Software:Milo (video game)

From HandWiki
This page is about the computer game. For the Xbox 360 game, see Milo and Kate. For the firmware, see MILO (boot loader).
MILO
Cover art
Developer(s)Crystalvision Software
Publisher(s)Sibling Interactive
Programmer(s)Max Elliott
Artist(s)Max Elliott
Composer(s)Warren Dale
Platform(s)Windows, Windows 3.x
Release1995 (Windows)
Dec 31, 1996 (Windows 3.x)[1]
Genre(s)adventure-puzzle
Mode(s)Single player

MILO is a first-person adventure-puzzle computer game that challenges the player to solve 14 puzzles based in the world of MILO, an artificially intelligent computer. The game was developed by Crystalvision Software and released in 1996. Released in the wake of such titles as Myst and Pandora's Box,[2] MILO was billed as a multimedia game and as an early example of 3D gaming.[3] The 16-track ambient soundtrack is composed by noted progressive rock musician, Warren Dale.[4][5]

Development

According to Four Fat Chicks, this game is an example of "minute titles, released to less than no fanfare, inexplicably floating around on Ebay, unrecognized and forgotten".[6]

Plot

A puzzle awaiting the player.

The player is placed in the abandoned planet of an ancient and highly advanced civilization. This civilization had discovered the Keys to the Gateway of the Universe[7] and as a consequence they had abruptly left their planet in a state of enlightenment to travel and search the far corners of the universe for even greater mysteries. The one thing this civilization left behind was MILO - the sentient artificial intelligence designed to act as caretaker for their planet while they were gone and guard for the Keys to the Gateway.

MILO has existed now for centuries, patiently awaiting the return of his creators. The lack of interaction with life during the intervening centuries, however, has been difficult for MILO on a mental level. By the time of the player's arrival on the planet, MILO has unfortunately lost much of its normal function and is now quite mad. Your task as the player is to unlock the Library which holds the Keys to the Gateway. To do this, you must solve a series of 14 puzzles often taking the form of a 2-person logic game with MILO (acting remotely through the electronic world) as your opponent. Upon completion of the all 14 puzzles, the player meets MILO face to face, and escapes the planet.[8]

Gameplay

Gameplay sees the player access seven different worlds from a central hub, with puzzle completion leading to progression through the game. The backgrounds are static slideshows.

Reception

The game was well received by critics, earning praise especially for its graphics, sound, and replay value. The reliance on luck rather than logic in some of the puzzles, as well as the near-total lack of documentation accompanying the game, however, was criticized. The sound effects were also criticized (apart from the musical score) as lacking in quality and substance.[9] Four Fat Chicks likened the game's look and feel to Gord@k and L-Zone, and recommended the game to fans of puzzle adventure games such as Jewels of the Oracle, Cassandra Galleries, or Pandora's Box.[10] Michael J. Bertrand of World Village praised the New Age background music as one of the very few enjoyable aspects of the game.[11] The Adrenaline Vault's Hermann K. Peterscheck felt the game ripped off puzzles from Myst and The 7th Guest.[12][13][14]

References

  1. ↑ MILO. IGN. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
  2. ↑ Milo. Four Fat Chicks. April 2003. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
  3. ↑ Bertrand, Michael J. CD-ROM Does Not Mean Fun - A Review of MILO . Gamer's Zone. 1997.
  4. ↑ Crystalvision Software. MILO. PC. 
  5. ↑ Menshikov, Vitaly. Warren Dale (USA) - 2004 - "The Burden of Duplicity". 2004-08-13. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
  6. ↑ "Four Fat Chicks -- Milo Review". 2016-03-08. http://www.tap-repeatedly.com/Reviews/Milo/Milo.shtml. 
  7. ↑ Drizzlers, Abdullah. Milo. 2003-10-18. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
  8. ↑ House, Michael L. MILO - Synopsis. All Game Guide. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
  9. ↑ House, Michael L. Milo - Review. All Game Guide. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  10. ↑ "Four Fat Chicks -- Milo Review". 2016-03-08. http://www.tap-repeatedly.com/Reviews/Milo/Milo.shtml. 
  11. ↑ "MILO". 1996-12-26. http://www.worldvillage.com/wv/gamezone/html/reviews/milo.htm. 
  12. ↑ "Milo Review - Page 1 of 3". 1996-10-18. http://www.cdmag.com:80/adventure_vault/milo_review/page1.html. 
  13. ↑ "Milo Review - Page 2 of 3". 1996-10-18. http://www.cdmag.com:80/adventure_vault/milo_review/page2.html. 
  14. ↑ "Milo Review - Page 3 of 3". 1996-10-18. http://www.cdmag.com:80/adventure_vault/milo_review/page3.html. 
  • 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




Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Milo_(video_game)&oldid=801856"