Software:Nagano Winter Olympics '98

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Short description: 1997 video game
Nagano Winter Olympics '98
Developer(s)Konami Computer Entertainment Osaka
Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo
Publisher(s)Konami
Director(s)Satoshi Kushibuchi
Designer(s)Masaki Hosoe
Composer(s)Soshiro Hokkai
Akira Yamaoka
Keiko Fukami
Platform(s)PlayStation, Nintendo 64
Release
  • JP: December 18, 1997
  • NA: January 29, 1998[1][2]
  • EU: February 1998
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Nagano Winter Olympics '98, known in Japan as Hyper Olympics in Nagano (ハイパーオリンピック イン ナガノ, Haipā Orinpikku in Nagano), is a multi-event sports game from Konami. It is based on the 1998 Winter Olympics and features 10 Olympic events including skating, skiing, luge, bobsleigh, slalom, curling, halfpipe and snowboarding. The game is part of the Track & Field/Hyper Sports series and would be the last licensed Olympic video game released on a Nintendo home console until Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games about nine years later.

Gameplay

There are two modes of play, Olympic and Championship. In the Olympic Mode, the player selects an event and competes in order to win the gold medal. In championship, the player competes in seven events, with points being awarded for performance in each event. The athlete with the most points at the end wins gold.

Events

  • Alpine Skiing - Downhill, Super G (PS1 only[3]), and Giant Slalom
  • Snowboard - Giant Slalom and Halfpipe (N64 only[3])
  • Speed Skating - 500m and 1500m
  • Short Track (PS1 only) - 500 m and 1000 m
  • Bobsleigh
  • Luge
  • Ski Jumping - Large Jumping (PS1 only), K90 (N64 Only) and K120 (N64 only)
  • Freestyle Skiing - Aerials
  • Curling

Playable nations

Playable countries

There is a total of 16 playable countries per version of the game. They are:

Development

Both the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 versions of the game were developed by Konami's Japanese branch, but by different divisions of it.[4] A playable demo of the Nintendo 64 version was exhibited at the September 1997 Tokyo Game Show.[5]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
N64PS
AllGameStarStar[8]N/A
Edge6/10[9]5/10[10]
EGM4.875/10[11][lower-alpha 1]4.625/10[12]
Famitsu25/40[13]N/A
Game Informer5.5/10[14]5/10[15]
GameFan67%[16][lower-alpha 2]59%[16][lower-alpha 3]
GameRevolutionN/AB+[17]
GameSpot3.5/10[18]3.3/10[19]
Hyper60%[20]60%[20]
IGN4.2/10[21]3/10[22]
N64 Magazine32%[23]N/A
Next GenerationN/AStarStarStar[24]
Nintendo Power6.5/10[25]N/A
OPM (US)N/AStarStar[26]
Aggregate score
GameRankings48%[6]49%[7]

Nagano Winter Olympics '98 received unfavorable reviews. The Nintendo 64 version and PlayStation version respectively held a 48% and 49% on the review aggregation website GameRankings,[6][7] but those critics which compared the two versions unanimously declared the Nintendo 64 version the superior one, citing faster play, shorter load times, and better graphics with less polygon breakup and draw in than the PlayStation version.[11][21][27][28] GamePro went so far as to give the Nintendo 64 version a positive recommendation, giving it 4 out of 5 scores in graphics, control, and fun factor, and a 3.5 in sound. The reviewer argued that while the game has substantial flaws, such as lack of a practice mode and difficulty select and the passive controls of some of the events, the fun of the multiplayer competition makes it a good value.[27] Next Generation called the PlayStation version "a mixed bag"; the magazine praised the graphics and sound, but commented that some events are "mediocre", while others are "fun".[24]

Other publications were more negative. The most commonly cited problem, regardless of the reviewer's overall opinion of the game, is that the controls for many of the events are so simplistic that the player feels no connection to the action occurring onscreen.[11][18][19][22][24][27][28] GameSpot described the resultant gameplay as "about as tough as answering a phone when it rings" and summed up the game as "an unmixed bag of terrible, underdeveloped games whose feeble, undernourished gameplay comes down to timing one or two button taps, not just per race, but per event".[18] Crispin Boyer wrote in Electronic Gaming Monthly that most events are not just difficult but also neither fun nor exciting, and was critical to control setups.[11]

IGN and GamePro both praised the sound effects in the Nintendo 64 version.[22][27]

Some reviewers found the selection of events uneven. GamePro, reviewing the PlayStation version (which, unlike the Nintendo 64 version, they suggested as a rental only), said that some events are "boring".[28][lower-alpha 4] Critics overwhelmingly said that the curling is the best event, with most commenting that this is rather unexpected given what an obscure sport curling is.[18][19][22][21][24]

Notes

  1. ↑ Two critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Nintendo 64 version each a score of 4.5/10, one gave it 5/10, and the other gave it 5.5/10.
  2. ↑ In GameFan's viewpoint of the Nintendo 64 version, one critic gave it 65, and the other 69.
  3. ↑ In GameFan's viewpoint of the PlayStation version, one critic gave it 60, and the other 58.
  4. ↑ GamePro gave the PlayStation version two 3.5/5 scores for graphics and fun factor, 3/5 for sound, and 4/5 for control.

References

  1. ↑ "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 is Out". Ziff Davis. January 29, 1998. https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/01/30/nagano-winter-olympics-98-is-out. 
  2. ↑ "Bring the Nagano Winter Olympics home". Konami of America. January 29, 1997. Archived from the original on July 5, 1998. https://web.archive.org/web/19980705142517/http://www.konami.com/pr-98b.htm. Retrieved December 5, 2023. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 EGM staff (January 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics '98: Get your Fingers Ready for the Olympics". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (102): 73. https://retrocdn.net/images/8/8a/EGM_US_102.pdf. Retrieved July 7, 2023. 
  4. ↑ EGM staff (January 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics '98: Classic Gameplay with an Olympic Theme". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (102): 39. 
  5. ↑ Ogasawara, Ken (December 1997). "Tokyo Game Show '97". GamePro (IDG) (111): 78. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_111_Volume_09_Number_12_1997-12_IDG_Publishing_US/page/n79/mode/2up. Retrieved March 31, 2021. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 for Nintendo 64". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/n64/198027-nagano-winter-olympics-98/index.html. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/198028-nagano-winter-olympics-98/index.html. 
  8. ↑ McCall, Scott. "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 (N64) - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=990&tab=review. 
  9. ↑ "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 (N64)". Edge (Future Publishing) (55): 90. February 1998. https://retrocdn.net/images/a/a4/Edge_UK_055.pdf. Retrieved July 7, 2023. 
  10. ↑ Edge staff (March 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 (PS)". Edge (Future Publishing) (56): 102. https://retrocdn.net/images/9/98/Edge_UK_056.pdf. Retrieved July 7, 2023. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Boyer, Crispin; Kujawa, Kraig; Smith, Shawn; Rickards, Kelly (March 1998). "Nagano [Winter Olympics '98 (N64)"]. Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (104): 116. https://retrocdn.net/images/f/f4/EGM_US_104.pdf. Retrieved July 7, 2023. 
  12. ↑ EGM staff (March 1998). "Nagano [Winter] Olympics '98 (PS)". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (104): 122. 
  13. ↑ "ハイパーオリンピック イン ナガノ 64 [NINTENDO64"] (in ja). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=2274&redirect=no. Retrieved December 3, 2020. 
  14. ↑ "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 (N64)". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (59). March 1998. 
  15. ↑ "Nagano Winter Olympics ['98 (PS)"]. Game Informer (FuncoLand) (58). February 1998. http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=psx&path=feb98&doc=nagano. Retrieved August 26, 2018. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Mylonas, Eric "ECM"; The Rookie (February 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics ['98"]. GameFan (Metropolis Media) 6 (2): 83. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_6_Issue_02/page/n83/mode/2up. Retrieved March 31, 2021. 
  17. ↑ Carnevale, Jason C. (February 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 Review (PS)". CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/33911-who-will-be-number-one-in-the-world-review. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Smith, Josh (June 18, 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 Review". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/nagano-winter-olympics-98-review/1900-2544856/. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Smith, Josh (June 16, 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 Review". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/nagano-winter-olympics-98-review/1900-2548513/. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Cheung, Kevin (April 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics '98". Hyper (Next Media Pty Ltd) (54): 44–45. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Schneider, Peer (February 4, 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 Review". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/02/05/nagano-winter-olympics-98. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 Rignall, Jaz (January 30, 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics '98". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/01/31/nagano-winter-olympics-98-2. 
  23. ↑ Davies, Jonathan (February 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics '98". N64 Magazine (Future Publishing) (12): 40–43. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 "Nagano Winter Olympics 98". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (39): 111. March 1998. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_39/page/n113/mode/2up. Retrieved December 3, 2020. 
  25. ↑ "Nagano Winter Olympics '98". Nintendo Power (Nintendo of America) 105: 93. February 1998. http://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-347-98.jpg. Retrieved August 26, 2018. 
  26. ↑ Rybicki, Joe (March 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics '98". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) 1 (6): 92. https://archive.org/details/official-u.-s.-play-station-magazine-volume-1-issue-06-march-1998/page/n91/mode/2up. Retrieved July 7, 2023. 
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 J. Boogie (March 1998). "Catch Olympic Fever with Nagano N64". GamePro (IDG) (114): 104. https://retrocdn.net/images/2/22/GamePro_US_114.pdf. Retrieved July 7, 2023. 
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Air Hendrix (March 1998). "Nagano Winter Olympics '98 (PS)". GamePro (IDG) (114): 106. 
  • 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 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]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

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. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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