Software:Populous DS

From HandWiki
Short description: 2008 video game
Populous DS
North American cover art
Developer(s)Genki
Publisher(s)
SeriesPopulous
Platform(s)Nintendo DS
Release
  • JP: February 21, 2008
  • NA: November 11, 2008[1]
  • EU: February 27, 2009
Genre(s)Real-time strategy
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Populous DS (ポピュラス DS, Popyurasu DS) is a real-time strategy video game developed by Genki. It was published in Japan by Electronic Arts on February 21, 2008, in North America by Xseed Games on November 11, 2008, and in Europe by Rising Star Games on February 27, 2009, for the Nintendo DS.

Plot

The player takes the role of a deity whose role is to lead their followers build a prosperous civilization in order to defeat an opposing deity and its worshippers. The player will be able to aid their followers through divine intervention, using abilities such as terraforming to manipulate the shape of the land of the map to make its civilization grow in numbers and strength.

Gameplay

The main goal of the game is to help your civilization grow and prepare for the inevitable clash against the opposing worshippers in the final battle: the Armageddon. Every match has a certain duration that is indicated by a timer, which will automatically trigger the Armageddon once it runs out. During this time, the player will prepare their worshippers and help them become stronger by performing various miracles. Miracles are spells that require a certain amount of psychic energy to be cast: psychic energy is farmed through worshippers. The most basic of miracles, and the most important, is terraforming, which can be used to even the terrain to allow the worshippers to build more houses, which they will use to farm more energy for the player to use. Other miracles can either be used to aid the growth and stats of the population, or to hinder those of the enemy. The different playable characters have a set of different miracles with certain usages and effects that allow for different playstyles and strategies. The game offers various gamemodes, against CPUs, or other players though wireless connection, allowing to create matches with up to a max of 4 players.

There are a total of 10 maps where the battle between deities can take place, each with its own buffs and debuffs:[2]

  • Grass plain.
  • Snowfield.
  • Magma.
  • Yamato.
  • Fairytale.
  • Persia.
  • Horror.
  • Outer space.
  • Hanging gardens.
  • 8-bit plain.

Characters

None of the characters in the game have official names and are only referred to with their titles. There are 5 Gods and 5 Demons: all the deities can be unlocked by clearing levels of the game, while Demons are unavailable to the player as they can only be controlled by CPUs. The Gods and Demons of the same element share the same abilities and stats:[2]

  • Earth God and Earth Demon: they are able to control the power of the earth, using earthquakes and meteors to disrupt the terrain of the enemy and swamps to trap and kill enemy worshippers.
  • Water God and Water Demon: they are able to control the power of water, using magical water to brainwash enemy worshippers in betraying their tribes.
  • Fire God and Fire Demon: they are able to control the power of fire, using flames and lava to kill enemy worshippers and destroy the terrain.
  • Wind God and Wind Demon: they are able to control the power of the winds, using tornados and typhoons to hinder the progress and lessen the vitality of the enemy worshippers.
  • Harvest God and Harvest Demon: they are able to control the power of nature, using it to halt the production of psyche energy of the enemy worshippers.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic60/100 (20 reviews)[3]

Populous DS received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[3]

References

  1. ↑ I. G. N. Staff (2008-10-24). "KORG DS-10 and Populous DS Go Gold" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/10/24/korg-ds-10-and-populous-ds-go-gold. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Populous DS". http://www.populousds.com/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Populous DS Metacritic review score". https://www.metacritic.com/game/populous-ds/critic-reviews/?platform=ds. 
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  • Populous DS official website Script error: The function "in_lang" does not exist.
  • 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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