Software:Test Drive 4X4

From HandWiki
Short description: 1998 video game
Test Drive 4X4
Test Drive Off-Road 2
North American PlayStation cover art featuring a 1998 Hummer H1
Developer(s)Accolade
Pitbull Syndicate
Publisher(s)Accolade
Producer(s)Monte Singman(Executive Producer)
Allen Edwards
Programmer(s)Derrick Yim
Owen Flatley
Darrell Dennies
Gary Strawn
SeriesTest Drive
Platform(s)PlayStation, Microsoft Windows
ReleasePlayStation
  • NA: 23 October 1998[1]
  • EU: 1999
  • JP: 8 April 1999
Windows
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Test Drive 4X4 (known as Test Drive Off-Road 2 in North America) is a racing video game co-developed by Accolade's internal development team and Pitbull Syndicate, and published by Accolade for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows.

Development

The game was announced in late 1997.[3] Test Drive 4x4 uses the Test Drive 4 engine and includes licensed off-road vehicles.[4] Accolade spent $3 million on a television advertising campaign for Test Drive 5 and Test Drive Off-Road 2.[5]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
PCPS
AllGameStarStar[8]StarStarHalf star[9]
CGSPStarStar[10]N/A
CGWStar[11]N/A
EGMN/A6.125/10[12]
FamitsuN/A25/40[13]
Game InformerN/A6.5/10[14]
GameProN/AStarStarStarHalf star[15]
GameRevolutionN/AF[16]
GameSpot4.8/10[17]6.1/10[18]
IGN4.5/10[19]5.8/10[20]
PC Gamer (US)27%[22]N/A
PSMN/AStarStarStarStar[23]
Aggregate score
GameRankings50%[6]66%[7]

The game received "mixed" reviews on both platforms according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[6][7] In Japan, where the PlayStation version was ported and published by Capcom on 8 April 1999, Famitsu gave it a score of 25 out of 40.[13]

References

  1. ↑ GameSpot staff (23 October 1998). "Accolade Ships Off-Road 2 [date mislabeled as "April 28, 2000""]. CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/accolade-ships-off-road-2/1100-2465288/. 
  2. ↑ Gentry, Perry (6 November 1998). "What's in Stores Next Week". CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/News/Item/0,3,0-2254,00.html. 
  3. ↑ "In the Studio". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (37): 22. January 1998. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_37/page/n23/mode/2up. Retrieved 19 April 2021. 
  4. ↑ "Accolade Kicks Off 1998 With Record Selling Franchise, 12 New Titles And An Increased Focus On Sony PlayStation Market". San Jose, CA. 24 March 1998. http://www.accolade.com/press/032498E3.htm. 
  5. ↑ IGN Staff (October 31, 1998). "Accolade Bets $3 Million on Test Drive". https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/10/31/accolade-bets-3-million-on-test-drive. Retrieved April 24, 2022. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Test Drive: Off-Road 2 for PC". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/96164-test-drive-off-road-2/index.html. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Test Drive: Off-Road 2 for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/198935-test-drive-off-road-2/index.html. 
  8. ↑ Wigmore, Glenn. "Test Drive Off-Road 2 (PC) - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=19517&tab=review. 
  9. ↑ Marriott, Scott Alan. "Test Drive Off-Road 2 (PS) - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=16009&tab=review. 
  10. ↑ Bauman, Steve (16 December 1998). "Test Drive Off-Road 2". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/016/046/testdor2_review.html. 
  11. ↑ Goble, Gord (April 1999). "Into the Ditch (Test Drive Off-Road 2 Review)". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (177): 205. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_177.pdf. Retrieved 4 February 2019. 
  12. ↑ EGM staff (January 1999). "Test Drive Off-Road 2 (PS)". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (114). 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "テストドライブ オフロード2 [PS"] (in Japanese). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=1193&redirect=no. Retrieved 4 February 2019. 
  14. ↑ "Test Drive Off-Road 2 - PlayStation". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (69): 73. January 1999. 
  15. ↑ Air Hendrix (January 1999). "Test Drive Off-Road 2 Review for PlayStation on GamePro.com". GamePro (IDG Entertainment) (124). http://gamepro.com/sony/psx/games/reviews/131.shtml. Retrieved 4 February 2019. 
  16. ↑ Hsu, Tim (November 1998). "Test Drive Off-Road 2 Review (PS)". CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/34128-test-drive-off-road-2-review. 
  17. ↑ Poole, Stephen (12 January 1999). "Test Drive: Off-Road 2 Review (PC) [date mislabeled as "May 2, 2000""]. CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/test-drive-off-road-2-review/1900-2533359/. 
  18. ↑ Mielke, James (12 November 1998). "Test Drive: Off-Road 2 Review (PS) [date mislabeled as "May 2, 2000""]. CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/test-drive-off-road-2-review/1900-2546079/. 
  19. ↑ Blevins, Tal (14 January 1999). "Test Drive: Off-Road 2 (PC)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/01/15/test-drive-off-road-2-3. 
  20. ↑ Harris, Craig (27 October 1998). "Test Drive: Off-Road 2 (PS)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/10/28/test-drive-off-road-2. 
  21. ↑ Klett, Steve (January 1999). "Test Drive Off-Road 2". PC Accelerator (Imagine Media) (5): 94. https://archive.org/details/PCXL05Jan1999/page/n93/mode/2up. Retrieved 19 April 2021. 
  22. ↑ Durham Jr., Joel (March 1999). "Test Drive Off-Road 2". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 6 (3). http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/1046.html. Retrieved 4 February 2019. 
  23. ↑ PSM staff (January 1999). "Review: Test Drive Off-Road 2". PSM (Imagine Media) (17): 38. https://archive.org/details/psm-17-january-1999/page/n37/mode/2up. Retrieved 19 April 2021. 
  • 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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