Software:Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal"

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Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal"
CD cover art
Developer(s)Humongous Entertainment[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)Humongous Entertainment[lower-alpha 2]
Designer(s)Brad Carlton
Lisa Wick
Composer(s)
  • Julian Soule
  • Geoff Kirk
EngineSCUMM
Platform(s)Mac OS, Windows, Wii, iOS, Android, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4
ReleaseWindows, Macintosh
  • WW: October 17, 1997
Wii
  • WW: July 17, 2008
iOS
  • WW: May 4, 2012
Android
  • WW: April 1, 2014
Linux
  • WW: April 17, 2014
Nintendo Switch
  • WW: February 10, 2022
PlayStation 4
  • WW: November 3, 2022
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal" is an adventure game developed and published by Humongous Entertainment, part of their "Junior Adventure" line and the first entry in the Spy Fox series of games. The game follows the heroic Spy Fox as he attempts to stop a supervillain from stealing the world's dairy milk supply. The game was released for computers in October 1997 to positive reception, and was ported to several other systems over the following decades.

Plot

On board an airplane, secret agent Spy Fox is contacted by his assistant Monkey Penny, who informs him that the world's supply of dairy milk has mysteriously vanished, with the only clue being a piece of feta cheese traced to the fictional island of Acidophilus in Greece. Spy Fox jumps from the plane and lands on the island, where he meets with Monkey Penny and scientist Professor Quack, who provides him several gadgets. Monkey Penny tasks Spy Fox with finding Mr. Howard Hugh Heifer Udderly III, the missing president and CEO of Amalgamated Moo Juice Inc., who they believe is connected to the milk disappearances.

Spy Fox finds Mr. Udderly tied up over a pool of piranhas in a feta factory and rescues him. Udderly explains that William the Kid, the CEO of the Nectar of the Goats (N.O.G.) Corporation, has kidnapped all the dairy cows in the world and gathered all the dairy milk into a giant milk carton called the Milky Weapon of Destruction, planning to flood the capital with it and frame the cows so he can take control of the dairy world with his "delicious" goat by-products. Udderly claims to have swiped the access code to the weapon's deactivator while William the Kid wasn't looking, but admits that he swallowed it to avoid being exposed. Fortunately, Fox uses Professor Quack's "X-Ray Gum" gadget to see the code inside Udderly's stomach, and he sets out to find the deactivator's missing part and a way to reach William the Kid's secret fortress.

On the dock, Spy Fox discovers a ship called the S.S. Deadweight, where a party is being hosted. After forging an invitation to get aboard the ship, Spy Fox meets Russian Blue, the boat's owner and N.O.G.'s head of public relations, who loves dancing the tango. Monkey Penny confirms that Russian Blue is indeed involved in Kid's scheme and tells Spy Fox to keep an eye on her. Using information obtained from Russian Blue and the S.S. Deadweight, Spy Fox locates Kid's fortress, infiltrating it by disguising himself using a spare N.O.G. jumpsuit.

Shortly after entering, Spy Fox witnesses William the Kid giving Russian Blue the missing deactivator part and ordering her to hide it somewhere safe. After Spy Fox finds and uses the missing piece to disarm the Milky Weapon of Destruction, William the Kid decides to drown the dairy cows in the milk. Due to Kid's carelessness, Spy Fox locates his secret passageway to the cows' holding pen and frees them. William the Kid escapes in his giant getaway blimp and declares that he will return. If the player follows after Kid's blimp, a bonus ending will be unlocked.

In the bonus ending, Spy Fox manages to sneak on Kid's blimp. Monkey Penny gives him the coordinates to a mobile jail for William the Kid to land in. After Spy Fox sets the coordinates and primes Kid's ejection seat, the blimp changes course and Kid is launched in prison, swearing revenge on Spy Fox before resigning to his fate. Later, the President awards Spy Fox with the "Big Daddy Congressional Cookie of Justice" for his heroics.

Gameplay

The game retains the easy-to-use format of the other Humongous Entertainment computer games, but unlike the others, this game introduces talk balloons, which enable Spy Fox to ask any character a specific question instead of simply having an ordinary conversation. There are also special kinds of items called "Spy Gadgets" (made and supplied by Professor Quack), which help Spy Fox solve certain puzzles. Another feature in the game is the ability to use Spy Fox's "Spy Watch", which allows players to save, load, or quit a game, call Monkey Penny, or play a minigame on the watch. The game has multiple narratives; the story branches into a small number of threads midway through the game, and which thread the story follows is randomly selected each playthrough.

Release

The game was initially released for Windows and Macintosh computers in October 1997, and featured an alternate voice cast in the game's European release. Following the purchase of Humongous by Atari, the game was ported to the Wii in 2008, using the Wii Remote for point-and-click controls. It was available for a limited time due to legal problems concerning the port's development.[2] In 2012, Nimbus Games Inc. released a version designed for both iOS and Android. A Nintendo Switch version was released on February 10, 2022,[3] followed by a PlayStation 4 version in November of that same year.[4]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings80% (PC)[5]
55% (Wii)[6]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Adventure GamersStarStarStarStar (PC)[7]
AllGameStarStarStarStarHalf star[8]
IGN5.5/10 (Wii)[9]

Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal" has sold two million copies and received 20 Awards of Excellence.[10] Adventure Gamers gave the a 4-star rating,[7] while Allgame gave it a 4.5-star rating.[8] The Wii version was less well-received, with IGN giving the port a score of 5.5/10.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Mistic Software Inc.". Mistic Software Inc.. 2013. http://www.misticsoftware.com/games.html. 
  2. ↑ Cobbett, Richard (December 22, 2017). "How ScummVM is keeping adventure games alive, one old game at a time". PC Gamer. http://www.pcgamer.com/how-scummvm-is-keeping-adventure-games-alive-one-old-game-at-a-time/. 
  3. ↑ Humongous [@HumongousEnt] (February 3, 2022). "Get your adventure on with four of the best games you've ever played, arriving for #NintendoSwitch on February 10th.". https://twitter.com/HumongousEnt/status/1489282536366690306. 
  4. ↑ "Playstation4" (in en). https://www.humongous.com/playstation-4. 
  5. ↑ "Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal" for PC - GameRankings". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/582381-spy-fox-in-dry-cereal/index.html. 
  6. ↑ "Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal" for Wii - GameRankings". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/wii/945611-spy-fox-in-dry-cereal/index.html. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Keeley, Joe (October 9, 2009). "Review for Spy Fox in 'Dry Cereal'". Adventure Gamers. https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/18344. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Cook, Brad. "Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal" - Review - allgame". Allgame. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=41950. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Thomas, Lucas M. (September 11, 2008). "Spy Fox in Dry Cereal Review". https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/09/11/spy-fox-in-dry-cereal-review. 
  10. ↑ "Spy Fox in "Dry Cereal" Majesco Entertainment". Majesco Entertainment. http://www.majescoent.com/games/spy-fox-dry-cereal. 
  1. ↑ Ported to Wii by Mistic Software[1] and iOS by Nimbus Games.
  2. ↑ The Wii version was published by Majesco Entertainment in the United States and Atari Europe in Europe.
    The IOS release was published by Atari.
    The IOS re-release and Android version were published by Tommo.
    The Steam release was co-published by Tommo and Night Dive Studios.
    The Nintendo Switch version was published by UFO Interactive Games.
  • 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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