Software:Rosco McQueen Firefighter Extreme

From HandWiki
Short description: 1997 video game
Rosco McQueen Firefighter Extreme
North American cover art
Developer(s)Slippery Snake Studios
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • EU: September 1997
  • UK: November 1997[1]
  • NA: 28 October 1998[2]
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Single-player

Rosco McQueen: Firefighter Extreme (simply titled Rosco McQueen in Europe) is an action-adventure video game developed by British company Slippery Snake Studios and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. Sony's subsidiary Psygnosis released the game in North America.

Rosco McQueen, a firefighter, is the protagonist of the game and he is visible from a 3rd-person perspective. McQueen must stop the game's villain Sylvester T. Square and his robotic minions. The overall objective of the game is to put out all fires before the building burns down.

In the game, Rosco McQueen goes through 15 towering infernos, fighting fires along the way. During normal gameplay, McQueen puts out the fires with a hose attached to a carry-on waterpack and refills are gained by collecting water bottles. An axe is used to destroy robots, Deactivate Power Boxes, Activate switches and break down doors which hinder the path to the goal. The player must also watch out for the temperature: if it gets too hot, then the game ends.

Stephen McFarlane was the lead games designer for the project and also contributing to Software:Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts later in his career.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings57%[3]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Consoles +88%[5]
EGM3.875/10[6][lower-alpha 1]
Famitsu27/40[8]
Game Informer3/10[9]
GameRevolutionD−[10]
GameSpot5/10[11]
Hyper78%[12]
IGN4.5/10[13]
OPM (UK)7/10[1]

The game received mixed reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[3] Josh Smith of GameSpot wrote in an early review that it "warrants a rental at best."[11] GamePro said of the game: "Conceptually cool, Rosco McQueen ultimately goes up in smoke."[14][lower-alpha 2] Game Informer gave it a negative review nearly two months before the game was released Stateside.[9] In Japan, where the game was ported and published by SCEI under the name Fire Panic: Mac no Rescue Daisakusen (ファイヤーパニック 〜マックのレスキュー大作戦〜, Faiyā Panikku 〜Makku no Resukyū Daisakusen〜; lit. "Fire Panic: Mac's Epic Rescue Battle") on 30 July 1998, Famitsu gave it a score of 27 out of 40.[8]

GameRevolution listed Roscoe McQueen as 16th on their list of the 50 Worst Game Names Ever.[15]

Notes

  1. ↑ Four critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game each a score of 2/10, 4/10, 4.5/10, and 5/10.
  2. ↑ GamePro gave the game 3/5 for graphics, 3.5/5 for sound, and two 1.5/5 scores for control and fun factor in an early review.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Rosco McQueen". Official UK PlayStation Magazine (Future Publishing) (27): 126. 25 December 1997. 
  2. ↑ "Psygnosis Ships Roscoe McQueen". Katastrophe Publishing. 28 October 1998. Archived from the original on 25 February 2001. https://web.archive.org/web/20010225233352/http://www.psxnation.com/news/102898b.html. Retrieved 27 June 2024. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Rosco McQueen: Firefighter Extreme for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 1 May 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190501093058/https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/198518-rosco-mcqueen-firefighter-extreme/index.html. Retrieved 21 November 2020. 
  4. ↑ Ham, Tom (10 November 1998). "Roscoe McQueen: [sic Firefighter Extreme"]. CNET. Archived from the original on 16 August 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000816210248/http://www.gamecenter.com/Consoles/Sony/Roscoe/. Retrieved 27 November 2021. 
  5. ↑ Gia; Switch (October 1997). "Rosco McQueen" (in French). Consoles + (69): 106–7. 
  6. ↑ Hsu, Dan; Boyer, Crispin; Davison, John; Smith, Shawn (October 1998). "Rosco McQueen [Firefighter Extreme"]. Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (111): 266. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221126214717/https://retrocdn.net/images/1/1d/EGM_US_111.pdf. Retrieved 30 January 2025. 
  7. ↑ Grant, Jules (26 November 1998). "Roscoe McQueen: Firefighter Extreme". Greedy Productions Ltd.. Archived from the original on 5 July 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20030705022647/http://www.elecplay.com/review.html?article=111&full=1#mr_toppy. Retrieved 30 January 2025. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "ファイヤーパニック 〜マックのレスキュー大作戦〜 [PS"] (in ja). Famitsu (Enterbrain). Archived from the original on 30 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190630052002/https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=18165&redirect=no. Retrieved 30 January 2025. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Rosco McQueen [Firefighter Extreme [JP Import]"]. Game Informer (FuncoLand) (65): 65. September 1998. Archived from the original on 21 September 1999. https://web.archive.org/web/19990921181733/http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=psx&path=sep98&doc=rosco. Retrieved 30 January 2025. 
  10. ↑ Cooke, Mark (March 1999). "Rosco McQueen: Firefighter Extreme Review". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 11 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150911060059/http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/rosco-mcqueen-firefighter-extreme. Retrieved 21 November 2020. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Smith, Josh (10 September 1998). "Roscoe McQueen: Firefighter Extreme Review [date mislabeled as "May 2, 2000" [Japan Import]"]. Fandom. Archived from the original on 20 March 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050320082142/http://www.gamespot.com/ps/action/roscomcqueenfe/review.html. Retrieved 21 November 2020. 
  12. ↑ Fish, Eliot (November 1997). "Rosco McQueen". Hyper (Next Media Pty Ltd) (49): 66–67. https://archive.org/details/hyper-049/page/66/mode/2up. Retrieved 21 November 2020. 
  13. ↑ Perry, Douglass C. (2 November 1998). "Rosco McQueen Firefighter Extreme". Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230819144356/https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/11/03/rosco-mcqueen-firefighter-extreme. Retrieved 30 January 2025. 
  14. ↑ Boba Fatt (October 1998). "Rosco McQueen Firefighter Extreme". GamePro (IDG) (121): 176. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_111_October_1998/page/n175/mode/2up. Retrieved 21 November 2020. 
  15. ↑ Ferris, Duke (12 June 2006). "The 50 Worst Game Names Ever". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on 16 February 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070216081806/http://www.gamerevolution.com/features/worst_game_names/2. Retrieved 30 January 2025. 
  • 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 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]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

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. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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