Software:Project Horned Owl

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Short description: 1995 light gun shooter video game
The correct title of this page is Project: Horned Owl. The substitution or omission of the colon is due to technical restrictions.

Project: Horned Owl
Developer(s)Alfa System[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Artist(s)Masamune Shirow
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • JP: December 29, 1995
  • NA: August 9, 1996[1]
Genre(s)Light gun shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Project: Horned Owl[lower-alpha 2] is a light gun shooter video game developed by Alfa System and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation.[2] Sony’s Japan Studio assisted on development while Movic provided anime cinematics for the game. The game was released in Japan in 1995, and in North America in 1996. It features character designs by manga artist Masamune Shirow.[3][4][5] The game was a stylistic predecessor to Elemental Gearbolt, also developed by Alfa System.[2]

Gameplay and premise

Project Horned Owl screenshot.

Project: Horned Owl is an arcade-style rail shooter, with the action taking place in a first-person perspective. The events of the game take place in the somewhat futuristic Metro City, where the player controls one of two Horned Owl Armored Mechanized Unit police officers, Hiro Utsumi or Nash Stolar, as they attempt to take down a terrorist organization known as Metalica. It has the option of utilizing the PlayStation mouse or the Konami light gun. There is a two player co-op as well as single-player mode, both taking place across five city-based levels, where the player controls a giant mech and fights off a variety of mechanized enemies. At the conclusion of each stage there is generally an anime cutscene.

Development and release

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame2/5[6]
CVG58/100[7]
Edge5/10[8]
Game Informer5/10[9]
GameSpot5/10[10]
IGN6/10[3]
Next Generation3/5[4]
Play73%[11]
Game Zero Magazine30.5/50[12]
PlayStation Plus68/100[13]
Ultimate Future Games69%[14]
VideoGames8/10[15]

According to Famitsu, Project: Horned Owl sold approximately 35,733 copies during its lifetime in Japan.[16] The game received mixed reviews from critics.[17][18][19][20] Next Generation highlighted the futuristic and detailed 3D environments, interactive backgrounds, lengthy missions, and the overwhelming Japanese-style feel, but stated that "the game is pretty average – nothing wrong with it, just not that much to get excited about".[4] Aaron Curtiss for the Los Angeles Times commented that "even though PlayStation went almost a year without a decent shooter, it finally got one it deserves in Project Horned Owl".[21] Bill Hutchens for The News Tribune found that while the game can be played using the standard controller, it was "much more fun when played with a light gun".[22]

Notes

  1. ↑ Sony Computer Entertainment Japan assisted on development. Cutscenes by Movic.
  2. ↑ Known in Japan as Horned Owl (Japanese: ホーンドアウル, Hepburn: Hōndo Auru).

References

  1. ↑ "PlayStation News @ www.vidgames.com". 1998-06-11. http://www.vidgames.com/ps/misc/1996.html. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "業務実績" (in ja). Alfa System. 2018. http://www.alfasystem.net/wwwp/index.php/achievement/. 
    "海外実績" (in ja). Alfa System. 2018. http://www.alfasystem.net/wwwp/index.php/abroad/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Project: Horned Owl Review". IGN. Snowball.com. November 25, 1996. http://psx.ign.com/reviews/706.html. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Finals: Fly By Night - Project: Horned Owl". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (22): 171. October 1996. https://archive.org/details/nextgen-issue-022/page/n172/mode/1up. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Baggatta, Patrick (October 1996). "Review: Project Horned Owl". Ultra Game Players (Imagine Media) (89): 108. https://archive.org/details/ultra-game-players-issue-89-october-1996/page/108/mode/1up. 
  6. ↑ Sackenheim, Shawn (1998). "Project Horned Owl - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2243&tab=review. 
  7. ↑ Hodgson, David; Davies, Paul (March 1996). "CVG Review: Horned Owl". Computer and Video Games (EMAP) (172): 42–43. https://archive.org/details/Computer_and_Video_Games_Issue_172_1996-03_EMAP_Images_GB/page/n41/mode/2up. 
  8. ↑ "Testscreen: Horned Owl". Edge (Future plc) (30): 72. March 1996. https://archive.org/details/edge-020/Edge-030/page/72/mode/1up. 
  9. ↑ "One-Liners At a Glance: Project: Horned Owl". Game Informer (Sunrise Publications) (43): 55. November 1996. https://archive.org/details/game-informer-issue-43-november-1996/page/n55/mode/1up. 
  10. ↑ Sterbakov, Hugh (December 1, 1996). "Project: Horned Owl Review for PlayStation". GameSpot. CNET Networks. http://www.gamespot.com/ps/action/projecthornedowl/review.html. 
  11. ↑ "Reviews: Horned Owl". Play (Paragon Publishing) (5): 74. March 1996. https://archive.org/details/play-005/page/n73/mode/1up. 
  12. ↑ ????; Carter, Bryan (October 1996). "The Final Word game review - Double Exposure: Project: Horned Owl". Game Zero Magazine (Game Zero). http://www.gamezero.com/team-0/final_word/playstation/project_horned_owl.html. Retrieved 2025-01-10. 
  13. ↑ Merrett, Steve; Simmons, Alex (February 1996). "Review: Horned Owl". PlayStation Plus (EMAP) 1 (5): 84–86. https://archive.org/details/playstation-plus-05/page/64/mode/2up. 
  14. ↑ "Ultimate review sector: Horned Owl". Ultimate Future Games (Future Publishing) (17): 92–93. April 1996. https://archive.org/details/ultimate-future-games-17_202012/page/n91/mode/2up. 
  15. ↑ "Horned Owl (PlayStation Review)". VideoGames (Larry Flynt Publications) (91): 61. August 1996. https://archive.org/details/video-games-the-ultimate-gaming-magazine-issue-91/page/n60/mode/1up. 
  16. ↑ "Game Search". https://sites.google.com/site/gamedatalibrary/game-search. 
  17. ↑ Des Barres, Nicholas Dean; Loe, Casey; Martinez Jr., Frank (March 1996). "Viewpoint: Horned Owl; Gen 32 Japan Soft Review: Horned Owl". GameFan (Metropolis Media) 4 (3): 12, 57. 
  18. ↑ Smith, Shawn; Hsu, Dan; Boyer, Crispin; Williams, Ken (July 1996). "Review Crew: Horned Owl". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (84): 28. https://archive.org/details/electronic-gaming-monthly-issue-84-july-1996/page/n27/mode/1up. 
  19. ↑ Halverson, Dave; Loe, Casey; Hodgson, David (October 1996). "Viewpoint: Horned Owl; PlayStation Nation: Horned Owl". GameFan (Metropolis Media) 4 (10): 18, 83. 
  20. ↑ The Gun Nut (October 1996). "ProReview: Project Horned Owl". GamePro (IDG) (97): 84. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_087_October_1996/page/n85/mode/1up. 
  21. ↑ Curtiss, Aaron (November 28, 1996). "A Hoot to Shoot, Owl Has Outgunned Cop". Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-11-28-ca-3629-story.html. 
  22. ↑ Hutchens, Bill (December 21, 1996). "Area 51 from Midway replicates arcade game". The News Tribune (The McClatchy Company): p. 60. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune/123162832/. 
  • 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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