Software:Shattered Union

From HandWiki
Short description: 2005 video game
Shattered Union
North American cover art
Developer(s)PopTop Software
Publisher(s)2K
Designer(s)Franz Felsl
Daniel Eichling
Programmer(s)Brent Smith
Artist(s)Todd Bergantz
Composer(s)Mason B. Fisher
Rick Fox
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Xbox
Release
  • NA: October 17, 2005
  • EU: October 21, 2005
Genre(s)Turn-based tactics
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Shattered Union is a turn-based tactics video game developed by PopTop Software and published by 2K in October 2005.

Plot

The narration of the game, including its backstory and its cutscenes, is provided by Sara Kestelman.

In 2008, David Jefferson Adams becomes the 44th President of the United States following a disputed election and a tie vote in the Electoral College (and subsequent tie-breaker by the United States House of Representatives), becoming the most hated and unpopular president in U.S. history.

A combination of foreign terrorist attacks and poor economic conditions contributes to civil unrest. As a result, rioting springs up all throughout the United States, with domestic terrorism becoming an increasing threat. In response, President Adams uses the Homeland Security Act and declares martial law on many areas of the country, but it is particularly concentrated on the West Coast.

Four years later, during the 2012 United States presidential election, the Supreme Court of the United States disqualifies all the popular presidential candidates from several states, effectively handing Adams his reelection. The public reacts violently when incumbent Adams accepts a second term.

During the Inauguration Ball in Washington, D.C., on the night of January 20, 2013, a low-yield tactical nuclear weapon is detonated in an apparent groundburst, presumably having been concealed there in advance. The yield is sufficient to destroy most of the city, killing Adams, his cabinet, and most of the U.S. Congress, effectively wiping out the presidential line of succession and thrusting the already unstable United States into total chaos.

The European Parliament meets in an emergency session, and votes to send peacekeepers to the Washington Metropolitan Area to secure international interests and protection of European citizens in the United States. As secessionist sentiment rises in America, the governor of California declares home rule, and California secedes from the Union on April 15, 2013. Texas follows a few days later, on April 17, 2013, taking neighboring states with it and re-forming the Republic of Texas. The Confederated States of America is reborn shortly afterwards, declaring independence, as does the Pacific Northwest following attempts by Californian militias to march into Oregon. At some point Hawaii also becomes independent. The Great Plains are the last to breakaway, leaving the remainder of the original government operating as a loose confederation in New England. By 2014, all hopes for a peaceful resolution are gone, and the Second American Civil War begins.

Early in the war, Russia invades and occupies Alaska, using the expanded military operations of the European Union as an excuse. The invasion is personally led by President Nicholai Vladekov, an ex-general and former Soviet hardliner, who claims that Alaska was never really part of the United States and that Russia is merely reclaiming its former territory. What little resistance does occur is confused and disorganized, making the invasion largely unopposed.

Later, Interpol reveals the results of its investigation regarding the Inauguration Day bombing. President Vladekov had been dealing weapons on the black market for more than thirty years and masterminded the D.C. bombing as part of his goal to disrupt the world economy so that Russia could regain its military dominance, and more easily control Europe. Protests throughout Russia force Vladekov to declare martial law in Moscow.

After the former contiguous United States is unified under one faction, the independent Commonwealth of Hawaii agrees to join the new government. Vladekov refuses to cede control of Alaska, so the faction's forces prepare to invade the state and drive the Russians out of North America. A closing cinematic depicts the aftermath of the war.

If the invasion fails, the reunified U.S. is still suffering unrest and faces an uncertain future. If the invasion succeeds and the player faction's reputation is very good, the troubled American states are "united again under uncommon greatness" – a leader whose merciful acts and strategic and tactical brilliance will be spoken of for centuries to come. If the player faction's reputation is very bad, the U.S. transforms into a new fascist state, "one that will never again feel the sting of dissent".

Factions

The factions in the game include the entirety or portions of the following states:

  • California Commonwealth: Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah
  • Commonwealth of Hawaii: Hawaii (non-playable faction)
  • Confederacy: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia
  • European Union Occupation: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia
  • Great Plains Federation: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin
  • New England Alliance: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Vermont
  • Pacifica: Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming
  • Republic of Texas: Arkansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
  • Russia: Alaska (only multiplayer)

Gameplay

The game is based on a hex grid system. The various factions wage warfare in numerous territories. The player's income is based on how many territories they control. When attacking a territory, the player selects which of their units to deploy on the deployment screen. Units deployed to one area cannot be redeployed to another until that round of attacks is over. Each side can choose to either manually place their units on the battlefield or have the computer do it for them automatically.

In each area, there are various forms of terrain, each with a unique effect on how units move. Roads enable much faster movement but decrease the unit's defense. Forests, mountains, swamps, and other such terrain greatly decrease unit movement, but most increase defense. Cities have little effect on a unit's movement unless a road runs through it, but they increase units' defense. If not crossed at a bridge, rivers heavily hinder or block unit movement. Two units, enemy or allied, can never occupy the same hex at once.

During combat, one unit directly engages another, without outside interference from any other units. The attacking unit always fires first. If the defending unit is still alive, it retaliates. Without special abilities, each unit can only attack and retaliate once per turn. Anti-air units always retaliate against air units as long as they survive the opening attack.

Each unit type has an effectiveness rating against infantry (EI), vehicles (EV), and air units (EA). If the attacker's effectiveness rating is higher than the defender's, damage is done according to subtracting the values. Otherwise, no damage or extremely low damage is done. Some units are specialized to only be able to attack a single type of unit. If enough damage is done to a unit, it is destroyed.

The objective of the battle is either to destroy all the enemy's units or capture enough objective towns to control the battlefield. Objective towns each have a point value. Special abilities, known as "sidebar powers", recharge over time and are gained based on the game is played – for example, by causing collateral damage.

Shattered Union also supports online multiplayer. For the Xbox version, multiplayer on Xbox Live was available to players until April 15, 2010. The game is now playable online again on the replacement Xbox Live servers called Insignia.[1]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
PCXbox
EurogamerN/A6/10[3]
Game Informer4/10[4]4/10[4]
GameRevolutionC+[5]N/A
GameSpot7.9/10[6]7.8/10[7]
GameSpyStarStarStarHalf star[8]StarStarStarHalf star[9]
GameZone7.8/10[10]N/A
IGN7.5/10[11]7.8/10[12]
OXM (US)N/A4.5/10[13]
PC Gamer (US)68%[14]N/A
The A.V. ClubC+[15]N/A
Aggregate score
Metacritic67/100[16]66/100[17]


Legacy

Film adaptation

In 2009, Variety and Gamasutra reported that Jerry Bruckheimer was creating a movie adaptation of the video game to be distributed by Touchstone Pictures. J. Michael Straczynski was set to write the script.[18][19][20]

References

  1. ↑ Xbox, Pure (2023-11-16). "Xbox Live 1.0 Replacement 'Insignia' Now Supports 150 Games" (in en-GB). https://www.purexbox.com/news/2023/11/xbox-live-1-0-replacement-insignia-now-supports-150-games. 
  2. ↑ Scott, Ryan (January 2006). "Shattered Union". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (258): 88. Archived from the original on May 17, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060517022327/http://cgw.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3147223&did=4. Retrieved March 20, 2018. 
  3. ↑ Rossignol, Jim (November 3, 2005). "Shattered Union (Xbox)". Gamer Network. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_shatteredunion_xbox. Retrieved March 20, 2018. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Shattered Union". Game Informer (GameStop) (153): 138. January 2006. 
  5. ↑ Hudak, Chris (December 19, 2005). "Shattered Union Review (PC)". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on December 14, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141214193623/http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/shattered-union. Retrieved March 20, 2018. 
  6. ↑ Ocampo, Jason (October 27, 2005). "Shattered Union Review (PC)". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/shattered-union-review/1900-6136726/. Retrieved March 20, 2018. 
  7. ↑ Ocampo, Jason (October 27, 2005). "Shattered Union Review (Xbox)". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/shattered-union-review/1900-6136727/. Retrieved March 20, 2018. 
  8. ↑ Rausch, Allen (October 25, 2005). "GameSpy: Shattered Union (PC)". Ziff Davis. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/shattered-union/661397p1.html. Retrieved March 20, 2018. 
  9. ↑ Rausch, Allen (October 27, 2005). "GameSpy: Shattered Union (Xbox) [Incomplete"]. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on January 8, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060108042502/http://xbox.gamespy.com/xbox/shattered-union/662196p1.html. Retrieved March 20, 2018. 
  10. ↑ Giacobbi, Kevin "BIFF" (November 9, 2005). "Shattered Union - PC - Review". Archived from the original on October 2, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081002085353/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r26565.htm. Retrieved March 20, 2018. 
  11. ↑ Adams, Dan (October 31, 2005). "Shattered Union (PC)". Ziff Davis. http://www.ign.com/articles/2005/11/01/shattered-union. Retrieved March 20, 2018. 
  12. ↑ Adams, Dan (November 1, 2005). "Shattered Union (Xbox)". Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on January 2, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080102231056/http://xbox.ign.com/articles/663/663378p1.html. Retrieved March 20, 2018. 
  13. ↑ "Shattered Union". Official Xbox Magazine (Future US): 79. February 2006. 
  14. ↑ "Shattered Union". PC Gamer (Future US): 70. January 2006. 
  15. ↑ Tobias, Scott (February 8, 2006). "Shattered Union (PC)". The Onion. https://www.avclub.com/shattered-union-1798209011. 
  16. ↑ "Shattered Union for PC Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/shattered-union/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved March 20, 2018. 
  17. ↑ "Shattered Union for Xbox Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/shattered-union/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox. Retrieved March 20, 2018. 
  18. ↑ Graser, Marc (October 26, 2009). "More perfect 'Union' for Disney". Penske Media Corporation. https://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/more-perfect-union-for-disney-1118010438/. Retrieved March 20, 2018. 
  19. ↑ Alexander, Leigh (October 28, 2009). "2K's Shattered Union Getting The Film Treatment". UBM plc. https://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=25842. 
  20. ↑ Callaham, John (October 27, 2009). "Babylon 5 creator to write Shattered Union movie". AOL. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110716122202/http://news.bigdownload.com/2009/10/27/babylon-5-creator-to-write-shattered-union-movie/. Retrieved March 20, 2018. 

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. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari



Template:PopTop Software



Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Shattered_Union&oldid=3966207"