Software:Santa Fe Mysteries: Sacred Ground

From HandWiki
Short description: 1997 video game
Santa Fe Mysteries: Sacred Ground
Developer(s)Activision
Publisher(s)Activision
SeriesSanta Fe Mysteries
Platform(s)MS-DOS, Macintosh, Windows
Release1997
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Santa Fe Mysteries: Sacred Ground is a video game, the second in the Santa Fe Mysteries series after The Elk Moon Murder.

Plot

In Sacred Ground, the wife of a local businessman is kidnapped.

Development

The game cost $1 million to develop.[1]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
PC GamesC[2]
Computer Games Strategy PlusHalf star[3]
CNET GamecenterStarStarStarStar[4]

The game received reviews ranging from negative to positive. JustAdventure thought the game was a "slight improvement" over The Elk Moon Murder, while noting "[it] is not entirely easy to classify - somewhere between an interactive movie and an adventure game".[5] In a 2001 retrospective, Programmer in Black wrote, "For an older game, the game play here holds up well."[6] Just Adventure said "There is one thing that [the game] absolutely, positively isn't: unique".[7] Allgame gave Sacred Ground 2.5 stars out of 5.[8] Tekno Magazine noted the annoyance of switching between the game's two CDs when moving back and forth between different locations.[9] PC Player felt the title was a missed opportunity to build on the world created in the predecessor.[10][11] MacGamer thought the title was serviceable in the genre of interactive murder mysteries, but admitted it was not revolutionary in any way.[12] Adrenaline Vault praised the immersive characters and the atmospheric music.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Arar, Yardena (January 22, 1996). "Making a Killing – Gumshoe Games Target New PC Users". Los Angeles Daily News: p. B1. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/MAKING+A+KILLING%5CGumshoe+games+target+new+PC+users.-a083901512. 
  2. ↑ Lam, Christine. "Sacred Ground". PC Games. Archived from the original on May 25, 1997. https://web.archive.org/web/19970525122641/http://www.pcgames.com:80/reviews/adventure/sacred.html. 
  3. ↑ Blackburn, Janet (February 15, 1997). "Sacred Ground". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on October 7, 1997. https://web.archive.org/web/19971007221150/http://www.cdmag.com:80/adventure_vault/sacred_ground_review/article.html. 
  4. ↑ Beman, Ann. "Review; Sacred Ground". CNET Gamecenter. Archived from the original on February 5, 1997. https://web.archive.org/web/19970205031715/http://www.gamecenter.com:80/Reviews/Item/0,6,429,00.html. 
  5. ↑ "Sacred Ground - Just Adventure + Review". justadventure.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20091201110046/http://www.justadventure.com/reviews/SacredGround/SacredGround.shtm. 
  6. ↑ "Sacred Ground: PIB PC Game Review". http://www.pibweb.com/review/sacred.html. 
  7. ↑ Michal Necasek. "Sacred Ground". justadventure.com. http://www.justadventure.com/2013-05-20-21-09-14/1031-sacred-ground. 
  8. ↑ "Santa Fe Mysteries: Sacred Ground - Overview - allgame". 2014-11-14. Archived from the original on 2014-11-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20141114100431/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=6682. 
  9. ↑ Tekno Magazine 03 1997. https://archive.org/details/Tekno_Magazine_03_1997. 
  10. ↑ PC Player (February 1997) (in german). PC Player German Magazine 1997-02. https://archive.org/details/PC-Player-German-Magazine-1997-02. 
  11. ↑ "Kultboy.com - DIE Kult-Seite über die alten Spiele-Magazine und Retro-Games!". http://www.kultboy.com/index.php?site=t&id=16729. 
  12. ↑ "MacGamer - Get In The Game". 2002-10-18. http://www.macgamer.com:80/features/?id=593. 
  13. ↑ "The Adrenaline Vault | PC Review | Sacred Ground: The Santa Fe Mysteries". http://www.avault.com:80/reviews/review_temp.asp?game=sground&page=2. 
  • Official website (archived)
  • 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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