Software:SpeedZone (video game)

From HandWiki
SpeedZone / Wheelspin
European cover art
Developer(s)Awesome Play
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)Wii
Release
  • NA: August 18, 2009[1]
  • EU: November 27, 2009
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

SpeedZone, known as Wheelspin in Europe, is a futuristic racing video game for Wii, developed by British developer Awesome Play and published by Detn8 Games in North America and Bethesda Softworks in Europe. The races take place on various terrains such as space stations, planets and asteroids.

Gameplay

Boost pads are used to accelerate 'into the zone' where racing lines and phantom cars are used in an attempt to set lap records, levels are unlocked by beating a set Zone-Time. There are shortcuts and secret pickups to be found with bonus rewards being earned by setting new best times. These bonus rewards can then be used to buy aerodynamic aids, various performance upgrades, new cars and skins which all help to give a speed increase when re-attempting levels.

A single pickup is added randomly during each race, this power-up transforms the car driven into a giant enemy robot, which does massive damage to other cars. While in control of the robot speed is greatly increased but maneuverability is drastically brought down and it becomes harder for other cars to overtake you.

In Race mode seven computer-controlled cars are competed against, unlocking levels by finishing in the top three or better. Finally there is Battle Mode which is a futuristic demolition derby; players can use an assortment of weapons such as rockets, mines, lasers, missiles, a lightning gun and a chain gun. There are also assorted defensive pick-ups such as shields, a stealth cloak and shock-jumps.

Multiplayer

Race and Battle modes allow up to eight simultaneous players (via split screen). Similar to Bust-A-Move Bash, Wheelspin implements 5-8 player games by having four players use Wii Remotes, while other players use external controllers connected to them (Nunchuks or Classic Controllers) or other controllers that directly connect to the Wii console, such as GameCube controllers and Logitech Speed Force Wireless force feedback racing wheels. This is the first Wii game to support four Logitech wheels simultaneously.

Development

The game was developed by Awesome Play Ltd a U.K company founded by programmer Archer Maclean.[2] This would be the final game he was involved in developing.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic37/100[3]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Edge3/10[4]
GameProStarStarHalf star[5]
GamesTM3/10[6]
Jeuxvideo.com7/20[7]
NGamer38%[8]
ONM11%[9]
VideoGamer.com4/10[10]

The game received "unfavorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Speed Zone For Wii Puts Pedal to Metal Available Now". August 18, 2009. Archived from the original on November 10, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221110045243/https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/08/18/speed-zone-for-wii-puts-pedal-to-metal-available-now. Retrieved November 10, 2022. 
  2. ↑ "News". Archived from the original on April 7, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090407040107/http://www.awesomeplay.co.uk:80/Articles/APHomeNews1.html. Retrieved November 10, 2022. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Speed Zone for Wii Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/speed-zone/critic-reviews/?platform=wii. Retrieved July 16, 2019. 
  4. ↑ Edge staff (January 2010). "Wheelspin review". Edge (Future plc) (210): 90. 
  5. ↑ Herring, Will (July 23, 2009). "Speed Zone". GamePro (IDG Entertainment). Archived from the original on July 27, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090727084541/http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/211391/speed-zone/. Retrieved July 16, 2019. 
  6. ↑ "Review: Wheelspin". GamesTM (Future plc) (91): 114. January 2010. 
  7. ↑ CptObvious (January 11, 2010). "Test: Wheelspin" (in French). Webedia. http://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0001/00012053-wheelspin-test.htm. Retrieved July 16, 2019. 
  8. ↑ "Review: Wheelspin". NGamer (Future plc): 64. December 25, 2009. 
  9. ↑ Scullion, Chris (November 27, 2009). "Wheelspin Review". Future plc. Archived from the original on October 11, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141011122749/http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/13563/reviews/wheelspin-review/. Retrieved July 16, 2019. 
  10. ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (December 2, 2009). "Wheelspin Review". Resero Network. https://www.videogamer.com/reviews/wheelspin-review. Retrieved July 16, 2019. 
  • 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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