Software:TigerShark

From HandWiki
Short description: 1997 video game
TigerShark
PlayStation Cover Art
Developer(s)n-Space
Publisher(s)GT Interactive
Platform(s)PlayStation, Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: 25 March 1997[1]
  • EU: 10 August 1997 (PC)
  • EU: 1997 (PS)
Genre(s)Combat flight simulator
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

TigerShark is a 1997 video game published by GT Interactive for the PlayStation and Windows, and the first game to be released by its developer, n-Space.

Story

TigerShark is set in the Japanese Archipelago in the near future, where the Japanese Economic Collective have turned to sources of geothermal power known as 'geothermal taps' in the faultline across the Japanese coast. A series of major earthquakes caused by tapping into this faultline destabilise and sink many of the Japanese islands. Sensing an opportunity, a rogue commander of the Federated States of Russia invades and occupies the remainder of Japan, planning to continue to mine the faultline for energy. The player is tasked to launch a counter-invasion by the United States against the rogue Russian commander, and in turn save the world.[2]

Gameplay

TigerShark is a naval combat game in which the player operates the titular Tigershark, a futuristic hydrofoil powered submarine. It features a unique mechanic in which the player alternates between navigating the vessel both at and below the ocean's surface in 3D. Players encounter varied enemies, including small and large ships, cruisers, fixed and moving guns, and mines, and can use a number of weapons, including torpedoes, flak, and main guns.[3]

The game features one training level and nine regular levels, assigning players with multiple targets, from radars to large installations, which the player must destroy to reach the next mission.[4] Some missions require the player to complete additional objectives, such as escorting and protecting allies, or escaping a volcano before it erupts.[3]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
PCPS
CGSPStarStarStar[12]
EGM5.0[10]
GameSpot5.7[8]
IGN6.5[4]
Next GenerationStarStarStar[11]
PC PowerPlay74%[9]
Official Australian PlayStation Magazine7/10[5]
PlayStation Pro4/10[6]
Computer Game Entertainment76%[7]

Reviews for TigerShark were average. Positive reviews focused upon the novelty of the gameplay, with praise for the originality of its mechanics. Peter Sharpe of PC Powerplay remarked that "being able to quickly submerge and surface is enjoyable as the action dynamically changes depending on your depth".[9] A reviewer for Computer Games Strategy Plus agreed, praising how the "controls available expand considerably at the same time that you have to start thinking in 3D" when in the underwater mode.[12] A reviewer for Next Generation stated that TigerShark's premise is "promising and earns points for uniqueness".[11]

Negative reviews of TigerShark critiqued the repetition and difficulty of the gameplay. In a particularly low review, Peter Sharpe of PlayStation Pro expressed that the game "plays badly", stating that "variation is something that doesn't feature strongly in TigerShark", as "players will soon bore of blasting the copious, bland and uninteresting enemies".[6] Reviewers for Electronic Gaming Monthly expressed frustration for the "unfair" and unbalanced difficulty of the game, as "enemy opponents are everywhere and are practically unstoppable".[10] Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot also expressed annoyance that "many of the missions are very difficult, and you must start each one from the beginning every time if you die".[8]

Reviewers provided mixed opinions about the presentation of the game. A reviewer for Next Generation critiqued the lack of detail in the game, noting "the undersea and surface environments are not very graphically compelling".[11]Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot stated "Tigershark's graphics are decent, but the murky sea depths lack detail...The game moves smoothly enough, though the objects could have use more polygons - as it is everything looks square".[8] Reviewers also expressed mixed opinions on the graphics requirements. Peter Smith of Computer Games Strategy Plus stated "TigerShark looks good normally, but throw a 3Dfx accelerator card into your rig and it looks spectacular".[12] Peter Sharpe of PC Powerplay critiqued the system requirements for the game with other cards, stating "a stock standard Pentium 133 will move the frame rate along at an acceptable rate, but the graphics are best described as average.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Online Gaming Review". 1997-06-06. http://www.ogr.com/news/news0397.html. 
  2. ↑ McNally, Steve (April 1996). "You're A Tiger". PlayStation Pro (6): 76–77. https://archive.org/details/playstation-pro-06/page/76/mode/2up?q=tigershark. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Engel, Barak. "Tigershark". http://www.gamesdomain.co.uk/gdreview/zones/reviews/pc/may97/tgrshark.html. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Tiger Shark". 13 December 2018. https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/09/05/tiger-shark. 
  5. ↑ "TigerShark". Official Australian PlayStation Magazine (3): 56. Autumn 1997. https://archive.org/details/Official_AUS_PlayStation_Magazine_Issue_003_1997_Next_Gaming_AU_autumn_edition/page/56/mode/2up?q=tigershark. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Sharp, Andy (December 1997). "TigerShark". PlayStation Pro (15): 54–55. https://archive.org/download/playstation-pro-15/Playstation%20Pro%20%2315.pdf. 
  7. ↑ Mooney, Shane (August 1997). "TigerShark". Computer Game Entertainment (2): 105. https://archive.org/details/cge-02/page/104. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Gerstmann, Jeff (2 May 2000). "Tigershark Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/tigershark-review/1900-2549776/. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Sharpe, Peter (August 1997). "Tigershark". PC PowerPlay (15): 72. https://archive.org/details/PCPowerplay-015-1997-08. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Tiger Shark". Electronic Gaming Monthly (92): 52. March 1997. https://archive.org/details/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20092%20%28March%201997%29/page/n53/mode/2up. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "TigerShark". Next Generation (29): 150. May 1997. https://archive.org/details/NextGeneration29May1997/page/n151/mode/2up?q=tigershark. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Smith, Peter (August 1997). "TigerShark". Next Generation (29): 95. https://archive.org/details/computer-games-strategy-plus-august-1997/page/94/mode/2up?q=tigershark. 
  • 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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