Software:Mindshadow (video game)

From HandWiki
Mindshadow
Developer(s)Interplay Productions
Publisher(s)Activision
Platform(s)Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Macintosh, IBM PC, ZX Spectrum
Release1984
Genre(s)Graphic adventure

Mindshadow is a 1984 graphic adventure game released for the Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, Commodore 64, Macintosh, IBM PC compatibles (as a self-booting disk), ZX Spectrum, and later the Atari ST and Amiga The game was developed by Interplay Productions and published by Activision.

Production and release

Interplay entered into an $100,000 contract with Activision to produce three illustrated text adventure titles, of which this was one.[1] One of the game's programmers, Allen Adham, hired by Brian Fargo, CEO of Interplay Productions, would later be one of the founders of Blizzard.[2][3] Rebecca Heineman who worked on the game would later found Logicware.[4] The game had the same gaming engine as The Tracer Sanction,[5] and the art was drawn by QuickDraw.[6] It was based loosely on the Robert Ludlum novel The Bourne Identity.[7][8] Fargo would later say that the amnesiac storyline was unique for the time and set the game apart from its contemporaries.[9] Mindshadow was a "middling success" and "solid seller".[10] The game was included in the Interplay's 10 Year Anthology.[11]

Plot

The player starts on a beach with no memory of his identity. The island is a self-contained area with beaches, rocky cliffs, a hut and a quicksand area, which serves as a maze for the player to reach another location of the game. The character's main objective is to gather objects necessary to assemble a bonfire as a signal for any passing ships.

Once this is accomplished, the character finds himself on board a pirate ship pursued by the Royal Navy without a means to leave the ship or reach any destination. The player has to find a means to stop the ship and thus be rescued and dropped somewhere in London. Clues about the character's past are introduced at this point, as the character receives mysterious instructions and even evades attempts against his life. After buying a forged ticket, the character flies to Luxembourg where he receives more clues and finally confront his nemesis.

If the player has uncovered enough clues (i.e. by reading a newspaper, or finding notes and messages on dead bodies) at the very end, the character will be able to regain his memory. It is revealed that he is wealthy industrialist William Arcman, whose evil twin brother, Jared, having faked his own death, attempted to make William disappear and then steal his identity to take advantage of his wealth. The story started right after Jared hit William on the head and dropped him on a desert island.

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot (Atari 8-bit)

The detective mystery is portrayed in an interactive fiction adventure game style. A window displays static graphics with the environment the character sees.[12]

An important command of the game is REMEMBER which is used with clues. (e.g. REMEMBER WILLIAM ARCMAN) which is obligatory for the player to regain his memory at the end.

The game accepts also the phrase HELP CONDOR; a condor appears giving the player cryptic hints (when available). This can be employed only three times in each playthrough.[13]

Reception

Sinclair User awarded 2 stars out of 5, describing the game as "not very original" and "rather small."[14] Crash praised its distinct style.[15]

Aktueller Software Markt gave it 8.5 out of 10.[16] Zzap!64 rated it 75 out of 100.[17] Your Sinclair rated it 7 out of 10 and Tilt gave it 4 Stars.[18] Info said it was a nice graphic adventure game.[19] Amstrad Action felt the game was surprising.[20] Lemon64 felt the title was merely adequate.[21]

Sales

The game sold 100,000 copies.[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "He's 40 and Still in the Business of Video Games". November 9, 2003. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33609987/the-los-angeles-times/. Retrieved August 30, 2021. 
  2. ↑ "syltefar.com: Mindshadow". https://syltefar.com/game/?id=1440. 
  3. ↑ Fargo, Brian (2013-01-24). "Another bit of trivia: I hired the eventual founder of Blizzard, Ayman Adham to program for me on Mindshadow.". https://twitter.com/brianfargo/status/294473955992023041. 
  4. ↑ "Rebecca Heineman". 2019-03-08. http://www.atariwomen.org/stories/rebecca-heineman/. 
  5. ↑ "Commodore Retro Heaven". http://retro.lonningdal.net/home.php?page=Reviews&title=The%20Tracer%20Sanction. 
  6. ↑ "DP Interviews...". http://www.digitpress.com/library/interviews/interview_rebecca_heineman.html. 
  7. ↑ "Interplay Productions". https://www.lysator.liu.se/adventure/Interplay_Productions.html. 
  8. ↑ Craddock, David L. (2013-10-31). Stay Awhile and Listen: Book I: How Two Blizzards Unleashed Diablo and Forged a Video-Game Empire. Digital Monument Press. ISBN 9780988409903. https://books.google.com/books?id=AQTSAQAAQBAJ&q=Interplay+mindshadow&pg=PT441. 
  9. ↑ ""Stay Awhile and Listen - Book I" Bonus Chapter: An Interview with Brian Fargo". 30 October 2013. https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/DavidCraddock/20131030/203681/quotStay_Awhile_and_Listen__Book_Iquot_Bonus_Chapter_An_Interview_with_Brian_Fargo.php. 
  10. ↑ Barton, Matt (2016-04-19). Honoring the Code: Conversations with Great Game Designers. CRC Press. ISBN 9781466567542. https://books.google.com/books?id=UV7OBQAAQBAJ&q=Interplay+mindshadow&pg=PA63. 
  11. ↑ "Interplay's 10 Year Anthology: Classic Collection". https://wasteland.gamepedia.com/Interplay%27s_10_Year_Anthology:_Classic_Collection. 
  12. ↑ Rovi Corporation. "Mindshadow". http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=29381&tab=review. 
  13. ↑ Game documentation
  14. ↑ "Sinclair User March 1986, page 74". EMAP. http://live.worldofspectrum.org/infoseek/magazines/sinclair-user/48#74. 
  15. ↑ "CRASH 25 - Mindshadow". http://www.crashonline.org.uk/25/mindshadow.htm. 
  16. ↑ "Kultboy.com - DIE Kult-Seite ber die alten Spiele-Magazine und Retro-Games!". http://www.kultboy.com/index.php?site=t&id=8214. 
  17. ↑ "Impossible to Display Scan". http://www.zzap64.co.uk/cgi-bin/displaypage.pl?issue=009&page=107&thumbstart=97&magazine=zzap&check=1. 
  18. ↑ "Le site des anciennes revues informatiques - www.abandonware-magazines.org". https://www.abandonware-magazines.org/erreur404.php. 
  19. ↑ Info - Issue 10 (1986-05)(Info Publications)(US). May 1986. http://archive.org/details/Info_Issue_10_1986-05_Info_Publications_US. 
  20. ↑ Amstrad Action Issue 003. http://archive.org/details/amstrad-action-003. 
  21. ↑ Mindshadow at Lemon 64
  • 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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  • Mindshadow at the Museum of Computer Adventure Game History (MOCAGH)



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