Software:Raid on Bungeling Bay

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Short description: 1984 video game designed by Will Wright
Raid on Bungeling Bay
Commodore 64 cover art
Developer(s)Will Wright (C64)
Hudson Soft (FC/NES/AC)
ZAP Corporation (MSX)
Publisher(s)
Designer(s)Will Wright
Programmer(s)Will Wright (C64)
Platform(s)Commodore 64, Famicom/NES, arcade, MSX
ReleaseCommodore 64
Famicom/NES
  • JP: February 22, 1985[2]
  • NA: September 1987
Arcade
MSX
Genre(s)Shoot 'em up
Mode(s)Single-player
Arcade systemNintendo VS. System

Raid on Bungeling Bay (バンゲリングベイ lit.: Bungeling Bay) is a shoot 'em up for the Commodore 64 published by Broderbund in 1984 and by Ariolasoft in the UK in 1985. It was the first video game developed by Will Wright and inspired him to create the 1989 game SimCity.

Gameplay

Commodore 64 screenshot

Raid on Bungeling Bay is a 2D shoot 'em up. The player controls a helicopter launched from an aircraft carrier to bomb six factories scattered across islands on a small planetoid occupied by the Bungeling Empire (frequent villains in Broderbund games), while fending off escalating counterattacks by gun turrets, fighter jets, guided missiles, and a battleship. There is also a hidden island for the player to reload on. Failure means that the Bungeling Empire develops a war machine to take over the planet Earth. Players have to attack its infrastructure while defending the aircraft carrier which serves as home base.

Over time, the factories grow and develop new technologies to use against the player. There are visible signs of interdependence among the islands, such as supply boats moving between them. In order to win the game, the player must prevent the escalation by bombing all the factories as quickly as possible, keeping them from advancing their technology. If left alone for too long, the factories create enough new weaponry to overwhelm the player.

Ports

Raid on Bungeling Bay was ported to the Famicom/NES by Hudson Soft, who published this version and released it in Japan on February 22, 1985.[2] A conversion for the arcade-based VS. System was created based on this port, and it was distributed to arcades in Japan by Nintendo.[3] Although a United States release was planned for the Summer of 1985,[4][5] Will Wright stated in an interview that he was not sure if it actually did get released.[6] An MSX version was developed by Zap and published by Sony. The Japanese releases of the game are alternatively titled Bungeling Bay (バンゲリングベイ, Bangeringu Bei).

Reception

Raid on Bungeling Bay for the Commodore 64 sold about 20,000 to 30,000 units in America, while the NES version sold about a million units in Japan. Will Wright attributed this large discrepancy to the lack of software piracy on the NES due to its cartridge system, along with Raid being one of the first American games published in Japan. Sales of the game gave Wright the financial freedom to create SimCity.[7]

Stating that Raid "blows Choplifter away!", Creative Computing in 1984 said that the game "push[es] the animation capabilities of the Commodore 64 to their very limits". The magazine concluded that it would become "one of the all-time great computer games".[8] Compute! wrote in 1985 that Raid "possesses all the virtues needed to appease the demanding gamer", with "amazingly detailed" graphics.[9] Computer Gaming World in 1988 approved of the Nintendo version's graphics, calling it a "high adventure with realistic overtones" that did not involve dragons or elves.[10] The magazine named it the Action-Strategy Game of the Year for Nintendo, writing that Raid had been "rescued from Broderbund's computer software vaults, updated slightly, and sent out to challenge all the bright new [Nintendo games and] blew them out of the water ... a delightful game experience".[11] In 1996, Computer Gaming World declared Raid on Bungeling Bay the 24th-best computer game ever released.[12]

Legacy

Wright continued to develop the editor for the game as a personal toy because he enjoyed it so much. He researched urban planning and realised that others might enjoy constructing and building cities themselves. The result, initially named City Planner, was a more advanced simulation that eventually became SimCity.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Popular Computing Weekly (1984-12-20)". 20 December 1984. https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1984-12-20. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "バンゲリングベイ | ゲーム | 株式会社ハドソン". Hudson Soft. http://www.hudson.co.jp/game/view.php?id=10046034. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Raid on Bungeling Bay". Game Machine (Amusement Press, Inc.) (258): 21. 15 April 1985. https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19850415p.pdf#page=11. 
  4. ↑ "VS.-Pak Library of Proven Best Sellers". Flyer Fever. 20 February 2021. https://www.flyerfever.com/vs-system-making-money-is-no-sweat/. 
  5. ↑ "The Great Screen Test of 1985: Nintendo". The Cash Box (The Cash Box Publishing) 49 (11): 41. 1985-08-24. 
  6. ↑ "Will Wright's lost arcade game lost in a fire. Nintendo Vs. Raid on Bungeling Bay arcade. INTERVIEW". 2015-12-07. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjAZjLWw0LA&t=4368. 
  7. ↑ Donovan, Tristan (2011-05-23). "The Replay Interviews: Will Wright". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/the-replay-interviews-will-wright. 
  8. ↑ Linzmayer, Owen (September 1984). "Raid on Bungeling Bay". Creative Computing: 99,102. https://archive.org/details/creativecomputing-1984-09/page/n100/mode/1up?view=theater. Retrieved 2025-03-21. 
  9. ↑ Trunzo, James V. (June 1985). "Raid on Bungeling Bay". Compute!. http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/issue61/316_1_REVIEWS_Raid_On_Bungeling_Bay.php. 
  10. ↑ Katz, Arnie; Kunkel, Bill; Worley, Joyce (June 1988). "Video Gaming World". Computer Gaming World: 40–42. 
  11. ↑ Kunkel, Bill; Worley, Joyce; Katz, Arnie (November 1988). "Video Gaming World". Computer Gaming World: 54. 
  12. ↑ Staff (November 1996). "150 Best (and 50 Worst) Games of All Time". Computer Gaming World (148): 63–65, 68, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 84, 88, 90, 94, 98. 
  13. ↑ "Interview with Will Wright". Good Game. Season 4. Episode 5. 2008-03-10.
  • 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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