Software:The Grinch (video game)

From HandWiki
Short description: 2000 video game
For the Game Boy Color version, see The Grinch (Game Boy Color video game).
The Grinch
North American cover art for PlayStation
Developer(s)Artificial Mind & Movement (PS & DC)
Konami (PC)
Publisher(s)Konami
Platform(s)PlayStation, Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows
ReleasePlayStation
  • NA: November 10, 2000[1]
  • EU: December 8, 2000
Dreamcast
  • NA: November 22, 2000[1]
  • EU: December 15, 2000
Windows
  • NA: December 4, 2000
  • EU: December 15, 2000
Genre(s)Platformer[2]
Mode(s)Single-player

The Grinch is a 2000 platform video game loosely based on the film How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Developed by Artificial Mind & Movement and published by Konami, the game was released in North America one week prior to the film's theatrical release—November 10, 2000. George Lowe does uncredited work as the narrator of the game.

Gameplay

As the Grinch, the player can jump, ground pound, and use his smelly breath to guide his way through various obstacles in the game. As the game progresses different gadgets are unlocked which are used to complete different tasks. Various characters from the book and film appear as well, usually as an obstacle for the Grinch to bypass.

Plot

The Grinch stares down at Whoville through his telescope from Mount Crumpit, planning to take the Whos' presents using his gadgets. He goes into his cave, and looks through his blueprints deciding which gadget to make first. However, the Grinch accidentally falls off his mountain of boxes and his blueprints fly away down to Whoville and various parts of Wholand. The Grinch visits Whoville, the Whoforest, Whoville Municipal Dump, and Wholake, destroying Christmas presents, playing pranks on the Whos and recovering pieces of his blueprints in the process so he can steal Christmas.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
DreamcastPCPS
AllGame2/5[9]3.5/5[10]2.5/5[11]
EGMN/AN/A2.67/10[14][lower-alpha 1]
Game InformerN/AN/A5/10[15]
GameFanN/AN/A69%[16]
GameSpot6.3/10[17]N/A4.8/10[2]
GameSpy4/10[18]N/AN/A
GameZoneN/AN/A8/10[19]
IGNN/A5.5/10[20]5/10[21]
Next GenerationN/AN/A2/5[22]
OPM (US)N/AN/A1.5/5[23]
PC ZoneN/A65%[24]N/A
The Cincinnati EnquirerN/A2.5/5[25]2.5/5[25]
Aggregate scores
GameRankings50%[3]50%[4]56%[5]
Metacritic51/100[6]55/100[7]55/100[8]

The Dreamcast, PC, and PlayStation versions received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[6][7][8] John Gaudiosi of NextGen's review for the latter console version had positive comments on controls and graphics, but called the gameplay dull and not challenging and recommended the game only for Grinch fans.[22] Star Dingo of GamePro's website-only review said, "While a scant few of The Grinch's tasks are fun, the rest are either boring, frustrating, or both."[26][lower-alpha 2]

The game sold almost 20,000 units and generated $660,000 in revenue.[27]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ In Electronic Gaming Monthly's review of the PlayStation version, two critics gave it each a score of 3/10, and the other gave it 2/10.
  2. ↑ GamePro gave the PlayStation version three 2.5/5 scores for graphics, control, and fun factor, and 4/5 for sound.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 GameSpot staff (2000-11-10). "The Grinch Ships for the PlayStation [date mislabeled as "May 17, 2006""]. Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-grinch-ships-for-the-playstation/1100-2652640/. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Provo, Frank (December 20, 2000). "The Grinch Review (PS)". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-grinch-review/1900-2667228/. 
  3. ↑ "The Grinch for Dreamcast". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/dreamcast/913954-the-grinch/index.html. 
  4. ↑ "The Grinch for PC". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/913927-the-grinch/index.html. 
  5. ↑ "The Grinch for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/913934-the-grinch/index.html. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "The Grinch critic reviews (DC)". Fandom. https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-grinch/critic-reviews/?platform=dreamcast. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "The Grinch critic reviews (PC)". Fandom. https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-grinch/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "The Grinch critic reviews (PS)". Fandom. https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-grinch/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation. 
  9. ↑ Rovi Games. "The Grinch - Overview". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=25297. 
  10. ↑ House, Michael L.. "The Grinch (PC) - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=25298&tab=review. 
  11. ↑ Deci, T.J.. "The Grinch - Overview". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=25296. 
  12. ↑ Saltzman, Marc (December 26, 2000). "The Grinch - PC Review". CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0%2C6%2C0-5118%2C00.html. 
  13. ↑ D'Aprile, Jason (December 4, 2000). "The Grinch - PlayStation Review". CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Psx/Reviews/Tg/. 
  14. ↑ Johnston, Chris; Mielke, James "Milkman"; Lockhart, Ryan (January 2001). "Review Crew: The Grinch". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (138): 203. https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_138_January_2001_U/page/n201/mode/2up. Retrieved May 30, 2022. 
  15. ↑ Fitzloff, Jay (February 2001). "PlayStation Quickies: The Grinch". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (94): 89. https://archive.org/details/game-informer-issue-94-february-2001/page/88/mode/2up. 
  16. ↑ "The Grinch (PS)". GameFan (BPA International). November 16, 2000. 
  17. ↑ Provo, Frank (February 2, 2001). "The Grinch Review". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-grinch-review/1900-2681870/. 
  18. ↑ The Mad Giraffe (February 6, 2001). "The Grinch". IGN Entertainment. http://www.planetdreamcast.com/games/reviews/thegrinch/. 
  19. ↑ Suzi Sez (February 13, 2001). "The Grinch Review - PlayStation". http://psx.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r15316.htm. 
  20. ↑ Shif, Gil Alexander (December 8, 2000). "The Grinch (PC)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/12/09/the-grinch. 
  21. ↑ Conrad, Jeremy (December 6, 2000). "The Grinch (PS)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/12/07/the-grinch-2. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Gaudiosi, John (January 2001). "The Grinch (PS)". NextGen (Imagine Media) (73): 106. https://archive.org/details/NextGen73Jan2001/page/n107/mode/2up. Retrieved May 30, 2022. 
  23. ↑ Steinman, Gary (December 2000). "The Grinch". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) (39): 172. https://archive.org/details/official-u.-s.-playstation-magazine-issue-39-december-2000/page/172/mode/2up. Retrieved March 28, 2024. 
  24. ↑ Pratchett, Rhianna (February 2001). "The Grinch". PC Zone (Dennis Publishing) (99): 73. https://archive.org/details/PC_Zone_Issue_099_2001-02_Dennis_Publishing_GB/page/n71/mode/2up. Retrieved May 30, 2022. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Saltzman, Marc (January 17, 2001). "Grinch game no bonus, thanks to outdated look". The Cincinnati Enquirer (Gannett Company). http://www.cincinnati.com/freetime/games/reviews/011701_grinch.html. 
  26. ↑ Star Dingo (December 13, 2000). "The Grinch Review for PlayStation on GamePro.com". GamePro (IDG). http://gamepro.com/sony/psx/games/reviews/7625.shtml. Retrieved March 28, 2024. 
  27. ↑ Donahue, Ann; Swanson, Tim (December 26, 2000). "Pic vidgames tilt to gilt". Variety (Penske Media Corporation). https://variety.com/2000/digital/news/pic-vidgames-tilt-to-gilt-1117790983/. Retrieved February 9, 2024. 
  • 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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