interface for the LHX aircraft

The player can play any campaign or mission in any preferred order, facing five different complexity levels, which will improve the enemy's situation awareness, time of reaction and sheer number and quality of the fielded forces. Every completed mission will not affect the other missions or the campaign as a whole, and the player can run the same mission again regardless of its previous result. At the end of every mission, the player receives a mission debriefing describing the consequences of the success or failure, and a point counter will change depending on whether the primary target is completed, whether the pilot landed at an allied airfield and not just in friendly territory, and to a smaller extent on the number of other enemy forces destroyed in the process of reaching and returning from the target area.

At the debriefing, given the mission outcome, the pilot may receive different medals or a promotion up to colonel rank. In case the player's helicopter exploded mid-air or crashed, the pilot will die, and the player career will end. If landing in enemy territory, different outcomes are available, with the pilot being captured, killed, escaped to friendly territory, or rescued by friendly forces.

Reception

A 1992 Computer Gaming World survey of wargames with modern settings gave the game two and a half stars out of five, stating that it had a "highly unrealistic flight model".[1] A 1994 survey gave it two stars, stating that "it enjoyed more popular success than I thought it deserved".[2]

In 1994, PC Gamer US named LHX Attack Chopper the 29th best computer game ever. The editors wrote that "what the game lacks in graphic polish it more than makes up for with fast action".[3]

References

  1. ↑ Brooks, M. Evan (June 1992). "The Modern Games: 1950–2000". Computer Gaming World (95): 123. ISSN 0744-6667. https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_95. Retrieved 2019-06-22. 
  2. ↑ Brooks, M. Evan (January 1994). "War In Our Time / A Survey Of Wargames From 1950–2000". Computer Gaming World (114): 203. ISSN 0744-6667. https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_114. 
  3. ↑ Staff (August 1994). "PC Gamer Top 40: The Best Games of All Time". PC Gamer US 1 (3): 35. ISSN 1059-2180. https://archive.org/details/PCGamer199408/page/n36. Retrieved 2019-06-22. 
  • 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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