Software:Tak and the Guardians of Gross

From HandWiki
Tak and the Guardians of Gross
Developer(s)Blitz Games
Publisher(s)THQ
Director(s)Chris Viggers
Producer(s)Team RocFISH
Designer(s)Mike Bithell
Mike Chapman
Alex Johnson
Luke Nockles
Peter Theophilus
Mark Witts
Programmer(s)Steve Bond
Alastair Graham
Andy Keeble
Simon Offord
David Waby
David Woo
Artist(s)Wai-Hung Wan
Shakeel Alli
Nicholas Miles
Duncan Nimmo
Writer(s)Myles McLeod
Composer(s)Matt Black
Todd Baker
Edward Hargrave
SeriesTak
EngineBlitzTech
Platform(s)PlayStation 2, Wii
Release
  • NA: October 13, 2008
  • AU: October 23, 2008
  • EU: October 31, 2008
Genre(s)Third-person action adventure, platformer
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Tak and the Guardians of Gross is a platform video game developed by Blitz Games and published by THQ for Wii and PlayStation 2 in 2008. It is the fourth title in the Tak series following Tak.

Plot

In the beginning, Tak complains about Jibolba making him clean the Spoiled Shrine. Jeera offers to take the J-Runner, but Tak wants to take a shortcut through the jungle. Despite Keeko's warning, Tak goes anyway. After going through a long trail full of Woodie Tribesmen, Tak finally makes it to the shrine. After fighting his way up, Tak gets to the top of the shrine. Tak decides to lift up a giant gem, and stuff everything below it. However, he cannot support the gem with his Magic, and it falls and breaks. Suddenly, the ground shakes, and these long trails of magic fly out. Suddenly, four gigantic Big Gs appear, and start wreaking havoc on the world.

When Tak goes back to the village, Jibolba tells Tak that whoever did this must see the four Jujus known as the Guardians of Gross. First Tak sees Debris Juju, and after winning a mini-game, Tak gets Lumpy Magic. He then sets out for the first G, Trashthulu. After a long trail, he uses a catapult to launch onto Trashthulu. When he lands, he must use Lumpy Magic to make it to the head of the beast. Once inside, he grabs the essence gem of the beast, and he must jab his staff into the eyes to defeat him. When both eyes are handled, Tak jumps out, and the beast turns to stone and collapses.

After, Tak goes to Icky Juju, and he gets Slime Magic. Tak surfs through a river of slime onto Slopviathan. Now, Tak must get through the slop, and make it to the head of the beast. Once here, he pumps the eyes of Slopviathan with Slime and they explode. He then grabs the essence, and jumps off as Slopviathan turns to stone. Next, he goes to Melty Juju, who gives Tak Cheesy Magic. He then waits, but is eaten by Gorgonzilla. He now goes through his body until he is in the lower jaw of the G. He then hits the hurt teeth of the beast, which makes his top jaw fly open while he cries. Tak then starts beating the uvula of the beast. This makes the essence fly off his forehead, and the beast turns to stone and crumbles.

Finally, Tak heads to Stinky Juju where he gets Stinky Magic. Now, he heads to Stinkolossus by going through another jungle path. Here he makes it to the beast, and he must fight to the top, while fighting three smaller stink beasts. When he makes it to the top, he is floating on platforms, swirling around the G. He then beats the three smaller beasts again, and then he must shoot the monster's Stink Bombs back at him. This makes him spit out his essence, and Tak escapes.

Now, with all essences, Tak restores the gem. When he is about to put the essences back, Stinky Juju returns to see. Tak trips, and the beasts are free again. When Tak thinks all is lost, Stinly Juju tells Tak there is another way. If he can collect slime from all the Gs, and burp, it will defeat the Gs once and for all. And, after a race in the J-Runner, Tak does just this. Tak celebrates, and the game is over.

Gameplay

The game is a linear platformer with a focus on using a series of parkour moves in order to jump over obstacles and run through walls. A good number of levels are structured around Tak having to find his way across the bodies of each of the Big Gs in a vertical fashion in order to reach their heads and engage in a boss battle. Between most major levels, Tak is challenged to a series of mini-games (which can also be played by two players) by the Juju guardians of the Big Gs in order to receive additional magical powers to help him defeat them, which can then be activated usually in context-sensitive areas during specific levels.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
PS2Wii
AllGameStarStarHalf star[1]StarStarHalf star[2]
GameZone5.5/10[3]5.3/10[4]
IGN6.6/10[5]6.6/10[5]
NGamerN/A71%[6]
WorthplayingN/A7/10[7]
Game Vortex80%[8]90%[9]
Gaming AgeN/A5/10[10]
Nintendo-x2N/A7/10[11]
HonestGamersN/A7/10[12]
Aggregate scores
GameRankings67%[13]69.38%[14]
Metacritic57/100[15]63/100[16]

The game received "mixed or average" reviews on both platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[15][16]

References

  1. ↑ "Tak and the Guardians of Gross". Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141114175532/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=65156. Retrieved July 25, 2020. 
  2. ↑ "Tak and the Guardians of Gross". Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141114175532/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=65157. Retrieved July 25, 2020. 
  3. ↑ Sandoval, Angelina (October 23, 2008). "Tak and the Guardians of Gross - PS2 - Review". Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081211041003/http://ps2.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r35380.htm. Retrieved October 16, 2019. 
  4. ↑ Bedigian, Louis (October 22, 2008). "Tak and the Guardians of Gross - WII - Review". Archived from the original on December 20, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081220142305/http://wii.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r35380.htm. Retrieved October 16, 2019. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Clark, Joshua (December 4, 2008). "Tak and the Guardians of the Gross [sic PS2 [and Wii] Review"]. Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/12/05/tak-and-the-guardians-of-the-gross-ps2-review. Retrieved February 12, 2018. 
  6. ↑ "Review: Tak and the Guardians of Gross". NGamer (Future plc): 69. December 2008. 
  7. ↑ Hilderbrand, Brad (28 January 2009). "Wii Review - 'Tak and the Guardians of Gross'". https://worthplaying.com/article/2009/1/28/reviews/58379/. Retrieved 25 July 2020. 
  8. ↑ Wodele, Shane. "Tak and the Guardians of Gross (PS2)". http://www.psillustrated.com/psillustrated/soft_rev.php/4347/tak-and-the-guardians-of-gross-ps2.html. Retrieved July 25, 2020. 
  9. ↑ Paddock, Matt. "Tak and the Guardians of Gross (Wii)". http://www.gamevortex.com/gamevortex/soft_rev.php/4282/tak-and-the-guardians-of-gross-wii.html. Retrieved July 25, 2020. 
  10. ↑ Cordeira, Jim (30 October 2008). "Tak and the Guardians of Gross Review (Wii)". Gaming Age. Archived from the original on February 6, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100206034137/http://gaming-age.com/cgi-bin/reviews/review.pl?sys=wii&game=tak_gross. Retrieved July 25, 2020. 
  11. ↑ "Tak and the Guardians of Gross (Wii)". https://www.nintendo-x2.com/games/1846/tak-and-the-guardians-of-gross/review/21846. Retrieved July 25, 2020. 
  12. ↑ Olsen, Matt (6 November 2008). "Tak and the Guardians of Gross (Wii)". http://www.honestgamers.com/7525/wii/tak-and-the-guardians-of-gross/review.html. Retrieved 25 July 2020. 
  13. ↑ "Tak and the Guardians of Gross for PlayStation 2". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150909223522/http://www.gamerankings.com/ps2/946168-tak-and-the-guardians-of-gross/index.html. Retrieved July 24, 2020. 
  14. ↑ "Tak and the Guardians of Gross for Wii". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150909174106/http://www.gamerankings.com/wii/946169-tak-and-the-guardians-of-gross/index.html. Retrieved July 24, 2020. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Tak and the Guardians of Gross for PlayStation 2 Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/tak-and-the-guardians-of-gross/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2. Retrieved October 16, 2019. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Tak and the Guardians of Gross for Wii Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/tak-and-the-guardians-of-gross/critic-reviews/?platform=wii. Retrieved October 16, 2019. 
  • Tak and the Guardians of Gross on IMDb
  • 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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