Software:S.C.A.R.S. (video game)

From HandWiki
S.C.A.R.S.
Developer(s)Vivid Image
Publisher(s)Ubi Soft
Platform(s)PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Microsoft Windows
ReleasePlayStation
  • EU: 25 September 1998
  • NA: 9 October 1998[1]
Nintendo 64, Windows
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

S.C.A.R.S. (standing for Super Computer Animal Racing Simulator, although unmentioned) is a racing video game developed by Vivid Image and published by Ubi Soft for PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and Microsoft Windows in 1998.

Development

While working on the various ports of Street Racer, Vivid Image and Ubi Soft decided it would be a good idea to create a 3D racing game specifically for the next-gen consoles. Mev Dinc, who headed Vivid Image, developed a concept of cars based on wildcats and other animals, with tracks that reflected their natural habitats. Ubi Soft loved the idea, and provided some of their own graphics and sound design resources to help fill the otherwise strained team. Originally, the game was going to be called Vivid Racing. After some iterations, they instead decided on S.C.A.R.S. As development progressed, the coders struggled with balancing the high level of detail and performance with the space limitations of the tracks. Courses needed to be shortened, and as a result, many of the technical turns and obstacles were condensed, creating a much more challenging experience than they had originally planned.[4]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
N64PCPS
CGWN/AStarStarHalf star[9]N/A
EGM6/10[10]N/A6.5/10[11]
Game Informer7.75/10[12]N/A8/10[13]
GameRevolutionN/AC[14]N/A
GameSpot5.7/10[15]7.2/10[16]7.6/10[17]
Hyper83%[18]N/A85%[19]
IGN7.9/10[20]7/10[21]6.5/10[22]
N64 Magazine79%[23]N/AN/A
Next GenerationStarStarStar[24]N/AStarStar[25]
Nintendo Power7.4/10[26]N/AN/A
OPM (UK)N/AN/A8/10[27]
PC Gamer (US)N/A68%[28]N/A
Aggregate score
GameRankings71%[5]66%[6]67%[7]

The game received above average reviews on all platforms according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[5][6][7] Next Generation said of the PlayStation version in its December 1998 issue, "For all its faults, S.C.A.R.S. isn't terrible, and it is one of the few PlayStation games to allow four players to race in 3D on a split screen. If you have a Multitap, this is almost a worthy purchase. Without a Multitap, it's a colorful racer, but not much else."[25] Two issues later, however, the magazine said of the Nintendo 64 version, "One of the best of the Mario Kart clones, S.C.A.R.S. does nearly everything right, surpassing both the graphics and the control of the PlayStation version. The game is challenging and addicting without ever annoying the player to the point of frustration. It supports up to four players via split screen and is a great way to kill time with friends."[24]

Dr. Zombie of GamePro said of the PlayStation version in its November 1998 issue, "You shouldn't pass up S.C.A.R.S [sic] as just another kiddie Mario Kart-style racer – by taking a look under this hood, you'll find a lot of fun action."[29][lower-alpha 1] One issue later, he said of the Nintendo 64 version, "Mario Kart fans will find S.C.A.R.S [sic] similar but with a much harder edge. The game's action is fast and furious with enough variety in its tracks and weapons to warrant replay."[30][lower-alpha 2] Joel Strauch called the PC version "an easy-to-pick-up game that the kids'll love and adults will tolerate. It's missing the best part of Mario Kart-esque games—the battle mode—but you can't beat the price."[31][lower-alpha 3]

Notes

  1. ↑ GamePro gave the PlayStation version 4.5/5 for graphics, 3.5/5 for sound, and two 4/5 scores for control and fun factor.
  2. ↑ GamePro gave the Nintendo 64 version three 4/5 scores for graphics, control, and fun factor, and 3.5/5 for sound.
  3. ↑ GamePro gave the PC version 3.5/5 for graphics, sound, control, and fun factor.

References

  1. ↑ Muldoon, Moira (9 October 1998). "videogames.com's Calendar [date mislabeled as "March 14, 2000""]. Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/videogamescoms-calendar/1100-2465162/. 
  2. ↑ Mayer, Robert (3 December 1998). "Ubi Soft Ships S.C.A.R.S.". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/015/187/scars.html. 
  3. ↑ IGN staff (4 December 1998). "S.C.A.R.S in S.T.O.R.E.S [sic"]. Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/12/05/scars-in-stores. Retrieved 8 December 2020. 
  4. ↑ Dinc, Mev (2021) (in English). Life Is A Game. Publishing Push. pp. 180–183. ISBN 9781914078590. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "S.C.A.R.S. for Nintendo 64". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/n64/198533-scars/index.html. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "S.C.A.R.S. for PC". https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/198532-scars/index.html. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "S.C.A.R.S. for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/198534-scars/index.html. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Diamatta, Nathan (20 October 1998). "S.C.A.R.S. (N64, PS)". CNET. http://gamecenter.com/Consoles/Nintendo/Scars/. 
  9. ↑ Price, Tom (May 1999). "S.C.A.R.S.". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (178): 151. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_178.pdf. Retrieved 8 December 2020. 
  10. ↑ EGM staff (December 1998). "S.C.A.R.S. (N64)". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (113). 
  11. ↑ EGM staff (November 1998). "S.C.A.R.S. (PS)". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (112). 
  12. ↑ McNamara, Andy; Storm, Jon; Reiner, Andrew (December 1998). "S.C.A.R.S. - Nintendo 64". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (68). http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=n64&path=dec98&doc=scars. Retrieved 8 December 2020. 
  13. ↑ McNamara, Andy; Storm, Jon; Reiner, Andrew (November 1998). "S.C.A.R.S. - PlayStation". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (67): 68. http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=psx&path=nov98&doc=scars. Retrieved 8 December 2020. 
  14. ↑ Johnny B. (January 1999). "S.C.A.R.S. Review (PC)". CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/33011-scars-review. 
  15. ↑ Fielder, Joe (22 December 1998). "S.C.A.R.S. Review (N64) [date mislabeled as "April 28, 2000""]. Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/scars-review/1900-2543711/. 
  16. ↑ Dulin, Ron (5 February 1999). "S.C.A.R.S. Review (PC) [date mislabeled as "May 5, 2000""]. Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/scars-review/1900-2532911/. 
  17. ↑ Fielder, Joe (17 September 1998). "S.C.A.R.S. Review (PS) [Import [date mislabeled as "May 2, 2000"]"]. Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/scars-review/1900-2546061/. 
  18. ↑ Cheung, Kevin (December 1998). "S.C.A.R.S. (N64)". Hyper (Next Media Pty Ltd) (62): 94. https://archive.org/details/hyper-062/page/94/mode/2up. Retrieved 9 December 2020. 
  19. ↑ Cheung, Kevin (October 1998). "S.C.A.R.S. (PS)". Hyper (Next Media Pty Ltd) (60): 55. http://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-690-51.jpg. Retrieved 8 December 2020. 
  20. ↑ Schneider, Peer (4 December 1998). "S.C.A.R.S [sic (N64)"]. Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/12/05/scars. 
  21. ↑ Blevins, Tal (11 January 1999). "S.C.A.R.S. (PC)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/01/12/scars-6. 
  22. ↑ Perry, Douglass C. (7 October 1998). "SCARS (PS)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/10/08/scars-3. 
  23. ↑ Kitts, Martin (25 December 1998). "SCARS". N64 Magazine (Future Publishing) (23): 55–58. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "S.C.A.R.S. (N64)". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (50): 107. February 1999. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_50/page/n107/mode/2up. Retrieved 8 December 2020. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 "S.C.A.R.S. (PS)". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (48): 132. December 1998. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_48/page/n133/mode/2up. Retrieved 8 December 2020. 
  26. ↑ "S.C.A.R.S.". Nintendo of America. January 1999. p. 124. http://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-358-124.jpg. 
  27. ↑ Price, James (September 1998). "S.C.A.R.S.". Official UK PlayStation Magazine (Future Publishing) (36): 122–23. https://archive.org/details/opm036/page/n121/mode/2up. Retrieved 8 December 2020. 
  28. ↑ "SCARS". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 6 (5). May 1999. http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/1286.html. Retrieved 8 December 2020. 
  29. ↑ Dr. Zombie (November 1998). "S.C.A.R.S [sic (PS)"]. GamePro (IDG) (122): 174. https://retrocdn.net/images/8/8f/GamePro_US_122.pdf. Retrieved 25 November 2021. 
  30. ↑ Dr. Zombie (December 1998). "S.C.A.R.S [sic (N64)"]. GamePro (IDG) (123): 150. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_113_December_1998/page/n153/mode/2up. Retrieved 9 December 2020. 
  31. ↑ Strauch, Joel (1999). "S.C.A.R.S. Review for PC on GamePro.com". GamePro (IDG). http://www.gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/894.shtml. Retrieved 9 December 2020. 
  • 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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