Software:Super Pitfall

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Short description: 1986 video game
Super Pitfall
NES box art
Developer(s)Micronics (NES)
Publisher(s)
Programmer(s)Color Computer 3
Steve Bjork
PC-88
Makoto Ichinoseki
Platform(s)
NES, PC-88, Color Computer 3
ReleaseNES
  • JP: September 5, 1986
  • NA: November 1987
Genre(s)Platform[1]
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer[2]

Super Pitfall (スーパーピットフォール, Sūpā Pittofōru) is a 1986 side-scrolling non-linear platform game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Despite the title screen stating that it was reprogrammed by Pony Inc., the development of the NES version was handled by Micronics, a Japanese developer who mostly ported arcade games to the NES.

Super Pitfall was the first game that Activision published as a third-party developer for the NES. Following the original release of the game, ports were made in Japan by Makoto Ichinoseki for the PC-8800 series liner of computers and by Steve Bjork for the Color Computer 3. The game initially received positive reviews from VideoGames & Computer Entertainment and Computer Entertainer while Bill Kunkel wrote in Computer Gaming World that the game did not control well and did not stand out well in a market of Super Mario Bros. clones. Retrospective reviews of the NES game from game critic Brett Weiss and Stuart Hunt of Retro Gamer found the game a step down from the previous Pitfall games on the Atari 2600, with both faulting low quality graphics and game design.

Activision initially was going distribute Sunsoft's Atlantis no Nazo in the United States in a rebranded form as a sequel to Super Pitfall on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. This release did not happen.

Gameplay

Pitfall Harry in an early scene in the game with an enemy frog

The game features Pitfall Harry as the player character.[3] Equipped with a gun, he seeks to recover the Raj diamond from a vast subterranean dwelling in the Andes Mountains and rescue his niece Rhonda and cat friend Quickclaw the Lion who are trapped deep in the caverns.[3] The goal is to move Harry through a nonlinear cave maze finding the two trapped friends and collect the Raj diamond and return to the starting point.[1][4] While playing, Harry will find that Rhonda has turned to stone and Quickclaw is trapped and both require items to be freed. To return home, Harry must collect a photograph of the Underground Kingdom for a clue on how to return entrance.[4] Harry begins with three lives and on touching an enemy or a hazard he loses one. Lives can be earned from collecting 50,000 points, and then 80,000 the next.[5] Points are collecting by shooting and defeating enemies and collecting gold bars and other items.[6]

Harry is maneuvered with the directional pad to move left and right and can climb and swim upwards with the up arrow. He can jump and fire his gun with the a and b buttons respectively.[7] Harry can collect items shaped like playing card suits to open rock doors as well as spare pistols and items that make him invulnerable to enemies. Items in the game are invisible and can only be grabbed at certain moments while jumping.[8]

Development

Super Pitfall was developed by the Japanese company Micronics.[9] Micronics predominantly did work in outsourcing tasks and generally made Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) versions of popular arcade titles such as Ikari Warriors (1986) and 1942 (1984).[10] Stuart Hunt of Retro Gamer described the game as a loose port of the Atari 2600 game Software:Pitfall II: Lost Caverns (1984).[9]

In Japan, the game was released for the PC-8801MKIISR model in the PC-8800 series of home computers. It was designed by Makoto Ichinoseki.[11] Steve and Monique Bjork contributed to the Color Computer 3 (CoCo 3) port of Super Pitfall. Steven had written the code for it and over 20 Tandy and Color Computer programs, while Monique contributed to the graphics in the game.[12][13] The CoCo 3 version, three difficulty options are made available, in expert mode: the items Harry seeks are invisible while in explorer mode Harry has unlimited lives and treasures remain visible.[13]

Release

Super Pitfall was released in Japan for the Family Computer on September 5, 1986.[14] Super Pitfall was the first game published by Activision that was released on the NES.[15] It was released in the United States for the NES in November 1987.[16] It was later released for the Color Computer 3 and required 512K of memory to operate.[17][18]

Activision was going to release Sunsoft's Atlantis no Nazo (1986) rebranded as a sequel to Super Pitfall on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It never received a release in the United States.[19] A fan remake of Super Pitfall by Nesrocks was released in 2016. The new version of the game changing the visuals, redesigning levels and a new score.[20]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Beep3/5[21]
Famicom Hisshoubon (ja)2.5/5, 3/5, 3/5[lower-alpha 1][22]

A reviewer in the Japanese video game magazine Beep described the game as average with some obvious flaws such as slower screen transitions.[21]

Reviews in Famicom Hisshoubon (ja) and Computer Entertainer complimented on the large scale of the game. All three reviewers in Famicom Hisshoubon complimented on the large scale of the maze, with one suggesting it would have been better with a focus on the maze exploration.[22] A review in Computer Entertainer found the game gave players plenty to explore, specifically noting large amount of secret areas and hidden objects and recommended it to fans of the two previous Pitfall games on the Atari 2600.[23] VideoGames & Computer Entertainment the game to be a "higher quality" form than previous entries in the Pitfall series.[24]

Both Bill Kunkel of Computer Gaming World and one reviewer in Famicom Hisshoubon found the playing character's movement to be slow, with Kunkel describing it as "floaty".[25][22] Kunkel continued that the gameplay and visuals were too similar to that Super Mario Bros. (1985) and concluded that "there is nothing in the game itself to keep [NES users] awake."[25] Both VideoGames & Computer Entertainment and a Famicom Hisshoubon reviewer gave negative remarks about the music, with the later publication calling it boring.[22][24] Tony Olive in The Rainbow reviewed the CoCo port, praising the graphics as arcade-quality, with smooth movement, and finding the game to be fun and challenging.[13]

From retrospective reviews, Stuart Hunt wrote in Retro Gamer that the game was derided by most fans of the Pitfall series, with Brett Weiss, author of Classic Home Video Games, 1985-1988 (2009), stating it was far inferior to the previous Atari 2600 games in the franchise.[26][9] Hunt and anonymous reviewer in Eurogamer highlighted poor collision detection and game play that involved, with Hunt finding the weapon in the game to be useless as it passed over most enemies heads.[9] The Eurogamer reviewer derided it for poor hit detection and esoteric puzzles that were deemed "too weird".[27] The reviewer highlighted one having Pitfall Harry jump into a unique enemy in the game to warp to a separate part of a cave.[27] Both Hunt and Eurogamer wrote that there was an overt amount of trial and error gameplay.[9][27] Weiss described the graphics as awful while Hunt disparaged the flickering sprites and stiff animation. Hunt said Pitfall Harry looked too much like Mario in a safari hat.[9] Weiss went further to say the game had "awful music".[26]

Notes

  1. ↑ Each of the three reviewers in Famicom Hisshoubon ranked the game on a 5 point scale

References

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Marriott.
  2. ↑ Metzger 1987, p. 2.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Metzger 1987, p. 1.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Metzger 1987, p. 4.
  5. ↑ Metzger 1987, p. 6.
  6. ↑ Metzger 1987, p. 8.
  7. ↑ Metzger 1987, p. 2-3.
  8. ↑ Metzger 1987, p. 5.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Hunt 2012, p. 84.
  10. ↑ Alpert 2010.
  11. ↑ BASIC 1987.
  12. ↑ Parker 1989, p. 75.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Olive 1988, p. 132.
  14. ↑ Family Computer Magazine 1986.
  15. ↑ Computer Entertainer 1987.
  16. ↑ Computer Entertainer 1987, p. 14.
  17. ↑ 1989 Tandy Computer Catalog 1988, p. 45.
  18. ↑ Goodman 1990, pp. 75–76.
  19. ↑ Fielder 2003, p. 68.
  20. ↑ Lopes 2016.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Beep 1986, p. 55.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 Famicom Hisshoubon 1986, p. 103.
  23. ↑ Computer Entertainer includes The Video Game Update 1988, p. 10.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 VideoGames & Computer Entertainment 1988, p. 43.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Kunkel 1988, pp. 44–45.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Weiss 2009, p. 185.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Eurogamer.

Sources

  • 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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