Software:Tantei Jingūji Saburō: Yokohama-kō Renzoku Satsujin Jiken

From HandWiki
Short description: 1988 video game
Tantei Jingūji Saburō: Yokohama-kō Renzoku Satsujin Jiken
Famicom box art
Developer(s)Data East
SeriesJake Hunter
Platform(s)Famicom
Release
  • JP: 26 February 1988
Genre(s)Adventure

Script error: The function "nihongo_foot" does not exist. is a 1988 adventure game for the Famicom. It was the second release in the Tantei Jingūji Saburō series, known as the Jake Hunter series in English territories.

On its release, it received positive reviews in Japanese video game magazines Famicom Tsūshin and Famicom Hisshoubon (ja). It would be listed among the top ten best-selling Famicom games in Japan in April 1988, according to Famicom Tsūshin' sales charts.[1]

The game has since been re-released in compilations, digital forms and remade for feature phones.

Gameplay

Tantei Jingūji Saburō: Yokohama-kō Renzoku Satsujin Jiken is an adventure game.[2] In the game, the player navigates menu options that allow them to investigate an area. These include options to examine someone in closer detail, look around the area, take items as evidence such as photos navigating to different areas.[3]

Plot

Detective Jingūji Saburō receives a letter from a man asking to find his fiancée Eva Christina. This leads him to Yokohama where he starts seeking out clues with his assistant Yoko Sakaishi where the detective discovers the case goes beyond searching for a missing person.[4]

Background and development

After the release of The Portopia Serial Murder Case (1985) for the Famicom, a number of adventure games for the console has increased with many similar titles released in 1988 and 1989 with strong sales numbers, with the number of titles released quickly decreasing after.[5]

Tantei Jingūji Saburō: Yokohama-kō Renzoku Satsujin Jiken was the second installment in the Tantei Jinguji Saburo video game series, following Script error: The function "nihongo_foot" does not exist. released on April 24, 1987 for the Famicom Disk System.[2][6][7] Its narrative is a continuation of the first game.[2]

The game is set in real-life locations such as Yokohama.[8]

Release

Tantei Jingūji Saburō: Yokohama-kō Renzoku Satsujin Jiken was released in Japan for the Famicom on February 26, 1988.[2][8] Polling various Tokyo and Osaka-based retailers, Famitsu continuously listed Yokohama-kō Renzoku Satsujin Jiken as being among the top 30 selling Famicom games in Japan by late April 1988.[1]

It was re-released as part of the video game compilation Detective Jinguji Saburo Early Collection (ja) for the PlayStation in 1999.[9] It was remade for feature phones as an app through EZWeb (ja) and released in the Japanese market in 2005.[10] The original game was made available for digital download on the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console on September 2, 2008.[11]

No games in the Tantei Jingūji Saburō series would be released commercially with an English translation until the release of Capcom's Software:Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney in 2005 in the United States. Capcom game's success led to similar Japanese mystery-themed games being released in English markets, with Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles (2008) to be the first game in the Tantei Jingūji Saburō series to be receive an English release.[12]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Famicom Hisshoubon (ja)3.5/5[8]
Famicom Tsūshin7/10, 7/10, 8/10, 7/10[2]

The four reviewers of in Famicom Tsūshin all generally complimented the game. While one reviewer said they wished it were released on the Famicom Disk System. Another said it was a considerably faster-paced game by switching to the Famicom cartridge. One reviewer found the story lacking more shocking and mysterious elements early on, while another said it was all a bit cheesy, but was happy to have another story with Jinguiji again.[2]

Reviewers in Famicom Hisshoubon (ja) compared the game to the previous title Shinjuku Chūō Kōen Satsujin Jiken, with one reviewer in Famicom Hisshoubon saying that the more frustrating elements of the last game were gone, making progress much smoother while still being appropriately difficult.[8] The two reviewers in Famicom Hisshoubon complimented the game, writing that it was visually superior to the previous title.[8]

One reviewer in Famicom Hisshoubon said it was one of the more exciting games in recent memory.[8] Critic Mariko Miyashita of Famicom Tsūshin chose the game as her "Pick of the Week" on February 19, 1988 saying that along with Matsumoto Tōru no Kabushiki Hisshōgaku (ja), both were games that can be enjoyed on a mature adult level.[2]

See also

  • List of Data East games
  • Video games in Japan

Notes

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Famicom Tsūshin 1988, pp. 6–7.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Famibo et al. 1988, p. 19.
  3. ↑ Famicom Tsūshin 1988, p. 28.
  4. ↑ Famicom Tsūshin 1988, pp. 28–29.
  5. ↑ Koyama 2023, pp. 58–59.
  6. ↑ 4gamer.net 2013.
  7. ↑ Kawachi 2024.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Hulk & Professor Kimiya 1988, p. 6.
  9. ↑ Famitsu 1999.
  10. ↑ Dengekionline 2005.
  11. ↑ Nintendo.
  12. ↑ Kretzschmar & Raffel 2023, p. 74.

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 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. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.





Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Tantei_Jingūji_Saburō:_Yokohama-kō_Renzoku_Satsujin_Jiken&oldid=4140515"