Software:Somer Assault

From HandWiki
Somer Assault
Developer(s)Atlus
Publisher(s)Atlus
Producer(s)Hideyuki Yokoyama
Designer(s)Mayodon Mania
Kazuhiro Kaneko
Programmer(s)Tsuyoshi Kunieda (Tuohi)
Artist(s)Yoshimi Haishita
Kōji Takino
Composer(s)Hidehito Aoki
Katsuyuki Inose
Platform(s)TurboGrafx-16
ReleaseMesopotamia: November 1991
Somer Assault: November 1992[1]
Genre(s)Action game
Mode(s)Single-player

Somer Assault, known as Mesopotamia[lower-alpha 1] in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Atlus in 1991 for the TurboGrafx-16. This side-scrolling action game features an unnamed pink Slinky object/creature as the protagonist which can fire bullets from its sides, jump, and slink along walls in its quest to stop an evil sorceress. The title is a play on the word somersault, as the Slinky somersaults around the stage while assaulting enemies.

Gameplay

The Slinky is able to move along the floor, walls, and the ceiling by slinking along them; it can also make a short jump to move between walls and platforms to slink to a different section of each stage. The Slinky is also equipped with a machine gun that fires from both sides of it to take out the myriad of enemies swarming in each stage. The player is given several hit points which can be increased with power-ups, several lives should the player die, and unlimited continues. A time limit is given for each level, and the goal is to reach the boss of the stage and defeat it before time expires.

Players are asked to enter their date of birth at the start of the game. This causes one boss to fire power-ups as gifts rather than damaging shots (for example, entering a birthday of April 27 will cause the Taurus boss to fire power-ups at the Slinky rather than damaging shots).

Plot

The story (existing in the export version only) is presented in a short prologue sequence at the game's start. "In a time and world not of our own", the evil Sorceress uses her dark powers to summon twelve powerful minions, each of them representing one Zodiac sign, and sends them to conquer the world. The Slinky has to battle through 12 stages of enemies, destroying each Zodiac boss along the way, in order to reach the Sorceress herself and put an end to her plot.

On the final stage, the player must defeat all of the bosses in succession before facing the Sorceress. After she is downed, her body explodes and a battle commences against three enemies resembling the Slinky and called "The Mimickers". When they are destroyed, "The Creator" appears as the real end boss.

Reception

Kyle Knight of Allgame called it an "odd" but "fun and innovative game. Shooter purists might cringe at the premise, but more open-minded gamers who don't mind a bit of a learning curve will find a rewarding gaming experience."[2] The game's player character was ranked #9 in the GameSpy's "Top Ten Lame Lead Characters" list by Kevin "Fragmaster" Bowen.[3]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: メソポタミア

References

  1. ↑ "Somer Assault - TurboGrafx-16 - IGN". Uk.ign.com. http://uk.ign.com/games/somer-assault-141878/tg16-6209. Retrieved 2014-06-19. 
  2. ↑ Knight, Kyle (2010-10-03). "Somer Assault - Review". allgame. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2691&tab=review. Retrieved 2014-06-19. 
  3. ↑ "GameSpy.com - Top 10". 2011-06-03. Archived from the original on June 3, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110603231652/http://archive.gamespy.com/legacy/top10/lameleads_a.shtm. Retrieved 2014-06-19. 
  • 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. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari





Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Somer_Assault&oldid=746662"