Software:The Crow: City of Angels (video game)

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Short description: 1997 video game
The Crow: City of Angels
North American PlayStation cover art
Developer(s)Gray Matter
Publisher(s)Acclaim Entertainment
Producer(s)
  • Stefan Posthum
  • Dan McBride
Designer(s)
  • Adam Mock
  • Calvin Campbell
  • Stefan Posthuma
  • Martin J. Bysh
Programmer(s)Stefan Posthuma
Artist(s)David Duncan
Composer(s)
  • Mark Kerr
  • Nelson Everhart
Platform(s)PlayStation, Saturn, Microsoft Windows
ReleasePlayStation
  • JP: April 25, 1997
Saturn
  • EU: February 26, 1997
  • NA: March 12, 1997
  • JP: April 25, 1997
Windows
  • NA: February 1997
  • EU: April 1997
Genre(s)Beat 'em up
Mode(s)Single-player

The Crow: City of Angels is a 1997 action video game for Sega Saturn, PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. It is loosely based on the movie of the same title. The player assumes the role of the hero of the film, Ashe Corven. The game was developed by Gray Matter, whose previous game was Perfect Weapon, which The Crow: City of Angels closely resembles in its basic mechanics.[3][4] It was met with negative reviews.

Gameplay

The gameplay style is similar to a traditional six-directional side-scrolling beat 'em up, viewed from an isometric perspective. All objects and characters are 3D polygonal models, imposed over 2D pre-rendered backgrounds. The game is virtually identical across the three platforms it was released for, the main difference between them being that the PC version has sharper 2D-rendered backgrounds, due to its higher screen resolution.[5]

The protagonist Ashe's primary method of fighting enemies is hand-to-hand combat, consisting of basic punches and kicks. He also has the ability to pull off more acrobatic moves using various button combinations. Along the way various weapons can be found, including knives, bottles, handguns and shotguns. In addition to their normal usage, all of the weapons can be thrown at enemies to cause damage.[6] During the course of the game, Ashe encounters various bosses (the main villains from the film).

Plot

The game follows the same plot of the film on which it is based: mechanic Ashe Corven and his son Danny are brutally murdered by a gang. Resurrected by a crow and acquiring supernatural powers with the help of artist and new friend Sarah, Ashe now seeks vengeance on his murderers, including "the ninjitsu death-bitch" Kali and the drug king Judah.[7][8]

Development

Acclaim originally planned for the game to be released early in the fourth quarter of 1996, in order to tie in with the August release of the film on which it is based.[9]

All of the characters in the game were animated with Acclaim's motion capture technology.[6] The game contains a tribute to Brandon Lee, if the player beats the game in under 50 minutes and presses the Triangle button on the credits screen, a crow will fly towards the screen then morph into a picture of Brandon.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
GameSpot3.9/10 (PS1)[10]
IGN1.0/10 (PS1)[8]
Next GenerationStar (PS1)[3]
PC Gamer (US)32% (WIN)[11]
Sega Saturn Magazine67% (SAT)[12]

The Crow: City of Angels was almost universally panned upon its release. The PlayStation version has a GameRankings score of 23.5% based on four reviews.[7] Critics widely praised the 3D rendered backgrounds, agreeing that they were both technologically cutting edge and lent a moody, haunting atmosphere to the game.[10][8][11][12][13] However, esteem for the visuals was outweighed by criticism of the controls, which reviewers found suffered from delayed responsiveness and made it difficult to make the player character face the desired direction.[10][8][11][3][12][4] Most found that the frequent changing of the fixed camera angles[10][8][11][12][13] and poor collision detection[10][3][12] added to the confusion and frustration of the basic gameplay. Some critics additionally felt that the beat 'em up genre as a whole was too limited by the standards of the current gaming generation.[10][3] Jeff Kitts from GameSpot explained, "There are no objectives, tasks, or missions to complete - just walk around and punch bad guys. Big fun (note the sarcasm)."[10]

The voice clips, though regarded as a lesser issue, were generally ridiculed as featuring weak dialogue, mediocre acting, poor quality production, and a limited selection of clips (which leads to multiple enemies repeating the same lines).[10][8][11][4] Colin Williamson commented in PC Gamer US that the clips "sound like they were recorded by programmers screaming into a five-dollar Radio Shack microphone".[11]

According to Scary Larry of GamePro, "This dark, moody game may appeal to certain Gen Xers looking for a slow-paced violent game. The rest of us, however, are going to be turned off by the awkward, choppy movements of the sprites, asinine gameplay, and horrible graphics."[4] Sega Saturn Magazine's Lee Nutter said it was "Not a bad effort of a game by Acclaim's usual standards but certainly not a wise purchase."[12] Williamson called it "the worst movie license fighting game since Expect No Mercy."[11] A Game Revolution reviewer went on to say: "The Crow: City of Angels is one of the worst titles I've ever seen. Avoid all contact with this game."[5] IGN rated the game 1.0 out of 10, their lowest possible score.[8] A Next Generation critic said the game's problems were so great that it seemed nowhere near the end of its development cycle.[3]

Electronic Gaming Monthly named The Crow: City of Angels both Worst Movie to Game and Worst Intro in their 1998 Video Game Buyer's Guide. They acknowledged that the opening cinematic had some cool graphic effects, but said the unintentionally humorous dialogue, poor lip-synching, and awkward, over-exaggerated animation were enough to merit the "worst" title.[14] It was included among the 100 worst games of all time by GamesRadar in 2014.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Computers - PlayStation Games". Staffordshire Newsletter (Uttoxeter ed.): pp. 28. April 11, 1997. https://www.newspapers.com/image/895934765/?terms=%22The%20Crow%3A%20City%20of%20Angels%22&match=1. "Porsche Challenge, Suikoden, Crow City of Angels, MechWarrior II, Soccer 97, Excalibur all just in stock." 
  2. ↑ "Sony PlayStation Available Software sorted by Release Date @ www.vidgames.com". http://www.vidgames.com/ps/software/release.html#1995. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "Finals: The Crow: City of Angels". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (30): 116. June 1997. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Saturn ProReview: The Crow: City of Angels". GamePro (IDG) (105): 76. June 1997. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ferris, Duke (December 3, 2008). ""The Crow: City of Angels" review". Game Revolution. http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/saturn/the_crow_city_of. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Crow: City of Angels: This Crow Has All the Funky Moves". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (91): 136–7. February 1997. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "The Crow: City of Angels". Game Rankings. February 28, 1997. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps/197002-the-crow-city-of-angels/index.html. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 "Crow: City of Angels". March 11, 1997. http://www.ign.com/articles/1997/03/12/crow-city-of-angels. 
  9. ↑ "See the Crow!". Sega Saturn Magazine (Emap International Limited) (10): 8. August 1996. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 Kitts, Jeff (April 8, 1997). "The Crow: City of Angels Review". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/crow-city-of-angels-review/1900-2547175/. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 Williamson, Colin (July 1997). "PC Gamer Online". Future plc. http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/283.html. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 Nutter, Lee (July 1997). "Review: The Crow: City of Angels". Sega Saturn Magazine (Emap International Limited) (21): 70–71. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "PlayStation ProReview: The Crow: City of Angels". GamePro (IDG) (103): 81. April 1997. 
  14. ↑ "The Good the Bad and the Silly". 1998 Video Game Buyer's Guide (Ziff Davis): 26, 32. March 1998. 
  15. ↑ "The 50 worst games of all time". May 1, 2015. http://www.gamesradar.com/worst-games-all-time/. 
  • 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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