Software:NASCAR Racing 4

From HandWiki
Short description: 2001 video game produced by Papyrus
NASCAR Racing 4
Cover art featuring the cars of Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt, and John Andretti
Developer(s)Papyrus Design Group
Publisher(s)Sierra On-Line
Producer(s)Scott Stutsman
Designer(s)Richard Yasi
Programmer(s)David Kaemmer
Artist(s)David D. Flamburis
SeriesNASCAR Racing
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: February 7, 2001[1]
  • EU: April 6, 2001
Genre(s)Sim racing
Mode(s)Singleplayer, Multiplayer

NASCAR Racing 4 is a racing simulator produced by Papyrus and released in February 2001.

Gameplay

The game was a huge step forward over its predecessor and addressed many requested features for the game. Namely was the introduction of full 24-bit color, as the previous games had only allowed 256, vastly improved car models and environments and, for the first time, the ability of the car to rotate in three dimensions (i.e. the ability of the car to get airborne and flip).[citation needed] The simulator also continued the increased efforts to reflect the aspects of driving a real car.

This was the first version of the game since NASCAR Racing 2 to have actual car manufacturers represented. Additionally, it was the first version of the game to feature the ability to race a full 43 car field. It was the first installment in the "NASCAR Racing" series to include Daytona International Speedway, and included all 21 tracks that were raced in Winston Cup in 2000. It included 25 of the drivers and teams anticipated to run the 2001 season, including Dale Earnhardt as the game was released 12 days before his fatal crash, as well as 42 fictional drivers and teams, most of which carried fictional sponsors or are sponsored by a Sierra company. The inclusion of Sierra affiliate-sponsored cars was a trend that began as early as NASCAR Racing 1999 Edition, where a fantasy truck driver sponsored by Davidson & Associates is present.

As with previous titles in the series, included are the options of testing, single race weekend, championship, and online multiplayer hosted by Sierra servers or a third-party client. In addition, a more detailed paint shop can be accessed via the opponent manager menu, which allows for custom paint schemes and, for the first time, custom pit crew uniforms, to be imported and exported from the game. A replay viewer is also included so the player can view their saved session replays.

NASCAR Racing 4 was followed by NASCAR Racing 2002 Season.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic89/100[2]
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGSPStarStarStarStar[3]
CGWStarStarStarStarHalf star[4]
Game Informer8/10[5]
GameSpot9.1/10[7]
GameZone9.5/10[8]
IGN9.2/10[9]
Jeuxvideo.com14/20[10]
PC Gamer (US)95%[11]
PC PowerPlay93%[12]
The Cincinnati EnquirerStarStarStarStarHalf star[13]

The game received "generally favorable reviews", just one point shy of "universal acclaim", according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[2]

The game sold 260,000 units in the U.S. and earned $10.4 million by August 2006, after its release in February 2001. It was the country's 76th best-selling computer game between January 2000 and August 2006. Combined sales of all NASCAR Racing computer games released between January 2000 and August 2006 had reached 900,000 in the U.S. by the latter date.[14]

The game was nominated for the "Best Simulation Game" award at Computer Gaming World's 2001 Premier Awards, which went to IL-2 Strumovik. The staff wrote that the game "continued to make us believe in the complex strategy involved in driving around in circles at 200 mph."[15] The staff of Computer Games Magazine named it the best racing game of 2001 at the 11th Annual Computer Games Awards, and called it "the crown King of racing games."[16] The game won the award for "Best Driving Game" at GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2001 Awards.[17]

References

  1. ↑ IGN staff (February 7, 2001). "News Briefs". Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230204235337/https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/02/08/news-briefs-190. Retrieved July 18, 2023. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "NASCAR Racing 4 for PC Reviews". Fandom. Archived from the original on February 19, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220219232911/https://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/nascar-racing-4. Retrieved July 18, 2023. 
  3. ↑ Long, David J. (March 5, 2001). "NASCAR Racing 4". Strategy Plus, Inc.. Archived from the original on June 27, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20030627053539/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/032/007/nascar-04.html. Retrieved July 18, 2023. 
  4. ↑ Hermes, Wade (May 2001). "High Octane (NASCAR Racing 4 Review)". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (202): 78–79. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230322220513/https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_202.pdf. Retrieved July 18, 2023. 
  5. ↑ Brogger, Kristian (April 2001). "NASCAR Racing 4". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (96). Archived from the original on December 14, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20041214161347/http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200104/R03.0804.1445.12833.htm. Retrieved July 18, 2023. 
  6. ↑ le Roux, David (March 9, 2001). "Test : Nascar 4 : Nascar Heat version 4 ?" (in fr). TF1 Group. Archived from the original on May 1, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210501045319/https://www.gamekult.com/jeux/nascar-racing-4-4875/test.html. Retrieved July 19, 2023. 
  7. ↑ Goble, Gordon (February 20, 2001). "NASCAR Racing 4 Review". Fandom. Archived from the original on February 23, 2001. https://web.archive.org/web/20010223073039/http://www.zdnet.com/gamespot/stories/reviews/0,10867,2687981,00.html. Retrieved July 18, 2023. 
  8. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (February 26, 2001). "NASCAR® Racing 4 Review". Archived from the original on March 19, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080319005216/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r15240.htm. Retrieved July 18, 2023. 
  9. ↑ Magruder, Randy (March 9, 2001). "NASCAR Racing 4". Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230204235337/https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/03/10/nascar-racing-4-2. Retrieved July 18, 2023. 
  10. ↑ pilou (May 7, 2001). "Test: Nascar Racing 4 [sic"] (in fr). Webedia. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211117032924/https://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0000/00001365_test.htm. Retrieved July 18, 2023. 
  11. ↑ Mahood, Andy (April 2001). "NASCAR Racing 4". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 8 (4): 70. Archived from the original on March 15, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060315140353/http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/07/nascar_racing_4.html. Retrieved July 18, 2023. 
  12. ↑ Fox, Edward (May 2001). "Nascar Racing 4 [sic"]. PC PowerPlay (Next Media Pty Ltd) (60): 72. https://archive.org/details/PCPowerplay-060-2001-05/page/n71/mode/2up. Retrieved July 19, 2023. 
  13. ↑ Saltzman, Marc (March 28, 2001). "NASCAR Racing 4". The Cincinnati Enquirer (Gannett Company). Archived from the original on January 7, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060107001449/http://cincinnati.com/freetime/games/reviews/032801_nascar4.html. Retrieved July 18, 2023. 
  14. ↑ Edge staff (August 25, 2006). "The Top PC Games of the 21st Century (Page 3)". Edge (Future plc). Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121019052748/http://www.edge-online.com/features/top-100-pc-games-21st-century/3/. Retrieved July 18, 2023. 
  15. ↑ CGW staff (April 2002). "Games of the Year (Best Simulation Game)". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (213): 82–83. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230402194513/https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_213.pdf. Retrieved July 18, 2023. 
  16. ↑ CGM staff (March 2002). "11th Annual Computer Games Awards". Computer Games Magazine (theGlobe.com) (136): 50–56. 
  17. ↑ GameSpot staff (2001). "GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2001 (Best Driving Game)". CNET. Archived from the original on February 6, 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20020206073549/http://gamespot.com/gamespot/features/pc/bestof_2001/p3_08.html. Retrieved July 18, 2023. 
  • 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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