Software:Mech Platoon

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Short description: 2001 video game
Mech Platoon
Developer(s)Kemco
Publisher(s)Kemco
Platform(s)Game Boy Advance
Release
  • EU: November 28, 2001
  • JP: November 30, 2001
  • NA: December 20, 2001[1]
Genre(s)Real-time strategy
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer[1]

Mech Platoon, known in Japan as Kikaika Gunta - Mech Platoon (Japanese: 機械化軍隊 - メックプラトゥーン, Hepburn: Kikaika Gunta - Mekku Puratūn, lit. "Mechanical Army - Mech Platoon") is a real-time strategy video game developed and published by Kemco. It was the first real-time strategy game released on the Game Boy Advance platform,[2] and was released in 2001.[3]

Gameplay

Screenshot of a battle in Mech Platoon.

Mech Platoon follows real-time strategy gaming standards, and is in the vein of other games such as StarCraft and Command & Conquer. The player assumes the role of an army commander for one of three in-game nations, and must battle on five planets each with multiple missions.[1] In a battle, the player utilizes resources on a battlefield to build a base and attempt to overrun their opponent with "Mechs", the units featured in the game. There are three different types of resources found in the game: Energy Sand, Material Rock, and Laser Crystal.[2] Resources are used to purchase units, and lower-grade resources such as sand can be used to buy more expensive resources such as rock and crystal.[3]

Due to Game Boy Advance hardware limitations, there is a 30-unit maximum per stage and no fog of war.[3] There are twenty standard mechs that are unlocked throughout the game to use during battles, but each of these are customizable with different variants. Each mech also has its own attributes, ranging from differing hit points to varying levels of attacks.

Development

The game was first displayed to the public at E3 2001, where critics were impressed by the game's graphics but noted problems with unit path finding.[4] A later build was shown at the European Computer Trade Show in September 2001.[5]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic77 of 100[6]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Game Informer8.25 of 10[7]
GameProStarStarStarHalf star[8]
GameSpot8.3 of 10[3]
GameSpy70%[2]
GameZone7 of 10[9]
Nintendo Power3.9 of 5[10]

Mech Platoon received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[6]

GameSpot lauded Mech Platoon for its graphics and standard real-time strategy conventions on a portable system, writing, "Mech Platoon compromises nothing compared with stalwart veterans like Starcraft or Command & Conquer."[3] GameSpy praised the game for its level selection and detailed graphics. GamePro noted, "[Mech Platoon] boasts lots of nifty features and a few annoying flaws that keep it from beating up on its bigger PC cousins."[8]

Criticism generally focused on the game's sound and the problems with a portable real-time strategy game. GameSpot noted, "[the game's audio] is composed of mostly ear-wrenching midi music with a smattering of crisp digitized sound effects."[3] GameSpy compared Mech Platoon unfavorably against turn-based strategy games on the Game Boy Advance, such as Nintendo's Advance Wars.[2]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Harris, Craig; Nix, Marc (September 7, 2001). "Mech Platoon (Preview)". http://www.ign.com/articles/2001/09/07/mech-platoon. Retrieved September 14, 2017. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 D'Aprile, Jason (April 10, 2002). "Mech Platoon". GameSpy. Archived from the original on January 20, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050120031002/http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/april02/mechplatoongba/. Retrieved September 14, 2017. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Provo, Frank (January 17, 2002). "Mech Platoon Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mech-platoon-review/1900-2840244/. Retrieved September 14, 2017. 
  4. ↑ Nix, Marc (May 18, 2001). "E3: Mech Platoon Hands-on". http://www.ign.com/articles/2001/05/18/e3-mech-platoon-hands-on. Retrieved September 14, 2017. 
  5. ↑ Gerstmann, Jeff (September 3, 2001). "ECTS 2001 first look: Mech Platoon". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ects-2001-first-look-mech-platoon/1100-2810148/. Retrieved September 14, 2017. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Mech Platoon for Game Boy Advance Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/mech-platoon/critic-reviews/?platform=game-boy-advance. Retrieved September 14, 2017. 
  7. ↑ "Mech Platoon". Game Informer (105): 98. January 2002. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Star Dingo (December 26, 2001). "Mech Platoon Review for Game Boy Advance on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on November 19, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20041119051834/http://www.gamepro.com/nintendo/gameboy_advance/games/reviews/19363.shtml. Retrieved September 14, 2017. 
  9. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (February 4, 2002). "Mech Platoon Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on September 18, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060918101303/http://gameboy.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r19267_GBA.htm. Retrieved September 14, 2017. 
  10. ↑ "Mech Platoon". Nintendo Power 152: 132. January 2002. 
  • 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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