Software:Raid over Moscow

From HandWiki
Short description: 1984 video game

Raid Over Moscow
Developer(s)Access Software
Publisher(s)
Designer(s)Bruce Carver
Platform(s)Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, Plus/4, ZX Spectrum
Release1984 (C64)
1985-1986 (ports)
2020-2022 (new ports)
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single-player

Raid Over Moscow (Raid in some countries and on reissue) is a video game by Access Software published in Europe by U.S. Gold for the Commodore 64 in 1984[1] and other microcomputers in 1985-1986.

Released during the Cold War era, Raid Over Moscow is an action game in which the player (an American space pilot) has to stop three Soviet nuclear attacks on North America, then fight his way into and destroy a nuclear facility located in Moscow's Kremlin. According to the game's storyline, the United States is unable to respond to the attack directly due to the dismantlement of its nuclear arsenal.[2]

A member of the Finnish parliament made it a parliamentary question about whether it was acceptable to sell the game.[3][4] The resulting debate and publicity made the game a top seller in the country.[5]

Gameplay

First stage

Screen shot from the Commodore 64 version showing early gameplay

The game opens with an alert that a nuclear missile has been launched from a Soviet city towards a North American city.[6][7] The game begins in the hangar where the American spaceplanes are stored. The player has to safely fly the craft out.[7] The view switches to the earth as seen from low Earth orbit, and the player guides the spaceplane to the city launching the attack. Alternatively, the player may decide to maneuver more of the available spaceplanes out of the space station before attacking the launch site;[6] the surplus planes are docked outside the space station.[7] Meanwhile, the clock is ticking, and the time before impact is continually displayed.

First stage gameplay (Atari 8-bit)

The player has then to fly through the defense perimeter around the launch site missile silo, dodging obstacles, heat-seeking missiles, and Soviet tanks and planes.[7] If successful, the player proceeds to the next screen; otherwise, the player has to start the next life back at the hangar, with the clock still ticking. However, should the player have spare spaceplanes parked outside the space station, the game continues with a new life on the current screen, skipping the flight from space station to the launch site. The decision to launch more than a single spaceplane first may therefore save time if the player later loses a life.[7]

The final part of this stage involves destroying the missile silo while avoiding Soviet planes trying to shoot down the player. Destroying the primary missile silo in the center before the missile lands will thwart the attack. Destroying the secondary silos on either side of the primary earns extra lives and points.[7]

The Soviets launched a total of four missile attacks, from Leningrad, Kiev, Minsk, and Saratov, all of which must be stopped in the same manner as the first. After the fourth launch, the player progresses to the second stage of the game.[7]

Second stage

The State Historical Museum is used as a backdrop in the second stage of the game.[8]

The pilots become foot soldiers and are placed outside the front facade of the "Defence Centre", depicted as the State Historical Museum. Using a mortar they must blast open the correct door to the facility, randomly chosen from five available. Bonus points can be gained from this section by destroying parts of the building and defeating the troops stationed there. Once the door is open, the soldiers make their way to the nuclear reactor, and the final stage of the game.[6][7]

Third stage

In this stage, the player has to destroy maintenance robots that feed coolant into the reactor. The number of robots is determined by the difficulty level chosen by the player. The player is provided with several disc grenades that he throws at the robot, which is moving and firing at him the entire time. The robot is reinforced at the front, so the only way to do any damage is to bounce the discs off the wall and hit the robot in the back. As the number of discs is limited, the player should attempt to catch returning discs that missed the robot. To complete the game, all robots must be defeated, the final one within a two-minute time limit. If the robot is not destroyed within the limit the game is still considered complete, but with no survivors.[6][7]

Releases

The game was first published for the Commodore 64 with Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, BBC Micro, and ZX Spectrum versions following.[9] Upon reissue the game was retitled to Raid.

An Amiga port was in development in the late 1980s but was canceled along with Beach Head and Software:Beach Head II: The Dictator Strikes Back when the developers were unable to secure a deal with the publisher, U.S. Gold.[10] According to the graphical artist Adrian Cummings, the graphics were at that point "99.9% complete". However, the coding was barely started.[11] An Amiga port was finally released in 2020 by Reimagine Games, with programming by Erik Hogan who started from scratch to create this new conversion.[12][13]

Reception

Reception
Award
PublicationAward
CrashSmash![14]

Raid over Moscow was Access' second best-selling Commodore game as of late 1987, after Beach-Head.[15] The game received generally positive reviews. Computer and Video Games praised the graphics and sound of the Commodore 64 version,[16] while Crash gave the ZX Spectrum version an overall score of 92%.[17] The theme of the game, nuclear war, was subject to questioning, however, with Computer and Video Games publishing several letters from readers arguing for and against its publication.[18][19]

Unauthorized copies of Raid on Moscow circulated widely in East Germany during the 1980s, despite the Stasi describing it as among those games having "a particularly militaristic and inhumane nature". The West German Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons added the game to its index in 1985, stating that "In older adolescents, playing ... can lead to physical tension, anger, aggressiveness, agitated thinking, difficulty concentrating, headaches, etc." The ban automatically ended in 2010.[20]

Political crisis in Finland

The game was shortly presented in YLE's current affairs television program A-studio on 13 February 1985 after being reviewed by the computer magazine MikroBitti.[21][22] On 20 February 1985 the leftist newspaper Tiedonantaja published an article which criticized the review and called a ban on all similar "anti-USSR" games.[21] Parliament member Ensio Laine (SKDL) left a parliamentary question for the Finnish government on the next day.[21][23]

The Soviet embassy at Tehtaankatu, Helsinki was the scene of the discussions concerning the game.

The following days included various discussions between the Finnish foreign ministry and Soviet Union representatives.[24][25] On 7 March 1985, the Soviets sent a petition asking for a ban on various books, articles and other media, including Raid Over Moscow, which it claimed presented a distorted view of the Soviet Union.[26] Nevertheless, on 14 March 1985, the Minister of foreign trade Jermu Laine answered the parliamentary question, claiming that the Finnish legislation only allowed to restrict the importation of products that pose a hazard to health.[23][26] The foreign ministry thus was able to dodge possible claims of Finlandization by referring to unsuitable legislation.[27] Finally, the Minister of foreign affairs Paavo Väyrynen gave an official answer to the petition on 11 April 1985, expressing a friendly attitude towards the USSR and apologizing on behalf of negative publications about the country in the media.[28] The USSR interpreted the game as military propaganda, but settled on the answer.[29]

As a result of the public debate, the game was the top-selling Commodore 64 game in Finland from March to September 1985 according to MikroBitti.[5] The full extent of the affair was unveiled in 2010, when the Finnish foreign ministry memos were declassified.[25]

References

  1. ↑ GamesDBase - Raid Over Moscow (Commodore 64 edition)
  2. ↑ "Raid over Moscow [advertisement]". Computer and Video Games (38): 76. December 1984. https://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=C+VG/Issue038/Pages/CVG03800076.jpg. 
  3. ↑ "Hyökkäys Moskovaan. Videopeli kauhistutti kansanedustajan". Iltalehti. 22 February 1985. 
  4. ↑ "Mikropelit nousivat päivänpolitiikkaan". Printti (5). 1985. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Saarikoski, Petri (1999). "Tietokonepelit osana audiovisuaalisen kulttuurin moraalipaniikkia" (in Finnish). Wider Screen. http://www.widerscreen.fi/1999-1-2/tietokonepelit-osana-audiovisuaalisen-kulttuurin-moraalipaniikkia/. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Pasanen 2011, p. 3.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 Hendricks, Brian; Welander, Magnus; Grussu, Alessandro. "Raid over Moscow, instructions". FTP server. ftp://ftp.worldofspectrum.org/pub/sinclair/games-info/r/RaidOverMoscow.txt. [dead ftp link] (To view documents see Help:FTP)
  8. ↑ Stelling, Simon (24 August 2008). "Screenshot: Fighting in Moscow". MobyGames. http://www.mobygames.com/game/c64/raid-over-moscow/screenshots/gameShotId,320496/. 
  9. ↑ "Raid over Moscow". MobyGames. http://www.mobygames.com/game/raid-over-moscow/credits. 
  10. ↑ "Raid over Moscow". Amiga Lore. http://www.abime.net/games/view/game/id/5879. 
  11. ↑ "Adrian Robert Cummings". Amiga Lore. http://www.abime.net/interviews/view/interview/id/24. 
  12. ↑ "Raid over Moscow". https://www.lemonamiga.com/games/details.php?id=4439. 
  13. ↑ "Indie Retro News". https://www.indieretronews.com/2020/04/raid-over-moscow-all-time-classic-has.html. 
  14. ↑ Game review, Crash issue 15, April 1985, page 114
  15. ↑ Ferrell, Keith (December 1987). "The Commodore Games That Live On And On". Compute's Gazette: pp. 18–22. https://archive.org/stream/1987-12-computegazette/Compute_Gazette_Issue_54_1987_Dec#page/n17/mode/2up. 
  16. ↑ "Software reviews: [Raid over] Moscow". Computer and Video Games (38): 43. December 1984. https://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=C+VG/Issue038/Pages/CVG03800043.jpg. 
  17. ↑ "Raid over Moscow". Crash (15): 114–116. April 1985. https://www.crashonline.org.uk/15/rmoscow.htm. 
  18. ↑ "Mailbag". Computer and Video Games (40): 5. February 1985. https://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=C+VG/Issue040/Pages/CVG04000005.jpg. 
  19. ↑ "Mailbag". Computer and Video Games (41): 7. March 1985. https://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=C+VG/Issue041/Pages/CVG04100007.jpg. 
  20. ↑ Gießler, Denis (2018-11-21). "Video Games In East Germany: The Stasi Played Along" (in de). Die Zeit. https://www.zeit.de/digital/games/2018-11/computer-games-gdr-stasi-surveillance-gamer-crowd/komplettansicht. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Pasanen 2011, p. 4.
  22. ↑ "Raid over Moscow -peli sai Suomessa aikaan poliittisen kriisin" (in Finnish). YLE. 13 February 1985. http://yle.fi/elavaarkisto/artikkelit/raid_over_moscow_-peli_sai_suomessa_aikaan_poliittisen_kriisin_77485.html#media=77486. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Kirjallinen kysymys: Amerikkalaisten CBM-pelien maahantuonnista." (in Finnish). Finnish parliament. 9 March 2007. http://www.eduskunta.fi/valtiopaivaasiat/KK+40/1985. 
  24. ↑ Pasanen 2011, pp. 4–6.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Sipilä, Jarkko (7 January 2010). "UM/SALAISET 1985: Neuvostoliitto piti tietokonepeliä räikeänä provokaationa" (in Finnish). MTV3. http://www.mtv3.fi/uutiset/kotimaa.shtml/arkistot/kotimaa/2010/01/1028902. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Pasanen 2011, p. 6.
  27. ↑ Pasanen 2011, p. 8.
  28. ↑ Pasanen 2011, pp. 6–7.
  29. ↑ Pasanen 2011, p. 7.
  • Raid over Moscow at SpectrumComputing.co.uk
  • 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. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari





Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Raid_over_Moscow&oldid=4136095"