Software:Pulseman

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Short description: 1994 video game
Pulseman
Developer(s)Game Freak
Publisher(s)Sega
Director(s)Ken Sugimori
Satoshi Tajiri
Designer(s)Ken Sugimori
Satoshi Tajiri
Programmer(s)Michiharu Nishihashi
Takenori Ohta
Junichi Masuda
Artist(s)Atsuko Nishida
Motofumi Fujiwara
Writer(s)Ryousuke Taniguchi
Composer(s)Junichi Masuda
Platform(s)Mega Drive/Genesis
Release
  • JP: 22 July 1994
  • NA: 1995 (Sega Channel)
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Pulseman (Japanese: パルスマン, Hepburn: Parusuman) is a 1994 Japanese platform game developed by Game Freak and published by Sega for the Sega Mega Drive. It was released in North America for the Sega Channel in 1995.[1] It was re-released on the Virtual Console for the Wii in 2007 and 2009, and the Nintendo Classics service in 2023.

Plot

In the 21st century, noted scientist and computer engineer Doc Yoshiyama had succeeded in creating the world's most advanced Artificial Intelligence. He called his creation C-Life and managed to make her aware, thinking and feeling. However, he soon found himself in love with this C-Life girl and wanted to be closer to her, so he digitized and uploaded himself into his computer core, where the two "made love" by combining his DNA and her program core. The end result of their love was the birth of a half human, half C-Life boy named Pulseman. Pulseman was unique in that he did not need to remain inside a computer to survive and had the power to channel electricity through his body, using it both as a weapon and as a means of quick transport through the power of Volteccer.

Unfortunately, living in the computer world for so long twisted Doc Yoshiyama's mind, corrupting his brainwaves and his body. Doc Yoshiyama emerged back into the human world, but twisted and changed into the evil Doc Waruyama. Using a system known as EUREKA, which allows for C-Life beings to manifest in the human world, Doc Waruyama establishes the Galaxy Gang, spreading a new wave of cyber-terrorism across the world. Pulseman must fight his own father and put an end to his gang for the sake of the free world.

Development

When first announced, the game was titled Spark.[2][3] It was directed by Ken Sugimori.[4] Much of the staff who worked on Pulseman would later work on the Pokémon series, including Sugimori, designer Satoshi Tajiri, artist Atsuko Nishida, and composer Junichi Masuda.

Release

The game was released in Japan on July 22, 1994.[5] The North American version was released in 1995 via the Sega Channel.[6] Pulseman was re-released for the Wii on the Virtual Console in Japan in 2007 and in North America and Europe in 2009.[7] The game was added to the library of Sega Genesis games as part of the Nintendo Classics service on April 18, 2023.[8]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings80%[9]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Eurogamer7/10[11]
Famitsu24/40[5]
IGN8/10[12]
Jeuxvideo.com14/20[13]
Mega Fun69%[14]
Nintendo Life8/10[7]
Computer+Videogiochi71/100[16]
Games Amusement Pleasure78%[17]
Mega68%[18]
Mega Console75/100[19]
Sega Pro81%[20]

The Japanese publication Micom BASIC Magazine ranked the game eighth in popularity in its October 1994 issue, and it received a 20.9/30 score in a poll conducted by Mega Drive Fan and a 7.72/10 score in a 1995 readers' poll conducted by the Japanese Sega Saturn Magazine, ranking among Sega Mega Drive titles at the number 178 spot.[21][22][23] Pulseman received generally favorable reviews from critics when it was released on the Virtual Console for the Wii, holding a rating of 80% based on four reviews according to review aggregator GameRankings.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Gazza, Brian (November 27, 2008). "The Sega Channel". https://blamethecontrolpad.com/segachannel/segachannel.htm. Retrieved 2019-05-16. 
  2. ↑ "News" (in ko). Game World (5). 1994. 
  3. ↑ monokoma (October 4, 2010). "Pulseman [MD GEN – Beta at Unseen 64"]. https://www.unseen64.net/2010/04/10/pulseman-mega-drive-genesis-beta/. Retrieved 2015-06-16. 
  4. ↑ (in ja)Sega Voice (Sega) 65. 2007-04-26. https://sega.jp/segavoice/vol65/.  (Translation )
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: パルスマン" (in ja). Famitsu (ASCII Corporation) (293). July 29, 1994.  (Transcription by Famitsu.com. ).
  6. ↑ "The SEGA Channel" (in en-US). 2008-06-11. https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/06/11/the-sega-channel?page=2. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 van Duyn, Marcel (July 5, 2009). "Pulseman (Wii Virtual Console / Mega Drive) Review". Nintendo Life. Nlife Ltd. http://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2009/07/pulseman_virtual_console. 
  8. ↑ "You Can Now Play Game Freak's Pre-Pokémon Platformer, Pulseman, On NSO's Expansion Pack" (in en-GB). 2023-04-19. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2023/04/you-can-now-play-game-freaks-pre-pokemon-platformer-pulseman-on-nsos-expansion-pack. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Pulseman for Genesis". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. 2008. http://www.gamerankings.com/genesis/580016-pulseman/index.html. 
  10. ↑ "BEメガドッグレース: PULSEMAN" (in ja). Beep! Mega Drive (SoftBank Creative) 10 (8): 19. August 1994. https://archive.org/details/beep-megadrive-1994-08/page/n20/mode/1up. 
  11. ↑ Whitehead, Dan (July 26, 2009). "Virtual Console Roundup Review: 17 games including Ogre Battle, Kirby Dream Land 3 and Smash Bros.". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/virtual-console-roundup-260709. 
  12. ↑ Thomas, Lucas M. (July 23, 2009). "Pulseman (Gen) Review". IGN. IGN Entertainment. http://retro.ign.com/articles/100/1006614p1.html. 
  13. ↑ OldSchoolBobby (January 13, 2011). "Test de Pulseman sur Megadrive par jeuxvideo.com" (in fr). Jeuxvideo.com. Webedia. http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0001/00014188-pulseman-test.htm. 
  14. ↑ Hellert, Stefan (October 1994). "Test SNES/MD: Pulseman (Import Game)" (in de). Mega Fun (de) (Computec) (25): 97. https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File:MegaFun_DE_1994-10.pdf&page=64. 
  15. ↑ Carnicelli, Roberto (December 1994). "Mega: Pulseman" (in pt). Super Game Power (pt) (Nova Cultural (pt)) (9): 26. https://archive.org/details/SuperGamePower_Ano_01_No._009_1994-12_Nova_Cultural_BR_pt/page/n25/mode/1up. 
  16. ↑ Secco, Gabrio (October 1994). "Review: Pulseman" (in it). Computer+Videogiochi (it) (Gruppo Editoriale Jackson (it)) (41): 98. https://archive.org/details/computer-videogiochi-41/page/n97/mode/1up. 
  17. ↑ Lee, Onn (August 1994). "Reviews: Pulseman". Games Amusement Pleasure (2): 34. https://archive.org/details/1994-08-games-amusement-pleasure-02/page/34/mode/1up. 
  18. ↑ "Mega Drive Review (Import): Pulseman". Mega (Maverick Magazines) (24): 56–57. September 1994. https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File:Mega_UK_24.pdf&page=56. 
  19. ↑ Crosignani, Simone; Merenda, Pier-Franco (October 1994). "Review Megadrive: Pulseman" (in it). Mega Console (it) (Futura Publishing) (8): 84–85. https://archive.org/details/MegaConsole08/page/n83/mode/2up. 
  20. ↑ Hill, Mark (October 1994). "Review: Pulseman". Sega Pro (Paragon Publishing) (37): 58–59. https://archive.org/details/sega-pro-37/page/n57/mode/2up. 
  21. ↑ Nishibu, Masako (October 1994). "メガドライブ" (in ja). Micom BASIC Magazine (ja). Super Soft Hot Information (The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation (ja)) (148): 23–24. https://archive.org/details/micomBASIC_1994-10/page/n288/mode/1up. 
  22. ↑ "メガドラ読者レース" (in ja). Sega Saturn Magazine (SoftBank Creative) 11 (9): 82–85. September 1995. https://archive.org/details/sega-saturn-magazine-ja-1995-09-01/page/83/mode/1up. 
  23. ↑ "超絶 大技林 '98年春版" (in ja). PlayStation Magazine (Japan) (ja) (Special). 42. Tokuma Shoten Intermedia. April 15, 1998. p. 872. 
  • 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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