Software:MageSlayer

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MageSlayer
Cover art by Gerald Brom
Developer(s)Raven Software
Publisher(s)GT Interactive
Director(s)Steve Raffel
Designer(s)Daniell Freed
Programmer(s)Chris Rhinehart
Artist(s)Brian Pelletier
Les Dorscheid
Composer(s)Chia Chin Lee
Kevin Schilder
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: September 24, 1997[1]
Genre(s)Third-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

MageSlayer is an action video game released in 1997. It was based on the Vampire engine, developed by Raven Software, along with Take No Prisoners. The engine provides a top-down view with 2D sprites for the character and monsters in a full 3D environment with dynamic and colored lighting. The score was composed by Kevin Schilder. MageSlayer marked another Raven Software collaboration with the fantasy artist Brom, who produced the box cover artwork for the game.

Plot

In a world of fantasy far away, a shower of meteorites called Starfall dominates a time in history. The meteorites lie about everywhere pulsing with radioactive power which the people of the land scramble to exploit. Of the people only three professions had the power to exploit the radioactive stones; Mages, Mageslayers, and Lorethanes. The Mages, in their hungry studies of the meteorites, gained knowledge of the use of the stones and gained terrible power. Consumed by their lust for the power of the stones, they dominated over all.

The five Mageslayer clans were formed to free the people of the lands from the power hungry Mages that had enslaved them. The Mageslayers learned to harvest the power of two very powerful meteorites that fell from the sky. The first, the Sun Orb, was studied and they learned to control powerful magic, without the megalomaniac side effects that the Mages experienced.

The second, the Starstone, was crafted into five powerful Relics. Using these two forces the MageSlayers drove the Mages into retreat. When the Mages fought back, the Clan of Knowledge was sacrificed in order to save the other clans. The Mageslayers were victorious, but it cost them the five Relics crafted from the Starstone and the Clan of Knowledge was destroyed. Each of the clans passed the knowledge of the SunOrb down through the generations. A single leader of each of the clans was selected to guard the most revered of the Clan secrets.

A millennium has passed since the Clan of Knowledge was destroyed in the Mage War. The Lore Thane, Leader of the Clan of Knowledge and descendant of one of the five powerful Mageslayers, seeks revenge for what he sees was a betrayal. Now the Lore Thane is ready to take revenge on the other four Guilds that refused to help him against the Mages which led to his clan's destruction. He's unearthed the five Starstone relics that won the Mage Wars and placed them under the protection of his minions. The four remaining Mageslayer clans have joined forces and sent their leaders to fight their way through the dominions of the Lore Thane's allies in order to recover the relics. Scribes, named Archivists, have foretold a coming conflict with a powerful and evil undead Lore Thane named Wyark, who has been growing in terrible strength with the aim of complete conquest of the world. The archivists have determined that the retrieval of the five special relics will enable the Mageslayer forces of good to defeat the evil Wyark. The players takes on the role of the Mageslayer tasked with retrieving the artifacts and ultimately defeat Wyark.[2]

Gameplay

The game is a 3D top-down hack-and-slash dungeon-type game, utilizing four different character classes with differing spells and abilities.[3] The game offers a single-player campaign and different multiplayer options. The player journeys through 30 levels of dungeons, sewers, rivers of death, lava pits, and monster rooms across five realms in order to defeat each realm's ruler and gain its relic; learning and upgrading magic spells, and acquiring artifacts to help the player succeed the quest. Utilizing the same Vampire engine as Take No Prisoners, MageSlayer was Raven's tribute to top-down action games. The main inspiration for MageSlayer was Atari's game Gauntlet.[4]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarStarStar[5]
CGSPStarStarStarHalf star[7]
CGWStarHalf star[8]
GameSpot7.2/10[9]
Hyper62%[11]
Next GenerationStarStarStarStar[12]
PC Gamer (UK)59%[13]
PC Gamer (US)79%[14]
PC Zone73%[15]

The game received above-average reviews. Next Generation concluded, "Overall, the game's action, level design, and multiplayer modes (which include a Capture the Relic team option) make this game stand out from most other shooters on the block. For those players who possess the benefit of 3D acceleration, this title could be quite a nice one to showcase your shiny new hardware."[12]

The game won the award for "Action Coaster" in Computer Gaming World's 1998 Premier Awards.[16]

References

  1. ↑ PC Gamer staff (September 24, 1997). "Now Shipping". Imagine Media. http://www.pcgamer.com/news/news-1997-09-22.html. "Now Shipping: ...Mageslayer [sic] (GT Interactive)..." 
  2. ↑ "MAGESLAYER: The Story". http://www.ravengames.com/mageslayer/story-world.html. 
  3. ↑ Reich, Leah (September 1997). "MageSlayer (Preview)". GamePro (IDG) (108): 70. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_108_Volume_09_Number_09_1997-09_IDG_Publishing_US/page/n71/mode/2up. Retrieved November 2, 2021. 
  4. ↑ "MageSlayer". http://www.ravengames.com/mageslayer/mageslayer.html. 
  5. ↑ House, Michael L.. "MageSlayer - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=6568&tab=review. 
  6. ↑ Baker II, Samuel Brown (November 4, 1997). "Mageslayer [sic"]. CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0,6,0-1258,00.html. 
  7. ↑ Chick, Tom (1997). "Mageslayer [sic"]. Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/009/025/mageslayer_review.html. 
  8. ↑ Coffey, Robert (February 1998). "Wizard of Blahs (MageSlayer Review)". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (163): 153. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_163.pdf. Retrieved November 2, 2021. 
  9. ↑ Kelly, Sean (November 18, 1997). "MageSlayer Review [date mislabeled as "May 1, 2000""]. Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mageslayer-review/1900-2542414/. 
  10. ↑ "Mage Slayer [sic"] (in fr). Génération 4 (104): 256. November 1997. http://download.abandonware.org/magazines/Generation%204/generation4_numero104/Page%20256.jpg. Retrieved November 3, 2021. 
  11. ↑ Toose, Dan (January 1998). "Mageslayer [sic"]. Hyper (Next Media Pty Ptd) (51): 100. https://retrocdn.net/images/3/30/Hyper_AU_051.pdf. Retrieved November 3, 2021. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Mageslayer [sic"]. Next Generation (Imagine Media) (37): 159. January 1998. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_37/page/n159/mode/2up. Retrieved November 2, 2021. 
  13. ↑ Pierce, Matthew (January 1998). "Mageslayer [sic"]. PC Gamer UK (Future Publishing) (52). http://www.pcgamer.co.uk/games/gamefile_review_page.asp?item_id=695. Retrieved November 3, 2021. 
  14. ↑ "Mageslayer [sic]". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 4 (12). December 1997. 
  15. ↑ Shoemaker, Richie (December 1997). "Mageslayer [sic"]. PC Zone (Dennis Publishing) (57): 89–90. https://archive.org/details/PC_Zone_57_December_1997/page/88/mode/2up. Retrieved November 3, 2021. 
  16. ↑ CGW staff (March 1998). "CGW 1998 Premier Awards (Worst of the Year: Action Coaster)". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (164): 92. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_164.pdf. Retrieved November 21, 2021. 

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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