Software:Operation Blockade

From HandWiki
Short description: 2002 video game
Operation Blockade
Developer(s)ScreamingGames
Publisher(s)Infogrames
Platform(s)Windows
Release
Genre(s)First-Person Shooter

Operation Blockade is a 2002 first-person shooter video game developed by ScreamingGames and published by Infogrames for Microsoft Windows. Set in a mock World War II environment, the game has online capabilities, and was released to mediocre reviews and criticism.

Plot

During World War II, the Saruvian Empire invades and conquers the entire mainland of the United Sovereign Territories and only the southernmost island of Johnstown is free. The UST is able to build a small fort on a deserted island between the two nations though and use it to harass enemy supply lines. The UST is a fictional nation standing in for the United States, using all US weapons and medals. The Saruvian Empire is a fictional nation standing in for Germany, using all World War II era German weapons, uniforms, names, and political terms.

Gameplay

As a tiny island outpost lying directly in the path of the supply line that the Saruvian Empire is using to invade his country, the player and his allies must defend against waves of enemy air, ground, and naval forces.[2]

The game is a first-person shooter — all action occurs from the perspective of the character as it is navigated throughout the gaming environment. Players equip stronger weapons as the game continues, allowing them to destroy weak enemies quickly or take down larger opponents. The multiplayer component allows players to team up against the enemy forces and deploy tactics based on their personal styles.[2]

Most combat occurs in a fixed bunker; the player shoots down planes and other enemies from this location with a full, 360-degree perspective.[3] As with most arcade-style games, players accumulate points as they destroy enemy forces.

Development

Developed by ScreamingGames and its sister company, Professor Fog's Workshop,[4] Operation Blockade was loosely based on previous war shooters. Marketing manager Dennis Davidson said that the game appeals to a wider audience than previous developments, as it allows players to begin action sequences immediately.[4] The team also strove for accuracy in military units and weapons, as a way to appeal to dedicated war gamers.[4][5]

Reception and criticism

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic49/100[6]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarStar[7]
CGMStarStarStar[8]
GameSpot3.6/10[9]
GameSpyStar[10]
GameZone7.5/10[11]
IGN4/10[3]

Operation Blockade received "generally unfavorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[6] IGN cited the graphics as "ghastly and painful" and the gameplay as forcing the reviewer to "scream in pain", while citing the audio as "not all that bad".[3] GameSpot criticized the game's gameplay as "repetitive, often frustrating" and the challenge as having "little skill involved". Unlike IGN, GameSpot considered the graphics the high point of the game, stating that the game "looks quite good".[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Walker, Trey (May 29, 2002). "Operation Blockade now in stores [date mislabeled as "May 17, 2006""]. CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/operation-blockade-now-in-stores/1100-2868397/. Retrieved June 15, 2020. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Operation Blockade". Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110716022038/http://www.screaminggames.com/OB1.htm. Retrieved June 15, 2020. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Simmons, Todd (June 17, 2002). "Operation Blockade". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/06/17/operation-blockade. Retrieved June 15, 2020. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Infogrames Unfurls an Explosive Arsenal of Arcade Action With Operation Blockade(TM); Military Shooter Offers Waves of Frenetic Firepower". March 21, 2002. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110716022646/http://www.screaminggames.com/OB2.htm. Retrieved June 15, 2020. 
  5. ↑ Varanini, Giancarlo (March 21, 2002). "Infogrames announces Operation Blockade [date mislabeled as "May 17, 2006""]. CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/infogrames-announces-operation-blockade/1100-2857296/. Retrieved June 15, 2020. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Operation Blockade for PC Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/operation-blockade/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved June 15, 2020. 
  7. ↑ White, Jason. "Operation Blockade - Review". All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141115233252/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=38621&tab=review. Retrieved June 16, 2020. 
  8. ↑ "Review: Operation Blockade". Computer Games Magazine (theGlobe.com) (143): 81. October 2002. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Park, Andrew (June 19, 2002). "Operation Blockade Review". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/operation-blockade-review/1900-2871394/. Retrieved June 15, 2020. 
  10. ↑ Brooks, Mark (July 14, 2002). "GameSpy: Operation Blockade". IGN Entertainment. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/operation-blockade/607927p1.html. Retrieved June 16, 2020. 
  11. ↑ Giacobbi, Kevin "BIFF" (June 16, 2002). "Operation Blockade Review". Archived from the original on December 26, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081226204342/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r20048.htm. Retrieved June 16, 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. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari




Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Operation_Blockade&oldid=3964028"