Software:Monster Rancher EVO

From HandWiki
Monster Rancher EVO
North American box art
Developer(s)Tecmo
Publisher(s)Tecmo
SeriesMonster Rancher
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
Release
  • JP: December 8, 2005
  • NA: April 11, 2006[1]
Genre(s)Life simulation, role-playing video game
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Monster Rancher EVO (Monster Farm 5: Circus Caravan (モンスターファーム5: サーカス キャラバン, Monsutā Fāmu Faibu: Sākasu Kyaraban) in Japan ) is a PlayStation 2 game in the Monster Rancher series. It was released in Japan on December 8, 2005, and in North America on April 11, 2006. The game was not released in PAL territories.

Gameplay

Monster Rancher EVO delves more into the RPG genre than previous installments in the series. Gamers play the role of Julio, a circus performer who aspires to be a world class monster breeder. Players must meet with the circus ringleader on a weekly basis to plan out the next week's course of action: schedule in circus performances, adventuring and training for their monsters.

Although the series has taken a new direction, Monster Rancher EVO features many of the themes of past games. Monster generation (using CD/DVDs, an in-game item, or with other monsters) is done with a female shaman named Nayuta who also plays the role of heroine. Rather than using a shrine to unlock your disks, Nayuta awakens them using a magical monster rebirth dance. She can reseal them in disc stones as well, which replaces the freeze function from older games. While this does not affect monster health it does affect loyalty; over-use can lead to monsters rebelling in the middle of a show.

There is a Monster Market where players can pick up disc stones for free, in case they lack a large collection of their own disks. Monsters can be combined like previous games, but the parent monsters are not consumed, and are put back in Julio's inventory afterwards. Many monster species make a return, with a few new additions as well, for a total of 25 main breeds. Monsters put on shows using training gadgets, and if the audience enjoys the show, they will throw money at the stage.

Exploration, similar to that of Monster Rancher 4, involves the character going out into the field with their monster(s), and defeating stray monsters and a chapter boss to gain anima points, used to gain new monster skills or perform 'union attacks'.

Graphics

Monster Rancher EVO's artwork style is a great deal more animated and realistic than its predecessors. Characters take on a much more realistic physique and appear quite natural, rather than cartoony. Monsters in EVO share most of the same design as those from Monster Rancher 4. They are more smoothly animated, helping to immerse the player fully into the game.

Story

The Orcoro Circus is a band of people who have come together to bring joy to people's faces. Julio, a young boy in the Orcoro circus, wants to be a professional and famous Monster Breeder. One day after a performance a mysterious beautiful girl with special powers by the name of Nayuta came to force her way into the circus troop.

NPC interaction is the key to moving forward in the story. Each of the seven towns that you visit has its own problems. In each village there is a guild. At the guild Julio accepts missions from the guildmaster that have been set by the villagers. The rewards for missions are gold, items, and rare monsters.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic58/100[2]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Eurogamer2/10[3]
Famitsu29/40[4]
Game Informer8/10[5]
GameSpot6.4/10[6]
GameSpyStarStarStarHalf star[7]
IGN6.5/10[8]
OPM (US)StarStarHalf star[9]
Detroit Free PressStar[10]

The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[2] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one seven, one eight, and two sevens for a total of 29 out of 40.[4]

OVA tie-in

In Japan, an Original Video Animation tie-in to the game, entitled Monster Farm 5: Circus Caravan Original Animation- Kessei!! Orcoro Circus (モンスターファーム5　サーカスキャラバン オリジナルアニメーション 「結成!!オルコロサーカス」, Monsutā Fāmu Faibu Sākasu Kyaraban Orijinaru Animēshon "Kessei!! Orukoro Sākasu) was released. [11]

References

  1. ↑ Castro, Juan (2006-04-11). "Monster Rancher Evo Unleashed" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/04/11/monster-rancher-evo-unleashed. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Monster Rancher EVO for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/monster-rancher-evo/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2. Retrieved June 8, 2016. 
  3. ↑ Kumar, Mathew (June 6, 2006). "Monster Rancher EVO". Eurogamer. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/ir_monsterrancherevo_ps2. Retrieved June 8, 2016. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Famitsu Scores: Mario Kart DS, Rogue Galaxy, Ridge Racer 6, MG AC!D 2, PDZ, etc...". Nerd Mentality. November 30, 2005. http://nerdmentality.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=21450. Retrieved June 8, 2016. 
  5. ↑ Mason, Lisa (June 2006). "Monster Rancher EVO". Game Informer (158): 113. Archived from the original on June 6, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080606163056/http://gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200606/R06.0626.1426.07023.htm. Retrieved June 8, 2016. 
  6. ↑ Davis, Ryan (April 21, 2006). "Monster Rancher EVO Review". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/monster-rancher-evo-review/1900-6148132/. Retrieved June 8, 2016. 
  7. ↑ Chapman, David (April 19, 2006). "GameSpy: Monster Rancher EVO". GameSpy. Archived from the original on April 23, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060423031818/http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/monster-farm-5-circus-caravan/702419p1.html. Retrieved June 8, 2016. 
  8. ↑ Haynes, Jeff (April 19, 2006). "Monster Rancher EVO". IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/04/20/monster-rancher-evo. Retrieved June 8, 2016. 
  9. ↑ "Monster Rancher EVO". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: 75. July 2006. 
  10. ↑ Gardner, Omari (August 13, 2006). "MONSTER BLANDNESS: Latest breeding adventure just plain dull". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on June 25, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130625085856/http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20060813%2FENT06%2F608130520%2F1044. Retrieved June 8, 2016. 
  11. ↑ "Monster Farm 5: Circus Caravan OVA - Kessei!! Orcoro Circus". https://myanimelist.net/anime/15937/Monster_Farm_5__Circus_Caravan_OVA_-_Kessei_Orcoro_Circus. 
  • 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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