Software:Last Call (video game)

From HandWiki
Last Call!
Developer(s)Cutler Creative
Publisher(s)Simon & Schuster Interactive
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Mac OS
Release
Mode(s)Single-player

Last Call! is a video game for Windows released in 2000 by publisher Simon & Schuster.[2] Those playing the game take on the role of a bartender attempting to maximize tips from customers.[3]

Development

The game was developed by Cutler Creative and supported Windows 95 and Windows 98. The game's creator, John Cutler, first got the idea for the game in 1995. He wanted to have a game that could teach people to mix drinks. Under the original title Bartender USA, the player would start at a Howard Johnson's and gradually work their way up to a trendy bar in New York City. At the time, Cutler had no video game experience, and didn't own a computer until he started development. He attended E3 and also worked as a bartender to better understand what he needed to do. He hired programmers and artists to put together a mockup of the game. The original concept included some live action animation, which was dropped from the final game. Simon & Schuster had recently published the comedy game Deer Avenger, and agreed to publish the game since it matched up with their business model at the time. This agreement gave Cutler's team funding to develop and complete the game. Due to Cutler's inexperience, many aspects of the game needed to be rethought during the development process. Cutler credited his choice to use Macromedia Director as making a mammoth task much easier. He struggled with feature creep and his relationship with the testing company.[4]

Gameplay

The setting of the game is a fictional bar in New York City. The player, as bartender, must learn to mix over one hundred drinks. They also have to ID all customers (serving an underage customer will get the player fired), charm customers, keep music playing, and keep customers from being too drunk. The game offers a recipe book for players, but players will score better if they don't use it. Also, without memorizing the recipes, the player will run out of time.[5] The ultimate goal of the game is to get the most tips. There are around 20 characters that the player needs to serve in the game. One of these characters is Vincent the Hedgehog, who is an actual hedgehog.[3]

Reception

Critical reviews

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings67%[6]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarStarHalf star[7]
GameRevolutionC[2]
GameSpot6.7/10[9]
IGN7/10[5]

The game received average reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[6] Ben Silverman of GameRevolution described it as a casual game, and not one that a player would expect to play for hours. Silverman described it as a replacement for Solitaire that wouldn't hook players, but also stated that with its low price, it may be worth buying.[2] Lisa Karen Savignano of AllGame praised the creative characters, but noted that some of the graphics were poor.[7] Vincent Lopez of IGN appreciated the large library of drinks, but noted that the animation was often clunky.[5]

Sales

The game sold poorly and was a flop. Despite this, for the French and UK market under the name Happy Hour, and in Germany under the name On the Rocks. Cutler was surprised at the nearly even ratio of male to female purchasers.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Fudge, James (March 27, 2000). "Last Call Released". Strategy Plus, Inc.. Archived from the original on July 9, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20030709134711/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/027/024/lastc.html. Retrieved February 4, 2021. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Silverman, Ben (March 2000). "Last Call Review". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150908015004/http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/last-call. Retrieved February 4, 2021. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hernandez, Tara. "Last Call! - Overview". All Media Network. Archived from the original on December 11, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141211112443/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=23852. Retrieved July 29, 2015. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cutler, John (May 11, 2001). "Postmortem: Cutler Creative's Last Call". Informa. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/postmortem-cutler-creative-s-i-last-call-i-. Retrieved December 17, 2021. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lopez, Vincent (April 4, 2000). "Last Call". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/04/05/last-call. Retrieved July 29, 2015. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Last Call! for PC". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190609095051/https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/250541-last-call/index.html. Retrieved February 4, 2021. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Savignano, Lisa Karen. "Last Call! - Review". All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 17, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141117050219/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=23852&tab=review. Retrieved July 29, 2015. 
  8. ↑ Navarro, Alex (April 27, 2000). "Last Call". CNET. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000816093512/http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0,6,0-4056,00.html. Retrieved March 6, 2021. 
  9. ↑ Walker, Trey (April 5, 2000). "Last Call Review [date mislabeled as "May 1, 2000""]. Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/last-call-review/1900-2558850/. Retrieved February 4, 2021. 
  10. ↑ Hudak, Chris (June 2000). "Last Call". PC Accelerator (Imagine Media) (22): 82. https://archive.org/details/PCXL22Jun2000/page/n83/mode/2up. Retrieved February 5, 2021. 
  • 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. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari



Warning: Default sort key "Last Call (Video Game)" overrides earlier default sort key "Mobygames".



Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Last_Call_(video_game)&oldid=769507"