Software:Striker (video game)

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Striker
Amiga box art
Developer(s)Rage Software
Publisher(s)Rage Software
Programmer(s)George Christophorou
Artist(s)Andy Rixon and Karen Davies
Composer(s)Allister Brimble (SNES)
Platform(s)Amiga, Atari ST, Amiga CD32, Mega Drive/Genesis, MS-DOS, Super NES
Release1992
Genre(s)Traditional soccer simulation
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer (up to two players)

Striker is a soccer video game series first released by Rage Software in 1992.

The game was released for the Commodore Amiga, Amiga CD32, Atari ST, PC, Mega Drive/Genesis, and Super NES. It was bundled in one of the Amiga 1200 launch packs. It was one of the first soccer games to feature a 3D viewpoint, after Simulmondo's I Play 3D Soccer.

In 1993 it was released in Japan by Coconuts Japan for the Super Famicom as World Soccer (ワールドサッカー, Wārudo Sakkā), while the French Super NES version of Striker is known as Eric Cantona Football Challenge, playing on the popularity of French forward Eric Cantona, while the North American Super NES release of Striker was known as World Soccer '94: Road to Glory. The Mega Drive and Game Gear versions were branded as Sega Sports Striker. They were published by SEGA and developed by Rage Software in 1994 and released in 1995.[1]

Critical reaction

The game received a mixed reaction from the gaming press, with some condemning and others praising its extreme speed. For example, CU Amiga Magazine awarded the game 94% in its June 1992 issue along with the CU Amiga Screenstar award,[2] while German magazine Amiga Joker awards the game 64% in the September 1992 edition.

By 1995, Striker sold 700,000 copies.[3]

Ports/sequels

Ports

Striker was ported to several consoles between 1992 and 1999.

World Soccer '94: Road to Glory (SNES)

The Super NES port World Soccer '94: Road to Glory, known as Striker in Europe, Eric Cantona Football Challenge in France and World Soccer in Japan) was released in North America by Atlus Software, in Europe directly by Rage Software and in Japan by Coconuts.

The game lets the player choose from five different modes, including indoor soccer, and then pick from 128 different international teams, all with different strengths and weaknesses. Unlike in the original game where the strongest or the most well-known teams had real names, in World Soccer '94: Road to Glory all the footballers' names are fictitious. Every UEFA (Europe) CAF (Africa) CONCACAF (North America Central America The & Caribbean) AFC (Asia) OFC (Oceania) team of that time appears in the game except for Yugoslavia, which was banned from international competition from 1992 to 1994 for being at war with itself. World Soccer '94: Road to Glory doesn't have a language-select prompt at the opening screen.

There are many options and features, for example, the pitch surface changes field conditions in outdoor friendlies; wet surfaces are slower than drier ones. Wind Strength can affect the flight of the ball, new FIFA Rules affects whether or not extra time will use the "Golden Goal" (sudden death) rules - since abolished. Auto Keeper will, when turned on, make the goalkeeper kick the ball upfield automatically after saved shots on target. After saves, the goalkeeper takes control automatically unless "Auto Keeper" is turned OFF.

List of ports

Year Title System Developer Publisher Region
1992 Striker Amiga Rage Software Rage Software PAL
1992 Striker Atari ST Rage Software Rage Software PAL
1992 Striker Super NES Rage Software Elite System PAL
1993 Ultimate Soccer Game Gear Rage Software Sega PAL, Japan
1993 World Soccer '94: Road to Glory Super NES Rage Software Atlus NTSC
1993 World Soccer Super Famicom Rage Software Coconuts Japan
1993 Ultimate Soccer Master System Rage Software Sega PAL
1993 Ultimate Soccer Mega Drive Rage Software Sega PAL
1993 Striker DOS Rage Software Rage Software PAL
1993 Eric Cantona Football Challenge Super NES Rage Software Rage Software PAL (France only)
1994 Striker Amiga CD32 Rage Software GBH Gold PAL
1995 Striker Game Gear Rage Software SEGA PAL
1995 Striker Mega Drive Rage Software SEGA PAL
1995 Striker '95 DOS Rage Software Time Warner Interactive PAL
1996 Striker '96 Sega Saturn / PlayStation / MS-DOS Rage Software Acclaim PAL
1999 UEFA Striker/Striker Pro 2000
Microsoft International Soccer 2000 		PlayStation, Dreamcast
Windows 95 & 98 		Rage Software Infogrames North America (NA)
Infogrames Multimedia (PAL)
Microsoft (PC) 		NTSC, PAL

Sequels

A sequel, World Cup Striker (known in North America as Elite Soccer), was released for the Super NES in 1994. It was basically a repackaged version of Striker, but slightly better. It was published in Japan by Coconuts Japan and in Europe by Elite.

A Game Boy game developed by Denton Designs was also released at the same time, in Europe it was released as Soccer, in North America as Elite Soccer (both published by GameTek), and in Japan as World Cup Striker (published by Coconuts Japan and endorsed by Yasutaro Matsuki).

Also, Striker Pro was released in Europe and North America for the CD-i. In 1995, Striker: World Cup Special was released for the 3DO. A version of Striker '95 was in development for the Atari Jaguar but never released.[4][5] An entry in the Striker franchise was in the works for the Panasonic M2 but it never happened due to the system's cancellation.[6]

A year later Striker '96 (known in Japan as Striker: World Cup Premiere Stage) was released for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn and MS-DOS.[7] Striker '96 is known for being the first soccer game on the original PlayStation.[7]

In 1999 UEFA Striker, known in North America as Striker Pro 2000, was released for the Dreamcast and PlayStation.

A follow-up, UEFA 2001, was announced for the Dreamcast in 2000, but was cancelled in October when Infogrames was re-evaluating their Dreamcast support, and the game was never released on any platform.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Striker". http://segaretro.org/Striker. 
  2. ↑ Merret, Steve (June 1992). "Striker CU Amiga Review". CU Amiga (EMAP): pp. 57–60. 
  3. ↑ Bowen, David (April 18, 1995). "The gold in games". p. 28. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/89957606/the-age/. Retrieved December 3, 2021. 
  4. ↑ Lethaus, Martin (March 31, 1995). "rec.games.video.atari › LIST OF GAMES AND DATES?". https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.games.video.atari/bp5rVwdkL3c. 
  5. ↑ Battison, Jamie (September 30, 2018). "RVG Interviews – Jim Bagley". Retro Video Gamer. https://www.retrovideogamer.co.uk/rvg-interviews-jim-bagley/. 
  6. ↑ "News - E3 '96: 3DO? - M2 Dream List". 3DO Magazine (Paragon Publishing) (12): 4. July 1996. https://archive.org/details/3DO_Magazine_Issue_12_1996-07_Paragon_Publishing_GB/page/n3. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Striker '96 for SEGA Saturn (1996) - MobyGames". http://www.mobygames.com/game/sega-saturn/striker-96. 
  8. ↑ Official Dreamcast Magazine, October 2000, page 29
  • 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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