Software:Manhunter 2: San Francisco

From HandWiki
Short description: 1989 video game
Manhunter 2: San Francisco
Developer(s)Evryware
Publisher(s)Sierra On-Line
Producer(s)Ken Williams
Designer(s)Barry Murry
Dave Murry
Programmer(s)Barry Murry
Dave Murry
Artist(s)Barry Murry
Dee Dee Murry
Composer(s)Barry Murry
EngineAdventure Game Interpreter
Platform(s)MS-DOS, Amiga, Atari ST, Mac OS
ReleaseMid 1989[1]
Genre(s)Adventure game
Mode(s)Single-player

Manhunter 2: San Francisco is a post-apocalyptic adventure game designed by Barry Murry, Dave Murry, and Dee Dee Murry of Evryware and published in 1989 by Sierra On-Line. It is the sequel to Software:Manhunter: New York, developed by the same authors.

The rights to Manhunter are currently held by Activision following their acquisition of Sierra's intellectual property in 2008, but the series is currently considered abandoned, with no plans for resumption.

Plot

The game continues the story depicted in Manhunter: New York. The game begins with the player, piloting an Orb ship in pursuit of the antagonist Phil Cook, crash-landing in San Francisco. Another Manhunter on the ground is killed in the crash, so the player assumes his identity. As the gameplay progresses, the player learns of an organized resistance, experiments that have created mutant slaves, and the goal of the malevolent Orbs. The player is able to turn the mutant slaves back into humans, who go on to kill numerous Orbs in San Francisco. The game reaches its climax when the player is on the verge of catching Phil Cook. Phil narrowly escapes in an Orb ship with the player hanging on to the outside, flying off towards London.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
CVG61%[2]
Adventure Classic GamingStarStarStar [3]

Computer and Video Games (UK) gave the game a score of 61%, criticizing the game's unorthodox mixture of adventure and arcade elements (compared to most other Sierra games of the era).[2] Scorpia at Computer Gaming World gave the game a positive review, calling it an "excellent" followup to the previous game.[4]

The game sold more than 100,000 copies.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Williams, John (1989). "Products for Your Computer". InterActive 2 (2). http://www.sierragamers.com/uploads/24082/Interaction/006_Sierra_News_Magazine_Volume_2_Number_2_Autumn_1989.pdf. Retrieved 2018-05-19. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Campbell, Keith (March 1990), "Manhunter", Computer and Video Games (100): 67 
  3. ↑ Jeremiah Kauffman. "Manhunter 2: San Francisco Review". Archived from the original on May 8, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130508065520/http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/reviews/183/. Retrieved April 25, 2013. "Similar to the first game in the series, Manhunter 2: San Francisco show some potentials in its delivery, but so much more is needed to develop this game to be considered more than just a worthy peculiarity." 
  4. ↑ Scorpia (October 1989), "Review: Manhunter 2: San Francisco", Computer Gaming World (64): 60–61 
  5. ↑ Kolcu, Orchun (June 1, 1997). "Interview with Evryware (Part 1)". Archived from the original on February 13, 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20020213224051/http://www.gamesdomain.com/gdreview/depart/jun97/evryware.html. Retrieved February 18, 2022. 
  • 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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