Software:Prince of Qin (video game)

From HandWiki
Short description: 2002 video game
Prince of Qin
Developer(s)Object Software
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Gang Liu
Designer(s)Yubin Liu
Programmer(s)Zhipeng Zhang
Yan Liu
Artist(s)Yong Wan
Zhenzhou Xu
Kun Liu
Composer(s)Brahma Studio
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: August 20, 2002[1]
  • EU: January 30, 2004
Genre(s)Action role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Prince of Qin (Chinese: 秦殇; pinyin: Qín Shāng) is a 2002 action role-playing game developed by Object Software and published by Strategy First. The story is set in China in the final years of the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC), with Fusu – the heir apparent to the first Qin emperor, Qin Shi Huang – as the protagonist. Although the game has a historical basis, its setting is purely fictitious because the historical Fusu died in 210 BC.

Gameplay

The game balances team-fighting, with up to five heroes per team, and the use of various skills and abilities. There are 5 classes: Paladin, Muscleman, Assassin, Wizard, and Witch, with a total of 16 available characters. The player is challenged by many enemies in more than 100 unique scenes accurately depicting the society and architecture of the Qin dynasty. The game's novel features include multi-scenario and multi-ending systems, randomly generated weapons, items and enemies, an equipment-creating system and a sophisticated fighting system rooted in the ancient Chinese philosophy of the Five Elements.[citation needed]

Plot

There are a total of 11 chapters in the story. In each chapter, the player has to accomplish a primary goal in order to proceed to the next chapter. The player may concurrently accept some secondary missions as well and complete them in any chapter before the finale.

Fusu, the Crown Prince of the Qin Empire, is ordered to commit suicide according to an imperial decree by his father, the First Emperor. General Meng Tian suspects something is wrong with the order and stops Fusu. Fusu flees from Shangjun with Meng Tian's help and arrives in the nearby Zhaocun Village. He makes a long and perilous journey back to the capital, Xianyang, to uncover the truth. Fusu is shocked to hear that his father had died and that his youngest brother, Huhai, has ascended the throne as the Second Emperor. He meets his childhood friend, General Huan Feng, and learns that there is something fishy about his father's death. He decides to enter his father's tomb to investigate.

Fusu seeks help from Xiao Qi, a craftsman well-versed in the techniques of laying traps. Xiao Qi sends his apprentice, Jing Wuji, to accompany Fusu on his quest. They need to find Tian Gang, an expert who was involved in the construction of the tomb, to find out how to enter the tomb. Fusu learns from Tian Gang that he needs to be equipped with two items before entering the tomb: a Gold Toad Pearl to neutralise the poisonous vapour in the tomb; one of seven magical swords (Ou Yezi's five masterpieces and the Gan Jiang and Mo Ye swords) to destroy the Dark Alloy Gate in the tomb. Fusu finds the items after a series of adventures around China. He navigates his way through the labyrinthine tomb, fights some terracotta soldiers in the process, and finally reaches the inner chamber where the First Emperor is buried. He examines his father's body and is shocked to discover that his father was strangled to death and had been poisoned over a long period of time.

After leaving the tomb, Fusu meets Fang Zhong, who tells him that rebellions have erupted all over the Qin Empire due to the tyranny of the Second Emperor. He decides to help the rebels, but feels disheartened after witnessing how the internal conflict between the rebel forces led by Chen Sheng and others resulted in their failure and destruction. Upon hearing that Liu Bang, whom he met earlier, had also rebelled and formed his own army, he joins Liu and helps him recapture Fengxian County from a traitor. Later, he also persuades his childhood friend, Li You, the Qin general defending Sanchuan Prefecture, to surrender to Liu Bang. In the meantime, Li You's father, the Prime Minister Li Si, is framed for treason and imprisoned by Zhao Gao, an evil eunuch who has been manipulating the Second Emperor. With help from Huan Feng, Fusu and Li You break into the prison to save Li Si. However, they fail in their attempt when Huan Feng, who is being controlled by Zhao Gao's magic, betrays them and lures them into a trap. They manage to escape from the prison after Fusu defeats and reluctantly kills Huan Feng.

Fusu travels to Julu to meet Xiang Yu and update himself on the progress of the rebel forces. Xiang Yu has just emerged victorious in the Battle of Julu against the Qin army led by Zhang Han. He orders all the 200,000 prisoners-of-war to be buried alive as a sacrifice to his uncle, Xiang Liang, who was killed in an earlier battle against Qin forces. Disappointed by Xiang Yu's barbaric actions and ill-disciplined army, Fusu leaves Julu and goes to join Liu Bang, whom he feels is a better leader as compared to Xiang. He draws the comparison between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu to that between himself and his father. In his final mission in helping Liu Bang, he infiltrates Wancheng and convinces the Qin governor to surrender to the rebels.

Fusu leaves Liu Bang and goes to the Epang Palace to confront the Second Emperor. He arrives too late because Zhao Gao had already sent assassins to kill Huhai. Before dying, Huhai confesses to Fusu that he abetted Zhao Gao in murdering the First Emperor and blames Zhao for the Qin Empire's downfall. In the final chapter, Fusu breaks into Zhao Gao's underground palace and kills him in revenge.

There are many endings to the game. The ending the player gets depends on quests completed in the game and accompanying party members at the end. If there are 2 or more conditions satisfied, it seems the game will choose a random ending among those available.

- Generic ending: help Liu Bang carry out the rebellion. Left to live as a commoner named Zi Qin.

- Sail East: finish Wine for Beggar's quest. Let Xu Shi/Xu Fu live.

- With Modu: settle in the North.

- With Zhao Qian: finish Paradise questline. Settle in Paradise.

- With Yin Zhu: settle in Miao territory.

- With Fang Zhong: travel and teach Mohism.

- With 4 female party members (e.g. Zhao Qian, Yin Zhu, Tian Yuelin, Chunyu Qiu): tend to the First Emperor's tomb in Lishan with the women and their children.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings65%[2]
Metacritic61/100[3]
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGWStarHalf star[4]
GameSpot6.7/10[5]
GameSpyStarStarStar[6]
GameZone7/10[7]
IGN6.8/10[8]
PC Gamer (US)54%[9]

The game received "mixed" reviews, according to video game review aggregators GameRankings and Metacritic.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Strategy First - Press". 2004-08-30. http://www.strategyfirst.com/press/DisplayArticle.asp?sLanguageCode=EN&iArticleID=1574. 
  2. ↑ "Prince of Qin for PC". GameRankings. Archived from the original on May 26, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190526133033/http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/560985-prince-of-qin/index.html. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Prince of Qin for PC Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/prince-of-qin/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  4. ↑ Asher, Mark (January 2003). "Prince of Qin". Computer Gaming World: 124. http://www.computergaming.com/article2/0,2053,1492291,00.asp. Retrieved April 8, 2015. 
  5. ↑ Kasavin, Greg (August 30, 2002). "Prince of Qin Review". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/prince-of-qin-review/1900-2878887/. 
  6. ↑ Harker, Carla (August 31, 2002). "GameSpy: Prince of Qin". GameSpy. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/prince-of-qin/596881p1.html. 
  7. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (August 26, 2002). "Prince of Qin Review – PC". GameZone. http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r20134.htm. 
  8. ↑ Haynes, Jeff (September 12, 2002). "Prince of Qin". IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/09/12/prince-of-qin. 
  9. ↑ Peckham, Matthew (November 2002). "Prince of Qin". PC Gamer: 140. http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/07/prince_of_qin.html. Retrieved April 8, 2015. 
  • 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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