Software:Monster Tale

From HandWiki
Monster Tale
Cover art
Developer(s)DreamRift
Publisher(s)Majesco Entertainment
Director(s)Peter Ong
Programmer(s)Ryan Pijai
Artist(s)Michael Veroni
Composer(s)Ian Stocker
Platform(s)Nintendo DS
Release
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Life simulation, Metroidvania[2][3]
Mode(s)Single-player

Monster Tale is a Nintendo DS platformer and virtual pet game developed by DreamRift and published by Majesco Entertainment in 2011.[4] It was only released in North America. It follows the story of a young girl, named Ellie, and her adventures in Monster World with her monster companion, Chomp. Together they must stop the evil Kid-Kings and return Monster World to its rightful inhabitants, the monsters, and also find a way for Ellie to return home.

Voice talent

  • Ellie - Brina Palencia[5]
  • Meade - Todd Haberkorn[5]
  • Deanu - Leah Clark[5]
  • Zoe - Monica Rial[5]
  • Ethan - Cynthia Cranz[5]
  • Priscilla - Tia Ballard[5]

Controversy

According to the game developers, there was pressure from publishers not to feature a young female lead. Peter Ong, the co-founder of DreamRift and director of Monster Tale, told Nintendo Power that "this choice was actually somewhat controversial with some publishers. Our experience was that many publishers are looking to avert the risk of a main character that hasn't been proven to capture large audiences. As a result, there was some concern from publishers that Ellie should change to a male or a more mature/sexy female."[6]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic79/100[7]
Review scores
PublicationScore
1Up.comB+[8]
Destructoid8/10[9]
Edge6/10[10]
Eurogamer7/10[11]
GameSpot8/10[12]
GamesRadar+StarStarStarStarHalf star[13]
IGN8.5/10[14]
NGamer80%[15]
Nintendo Power8/10[16]
Nintendo World Report8/10[17]

Monster Tale received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[7] Critics praised the game for its sprite-based graphics, interesting combat and its action-platforming similar to the Metroid series.[18]

Remake

On March 29, 2015, DreamRift announced a remake of the game, titled Monster Tale Ultimate, to be released via the Nintendo 3DS eShop.[19] Announced changes to Ultimate included reduced backtracking, visual improvements, and the ability to toggle between the original soundtrack and a new orchestral soundtrack.[20] However the 3DS version failed to ever release. On January 11, 2021, Majesco announced that Monster Tale would soon be coming to modern platforms.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Fletcher, JC (January 5, 2011). "Monster Tale brings Chomp home in March". Engadget (Joystiq). https://www.engadget.com/2011/01/05/monster-tale-brings-chomp-home-in-march/. Retrieved May 26, 2016. 
  2. ↑ Parish, Jeremy (June 12, 2012). "Metroidvania". GameSpite. http://www.gamespite.net/toastywiki/index.php/Games/Metroidvania. Retrieved July 7, 2016. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Nintendo DS Platformer Monster Tale Is Making A Comeback On Modern Consoles" (in en-GB). 2021-01-11. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/01/nintendo_ds_platformer_monster_tale_is_making_a_comeback_on_modern_consoles. 
  4. ↑ Hatfield, Daemon (May 11, 2010). "Project Monster Evolves". http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/05/11/project-monster-evolves. Retrieved May 26, 2016. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 "Monster Tale (2001 Video Game)". https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Monster-Tale/. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information. 
  6. ↑ "Monster Tale". Nintendo Power 263: 90. March 2011. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Monster Tale for DS Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/monster-tale/critic-reviews/?platform=ds. Retrieved May 26, 2016. 
  8. ↑ Parish, Jeremy (March 31, 2011). "Monster Tale Review". Archived from the original on August 12, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150812034054/http://www.1up.com/reviews/monster-tale-review. Retrieved May 26, 2016. 
  9. ↑ Bennett, Colette (March 23, 2011). "Review: Monster Tale". https://www.destructoid.com/review-monster-tale-196840.phtml. Retrieved May 26, 2016. 
  10. ↑ Edge staff (June 2011). "Monster Tale". Edge (228): 101. 
  11. ↑ Schilling, Chris (May 30, 2011). "DS Imports: The Last Hurrah (Page 2)". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-05-27-ds-imports-the-last-hurrah-review?page=2. Retrieved May 26, 2016. 
  12. ↑ Kemps, Heidi (April 4, 2011). "Monster Tale Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/monster-tale-review/1900-6306965/. Retrieved May 26, 2016. 
  13. ↑ Miller-Watt, Josh (March 22, 2011). "Monster Tale review". GamesRadar. http://www.gamesradar.com/monster-tale-review/. Retrieved May 26, 2016. 
  14. ↑ Thomas, Lucas M. (7 April 2011). "Monster Tale Review". http://www.ign.com/articles/2011/04/07/monster-tale-review. Retrieved May 26, 2016. 
  15. ↑ "Monster Tale". Nintendo Gamer: 57. May 2011. 
  16. ↑ "Monster Tale". Nintendo Power 265: 90. March 2011. 
  17. ↑ Cole, Michael (February 11, 2011). "Monster Tale". Nintendo World Report. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/25344/monster-tale-nintendo-ds. Retrieved May 26, 2016. 
  18. ↑ Luke (July 13, 2011). "Monster Tale (DS) Review – Metroid + Tamigachi [sic] = ?". Fork This Llama. http://forkthisllama.blogspot.com/2011/07/monster-tale-ds-review-metroid.html. Retrieved April 6, 2015. 
  19. ↑ Osborn, Alex (March 29, 2015). "Monster Tale Ultimate Announced for 3DS". http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/03/29/monster-tale-ultimate-announced-for-3ds. Retrieved April 6, 2015. 
  20. ↑ "Monster Tale on Its Way to the 3DS eShop in a New 'Ultimate' Version". 28 March 2015. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/03/monster_tale_on_its_way_to_the_3ds_eshop_in_a_new_ultimate_version. 
  • 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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