Software:SolarStriker

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Solar Striker
Cover art
Developer(s)Minakuchi Engineering
Nintendo R&D1
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Satoru Okada
Keisuke Terasaki[1]
Producer(s)Gunpei Yokoi[1]
Designer(s)K. Hayashi
A. Higashiya
K. Katsuyama
K. Yamagami[1]
Programmer(s)K. Sugimoto[1]
Composer(s)Toru Osada[2]
Platform(s)Game Boy
Release
  • JP: January 26, 1990
  • NA: February 1990
  • EU: September 28, 1990
Genre(s)Shoot 'em up
Mode(s)Single-player

Solar Striker (ソーラーストライカー) is a vertical scrolling shooter video game developed by Nintendo R&D1 with Minakuchi Engineering for the Nintendo Game Boy. It was first published in Japan on January 26, 1990, then released later in North America in February, and finally in Europe on September 28.

Gameplay

Screenshot showing the Solar Striker shooting the first boss.

As a game that only has single player mode, the player controls the advanced space fighter, code-named Solar Striker. There are six levels of play against enemies known as the forces of Reticulon. These enemies appear from the top of the screen. Special ships can be shot and power-ups can be obtained. One power-up means twice the firepower. Three power-ups mean three times the firepower. Five power-ups means big blasts on enemies which are helpful, especially against tough enemies and bosses that take many hits to destroy. There are a variety of enemies as well as sub-bosses in the later levels. They descend in patterns and bosses have their own way to try to defeat the player. When the player completes all six levels for the first time and after the credits roll, the player will be able to play Hard Mode by pressing Select instead of Start from the title screen.

Plot

"The year is 2159. The Earth Federal Government was established, linking the people with a common government against other species. As part of this new addition and to defend the human race's peace and safety, the Earth Federal Army was also created."

"The army went on the offensive, and attacked a star known as 'Turin.' However, the Earth Federal Army was no match for the overwhelming combat power of Turin, and Earth's fate seemed sealed. As Earth's last chance, a top-secret mobile unit developed a very advanced space fighter in Earth's last fortification. Flying with the mothership, 'Mother Atena', it arrived at Turin's solar system as the last chance for a violent and final attack on the Turin forces. This advanced spacecraft, and Earth's last hope for survival, is code-named 'Solar Striker'."[3]

Development and reception

Solar Striker was designed by Gunpei Yokoi and Keisuke Terasaki,[1] and developed by Nintendo in co-operation with the external company Minakuchi Engineering. It was first published in Japan on January 26, 1990, then released later in North America in February, and finally in Europe on September 28. As such, it is one of the few scrolling shooters developed by Nintendo.

Solar Striker has been met with generally favorable reviews. It earned an overall score of 75% at GameRankings. Mean Machines described Solar Striker as "adequate", but noted there was a lack of material to keep players interested, giving the game a score of 69%.[4] Allgame rated it 2.5/5, describing it as a "decent shooter but nothing great", and citing its difficulty as a deterrent to enjoying it.[5] Games Are Fun gave it a 7 out of 10. German magazine Power Play praised the title for its variety in terms of enemies and levels, though noted the underlying simplicity of the game as well, giving it a score of 70%.[6] Author Jeff Rovin in the book How to Win at Game Boy Games described the title as "one of the oldest kinds of Nintendo games", comparing it to SNK's Alpha Mission but added there were too few instances of innovation or surprises, and the powerups were "unsatisfying".[7]

Appearances in other media

  • The background music for Level 1 and Level 2 was used in the beginning of the Captain N: The Game Master episode, "The Trouble With Tetris", in a slightly altered form. A space craft seen in the same part of the episode resembles the Solar Striker on the Japanese box art of the game. In fact, the Level 1 background music was also used in later season 2 episodes of Captain N: The Game Master.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "N-Sider.com: Solar Striker". N-Sider. December 24, 2007. http://www.n-sider.com/gameview.php?gameid=284&view=credits. Retrieved 2007-12-24. 
  2. ↑ Mobygames
  3. ↑ "ソーラーストライカー". Nintendo Co. Ltd. https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n02/dmg/ssa/index.html. Retrieved 2007-11-01. 
  4. ↑ Rignall, Julian; Matt Regan (November 1990). "Solar Striker Review". Mean Machines (7). http://www.meanmachinesmag.co.uk/review/42/solar-striker.php. Retrieved 2009-06-04. 
  5. ↑ Sutyak, Jonathan. "SolarStriker - Review". Allgame. All Media Group. http://allgame.com/game.php?id=12203&tab=review. Retrieved 2009-06-04. 
  6. ↑ "Solar Striker for Game Boy - MobyRank". MobyGames. http://www.mobygames.com/game/gameboy/solar-striker/mobyrank. Retrieved 2009-06-04. 
  7. ↑ Rovin, Jeff (1991). How to Win at Game Boy Games. Signet Books. p. 160. ISBN 0-451-17446-1. 

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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