Software:The Messenger (2001 video game)

From HandWiki
The Messenger
North American Windows cover art
Developer(s)4x Technologies
Arxel Tribe
Visual Impact
Publisher(s)Wanadoo Edition
Canal+ Multimedia
Réunion des Musées Nationaux
Microïds (PlayStation and Mac version)
DreamCatcher Interactive (North America)
Platform(s)Mac OS, PlayStation, Windows, iOS
ReleasemacOS
  • EU: 2000
  • WW: 15 March 2012
Windows
  • EU: 9 November 2000
  • NA: 14 February 2001
PlayStation
  • EU: 16 November 2000
iOS
14 March 2012
Genre(s)Adventure game
Mode(s)Single-player

The Messenger (original French title: Louvre: L'Ultime Malédiction, "Louvre: The Final Curse") is an adventure game released in Europe in 2000, and in North America in February 2001. It was co-developed by 4x Technologies, Arxel Tribe and Visual Impact and jointly published by Wanadoo Edition, Canal+ Multimedia and the Réunion des Musées Nationaux.

Gameplay

Plot

The Secret Service Agent Morgan Sinclair has been charged with the mission to retrieve four mystical artifacts called Satan's Keys from the Louvre Museum. These four keys, when joined together, cause complete global annihilation. Morgan goes back in time to three periods in time when various kings used the Louvre as their residential palaces: Charles V Mediaeval period, Henry IV Renaissance period, Louis XV 1789 French Revolution period, and then return safely to present day. In this race against evil and against time, she needs to find the keys before the vengeful descendants of an evil cult of Black Templars combine these mystic artifacts, triggering Armageddon.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic61/100[1]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Adventure GamersStarStarStarHalf star[2]
AllGameStarStarStarHalf star[3]
CGMStarStarStar[4]
GameSpot5.9/10[5]
GameZone7.5/10[6]
IGN6.1/10[7]
PC Gamer (US)64%[8]

The Messenger received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[1] Ron Dulin of GameSpot wrote: "There are two types of adventure games. There are those in which the puzzles and story are fully integrated with the game, and one lends itself to the other. And there are those that are primarily a series of puzzles, in which the story, if there even is one, is an afterthought. The Messenger is an average example of the second type, desperately trying to pass itself off as the first."[5] According to Robert Gerbino of GameZone, "everything about this game is solid. Unfortunately there is nothing about it that will knock you into next week. If you are an adventure guru, then it's worth your paper."[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "The Messenger for PC Reviews". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 1 February 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150201080528/http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/the-messenger. Retrieved 17 June 2015. 
  2. ↑ Fournier, Heidi (22 June 2004). "The Messenger Review". https://adventuregamers.com/articles/view/17726. Retrieved 9 January 2019. 
  3. ↑ Smith, Ted. "The Messenger - Review". All Media Network. Archived from the original on 16 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141116191641/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=33152&tab=review. Retrieved 8 January 2019. 
  4. ↑ Morgan, Cindy Kyser (6 April 2001). "The Messenger". Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on 28 February 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20030228123127/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/032/084/messenger-01.html. Retrieved 9 January 2019. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Dulin, Ron (23 February 2001). "The Messenger Review [date mislabeled as "March 16, 2003""]. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2 March 2001. https://web.archive.org/web/20010302160854/http://www.zdnet.com/gamespot/stories/reviews/0,10867,2689550,00.html. Retrieved 8 January 2019. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Gerbino, Robert (28 February 2001). "The Messenger". Archived from the original on 16 February 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050216192158/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r17309.htm. Retrieved 8 January 2019. 
  7. ↑ Lopez, Vincent (8 March 2001). "The Messenger". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/03/09/the-messenger. Retrieved 8 January 2019. 
  8. ↑ Poole, Stephen (May 2001). "The Messenger". PC Gamer (Future US) 8 (5). Archived from the original on 15 March 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060315135126/http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/06/the_messenger.html. Retrieved 9 January 2019. 
  • Official website
  • 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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