Software:Pulse Racer

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Short description: 2002 video game
Pulse Racer
Cover art
Developer(s)Jaleco Entertainment
Publisher(s)Jaleco Entertainment
Producer(s)Quincy Roach
Designer(s)David "Oz" Osborne
Composer(s)Mikael Sandgren[lower-alpha 1]
Platform(s)Xbox
Release
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Pulse Racer is a video game developed and published by Jaleco Entertainment in North America for the Xbox in 2002. The game is a futuristic racing game featuring the addition of a speed boost system in which players "use their own life force" to gain acceleration in races.[4] Pulse Racer also featured a novel track creation system, INFINITRAX, in which players could generate random tracks by setting a number of custom parameters. The game was released to a poor critical reception, with reviewers faulting the game's unoriginality and lackluster execution of its novel gameplay additions, including the speed boost system. The game remains one of the lowest-rated titles for the Xbox.[5]

Gameplay

A screenshot of gameplay in Pulse Racer.

Pulse Racer is a conventional cart racing video game in which players compete in races across a series of tracks. The gameplay features a novel concept of "heart rate", in which players are able to "speed boost" using the joystick, but must maintain their heart rate below a threshold to prevent the driver having a heart attack, where the driver will enter cardiac arrest and lose the race. Races also feature several power-ups, including "plasma orbs" that allow players to turn corners at no loss of speed, and collectables including offensive weapons including missiles and mines, shields, speed boosts and health power-ups.[6]

The game features several modes of play. In 'Career Race', players can complete a series of three leagues of races in increasing difficulties, with completed races leading to unlockable characters and options for the track creator. 'Quick Race' allows for custom races for one to four players. 'Time Trial' is a single-player mode in which the player races against the clock. The game features five tracks, with an additional track creator titled INFINITRAX, which allows players to generate tracks based on a series of parameters unlocked through the 'Career Race' mode,[6] including setting the "location of the track, how curvy, wide, and far it is, as well as how many hills and dips there are."[7]

Development

Pulse Racer producer Quincy Roach stated that the game was influenced by "a number of cart titles on the market", with the game's primary inspiration being the 1988 arcade game Power Drift. Roach stated that the game was released for the Xbox to avoid graphical limitations and support a four-player split screen mode, and used anti-aliasing and per-pixel lighting to smooth the design of the graphics.[8]

Critical reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic24/100[5]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Game Informer3/10[9]
GameSpot3.3/10[7]
IGN1.9/10[10]
OXM (US)1/10[11]
X-PlayStarStar[12]
Gaming Target1.8/10[13]
Xbox Addict40%[14]
Xbox Nation (XBN)2/10[15]

Pulse Racer received negative reception from critics, with the review aggregation website Metacritic noting the game received "generally unfavorable reviews", receiving an average score of 24% across 7 reviews.[5] The game remains the third lowest-scored title on Metacritic for the Xbox.[16] Many critics condemned the game, including Hilary Goldstein of IGN, who faulted the game's basic design, stating the game "never hits on the essential needs of a cart racer" and was "almost unplayable",[10] and Ryan Davis of GameSpot, who described the game as a "derivative" and "cheap-looking, unenjoyable game", finding "there's really nothing that Pulse Racer does that hasn't been done before and much better."[7]

Several reviewers critiqued the poor execution of the game's novel features as a hindrance to the game, including the turbo system. Hilary Goldstein of IGN dismissed the turbo system as a "stupid idea", stating it "goes against what a racer should be - driving fast and being fun."[10] Similarly, Brad Kane of X-Play stated the system was "not an intuitive process" and noted the "speed of the vehicles is far too slow...you'll spend way too much time at the painfully dawdling default velocity."[12] Ryan Davis of GameSpot critiqued the game's plasma orbs, stating "none of the turns are so outrageously hard that you ever really need to use (them)...the plasma orbs will often fail to activate for no apparent reason."[7] Ryan Genno of Gaming Target found the controls difficult, stating "it's very awkward to move when you have to use the analog stick to (use) turbo or extra acceleration options."[13]

Critics were also disappointed by the design and presentation of the game's tracks and track editor. Brad Kane of XPlay noted that whilst the track generation system was "interesting", the tracks featured a "lack in real creativity" and resulted in a "bland set of courses that reuse many common visual elements."[12] Ryan Genno of Gaming Target found frustration in the requirement to use points to operate the track editor, and found the "minor adjustment options" of the editor underwhelming.[13] Ryan Davis of GameSpot found the editor's usefulness "limited by the generally dull designs it produces and by the fact that you have to play through all of the career mode and then some to accumulate enough points to unlock the different variable controls."[7]

Notes

  1. ↑ Additional music by David Goodale, Chad Mossholder, Steve Pabst, Mike Smith, and Heather Sowards.[1]

References

  1. ↑ Game Manual, Page 24.
  2. ↑ Hwang, Kaiser (November 6, 2002). "Pulse Racer (Preview)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/11/06/pulse-racer-2. Retrieved May 9, 2020. 
  3. ↑ "Nightcaster II: Equinox and Pulse Racer ship for Xbox". December 10, 2002. Archived from the original on December 25, 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20021225103131/http://jaleco.com:80/press/2002/121002_NC2_PR.html. Retrieved September 6, 2022. 
  4. ↑ "Pulse Racer". 2002. http://jaleco.com/games/pulseracer.html. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Pulse Racer for Xbox Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/pulse-racer/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox. Retrieved February 2, 2012. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Pulse Racer - Game Manual. Jaleco Entertainment. 2002. https://archive.org/details/xboxmanual_Pulse_Racer/page/n3/mode/2up. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Davis, Ryan (January 9, 2003). "Pulse Racer Review". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/pulse-racer-review/1900-2908390/. Retrieved May 9, 2020. 
  8. ↑ "Pulse Racer Q&A". 2002. http://www.dailygame.net/Articles/commentary/pulse_racerqa.html. 
  9. ↑ "Pulse Racer". Game Informer (GameStop) (118): 105. February 2003. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Goldstein, Hilary (December 13, 2002). "Pulse Racer". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/12/13/pulse-racer. 
  11. ↑ "Pulse Racer". Official Xbox Magazine (Imagine Media): 75. February 2003. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Kane, Brad (January 20, 2003). "'Pulse Racer' (Xbox) Review". TechTV. Archived from the original on February 12, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20030212085032/http://www.techtv.com/extendedplay/reviews/story/0,24330,3413731,00.html. Retrieved May 9, 2020. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Genno, Ryan (9 September 2003). "Pulse Racer". https://www.gamingtarget.com/article.php?artid=1964. 
  14. ↑ "Staff Review of Pulse Racer (Xbox)". 22 January 2003. https://www.xboxaddict.com/Staff-Review/Xbox/6622/Pulse-Racer.html. 
  15. ↑ Chou, Che (Feb–Mar 2003). "Pulse Racer". Xbox Nation (6): 88. https://archive.org/details/xbn-006-february-march-2003/page/n87/mode/2up?q=%22pulse+racer%22. 
  16. ↑ Abner, William (March 2005). The 2006 Gamer's Tome of Ultimate Wisdom. Que Publishing. pp. 61. ISBN 9780789734655. https://archive.org/details/2006gamerstomeof0000abne/page/n3/mode/2up?q=%22pulse+racer%22. 
  • 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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