Software:Lands of Lore III

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Short description: 1999 video game
Lands of Lore III
Developer(s)Westwood Studios
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Designer(s)Jeff Steven Fillhaber
Programmer(s)Scott K. Bowen
Writer(s)Rick Gush
Composer(s)David Arkenstone
Frank Klepacki
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: April 2, 1999[1]
  • EU: June 26, 1999
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Lands of Lore III is a 1999 action role-playing game developed by Westwood Studios and published by Electronic Arts. It is a sequel to Software:Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny and the third game overall in the Lands of Lore video game series. The game set uses a first person perspective with a hack and slash combat system, and it features four "guilds" that the player may join to determine what quests the player will complete. Lands of Lore III was first announced in February 1998, and it received mixed reviews after release.

Gameplay

Set in a first person perspective, the game mechanics work as hack and slash when utilizing melee weapons and as first-person shooter when using spells and ranged weapons. It uses many common elements of RPGs such as the guilds the player can join, having both weapons and magic attacks, and several portal worlds. Casting spells consumes magic points from the player character's limited store, but both magic points and hit points are gradually recovered over time, as in the previous games of the series.

The player can collect weapons, armour and other items such as food. There is an inventory screen, but the player can also open up the inventory bag without leaving the adventuring screen. As time passes, the player character's hunger level decreases, and it can only be refilled by consuming food. If the hunger level is low, the player character no longer recovers magic points and hit points over time, and his combat abilities are impaired. Using abilities leads to levelling up in the guild that specialises in that particular ability, and higher levels unlock more skills.

Guilds

There are four guilds: a warriors' guild, a magicians' guild, a clerics' guild, and the illegal thieves' guild. Each one has its own set of quests to accomplish, a familiar (a creature who accompanies and assists the player throughout the game), and a guild building containing shops, guild masters and sometimes training areas. The avatar, Copper, must join at least one, but has the option to join the others also.

Plot

The story takes place some time after Guardians of Destiny, but how much time is never indicated. With Belial vanquished, the Draracle no longer serves a function in the mortal plane and returns to the realm of the gods. Copper LeGré, the son of Eric and fourth in the line of succession, whose uncle Richard rules the Lands, witnesses his father and two half brothers being slain by a rift hound during Copper's first boar hunt. Copper's own soul is torn from his body. As a result, Copper must not only retrieve his soul, but also settle the allegations now leveled against him as he was the only survivor. As the new sole heir to the Kingdom of Gladstone, many believe he orchestrated the death of his father and brothers. Coupled with that, Copper is the result of an illicit affair between his father and a Dracoid barmaid—a half-breed heir. He must also seek out answers to help close new rifts that have appeared throughout the Lands.

While exploring one of the rifts, Copper runs into a remnant of the Draracle, who explains that due to his departure, the mirror sealing away the Shining Path between worlds has broken. As a result, other worlds are leaking in, and will eventually destroy the Lands by corruption. Copper's soul is in one of these rift worlds, but he cannot be reunited with it unless the mirror is restored, thus closing the rifts. The story unfolds over five portal worlds from which Copper has to retrieve lost shards of the mirror. Copper is on a quest to recover his soul as well as to save his home and world, but Richard does not believe the rifts are a dire threat, and so offers little assistance. The Draracle's mortal assistant, Jakel, also argues that seeking out the shards is a mistake.

After recovering most of the shards, Copper returns to find that Gladstone has been reduced to ruins by the leakage from other worlds and King Richard has fled into the surrounding forests, leaving Lord Jeron (spelled Geron in Software:Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos) to look after the remaining residents. Ailing from wounds and beset by creatures from other worlds, Richard at last realizes how grave is the need to restore the mirror, and gives Copper a writ for all the equipment and money he needs. However, Jeron refuses to honor it, believing Richard is not in his right mind due to his illness. Copper nonetheless recovers the last of the shards, but Jakel blocks him from returning directly from the rift world to the Draracle Caves where the mirror must be assembled.

Copper makes his way to the Draracle Caves and confronts Jakel, who says that if the mirror is restored, the caves will be destroyed and it will become impossible for gods to visit the mortal plane again. Copper is unconvinced, certain that mortals will be exterminated if the rifts are not closed, and battles Jakel to the death to recover the seal. He restores the mirror, which causes him to be reunited with his soul. As Jakel warned, it also causes the Draracle Caves to collapse.

The story jumps ahead some months. Gladstone has been rebuilt, and King Richard has returned to full health, but there has been no sign of Copper since the seal was restored, and he is presumed dead. The story then jumps back to when the seal was restored, and reveals that Copper survived the cave-in. He then ran into Jeron, who was fleeing Gladstone after stealing the Ruby of Truth, and killed him.

The game ends with a flashback revealing that Richard taught Copper how to hunt boar in preparation for the hunt at the beginning of the game. Why Copper never returned to Gladstone, and how the line of succession is resolved following the disappearance of the sole heir, are questions left unanswered as teasers for a prospective fourth game.

Development

The game was announced in February 1998.[2]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings62%[3]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarStarHalf star[4]
CGSPStarStarStar[6]
CGWStarStar[7]
Game Informer6/10[8]
GameProStarStarStarHalf star[9]
GameRevolutionC[10]
GameSpot4.3/10[11]
IGN4.9/10[12]
PC Gamer (UK)59%[14]
PC Gamer (US)64%[15]

The game received mixed reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Fudge, James (April 2, 1999). "Lands of Lore III Ships". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/018/187/lol3_ships.html. 
  2. ↑ Dunkin, Alan (February 25, 1998). "Westwood Announces Lands of Lore 3". Archived from the original on October 15, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20001015195330/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_02/25_lndslore/index.html. Retrieved October 18, 2022. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Lands of Lore III for PC". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/197755-lands-of-lore-iii/index.html. 
  4. ↑ House, Michael L.. "Lands of Lore III - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=16451&tab=review. 
  5. ↑ Dembo, Arinn (April 6, 1999). "Lands of Lore III". CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0,6,0-2630,00.html. 
  6. ↑ Altman, John (May 1, 1999). "Lands of Lore". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/019/100/lol3_review.html. 
  7. ↑ Janicki, P. Stefan "Desslock" (July 1999). "Strike Three (Lands of Lore III Review)". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (180): 133. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_180.pdf. Retrieved May 13, 2021. 
  8. ↑ Bergren, Paul (June 1999). "Lands of Lore III". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (74). 
  9. ↑ Olafson, Peter (1999). "Lands of Lore III Review for PC on GamePro.com". GamePro (IDG Entertainment). http://www.gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/792.shtml. Retrieved May 13, 2021. 
  10. ↑ Monster (April 1999). "Lands of Lore 3 [sic Review"]. CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/33055-lands-of-lore-3-review. 
  11. ↑ Janicki, P. Stefan "Desslock" (April 30, 1999). "Lands of Lore III Review [date mislabeled as "May 1, 2000""]. CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/lands-of-lore-iii-review/1900-2535785/. 
  12. ↑ Butts, Steve (May 17, 1999). "Lands of Lore III". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/05/18/lands-of-lore-iii. 
  13. ↑ Klett, Steve (July 1999). "Lands of Lore III". PC Accelerator (Imagine Media) (11): 83. https://archive.org/details/PCXL11Jul1999/page/n83/mode/2up. Retrieved May 13, 2021. 
  14. ↑ Bennellack, Owain (June 1999). "Lands of Lore III". PC Gamer UK (Future Publishing) (70). http://www.pcgamer.co.uk/games/gamefile_review_page.asp?item_id=645. Retrieved February 23, 2020. 
  15. ↑ Wolf, Michael (July 1999). "Lands of Lore III". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 6 (7): 106. https://archive.org/details/pcgamer199907/page/n109/mode/2up. Retrieved May 13, 2021. 

Further reading

  • Moscatello, Rick (August 1999). "Lands of Lore III". The Duelist (Wizards of the Coast) (40): 86–87. 
  • 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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