Software:Laser Squad

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Short description: 1988 video game
Laser Squad
Original cover art
Developer(s)Target Games
Publisher(s)Blade Software
MicroLeague (MS-DOS)
Designer(s)Julian Gollop
Ian Terry
Programmer(s)Julian Gollop
Mike Stockwell
Composer(s)Matt Furniss
Platform(s)Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, MSX, ZX Spectrum
Release1988: Spectrum, C64, MSX
1989: CPC, Amiga, ST
1992: MS-DOS
Genre(s)Turn-based tactics
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Laser Squad is a turn-based tactics video game, originally released for the ZX Spectrum and later for the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, MSX, Amiga, Sharp MZ-800, Atari ST, and MS-DOS between 1988 and 1992. It was developed by Julian Gollop and his team at Target Games (later Mythos Games and Codo Technologies) and published by Blade Software,[1] expanding on the ideas applied in their earlier Rebelstar series. Laser Squad originally came with five mission scenarios, with an expansion pack released for the 8-bit versions, containing a further two scenarios.

Reaction from gaming magazines was positive, gaining it high review rating and several accolades. The legacy of the game can be seen the X-COM series, especially the acclaimed Software:UFO: Enemy Unknown which was also created by Julian Gollop and was initially conceived as a sequel to Laser Squad.

Gameplay

ZX Spectrum screenshot

Laser Squad is a turn-based tactics war game where the player completes objectives such as rescue or retrieval operations, or simply eliminating all of the enemy by taking advantage of cover, squad level military tactics, and careful use of weaponry. The squad's team members are maneuvered around a map one at a time, taking actions such as move, turn, shoot, pick up and so on that use up the unit's action points. More heavily laden units may tire more easily, and may have to rest to avoid running out of action points more quickly in subsequent turns. Morale also plays a factor; a unit witnessing the deaths of his teammates can panic and run out of the player's control.

The original Target Games 8-bit release came with the first three missions with an expansion pack offered via mail order for the next two. The subsequent Blade Software 8-bit release included these as standard; the mail order expansion pack now offered was for missions six and seven instead. Both offers covered cassette and floppy disk versions. As well as featuring new scenarios, the expansion packs included additional weapons as part of the scenarios.

Including the expansion pack, there are seven scenarios in total, each one with its own difficulty settings and squad allocation:

  • "The Assassins" - The mission's objective is to assassinate weapons manufacturer Sterner Regnix. The player will lead a small squad of troops on an infiltration mission, dealing with droid patrols.
  • "Moonbase Assault" - A small squad must penetrate the Omni Corporation moon base, via the airlocks, and destroy their computer systems.
  • "Rescue from the Mines" - After a routine mission goes badly wrong, three members of a squad are held prisoner in the Metallix Corp mines. A squad of troops must negotiate the mine complex, free all three prisoners and escape.
  • "The Cyber Hordes" - A small squad must defend a station from the attack of an advancing droid squad invasion. The base holds seven stabilizer cores vital to the planet's stability and the droids have focused their efforts on these targets.
  • "Paradise Valley" - Following on from "The Cyber Hordes", the destruction of the stabilizer cores has left the colony in ruins and assault ships hover above waiting for the time of attack. To prevent capture of the blueprints for an advanced starfighter, the data has been transferred onto a portable security device and a squad is given the task of escaping from the colony with the device.
  • "The Stardrive" - A group of mercenaries have captured a stardrive controller. A squad must go to their hidden base and retrieve the device.
  • "Laser Platoon" - A free for all deathmatch as equal teams are pitted against each other. Large (10-man) squads, with reinforcements arriving frequently, hunt down the equally equipped opposition.

Reception

Reception
Awards
PublicationAward
Amstrad ActionMastergame[2]
C+VGHit
CUScreen Star
Amiga FormatGold
Your SinclairMegagame[3]

Computer and Video Games, reviewing the original ZX Spectrum version, awarded it a near-perfect 97% score and a 'C+VG HIT!', stating that "Laser Squad is one of the hottest games I've ever played."[4] Other Spectrum reviews included an 89% in Sinclair User,[5] while Your Sinclair gave the game a 9/10, calling it "a sophisticated strategy wargame...on a par with Elite for thinking warmongers."[6] The game was voted number 16 in the Your Sinclair's Readers' Top 100 Games of All Time.[7]

The Commodore 64 version also fared well with CU Amiga-64 giving a 'CU Screen Star' award with a 92% rating.[8] Zzap!64 gave the game a score of 83%, stating that the game was "an absorbing and very fresh approach to man-to-man combat."[9] In 1993, Commodore Force ranked the game at number two on its list of the top 100 Commodore 64 games.[10] Amstrad Action awarded the CPC version with 91% and an 'AA Mastergame' accolade.[11] The Expansion Pack 2 received an even higher rating of 93% when it became available for review, as "two excellent additions to a game that was already excellent."[12]

The Amiga version also received positive reviews. Amiga Format awarded a 'Gold Award' for a 93% rating explaining that it "is a terrific game that is superbly playable and can definitely be recommended."[13] Other Amiga reviews given by Zero and CU Amiga-64 gave the game their scores of 88%[14] and 87%,[15] respectively. It was ranked the 25th best Amiga game ever by Amiga Power in 1991.[16]

In 2004, readers of Retro Gamer voted Laser Squad as the 63rd top classic game.[17]

Legacy

Rebelstar and Laser Squad are among the earliest examples of turn-based unit-level wargame video games. In 1990, Mythos Games released a fantasy game Lords of Chaos, which had many similarities to Laser Squad but was a follow-up to Gollop's earlier ZX Spectrum game Software:Chaos: The Battle of Wizards. The Laser Squad franchise has been revived by Gollop's Codo Technologies in 2002 with the play-by-email game Laser Squad Nemesis, although this departs from the turn-based action point system and does not have customizable weaponry.

Many of the Laser Squad mechanics were re-used in the later X-COM series of games, created also by Gollop and Mythos Games but published by MicroProse. Notably, the first X-COM game, Software:UFO: Enemy Unknown, began its development as Laser Squad II. Some of the name choices for characters and organizations in the games of Mythos and Codo are a thread connecting all the Laser Squad and Rebelstar games.[18] The cover art for Software:XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Firaxis Games' and 2K Games' remake of X-COM: UFO Defense, pays homage to Laser Squad.

References

  1. ↑ Edge Staff (2009-05-15). "The Making of: X-COM: Enemy Unknown". nex-gen.biz. Archived from the original on 2011-10-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20111026175106/http://www.next-gen.biz/features/making-x-com-enemy-unknown. Retrieved 2011-04-08. 
  2. ↑ Game review, Amstrad Action magazine, Future Publishing, issue 49, October 1989
  3. ↑ Front cover artwork
  4. ↑ Dillon, Tony. Computer and Video Games, issue 86, December 1988, p 89.
  5. ↑ Sinclair User, issue 80, November 1988, p 61.
  6. ↑ Shaw, Pete. Your Sinclair, issue 35, November 1988, p 76.
  7. ↑ "Readers' Top 100 Games of All Time". Your Sinclair. September 1993. 
  8. ↑ Dillon, Tony. CU Amiga-64, March 1989, p 45.
  9. ↑ Zzap!64, issue 53, September 1989, p 40.
  10. ↑ "Top Ton!". Autumn 1993. p. 33. https://archive.org/stream/zzap64-magazine-101/ZZap_64_Issue_101_Commodore_Force_Issue_11_1993_Autumn#page/n32/mode/1up/. Retrieved 2017-09-03. 
  11. ↑ Webb, Trenton. Amstrad Action, issue 49, October 1989, p 50,51.
  12. ↑ Waring, Adam. Amstrad Action, issue 56, May 1990, p 52.
  13. ↑ Smith, Andy. Amiga Format, issue 5, December 1989, p 52,53.
  14. ↑ McCandless, David. Zero, issue 2, December 1989, p 53,54,55.
  15. ↑ Patterson, Mark. CU Amiga-64, November 1989, p 69.
  16. ↑ Amiga Power issue 0, Future Publishing, May 1991.
  17. ↑ Retro Gamer 8, page 67.
  18. ↑ Examples include the recurring character Corporal Jonlan and the arms manufacturer Marsec (Mars Security), which was also featured in Software:X-COM: Apocalypse.
  • 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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