Software:SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman

From HandWiki
Short description: 2002 video game
SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman
North American PlayStation 2 box art
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)THQ
Director(s)
  • Vasken N. Sayre (PS2, GC)
  • Jonathan Russell (GBA)
Producer(s)
  • Billy Joe Cain (PS2, GC)
  • Di Davies (GBA)
Designer(s)
  • Vasken N. Sayre
  • Jeremy Arntson (PS2, GC)
  • Jonathan Russell (GBA)
Programmer(s)
  • Mike Bowman
  • Waylon Calabrese
  • Paul Hyman
  • Jim McHugh (PS2, GC)
Artist(s)
  • Matt Scibilia
  • Grant Pimpler (PS2, GC)
Composer(s)
  • George Oldziey (PS2, GC)
  • Martin Schioeler (GBA)
SeriesSpongeBob SquarePants
Platform(s)PlayStation 2, GameCube, Game Boy Advance
Release
  • Game Boy Advance
  • PlayStation 2
  • GameCube
Genre(s)Platform, action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman is a 2002 platform game based on the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants, developed by Vicarious Visions and BigSky Interactive, Inc. and published by THQ for the GameCube and PlayStation 2, and Game Boy Advance. It was the last game to be developed by BigSky Interactive, Inc. The game was released in North America in late 2002, while in Europe it was released in early 2003. The Game Boy Advance version was also released on a Twin Pack cartridge bundled with Software:SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge in 2005.[5]

Gameplay

The home console versions consist of 3D platform gameplay. Playing as SpongeBob, the player gains several abilities throughout the game that are needed to progress. The player can alternate between abilities by entering tents set up in each level. Throughout each level, the player must locate and collect letter tiles. After each level is completed, the player must solve a sliding puzzle that forms a picture of where to locate the next treasure, each time that happens SpongeBob has a diving rod that would let him know if he (and the player) is close.

The Game Boy Advance version is a side-scrolling platform game with five worlds: SpongeBob's Home, Jellyfish Fields, Sandy's Treedome, the Krusty Krab, Doubloon Bonus World, and a final world on The Flying Dutchman's ship. All levels have SpongeBob looking for the ten treasures (which are unlocked with three keys) and doubloons. Upon completing the game, the player can replay all the levels to go back for what they missed.

Plot

Home console version

A screenshot of the Jellyfish Fields level in the home console version

One day, SpongeBob wakes up and begins playing fetch with Gary, leading the snail to dig up a treasure chest. SpongeBob opens the chest and finds a bottle, which, upon rubbing it, scatters doubloons all over Bikini Bottom and releases The Flying Dutchman. The Dutchman tells SpongeBob that he will take Gary to work on his ship for all eternity for disturbing his rest. After briefly leaving to check on his ship, he makes good on this promise.

SpongeBob travels across seven locations to recover letter tiles; there are nine in each, which spell out his name, and each set leads to a treasure. These treasures, as explained by one of Squidward's books on "How to Defeat Evil Spirits", are personal possessions from when the Dutchman was alive, which can apparently weaken him. According to the book, collecting all seven will make SpongeBob immune to the Dutchman's hypnotizing spell, allowing him to put up a fight to save Bikini Bottom.

To collect the tiles, SpongeBob must complete a wide assortment of challenges and missions for other characters, such as delivering food for Mr. Krabs in Downtown Bikini Bottom, fixing Patrick's TV antenna, helping Sandy rid her treedome of bees and wasps after giving her a beehive (that he mistakes for an acorn) as a gift, winning a jellyfishing contest, beating all the games at Plankton's new amusement park "Chum World", and defeating Larry the Lobster and Sandy in karate matches.

As SpongeBob becomes increasingly impervious to the Dutchman's power, the Dutchman – satisfied with Gary's hard work, unlike that of his old crew – hypnotizes and kidnaps his other friends and terrorizes Bikini Bottom. The Dutchman attacks SpongeBob in his house by dropping heavy objects from his ship. Firing himself out of a cannon dropped by the Dutchman, SpongeBob winds up in the Dutchman's graveyard, where he exchanges doubloons with the Dutchman's disgruntled pirates for the use of their cannons and collects the seventh and final treasure.

Believing himself to now be immune to the Dutchman, SpongeBob boards the Dutchman's ship and rescues his friends but is confronted by the Dutchman. His cockiness is crushed by the omniscient narrator, who informs him that Squidward's book was out-of-date and that the new edition explains he is mostly immune to the Dutchman's magic, but not completely; while he is immune to the hypnosis spell, he is not immune to getting hurt. He fights the Dutchman anyway, and he sucks the Dutchman back into his bottle. Afterward, as the Dutchman's ship catches fire, SpongeBob escapes with his friends on a flying boat to celebrate at the Krusty Krab.

Game Boy Advance version

SpongeBob SquarePants is giving Gary a walk through Jellyfish Fields; Gary then smells Kelp Nip and runs off. After SpongeBob finds Gary, he finds a chest, opens it and finds a bottle. SpongeBob then opens the bottle and the Flying Dutchman appears. After SpongeBob mistakes the Dutchman for a genie that will grant him a wish, he tells SpongeBob to find his ten treasures and doubloons that got scattered around Bikini Bottom. SpongeBob does so, but the Dutchman ultimately abducts Gary, Patrick, Sandy, Mr. Krabs, and Squidward. After SpongeBob finds all of his friends on the Dutchman's ship, he battles the Dutchman himself. After the Dutchman is defeated, the player is given a list of wishes to choose from, each one depicting a screenshot of said wish. One of them involves giving SpongeBob his own TV show; when that one is chosen, a screenshot of the show's original logo appears.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
GBAGCPS2
G46/10[11]N/AN/A
GameZone7.3/10[12]7.5/10[13]N/A
IGNN/AN/A4/10[14]
Nintendo Power7.2/10[15]N/AN/A
Nintendo World ReportN/A6.5/10[16]N/A
Aggregate scores
GameRankings75%[6]72%[7]53%[8]
Metacritic71/100[9]66/100[10]N/A

On Metacritic, the GameCube version holds a score of 66 out of 100, while the Game Boy Advance version holds a score of 71, both indicating "mixed or average reviews".[10][9] The GameCube version has a 72% rating on GameRankings,[7] while the Game Boy Advance version has 75% on GameRankings.[6] The PlayStation 2 version was met with a mostly negative reception due to a glitch that causes the game to freeze while loading. It has a 53% rating on GameRankings.[8]

Anise Hollingshead of GameZone wrote a favorable review of the GameCube version; she praised the use of a checklist, saying it was "motivating and keeps players on track." However, Hollingshead criticized the game's crude background designs and concluded that while it was a "great game" for children, "Older fans of SpongeBob may want to just rent."[13] Steven Hopper of GameZone wrote a generally positive review of the Game Boy Advance version, calling it an excellent game for young children that could also appeal to people of all ages who were fans of the television series.[12] Ryan Jones of Nintendo World Report wrote a more mixed review of the GameCube version concluding: "The game has everything you could want if you are a huge SpongeBob fan, but the gameplay and graphics are far from perfect."[16]

The game's frequent loading screens, featuring the same bubbles in the transitions from the animated series, were a subject of derision for reviewers.

Mark Ryan Sallee of IGN wrote a negative review of the PlayStation 2 version, criticizing it for its sluggish controls, annoying music tracks, Nintendo 64-style graphics, frequent and obnoxious loading screens, simplistic gameplay, somewhat tedious fetch quests, and the unnecessary use of a checklist (it made the game feel like a chore). Sallee ended his review saying: "...Yes, pre-school-aged kids will probably get a kick out of the game, though they'd likely be more entertained mowing down prostitutes in Grand Theft Auto."[14] Play magazine also wrote a generally negative review, giving the game 2 out of 5 stars, citing its mediocre and sparse levels, bad models, and the fact that there are loading times where there should not be any.[17]

The Game Boy Advance version sold an estimated 740,000 copies; in August 2006, the game was ranked at number 31 on Edge magazine's list of "The Century's Top 50 Handheld Games," arranged by the number of copies sold. Edge called it "yet another mediocre game that sold brilliantly because of the sponge on its cover," writing that: "Most major review outlets don't even cover these games as they know their opinion won't matter, and they're right – this game knew exactly where its audience was, and delivered right to them."[18] Nintendo Power wrote a generally favorable review of the GBA version, citing the how: "Great graphics, goofy music and the entire kooky cast of the show add life of the deep-sea derring-do."[15] G4 likewise called it: "A great example of how to translate an existing property into a videogame".[11] The game won the 2003 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in the category Favorite Video Game.[19]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "THQ". http://www.thq.co.uk/html/misc/release.html. 
  2. ↑ "THQ AND NICKELODEON SHIP SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: REVENGE OF THE FLYING DUTCHMAN". September 12, 2002. http://www.thq.com/Corporate/PressReleases/press-465.asp. 
  3. ↑ "THQ AND NICKELODEON SHIP SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: REVENGE OF THE FLYING DUTCHMAN FOR PLAYSTATION 2". November 21, 2002. http://www.thq.com/Corporate/PressReleases/press-510.asp. 
  4. ↑ "THQ AND NICKELODEON SHIP SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS: REVENGE OF THE FLYING DUTCHMAN FOR GAMECUBE". December 17, 2002. http://www.thq.com/Corporate/PressReleases/press-523.asp. 
  5. ↑ "SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge / Revenge of the Flying Dutchman (GBA) - GameFAQs". http://www.gamefaqs.com/gba/926322-2-games-in-1-double-pack-spongebob-squarepants-supersponge. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman (GBA)". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/gba/563083-/index.html. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman (GameCube)". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/gamecube/563084-spongebob-squarepants-revenge-of-the-flying-dutchman/index.html. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman (PS2)". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/563074-spongebob-squarepants-revenge-of-the-flying-dutchman/index.html. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman (Game Boy Advance)". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/spongebob-squarepants-revenge-of-the-flying-dutch/critic-reviews/?platform=game-boy-advance. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman (GameCube)". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/spongebob-squarepants-revenge-of-the-flying-dutch/critic-reviews/?platform=gamecube. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman". G4 TV. http://www.techtv.com/extendedplay/reviews/story/0,24330,3414011,00.html. "A great example of how to translate an existing property into a videogame, as it incorporates the elements and characters of the show in such a way that you don't necessarily have to be familiar with the cartoon to appreciate the wacky production design or gentle humor." 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Hopper, Steven (October 2, 2002). "SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman Review - GBA". GameZone. http://gameboy.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r20431_GBA.htm. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Hollingshead, Anise (January 22, 2003). "SpongeBob Squarepants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman Review - GameCube". GameZone. http://gamecube.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r20431.htm. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Sallee, Mark Ryan (November 25, 2002). "SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman review (PS2)". https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/11/26/spongebob-squarepants-revenge-of-the-flying-dutchman. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "SpongeBob SquarePants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman". Nintendo Power 161: 198. October 2002. https://archive.org/details/nintendo-power-issue-161-october-2002/page/198/mode/2up. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Jones, Ryan (April 23, 2003). "SpongeBob Squarepants: Revenge of the Flying Dutchman". pp. 1–2. https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/4080/spongebob-squarepants-revenge-of-the-flying-dutchman-gamecube. 
  17. ↑ "Spongebob Squarepants Revenge of the Flying Dutchman Review". Play (Imagine Publishing) (14): 90. February 2003. https://archive.org/details/UneditedPLAY_marktrade/PLAY_14u/page/n91/mode/2up. 
  18. ↑ "The Century's Top 50 Handheld Games". Edge. August 2, 2006. http://www.edge-online.com/features/the-centurys-top-50-handheld-games?page=0%2C1. 
  19. ↑ "Critical Mass Interactive". http://www.criticalmassinteractive.com/. 
  • 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 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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