Software:Ray Tracers

From HandWiki
Short description: 1997 video game
Ray Tracers
North American cover art
Developer(s)Taito
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
Genre(s)Racing, vehicular combat
Mode(s)Single-player

Lua error in Module:Lang/utilities at line 332: attempt to call field '_transl' (a nil value). is a 1997 vehicular combat video game developed by Taito and released for the PlayStation console. THQ published the title for its North American release in 1998. Ray Tracers has been compared to Taito's own Chase H.Q. from 1988.[3][4] It was re-released on the PlayStation Network.

Gameplay

Gameplay consists of driving a car along a street. There is a timer on the top-left, which counts down. Enemies, in the form of robots, appear from the front and are damaged by ramming. Killing an enemy extends the player's time.

Development and release

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Consoles +88%[5]
CVG3/5[6]
EGM4.5/10[7][lower-alpha 1]
Famitsu23/40[8]
Game Informer7.5/10[9]
Hyper76%[10]
IGN7/10[11]
OPM (UK)7/10[1]
OPM (US)StarStarStar[12]

Ray Tracers received mixed reviews. While multiple critics praised the tight controls,[7][11][13] strong sense of speed,[6][7][14][11] high frame rate,[14][11][13] and light sourcing effects,[6][14] they almost unanimously concluded that the game is both excessively easy and excessively short, giving players no reason to buy it since they could easily finish it on a single rental and the replay value is minimal.[6][7][14][13] Computer and Video Games lamented, "Fun though Ray Tracers is, there's just not enough to it. A real shame."[6] Some also commented that the gameplay is too simplistic, to the point where it becomes monotonous even before one finishes the game.[7][11][13] GamePro remarked that a multiplayer mode could have greatly increased Ray Tracer's lasting appeal, but without it the game became monotonous quickly.[13] IGN was among the few publications to defend the game; while concurring that the gameplay is extremely simplistic, the reviewer felt that it was fun enough that players would enjoy popping it in now and then for casual gaming sessions despite its lack of concrete replay value.[11]

The review team of Electronic Gaming Monthly were particularly negative about the game, with Kelly Rickards calling it "the most simplistic, monotonous and boring racing game I've played in quite some time", Dan Hsu saying he completed it in 20 minutes, and Crispin Boyer lamenting its lack of personality and the easiness of defeating the bosses.[7] Both Boyer and Jeff Gerstmann (in a review for GameSpot) criticized the absurdity of the fighter jet and helicopter bosses, pointing out that there was no apparent reason for them to hug the road closely enough that the player car would ever have the opportunity to ram them.[7][14] Game Informer gave it a favourable review.[9] In Germany, MAN!AC praised the anime inspired graphics and called the racing exciting.[4] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 23 out of 40.[8]

Notes

  1. ↑ The four reviewers gave it individual scores of 3.0/10, 4.5/10, 6.0/10, and 4.5/10 respectively.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 OPMUK staff (July 1997). "Ray Tracer [sic"]. Official UK PlayStation Magazine (Future Publishing) (21): 126–27. https://archive.org/details/opm021/page/n125/mode/2up. Retrieved 23 December 2020. 
  2. ↑ Johnston, Chris (5 March 1998). "Ray Tracers Traced to Retailers [date mislabeled as "April 28, 2000""]. CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ray-tracers-traced-to-retailers/1100-2462327/. 
  3. ↑ EGM staff (October 1997). "Ray Tracers (Preview)". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (99): 46. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bannert, Robert (21 January 2019). "Ray Tracers - im Klassik-Test (PS)" (in de). https://www.maniac.de/tests/ray-tracers-im-klassik-test-ps/. 
  5. ↑ Panda; Gia (March 1997). "Ray Tracer [sic] (Import)" (in fr). Consoles + (63): 130–31. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Lomas, Ed (August 1997). "Ray Tracers". Computer and Video Games (EMAP) (189): 80. https://archive.org/details/Computer_and_Video_Games_Issue_189_1997-08_EMAP_Images_GB/page/n79/mode/2up. Retrieved 23 December 2020. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 Boyer, Crispin; Kujawa, Kraig; Hsu, Dan; Rickards, Kelly (February 1998). "Ray Tracers". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (103): 119. https://archive.org/details/ElectronicGamingMonthly103/page/n121/mode/2up. Retrieved 23 December 2020. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "RAY TRACERS（レイ・トレーサー） [PS"] (in ja). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=8754&redirect=no. Retrieved 22 December 2020. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Ray Tracers". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (58). February 1998. http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=psx&path=feb98&doc=raytrac. Retrieved 22 December 2020. 
  10. ↑ Stafford, Adam (July 1997). "Ray Tracers". Hyper (Next Media Pty Ptd) (45): 56–57. https://archive.org/details/hyper-045/page/56/mode/2up. Retrieved 23 December 2020. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 IGN staff (10 March 1998). "Ray Tracers". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/03/11/ray-tracers-2. 
  12. ↑ "Ray Tracers". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) 1 (6). March 1998. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Dr. Zombie (January 1998). "PlayStation ProReview: Ray Tracers". GamePro (IDG) (112): 96. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named GSr
  • 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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