Software:Shadow Master

From HandWiki
Short description: 1997 video game
Shadow Master
North American PlayStation box art
Developer(s)HammerHead
Publisher(s)Psygnosis
Platform(s)PlayStation, Windows
ReleasePlayStation
Windows
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Shadow Master is a 1997 first-person shooter video game developed by HammerHead and published by Psygnosis for the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. It met with predominantly negative reviews, which praised its visuals but criticized it for clunky controls and poorly designed, frustrating gameplay.

Story

Gameplay

Shadow Master gameplay. The game is a first person shooter, with multiple on screen enemies and extensive HUD information.

Shadow Master is a first-person shooter, set in a science fiction universe. The player takes control of a futuristic and heavily armed ATV to traverse each level, combat aliens, and complete level objectives. Before each mission, the player is briefed by 'strategic command' on their mission objectives.[4] The player is then brought into the level, which they can explore. The vehicle the player uses is controlled with either the D-Pad and shoulder buttons, or the two analog sticks in the PlayStation version.[5] In the PC version, the mouse and keyboard or joystick can be used for movement. The player's vehicle has a certain amount of health and shields. If these drop below zero, a game over results. A radar is displayed to show the relative positions of enemies to the player character.[6] The vehicle is also armed with many weapons, such as lasers, cannons, machine guns, missiles, grenade launchers and rail guns. Some have unlimited ammunition but are limited by an overheat meter which prevents constant use of the weapon, while others have a limited supply of ammunition but are much more effective and not limited by overheating.[7]

The game contains sixteen levels spread across seven different worlds to explore.[6] The levels are completed when all objectives in the current mission have been completed. Each level comes with its own complement of enemies, with many of them resembling creatures from Earth such as apes or wasps, but are mechanoid instead of living organisms.[8] There are also many alien creatures to contend with as well, with some henchmen being made in the image of the Shadow Master himself. The creatures drop items the player can use when they are destroyed, such as health crystals, ammunition, weapons, power-ups and upgrades. These dropped items stay active for a short period and disappear if not picked up.[9]

The PC version of Shadow Master also includes multiplayer support, using both IPX and serial connection.[10]

Development

Shadow Master was developed by Hammerhead, a newly formed company founded by Chris Stanforth, formerly of Traveller's Tales.[11] The visual design concepts for the game were done by Rodney Matthews.[12] The game was showcased at E3 1997 before being released later that year.[13]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings66% (PS)[26]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStar (PS)[14]
CGSPStarStar (PC)[15]
CGWStarStar (PC)[16]
EGM5.125/10 (PS)[17]
Game Informer7/10 (PS)[18]
GameFan84% (PS)[19]
GameRevolutionB+ (PS)[20]
GameSpot4.7/10 (PC)[10]
7.2/10 (PS)[21]
IGN4/10 (PS)[22]
Next GenerationStar (PS)[23]
OPM (US)StarStarStarStar (PS)[24]
PC Gamer (US)47% (PC)[25]

Shadow Master received mostly negative reviews. Critics unanimously praised the game's visuals for their cutting edge effects and imaginative design,[16][17][10][21][22][23][27] but most found its gameplay severely lacking. Crispin Boyer of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) summed up his assessment in simple terms: "Shadow Master looks good, sounds good, plays horribly."[17] One of the most common particular criticisms was that the combination of a vehicle-bound player character with first-person perspective results in odd and often clunky controls, and the vehicle frequently gets stuck.[16][17][22][27] IGN stated that "weapon control is unclear, and piloting your vehicle is ugly. If that's not disheartening, try aiming at a gun turret behind a wall and getting stuck in a corner."[22] Kelly Rickards of EGM added that "the futuristic buggy-vehicle bounds around so much, it's a challenge just to shoot a simple enemy, let alone drive in a straight line."[17]

Critics also expressed frustration with the lack of a map system,[17][22][23] unintelligent level design,[16][10][22][23] and the long stretches between save points.[16][17][10] The more mixed reviews still acknowledged the game's high level of frustration while arguing that it also has rewards. GamePro, for example, commented that the "lightning-fast gameplay ... actually becomes annoying at times—as you blaze around a corner, you'll slide right into monsters. But with strategic puzzle elements, like timed switches and sequential triggers (where you have to press each trigger in a pattern), the game has some lasting power."[27] GameSpot commented, "Hackneyed plot aside (an extreme evil has used up all of its planet's natural resources and is coming to - gasp - take ours), this game is actually pretty decent for a 3D shooter. The game combines intense graphics with an incredibly huge volume of enemies ... [and the] landscapes and creatures differ from anything you've seen before."[21]

Citing the issues with the controls, linear level designs, and save system, Computer Gaming World summed up that "Shadow Master is a game that focuses too much on art and sacrifices gameplay."[16] IGN and Next Generation both concluded, "Everything about Shadow Master screams 'second rate'. Pass on it and wait for the Psygnosis 'A' team to publish its next title."[22][23] GameSpot's review for the PC version cited issues with the multiplayer portion, noting that "Gameplay seems to slow down to the speed of the slowest machine on the network, which is a phenomenon I haven't encountered in quite a while. Our Righteous 3D machine chugged along at an unplayable pace, even with low-resolution, flat-shaded graphics enabled. The Obsidian system ran just as slowly, which made the two-player session boring, frustrating, and as far from fun as possible."[10]

The PlayStation version held a 66% on the review aggregation website GameRankings based on five reviews.[26]

References

  1. ↑ "SHADOW MASTER - (PAL)". https://psxdatacenter.com/games/P/S/SLES-00888.html. 
  2. ↑ "SHADOW MASTER - (NTSC-U)". https://psxdatacenter.com/games/U/S/SLUS-00545.html. 
  3. ↑ Gentry, Perry (March 23, 1998). "What's in Stores This Week". CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/News/Item/0,3,0-1586,00.html. 
  4. ↑ Game manual p.8
  5. ↑ Game manual p.6
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Semrad, Ed (August 1997). "Psygnosis". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (97): 83. 
  7. ↑ Game manual p.9
  8. ↑ Game manual p.11
  9. ↑ Game manual p.10
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Ryan, Michael E. (March 25, 1998). "Shadow Master Review [date mislabeled as "May 1, 2000""]. CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/shadow-master-review/1900-2532970/. Retrieved December 3, 2020. 
  11. ↑ "NG Alphas: Shadow Master". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (35): 116–17. November 1997. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_35/page/n117/mode/2up. Retrieved December 3, 2020. 
  12. ↑ "Shadow Master". GamePro (IDG) (107): 62. August 1997. 
  13. ↑ Fielder, Joe (June 11, 1997). "Psygnosis Reveals E3 Lineup". Archived from the original on February 10, 1999. https://web.archive.org/web/19990210081631/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/97_06/11_psygnosis/index.html. Retrieved July 27, 2022. 
  14. ↑ Sutyak, Jonathan. "Shadow Master - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2279&tab=review. 
  15. ↑ Stratton, Geoff (March 13, 1998). "Shadow Master". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/010/163/shadow_master_review.html. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 Nguyen, Thierry (July 1998). "All Looks, No Brain". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (168): 146. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_168.pdf. Retrieved December 3, 2020. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 "Review Crew:Shadow Master". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (106): 102. May 1998. 
  18. ↑ "Shadow Master - PlayStation". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (60). April 1998. http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=psx&path=apr98&doc=smstr. Retrieved December 3, 2020. 
  19. ↑ Jevons, Dan "Knightmare"; Higgins, Geoff "El Nino"; Mylonas, Eric "ECM" (April 1998). "Shadow Master (PS)". GameFan (Metropolis Media) 6 (4): 10. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_6_Issue_04/page/n11/mode/2up. Retrieved December 3, 2020. 
  20. ↑ Tony V. (February 1998). "Are You Afraid of the Dark?". CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/33937-shadow-master-review. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Mooney, Shane (February 5, 1998). "Shadow Master Review [date mislabeled as "May 2, 2000""]. CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/shadow-master-review/1900-2549256/. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 22.6 IGN staff (February 25, 1998). "Shadow Master". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/02/25/shadow-master-2. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 "Shadow Master". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (41): 111. May 1998. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_41/page/n111/mode/2up. Retrieved December 3, 2020. 
  24. ↑ "Shadow Master". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine 1 (7). April 1998. 
  25. ↑ Williamson, Colin (July 1998). "Shadow Master". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 5 (7). http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/134.html. Retrieved December 3, 2020. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "Shadow Master for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/198604-shadow-master/index.html. 
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Scary Larry (February 1998). "PlayStation ProReview: Shadow Masters [sic"]. GamePro (IDG) (113): 88. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_103_February_1998/page/n93/mode/2up. 
  • Studio Liverpool
  • 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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