Software:Sinking Island

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Sinking Island
Developer(s)White Birds Productions
Publisher(s)Microïds/Encore (USA)[1]
Micro Application (Europe)
Designer(s)Benoît Sokal
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
ReleaseScript error: No such module "Date time". (France)
August 12, 2008 (USA)[2]
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Sinking Island: A Jack Norm Investigation (French: L'Île noyée, lit. 'The Drowned Island') is a third-person perspective adventure game that uses point and click game mechanics. Released in France on October 4, 2007. it was developed by White Birds Productions, a company founded and led by Benoît Sokal.

Development

The title's genesis came from Olivier Fontenay, who suggested that Benoît Sokal make police games.[3] Sokal wrote a ten-page draft in 2005.[4] He decided to have a male playable character to offer a change from his Syberia series.[5] The team created a new interface for the game, entitled PPA (Personal Police Assistant).[6] The game was supported by the Centre National de la Cinématographie.[7] A sequel was originally going to be released, offering a second Jack Norm adventure set in New York.[8]

Plot

The plot is centered on the investigation of the death of a millionaire named Walter Jones. The main acting character in the game is Jack Norm, a police officer entrusted with the task of solving the mystery. The events take place on a fictional island owned by the late Walter Jones in an Art Deco-style tower. The plot takes place over three days and follows a classic murder mystery scheme where a detective needs to uncover the identity of the murderer.

Critical reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings70%[9]
Metacritic68%[10]

Jean-Marc Oliveres of Clubic wrote that the game would engross players into its story and history.[11] 4Players reviewer Bodo Naser thought that while the game promised a murder mystery akin to those of Agatha Christie, the title did not deliver.[12][13][14][15] Adventure-Treff's Jan Schneider negatively compared the game's world to Paradise and Syberia.[16] IGN offered a negative review, describing the game as having "weary, stranded-island sleuthing at its soggiest".[17] GameSpot thought the game would appeal to adventure fans.[18] Gamekult derided the game's difficult puzzles, sleep-inducing dialogue, and lack of plot momentum.[19]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Encore and Microids sign exclusive publishing agreement for North America". News Corporation. 17 April 2008. https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/04/17/encore-and-microads-sign-exclusive-publishing-agreement-for-north-america. Retrieved March 26, 2019. 
  2. ↑ "Shippin' Out August 11–15: Madden". CBS Corporation. 11 August 2008. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/shippin-out-august-11-15-madden/1100-6195728/. Retrieved March 26, 2019. 
  3. ↑ "L'Ile Noyée : interview Benoît Sokal" (in fr). Jeuxvideo.com. 19 July 2007. http://www.jeuxvideo.com/news/2007/00021589-l-ile-noyee-interview-benoit-sokal.htm. Retrieved March 26, 2019. 
  4. ↑ "Visite White Birds Productions: Sinking Island" (in fr). http://www.atlantisamerzoneetcie.com/jeux-dossier-lochness-visite-wbp-sinking.php. Retrieved March 26, 2019. 
  5. ↑ "Mystery Manor Benoit Sokal French Interview" (in fr). Mystery Manor. 16 September 2007. http://mysterymanor.net/libintvsinkingislandfrench.htm. Retrieved March 26, 2019. 
  6. ↑ Matt Barton; Philip Jong (27 June 2008). "Benoît Sokal - White Birds Productions - Interview - Adventure Classic Gaming - ACG - Adventure Games, Interactive Fiction Games - Reviews, Interviews, Features, Previews, Cheats, Galleries, Forums". Adventure Classic Gaming. http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/interviews/361/. Retrieved March 26, 2019. 
  7. ↑ "Sinking Island - Adventure Game - Microids.com". 30 October 2007. http://www.microids.com/en/catalogue/47/sinking-island.html. 
  8. ↑ Jack Allin (11 October 2006). "Sinking Island coming to Nintendo DS - AdventureGamers.com". Adventure Gamers. https://adventuregamers.com/news/view/20143. Retrieved March 26, 2019. 
  9. ↑ "Sinking Island". CBS Corporation. https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/937314-sinking-island/index.html. Retrieved March 26, 2019. 
  10. ↑ "Sinking Island". CBS Corporation. https://www.metacritic.com/game/sinking-island/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved March 26, 2019. 
  11. ↑ Jean-Marc Oliveres (25 October 2007). "Test de L'Ile Noyée : Une Enquête De Jack Norm" (in fr). Clubic.com. http://www.clubic.com/article-83792-1-test-ile-noyee-enquete-jack-norm.html. Retrieved March 26, 2019. 
  12. ↑ Bodo Naser (23 October 2007). "Sinking Island - Test, Adventure - 4Players.de" (in de). 4Players. http://www.4players.de/4players.php/dispbericht/PC-CDROM/Test/7730/5936/0/Sinking_Island.html. 
  13. ↑ Bodo Naser (23 October 2007). "Sinking Island - Test (2), Adventure - 4Players.de" (in de). 4Players. http://www.4players.de/4players.php/dispbericht/PC-CDROM/Test/7730/5936/1/Sinking_Island.html. 
  14. ↑ Bodo Naser (23 October 2007). "Test (Wertung) zu Sinking Island (Adventure) - 4Players.de" (in de). 4Players. http://www.4players.de/4players.php/dispbericht_fazit/PC-CDROM/Test/Fazit_Wertung/PC-CDROM/7730/5936/Sinking_Island.html. 
  15. ↑ Bodo Naser (23 October 2007). "Test (Pro und Kontra) zu Sinking Island (Adventure) - 4Players.de" (in de). 4Players. http://www.4players.de/4players.php/procontra/PC-CDROM/Test/Fazit_Wertung/PC-CDROM/7730/5936/Sinking_Island.html. 
  16. ↑ Schneider, Jan "DasJan". "Sinking Island - Mord im Paradies" (in de). http://www.adventure-treff.de/spiele-datenbank/11291-sinking-island---mord-im-paradies9. Retrieved March 26, 2019. 
  17. ↑ Balistrieri, Emily (15 September 2008). "Sinking Island Review". News Corporation. https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/09/15/sinking-island-review. Retrieved March 26, 2019. 
  18. ↑ "Sinking Island Hands-On". CBS Corporation. July 24, 2008. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/sinking-island-hands-on/1100-6194938/. Retrieved March 26, 2019. 
  19. ↑ "Test L'île Noyée sur PC" (in fr). Gamekult. 22 October 2007. https://www.gamekult.com/jeux/l-ile-noyee-3010003042/test.html. Retrieved March 26, 2019. 
  • Sinking Island at Microïds
  • 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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