Software:Solar Striker

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Short description: 1990 video game

Solar Striker
North American box art
Developer(s)Nintendo R&D1
Minakuchi Engineering
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 2, 1990
  • EU: September 28, 1990
Genre(s)Scrolling shooter
Mode(s)Single-player

Solar Striker[lower-alpha 1] is a vertically scrolling shooter video game developed by Nintendo and Minakuchi Engineering and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It was first published in Japan in January 1990, then released later in North America in February 1990 and in Europe in September 1990.

Plot

In the year 2159, the Earth is at war with the planet Reticulon (Great Dark Star Torino in the Japanese version). The Earth Federation Army creates the advanced fighter Solar Striker on a secret base on the Moon. Solar Striker's mission is to fly to Reticulon and destroy the core.

Gameplay

The Solar Striker shooting the first boss

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. The player can amass power-ups by shooting special ships. One power-up doubles the player's firepower, three power-ups triples the player's firepower, and five power-ups causes shots to explode on impact with enemies, greatly aiding combat against tough enemies and bosses that take many hits to destroy. There are a variety of enemies as well as sub-bosses in later levels. 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.

Development

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 in Europe on September 28. As such, it is one of the few scrolling shooters developed by Nintendo.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGame2.5/5[3]
Famitsu4/10, 6/10, 7/10, 6/10[4]
Mean Machines69%[5]

Reviewing the game in Famicom Tsūshin, Two of the reviewers found the game relatively generic shooter with one these reviewers saying that this kind of game does not work very well on the Game Boy's small screen.[4] Two other reviewers said while it was a generic shooter, it was relatiely easy which felt refreshing in a sea of much more difficult shooter games.[4]

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%.[5] Jonathan Sutyak of Allgame describing it as a "decent shooter but nothing great", and citing its difficulty as a deterrent to enjoying it.[3] 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]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: ソーラーストライカー

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. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sutyak, Jonathan. "SolarStriker - Review". Allgame. All Media Group. http://allgame.com/game.php?id=12203&tab=review. Retrieved August 24, 2026. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Famibo, Tofuya; Mizuno, Bucho; Morishita, Mariko; TACO•X (March 2, 1990). "新作ゲームクロスレビュー" (in Japanese). Famicom Tsūshin (ASCII Corporation) (95). 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Rignall, Julian; Regan, Matt (November 1990). "Solar Striker Review". Mean Machines (7). http://www.meanmachinesmag.co.uk/review/42/solar-striker.php. Retrieved August 24, 2026. 
  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 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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