Software:Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr.

From HandWiki
Short description: 1998 baseball video game


Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr.
Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr.
North American cover art
Developer(s)Angel Studios
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Jim Mcleod
Producer(s)Diego Angel
Artist(s)Daren Bader
Composer(s)Jay Henry
Steve Adorno
Platform(s)Nintendo 64
Release
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr. is a 1998 baseball video game developed by Angel Studios and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. The game is a follow-up to Nintendo's previous title featuring Griffey, Ken Griffey Jr.'s Winning Run. It was released in 1998, and allows players to choose any contemporary Major League Baseball franchise and play through an exhibition, a complete season, or a World Series. Players can also select up to four individuals from any team to compete in a Home Run Derby. The game also features all 30 MLB teams' stadiums.[2] The game was seen as a faster, more arcade-like baseball game compared to its rivaling product, the more realistic baseball simulation All-Star Baseball '99. A sequel titled Ken Griffey Jr.'s Slugfest was released in 1999.

Gameplay

Batters and fielders abilities are measured with five different statistics: Batting, Power, Speed, Defense, and Arm. Pitchers abilities are measured with three different statistics: Speed, Stamina, and Control. Statistics are measured by a number 1-10, with 1 being the weakest and 10 being the best.

Every pitcher in the game has four pitches. The first pitch, which is used by pressing the A button, is always a fastball. The second pitch, a breaking ball, is thrown by pressing the B button. Pitches thrown with the B button include curveballs, sliders, and screwballs. The third pitch is the changeup, and is used by pressing the Z button and the A button simultaneously. The fourth and final pitch is the "special." Special pitches include the super fastball, super changeup, splitter, cut fastball, and knuckleball. The special pitch is used by pressing the Z and B buttons at the same time.

Batters use the analog stick to move a batting circle to where the pitch is shown to go before it reaches the plate. The batter then presses A to swing. If the batting circle is placed where the ball is thrown, and the swing is on time to when the pitch goes over the plate, the ball will be hit. This feature can be turned off by changing the batting style to classic in the Options menu.

Baserunning on offense and throwing to bases on defense is controlled by the C buttons. The button pressed corresponds to the base (e.g. the right C button is pressed to go to 1st base, up to go to 2nd base, etc.).[3]

The game accounts for injuries and real time fatigue, seen most clearly through pitchers. This is especially true if the pitcher uses their "special" pitch too often.

Development

The game was originally due for release in the third quarter of 1997, but was pushed back to 1998.[4]

The music was composed by Steve Adorno of the groups GQ, Devoshun, Seguida ny Latin Rock. On it he played drums, keys, guitar, and funk bass.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings80%[5]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarStar[6]
EGM7.25/10[7]
Game Informer7.5/10[8]
GameFan90%[9]
GameProStarStarStarHalf star[10]
GameRevolutionC[11]
GameSpot6.8/10[12]
IGN7.7/10[13]
N64 Magazine74%[14]
Nintendo Power8.4/10[15]

The game received favorable reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "New Technology Supports Most Detailed Baseball Game Ever". May 26, 1998. http://www.nintendo.com/corp/press/052698.html. 
  2. ↑ Air Hendrix (September 1997). "Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr. (Preview)". GamePro (IDG) (108): 112. 
  3. ↑ "Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr.: Finally, Baseball on the N64!". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (105): 34. April 1998. 
  4. ↑ Air Hendrix (June 1997). "Scouting Report". GamePro (IDG) (105): 88. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey, Jr. for Nintendo 64". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 4, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190504113919/https://www.gamerankings.com/n64/197847-major-league-baseball-featuring-ken-griffey-jr/index.html. Retrieved October 18, 2020. 
  6. ↑ McCall, Scott. "Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr. - Review". All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141114211724/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=7507&tab=review. Retrieved October 18, 2020. 
  7. ↑ EGM staff (August 1998). "MBL Featuring Ken Griffey, Jr.". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (109): 133. http://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-654-133.jpg. Retrieved October 18, 2020. 
  8. ↑ Storm, Jon; Anderson, Paul; Reiner, Andrew (June 1998). "Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr.". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (62). http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=n64&path=jun98&doc=griffey. Retrieved October 18, 2020. 
  9. ↑ Higgins, Geoff "El Nino"; Mylonas, Eric "ECM" (May 1998). "Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball [sic"]. GameFan (Metropolis Media) 6 (5): 54. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_6_Issue_05/page/n55/mode/2up. Retrieved October 18, 2020. 
  10. ↑ Air Hendrix (July 1998). "Griffey's Game Not at All-Star Level". GamePro (IDG) (118): 74. Archived from the original on November 1, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20041101064425/http://www.gamepro.com/nintendo/n64/games/reviews/274.shtml. Retrieved October 18, 2020. 
  11. ↑ Bumblebee Man (July 1998). "Major League Baseball: Featuring Ken Griffey Jr. Review". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on February 20, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040220081236/http://www.game-revolution.com/games/n64/sports/mlbgriffey.htm. Retrieved October 18, 2020. 
  12. ↑ MacDonald, Ryan (June 11, 1998). "Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey, Jr. Review [date mislabeled as "April 28, 2000""]. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 4, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050104115042/http://www.gamespot.com/n64/sports/majorleaguebaseballfkgj/review.html. Retrieved October 18, 2020. 
  13. ↑ Casamassina, Matt (June 2, 1998). "Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/06/03/major-league-baseball-featuring-ken-griffey-jr. Retrieved October 18, 2020. 
  14. ↑ Kitts, Martin (August 1998). "Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr". N64 Magazine (Future Publishing) (18): 82. http://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-499-82.jpg. Retrieved October 18, 2020. 
  15. ↑ "MLB Featuring Ken Griffey Jr.". Nintendo Power (Nintendo of America) 108: 94. May 1998. http://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-350-99.jpg. Retrieved October 18, 2020. 
  • 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 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]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

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. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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