Software:The Emperor's New Groove (video game)

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The Emperor's New Groove
North American PlayStation box art
Developer(s)Argonaut Games (PS/PC)
Sandbox Studios (GBC)
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment (PS)
Disney Interactive (PC)
Ubi Soft (GBC)
Producer(s)Mark Bevan (PS/PC)
Jamie Walker (PS/PC)
Designer(s)Stephen Jarrett[1] (PS/PC)
Programmer(s)Harrison Bernardez (PS)
Jani Peltonen (PC)
Artist(s)Stuart Scott (PS/PC)
Wayne Billingham (PS/PC)
Composer(s)Justin Scharvona[2] (PS/PC)
Platform(s)PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Color
ReleasePlayStation
  • NA: November 13, 2000
  • EU: February 16, 2001
Microsoft Windows
  • NA: November 21, 2000
  • EU: February 16, 2001
Game Boy Color
  • NA: December 31, 2000
  • EU: March 16, 2001
PlayStation Store
  • NA: July 27, 2010
Genre(s)Platformer
Mode(s)Single-player

The Emperor's New Groove is the name of two video games based on the 2000 Disney movie of the same name, one developed by Argonaut Games for the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows and the other by Sandbox Studios for the Game Boy Color.

Gameplay

The Emperor's New Groove is a platformer in which the player controls Kuzco from a third-person perspective, progressing through a linear succession of levels based on locations from the movie. The primary goal of the game is to get to the end of each level without losing all health.

Throughout the levels are placed several coins. Collecting all coins in a level rewards the player with a large gold coin and is necessary for 100% completion. To achieve this, the player is usually required to defeat enemies and uncover secrets within each level.

Some levels involve Kuzco drinking magic elixirs, turning him into a frog, a turtle, or a rabbit, each with specific abilities needed to complete the level.

Plot

The PlayStation and PC versions of The Emperor's New Groove loosely follow the plot of the movie, from which they also include several cutscenes at the start or end of certain levels. Emperor Kuzco has been transformed into a llama by his evil advisor Yzma, who has subsequently taken over his throne. Kuzco befriends the peasant Pacha and together they seek to confront Yzma and her henchman Kronk to obtain an elixir that will return Kuzco to his human form. There are some new characters not present in the movie, such as a boy riding a llama-shaped bike who throughout the game challenges Kuzco to a race.

Development

Argonaut Games founder Jez San noted that the game's development team tried to keep the game's plot and setting close to that of the movie while also "exaggerating some elements of the movie that would make great game scenarios", specifically pointing to the scene in the movie with the roller coaster leading to Yzma's laboratory, which played a minor role in the movie but was made into a much larger aspect of the game.[3]

The PlayStation and PC versions of The Emperor's New Groove were developed using the same game engine as Croc 2, following Argonaut's common strategy of reusing game engines and development tools from their previously created games.[4] Argonaut developed The Emperor's New Groove at the same time as Disney's Aladdin in Nasira's Revenge,[5] another 3D platformer also built from the Croc 2 engine. The Emperor's New Groove shares many graphical and gameplay similarities to Nasira's Revenge as a result of this.

Before its release on the PlayStation, Argonaut believed that The Emperor's New Groove had potential to be updated and rereleased on upcoming next generation consoles,[5] but an updated game was never attempted. The PlayStation version's voice acting and subtitles were localized into nine languages for the PAL region.[6][Note 1]

Release

Demo versions of The Emperor's New Groove on PlayStation were exhibited at the European Computer Trade Show in September 2000, alongside other upcoming games from Disney Interactive.[7]

A DVD-Rom demo of The Emperor’s New Groove was included on the DVD release of the game's respective movie counterpart, accessible by inserting the DVD into a PC.[8]

In 2010, the game was ported to the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Portable as a PS one Classic digital download on the PlayStation Store.[9] In 2012, the game was also made downloadable for the PlayStation Vita.[10]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings71%[11]
Metacritic66/100[12]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarStar[13]
EGM7.5/10[14]
Game Informer8.25/10[15]
GameProStarStarStarHalf star[16]
GameRevolutionB−[17]
GameSpot7.5/10[18]
IGN6.5/10[19]
Next GenerationStarStarStar[20]
OPM (US)StarStarStarHalf star[21]

The Emperor's New Groove received mixed reviews, holding an aggregate score of 71% on GameRankings[11] and 66/100 on Metacritic.[12]

Writing for video game news website IGN, Jeremy Conrad compared the gameplay of the game to the games in the Spyro the Dragon trilogy of games, noting the similarities in controls and gameplay style. Conrad ultimately gave the game a 6.5 out of 10, stating that the game "doesn't offer anything that we haven't seen before" and criticizing the game's difficulty and short length, while praising the gameplay for its variety and "spot-on" controls and also praising its graphics and music and highlighting the game's self-aware dialogue as an enjoyable aspect.

Reviewer Jon Thompson of Allgame spoke positively of the game, praising it for its graphics, music, and controls while also criticizing the game for its short length.[13] Electronic Gaming Monthly praised the game's presentation, noting that it had "wit and sarcasm" similar to the film it was based on, but was more critical of its gameplay, calling it "a mixed bag" and praising the level variety but criticizing the repetition of certain gameplay elements.[14] Star Dingo of GamePro gave the game a 3.5 out of 5, commending the game's self-aware sense of humor and level variety, though they also noted the game's similarities to other 3D platformer games, concluding that "The Emperor may have found himself a brand new groove, but the gameplay sits squarely in the niche formed by a thousand other 3D games...".[16] Frank Provo of GameSpot was critical of the game's sound quality and low difficulty and particularly criticized the camera as being "jittery and out of control" at times, but ultimately lauded the game's variety and presentation, noting the game's graphics to be "underwhelming from a visual standpoint" at the beginning of the game but becoming more interesting as the game progressed, concluding that the game "does more right than it does wrong" and calling the game "pretty, funny, and pretty funny- the way a Disney game should be".[18]

David Chen reviewed the PlayStation version of the game for Next Generation, rating it three stars out of five, calling it "neither challenging nor captivating, but a solid game nonetheless".[20]

Sales

By August 2001, the PlayStation and PC versions of The Emperor's New Groove had together sold 400,000 copies, which Argonaut Games deemed as disappointing.[22] As a result, the game did not generate any royalty income for Argonaut during the year following its release.[23]

Notes

  1. ↑ PlayStation localizations include: Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish and Swedish. A Portuguese localization also exists for the PC version.

References

  1. ↑ Jarrett, Stephen (13 February 2018). How to Inspire Great Game Design (Speech). White Nights Conference. Prague, Czech Republic. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12.
  2. ↑ Scharvona, Justin. "Video Games Portfolio". https://justin-s.com/portfolio/emperors-new-groove/. 
  3. ↑ Davies, Ben (2000). "Q&A with Jez San of Argonaut". https://www.gamespot.com/articles/qanda-with-jez-san-of-argonaut/1100-2614264/. Retrieved November 3, 2017. 
  4. ↑ Paul, Julian (4 May 2000). "Interim Statement". http://www.argonaut.com/assets/press/release_040500.pdf. Retrieved 14 January 2021. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Argonaut Games PLC announces investment in LTStudios". 7 July 2000. http://www.argonaut.com/assets/press/release_170700.pdf. Retrieved 14 January 2021. 
  6. ↑ "Disney's The Emperor's New Groove". https://psxdatacenter.com/games/P/D/SCES-03010.html. 
  7. ↑ "ECTS 2000: ECTS Opens With a Bang". 2 September 2000. https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/09/02/ects-2000-ects-opens-with-a-bang-2. 
  8. ↑ "Walt Disney Pictures' THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE; Disney DVD and 'Ultimate Groove' 2-Disc DVD Set; Wild Animated Fun In The Spirit of Disney's ALADDIN Available To Own May 1.". 2001. https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Walt+Disney+Pictures%27+THE+EMPEROR%27S+NEW+GROOVE%3b+Disney+DVD+and...-a070703096. 
  9. ↑ Chen, Grace (27 July 2010). "PlayStation Store Update". https://blog.playstation.com/2010/07/27/playstation-store-update-149/. Retrieved 16 January 2021. 
  10. ↑ "PSOne Classics List". 17 December 2015. https://www.ign.com/wikis/ps-vita/PSOne_Classics_List#Current_list_of_incompatible_PSOne_games. Retrieved 16 January 2021. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Disney's The Emperor's New Groove". GameRankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps/374992-disneys-the-emperors-new-groove/index.html. Retrieved 2014-02-26. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Disney's The Emperor's New Groove for PlayStation Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/disneys-the-emperors-new-groove/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Thompson, Jon. "Disney's The Emperor's New Groove (PS) - Review". Allgame. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=25265&tab=review. Retrieved 2014-02-26. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "The Emperor's New Groove (PS)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. February 2001. Archived from the original on 2001-02-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20010211031325/http://www.zdnet.com/egm/stories/main/0,11589,2668368,00.html. Retrieved 2014-02-26. 
  15. ↑ Helgeson, Matt (December 2000). "Disney's The Emperor's New Groove (PS)". Game Informer (92): 108. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Star Dingo (2000-12-14). "The Emperor's New Groove Review for PlayStation on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on 2005-02-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20050215023408/http://gamepro.com/sony/psx/games/reviews/9940.shtml. Retrieved 2014-02-26. 
  17. ↑ Liu, Johnny (December 2000). "Emperor's New Groove Review (PS)". Game Revolution. http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/emperors-new-groove. Retrieved 2014-02-26. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Provo, Frank (2000-11-28). "The Emperor's New Groove Review (PS)". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-emperors-new-groove-review/1900-2658772/. Retrieved 2014-02-26. 
  19. ↑ Conrad, Jeremy (2000-11-28). "Disney's The Emperor's New Groove (PS)". http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/11/29/disneys-the-emperors-new-groove. Retrieved 2014-02-26. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Chen, David (April 2001). "Finals". Next Generation (Imagine Media) 4 (4): 85. 
  21. ↑ "The Emperor's New Groove". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. January 2001. 
  22. ↑ "Trading Update For Year Ended July 2001". 7 August 2001. http://www.argonaut.com/assets/press/release_070801.pdf. Retrieved 14 January 2021. 
  23. ↑ "Argonaut Games PLC Preliminary Announcement For Year Ended July 2001". 11 October 2001. http://www.argonaut.com/assets/press/preliminary_results_july_2001.pdf. Retrieved 14 January 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. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari



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

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