Software:Three Lions (video game)

From HandWiki
Three Lions
Developer(s)Z-Axis
Tarantula Studios (GBC)
Publisher(s)Take-Two Interactive
Composer(s)Allister Brimble
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, Game Boy Color
Release
  • EU: 17 April 1998
  • EU: 1999 (GBC)
  • NA: 21 May 1999 (PS)
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

Three Lions (The Official England Team Game), released in North America as Alexi Lalas International Soccer, is a video game developed by Z-Axis and published by Take-Two Interactive, based on European football (soccer). It was released for the PC, PlayStation and Game Boy Color on 17 April 1998 and in 1999 as the official video game of the English Football Association. Originally announced under the title "Major League Soccer",[1] it was also marketed under other names in other regions, including Golden Goal 98, Bomba:98 All Champions Challenge, Mundial:98 and Pro:Foot Contest 98.

Cover stars

Editions of the game in different regions feature native international footballers. In France, Pro:Foot Contest 98 features Didier Deschamps, in Italy, Bomba:98 All Champions Challenge features Roberto Di Matteo,[2] in North America, Alexi Lalas International Soccer features Alexi Lalas.[3]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings49%[4]
Review scores
PublicationScore
CVGStarStar[6]
Edge7/10[7]
EGM3.25/10[8][lower-alpha 1]
Game Informer2.25/10[9]
GameSpot3.3/10[10]
IGN5.5/10[3]
Next GenerationStarStarStar[11]
OPM (US)Star[12]
PC Gamer (UK)(PC) 41%[13]
PSMStarStarHalf star[14]

The PlayStation version received unfavorable reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[4]

Next Generation said, "If you're looking for speedy, no-nonsense physical play, you could do a lot worse than Alexi Lalas International Soccer."[11] Extreme PlayStation said, "Three Lions doesn't boast great graphics and has a few niggling flaws (like the omission of any type of analog control), but there's enough innovation and gameplay here to give the other World Cup bandwagon games a run for their money."[15]

Notes

  1. ↑ Two critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game each a score of 2.5/10, and two others gave it each a score of 4/10.

References

  1. ↑ "Sports Insider Previews: Major League Soccer". GamePro (IDG) (107): 85. August 1997. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_107_Volume_09_Number_08_1997-08_IDG_Publishing_US/page/n85/mode/2up. Retrieved 2023-07-30. 
  2. ↑ "GOLDEN GOAL 98 - (PAL)". Archived from the original on 2020-06-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20200628214015/https://psxdatacenter.com/games/P/G/SLES-01222.html. Retrieved 2023-07-30. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Perry, Douglass C. (1999-05-26). "Alexi Lalas International Soccer". Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 2020-06-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20200629173423/https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/05/27/alexi-lalas-international-soccer. Retrieved 2023-07-30. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Alexi Lalas International Soccer for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 2019-05-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20190501055826/https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/196576-alexi-lalas-international-soccer/index.html. Retrieved 2020-10-20. 
  5. ↑ Marrin, John (1999-05-11). "Alexi Lalas International Soccer (PS)". CNET. Archived from the original on 2000-08-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20000823171501/http://gamecenter.com/Consoles/Sony/Alexilalas/. Retrieved 2023-07-30. 
  6. ↑ Key, Steve (June 1998). "Three Lions (PS)". Computer and Video Games (EMAP) (199): 54. https://archive.org/details/Computer_and_Video_Games_Issue_199_1998-06_EMAP_Images_GB/page/n77/mode/2up. Retrieved 2020-10-20. 
  7. ↑ Edge staff (June 1998). "Three Lions (PC, PS)". Edge (Future Publishing) (59): 94. Archived from the original on 2023-07-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20230703200410/https://retrocdn.net/images/7/77/Edge_UK_059.pdf. Retrieved 2023-07-30. 
  8. ↑ Davison, John; Hsu, Dan "Shoe"; Chou, Che; Hager, Dean (August 1999). "Alexi Lalas International Soccer". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (121): 126. Archived from the original on 2023-01-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20230127015505/https://retrocdn.net/images/5/57/EGM_US_121.pdf. Retrieved 2023-07-30. 
  9. ↑ "Alexi Lalas Int'l Soccer". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (74). June 1999. 
  10. ↑ Smith, Josh (1999-06-02). "Alexi Lalas International Soccer Review [date mislabeled as "May 2, 2000""]. Fandom. Archived from the original on 2005-01-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20050112113103/http://www.gamespot.com/ps/sports/alexilalasis/review.html. Retrieved 2023-07-30. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Alexi Lalas International Soccer". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (56): 91. August 1999. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_56/page/n91/mode/2up. Retrieved 2020-10-20. 
  12. ↑ Kujawa, Kraig (August 1999). "Alexi Lalas Int'l Soccer". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) 2 (11): 88. https://archive.org/details/Official_US_PlayStation_Magazine_Volume_2_Issue_11_1999-08_Ziff_Davis_US/page/n87/mode/2up. Retrieved 2020-10-20. 
  13. ↑ Pierce, Matthew (July 1998). "Three Lions". PC Gamer UK (Future Publishing) (58). Archived from the original on 2000-10-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20001031231735/http://www.pcgamer.co.uk/games/gamefile_review_page.asp?item_id=1255. Retrieved 2023-07-30. 
  14. ↑ "Alexi Lalas International Soccer". PSM (Imagine Media) (24): 38. August 1999. https://archive.org/details/psm-issue-024-august-1999_202301/page/n37/mode/2up. Retrieved 2023-07-30. 
  15. ↑ "Three Lions". Extreme PlayStation (Quay Publishing) (6): 42–43. June 1998. https://archive.org/details/extreme-playstation-06/page/42/mode/2up. Retrieved 2021-08-26. 
  • 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. 
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