Software:NCAA Gamebreaker 98

From HandWiki
Short description: 1997 video game
NCAA Gamebreaker 98
Cover art featuring Warrick Dunn
Developer(s)Sony Interactive Studios America
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
SeriesNCAA GameBreaker
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
Genre(s)Sports video game
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

NCAA Gamebreaker 98 is a 1997 American football video game developed by Sony Interactive Studios America and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It is the sequel to NCAA Gamebreaker and was released only in North America.

Gameplay

NCAA Gamebreaker 98 has a game engine that is based on the NFL GameDay 98 engine,[2] but uses the appearance and playing styles involved in college football.[3] The game includes the Division I-A teams with their real rosters for the 1997/98 season, along with some historical teams such as the 1972 USC Gamecocks.[4] It was the first game in the series to include a playbook editor, enabling players to modify the pass routes and running assignments in existing plays.[5]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGM8/10[6]
Game Informer9/10[7]
GameFan86%[8][lower-alpha 1]
IGN8/10[1]
Next GenerationStarStarStarStarStar[3]

Reviews for NCAA Gamebreaker 98 were uniformly positive. Next Generation said that the game "borrows heavily from GameDay, but amazingly, the end result is a football game that has no equal."[3] Kraig Kujawa of Electronic Gaming Monthly similarly commented, "At first look, GameBreaker 98 appears to be GameDay 98 with college colors. And for the most part, it is. But after further review, the game shines because of its own merits."[6] GamePro concluded that "GameBreaker's superior graphics, fast gameplay, and play-creation option make it one of the better football titles of the year."[9][lower-alpha 2]

Critics unanimously praised the game's play editor,[6][1][3][9] but were divided as to what the game's strongest feature is. IGN centered praise on the play editor and Total Control Passing mechanic,[1] but Next Generation argued that the game's greatest improvement over NFL GameDay 98 is the ability to intercept passes, since this "completely change[s] strategies, defenses, and offenses."[3] Kujawa found the play editor the most impressive feature. At the same time, his co-reviewer Crispin Boyer dismissed it as "a nice touch, but one only hardcore fans will use", and was more enthusiastic about the "quick-and-dirty" arcade-style feel of the "hyperactive tackles and crazy plays." All four of the Electronic Gaming Monthly reviewers also criticized that the play diagrams used with the play editor are extremely difficult to read.[6] A number of critics expressed approval of the game's A.I.[6][3]

Notes

  1. ↑ In GameFan's viewpoint of the game, one critic gave it 87, and another 84.
  2. ↑ GamePro gave the game a 5.0/5 for graphics, 4.0/5 for sound, and 4.5/5 scores for control and fun factor.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Boor, Jay (November 21, 1997). "NCAA Gamebreaker '98". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/11/22/ncaa-gamebreaker-98. 
  2. ↑ EGM staff (September 1997). "E3 Scores High with Sports Fans". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (98): 74. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "NCAA GameBreaker 98". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (38): 113. February 1998. https://archive.org/details/NextGeneration38Feb1998/page/n113/mode/2up. Retrieved May 10, 2020. 
  4. ↑ EGM staff (November 1997). "NCAA Football GameBreaker 98 [sic]". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (100): 76. 
  5. ↑ Johnny Ballgame (December 1997). "NCAA Football GameBreaker '98 (Preview)". GamePro (IDG) (111): 197. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 "NCAA Gamebreaker 98". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (102): 160. January 1998. 
  7. ↑ "NCAA GameBreaker '98". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (57). January 1998. http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=psx&path=jan98&doc=ncaagb. Retrieved May 10, 2020. 
  8. ↑ Joe Kidd; The Rookie (December 1997). "NCAA Gamebreaker [98"]. GameFan (Metropolis Media) 5 (12): 114. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_5_Issue_12/page/n119/mode/2up. Retrieved December 13, 2020. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Johnny Ballgame (January 1998). "NCAA GameBreaker Scores Another Gridiron Victory". GamePro (IDG) (112): 112. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_102_January_1998/page/n111/mode/2up. Retrieved December 13, 2020. 
  • 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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