Software:Monster Rancher 4

From HandWiki
Short description: 2003 video game
Monster Rancher 4
North American box art
Developer(s)Tecmo
Publisher(s)Tecmo
SeriesMonster Rancher
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
Release
  • JP: August 14, 2003
  • NA: November 17, 2003[1]
Genre(s)Life simulation game
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Monster Rancher 4 (known in Japan as Monster Farm 4 (モンスターファーム4, Monsutā Fāmu Fō)) is a monster breeding and management game that was released by Tecmo for the PlayStation 2 in 2003.

Gameplay

Like the previous installments, this game involves the raising, breeding, and fighting of monsters. Monsters are created via a "Saucer Stone" regeneration system. There are several methods to obtaining a monster. Players must go to the Shrine, where they can choose their preferred method to generate a monster. One is the disc method where the player swaps the Monster Rancher 4 disc with a CD, DVD, or another game disc. A monster is then generated from the data contained on that disc. The next method is through in-game disc stones. Which can be obtained from adventures or tournaments. A pre-determined monster will then be generated based on the specific disc stone. Once the monster has been generated, their data is recorded in the encyclopedia. Players can then regenerate any monster that has been recorded in the encyclopedia at any point. Once a player regenerates a monster, they can raise it on a ranch, and train it to compete in battles. The limit for monsters depend on the size of their ranch but the maximum is five monsters.

Premise

Monster Rancher 4 is the first game in the series to be story-driven. Breeder rank progression is no longer tied to beating official tournaments, but by progressing the main story. The playable character is no longer silent, and has the default name "Phayne." The story centers around Phayne, who is offered a job working on a ranch, and the mysterious girl Rio, who has the abnormal ability to talk to monsters. Rio eventually works alongside Phayne on the ranch, and once a mysterious man by the name of Mr. K appears at their doorstep, the real plot begins to unfold.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic77/100[2]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Edge4/10[3]
EGM6.33/10[4]
Game Informer8.25/10[5]
GameProStarStarStarStar[6]
GameSpot7.4/10[7]
GameZone8.4/10[8]
IGN8.5/10[9]
OPM (US)StarStarStarHalf star[10]
PSM8/10[11]

The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[2]

IGN ranked it as the 88th best PlayStation 2 game. The staff praised its improvements over its predecessors.[12]

References

  1. ↑ Lewis, Ed (2003-10-24). "Monster Rancher 4 Pushed Back" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/10/24/monster-rancher-4-pushed-back. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Monster Rancher 4 for PlayStation 2 Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/monster-rancher-4/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2. Retrieved June 8, 2016. 
  3. ↑ Edge staff (January 2004). "Monster Rancher 4". Edge (132): 106. 
  4. ↑ EGM staff (January 2004). "Monster Rancher 4". Electronic Gaming Monthly (174): 142. 
  5. ↑ Reiner, Andrew (December 2003). "Monster Rancher Action Adventure 4 [sic"]. Game Informer (128): 145. http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/3657D96B-03DE-4313-A819-8368B6DDC23C.htm. Retrieved June 8, 2016. 
  6. ↑ Manny LaMancha (November 4, 2003). "Monster Rancher 4 Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on February 12, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050212141438/http://www.gamepro.com/sony/ps2/games/reviews/31611.shtml. Retrieved June 8, 2016. 
  7. ↑ Davis, Ryan (December 2, 2003). "Monster Rancher 4 Review". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/monster-rancher-4-review/1900-6084921/. Retrieved June 8, 2016. 
  8. ↑ Tha Wiz (November 24, 2003). "Monster Rancher 4 Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on December 30, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081230214453/http://ps2.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r22273.htm. Retrieved June 8, 2016. 
  9. ↑ Dunham, Jeremy (November 18, 2003). "Monster Rancher 4". http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/11/18/monster-rancher-4. Retrieved June 8, 2016. 
  10. ↑ Steinman, Gary (December 2003). "Monster Rancher 4". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Archived from the original on March 25, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040325022427/http://www.playstationmagazine.com/article2/0,2053,1489875,00.asp. Retrieved June 8, 2016. 
  11. ↑ "Review: Monster Rancher 4". PSM: 40. December 25, 2003. 
  12. ↑ "Top 100 PlayStation 2 Games (Monster Rancher 4 - #88)". http://www.ign.com/lists/ps2-games/88. Retrieved December 6, 2013. 
  • Official Monster Rancher 4 website (in Japanese)
  • 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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