Software:The Mafat Conspiracy

From HandWiki
Short description: 1990 video game
The Mafat Conspiracy
North American cover art
Developer(s)Aicom
Publisher(s)Vic Tokai
Composer(s)Toshiko Tasaki
SeriesGolgo 13
Platform(s)Nintendo Entertainment System
Release
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

The Mafat Conspiracy (ゴルゴ13 第二章イカロスの謎, Gorugo Sātīn Dai-Nishou Ikarosu no Nazo; Golgo 13 Episode 2: The Riddle of Icarus) is a Nintendo Entertainment System video game released in 1990. It is the sequel to Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode. It was published by Vic Tokai, which went defunct in 1997.

The Mafat Conspiracy follows professional hitman Golgo 13, who is hired to stop the mysterious terrorist organization Mafat, an organization working to provoke war between the United States and Soviet Union.

Plot

An American weapons satellite has mysteriously fallen out of orbit and crashed in the Alps, and threatening letters have been sent to the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union. The letters are from the mysterious terrorist organization known as the Mafat Revolutionary Group. Mafat plans to extort both the Americans and Soviets by threatening to make all their satellites fall from space. They demand the Soviets hand over their research on electromagnetic waves, and the Americans surrender the USS Los Angeles, a submarine equipped with nuclear warheads.

Professional hitman Golgo 13 is hired by a CIA operative named James to eliminate the leader of Mafat, destroy the Satellite Capture System, and free Dr. Barrows, the inventor of the Satellite Capture System. Golgo is sent to Paris to rescue Barrows. After discovering the Mafat hideout with assistance from a female CIA operative named Sylvia, Golgo infiltrates the hideout, only to run into a mysterious terrorist who calls himself Arm of Mafat. He tells Golgo that Barrows was taken to a different location, and attacks him. Golgo subdues Arm of Mafat, and escapes from the hideout before it self-destructs.

Shortly after escaping, Golgo is confronted by KGB Chief Gerbich, who tries to get Golgo to tell him what the Americans are planning, but to no avail. Gerbich departs, and James arrives with the next assignment. He tells Golgo that Barrows was likely taken to Venice. Golgo and Sylvia head to Venice by car, but are then ambushed by a helicopter piloted by Gerbich. Golgo snipes Gerbich from the car, causing the helicopter to crash with Gerbich inside, killing him instantly.

Golgo meets James at the Piazza San Marco in Venice, where he informs him that a Soviet satellite has crashed in the heart of Moscow, which has put the leaders of both the U.S. and USSR on edge. Golgo meets Sylvia back at his hotel room, where she shares intel with Golgo on Afghan terrorist Ahmad Kahn, who knows the location of Mafat’s base. Golgo boards the Orient Express and confronts Kahn. He defeats Kahn, who tells him that Mafat’s base is located in Afghanistan, but is killed before he can reveal anything else.

In Afghanistan, Golgo finally discovers and infiltrates the Mafat base, and discovers Dr. Barrows, who reveals himself to be the leader of Mafat. Barrows tells Golgo that he created Mafat to take revenge on both the Americans and Soviets, who dismissed his research. He then activates the base’s self-destruct sequence to try and eliminate Golgo, but he narrowly escapes. After escaping, Golgo finds Barrows through his sniper scope and takes him out before he can escape. The United Nations forces then eliminates the remaining Mafat members, and the Satellite Capture System research is taken back by the Americans.

A few days later, a mortally wounded Sylvia arrives at Golgo’s hotel room in Istanbul. She tells him that she was shot by James, who has stolen Dr. Barrows’ research and is preparing to defect to the USSR. In her final moments, she asks Golgo to take out James before he leaves Turkey, even though she has no way to pay Golgo for the hit. As the two of them had become close during their past mission together, Golgo accepts her request, and she dies shortly after. Golgo arrives at Atatürk Airport and discovers James as he is about to board the plane to Moscow. He kills him, then departs the scene as the research documents are scattered everywhere.

Gameplay

Golgo 13 takes aim.

The action in this game takes place on five different types of screens: a timed horizontally scrolling screen, a timed stationary screen, a timed 3-D Honda NSX action screen, a 3-D maze screen, and a sniper screen. The horizontally scrolling stages pit Golgo against enemies armed with pistols, machine guns, scythes, boomerangs, grenades, and knives. Golgo will also face scorpions and dogs. Golgo is armed with a gun and can pick up ammo along the way. He can also kick enemies.

The stationary screens let the player punch and kick the enemies, which include Arm of Mafat, who is inside the Mafat hideout, Bodyguard, who protects Ahmad Khan, and Canine, who awaits Golgo at the Mafat base. In addition to fighting enemies in the scrolling and stationary levels, Golgo will also do a lot of running and jumping.

In the car, Golgo can change gears and throw hand grenades at KGB vehicles.

In the mazes, Golgo can fire upon pistol-shooting, grenade-throwing and machine gun-toting enemies while exploring the various hallways and rooms. Golgo can also find an infrared scope that allows night vision.

The sniper screen, which makes use of Golgo’s experience as a hitman, features a close-up of him aiming a sniper rifle and in the background a close-up of the target site. When he is aiming the sniper rifle and preparing to fire, the wind speed and direction should be taken into consideration.

Throughout this game, CIA operatives James and Sylvia will provide Golgo with information on enemies and the location of Dr. Barrows, along with providing the necessary weapons.

Reception

Reception
Review score
PublicationScore
EGM7/10, 9/10, 7/10, 7/10[3]

References

  1. ↑ "ゴルゴ13 第二章 イカロスの謎 [ファミコン / ファミ通.com"]. http://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=2849. 
  2. ↑ Nintendo staff. "NES Games". Nintendo. https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/gameslist/manuals/nes_games.pdf. 
  3. ↑ Harris, Steve; Semrad, Ed; Alessi, Martin; Stockhausen, Jim (1990). "Electronic Gaming Review Crew". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Lombard, Illinois: Sendai Publications) (11). ISSN 1058-918X. https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/cf253bdf-0490-4412-8a8b-3eb157b51126. Retrieved April 24, 2026. 
  • 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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