Software:True Lies (video game)

From HandWiki
Short description: 1994 video game
True Lies
European Mega Drive cover art
Developer(s)Beam Software
Publisher(s)Acclaim Entertainment[lower-alpha 1]
Director(s)Cameron Brown
Composer(s)Marshall Parker[1]
Platform(s)Game Boy, Game Gear, Genesis, Super NES
Release1995
Genre(s)Run and gun
Mode(s)Single-player

True Lies is a top-view run and gun video game based on the 1994 film True Lies. The game was developed by Beam Software and published by Acclaim Entertainment. Four different versions of the game were released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, Game Gear, and Game Boy. The home versions and portable versions are drastically different from each other, but have similar play mechanics.

Gameplay

The player controls Harry Tasker, who is tasked with the duty of foiling the terrorist plot of Salim Abu Aziz. Each stage has a particular series of goals that the player must fulfill before reaching the stage's goal. Harry's abilities include the ability to keep his aim steady at one direction while shooting and a diving shoulder roll move that allows him to avoid enemy fire. The player has a health gauge and a limited number of lives, with power-ups available that restore health. In addition to enemies, there are also civilians that the player must not harm during shoot-outs. If the player kills three civilians in the same stage, he will be forced to restart the current stage at the cost of one life.

Harry starts each stage wielding only a semi-automatic pistol that has unlimited ammo, but must be reloaded after every 15 shots. In each stage, Harry can procure three additional firearms (an Uzi machine gun, a shotgun, and a flamethrower that takes the pistol's spot upon being equipped), as well as hand grenades and anti-personnel mines, which he can switch between at any point. Unlike the pistol, Harry's other weapons have limited ammunition (with a different maximum capacity) and individual ammo for each must be found if Harry runs out.

There are a total of nine stages, which consist of a chateau, a mall, a park, a subway, a dock, a Chinese city, an oil refinery, an overseas highway, and an office building. A password feature is available that allows the player to restart the game at later stages.

Stills from the movie mark the beginning of each level and the end of the game.

Portable versions

The portable versions of True Lies for the Game Boy and Game Gear are a bit simplified compared to the console versions for the Super NES and Sega Genesis. The Game Boy and Game Gear version are almost identical to each other, aside from the addition of colored graphics and the omission of a pause function in the Game Gear version. Although the play mechanics are similar, Harry's shoulder diving roll was removed due to limited controls, although all the weapons, except the flamethrower, are included. Only five stages (the chateau, the mall, the park, the docks, and the office building) are included and the level designs are completely different.

Reception

Next Generation reviewed the SNES version of the game, rating it two stars out of five, stating that "ten entire levels of this get plain monotonous".[2]

In Japan, Famicom Tsūshin gave the SNES and Genesis versions each a score of 22 out of 40.[3] Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the former console version a score of 7.125 out of 10, saying that the game's controls and graphics are surprisingly solid, and that the somewhat mindless and repetitive gameplay is relieved by the inclusion of secret areas and the variety of weapons.[4] GamePro commented that the graphics and music are mediocre, but that "the action gets frantic but never unbearable" and the game serves as an enjoyable throwback to overhead action-adventure games like Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Soldiers of Fortune.[5] Their review of the Genesis version stated it to be "identical to the recent SNES version".[6] A reviewer for Next Generation was also pleased with the Genesis version, remarking that the game is fun to play and true to the film it is based on. He gave it three out of five stars, concluding it to be "not incredibly original or pretty, just surprisingly fun".[7]

GamePro commented that the Game Gear version "isn't so much an entertainment vehicle as it is a torture device", citing severe slowdown which brings the game almost to a halt whenever more than two characters are onscreen, extraneous and confusing background details, irritating and repetitive sound effects, and poor controls.[8]

References

  1. ↑ VGMPF
  2. ↑ "Finals". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (5): 102. May 1995. 
  3. ↑ "NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: トゥルーライズ". Famicom Tsūshin 333: 30–31. May 5, 1995. 
  4. ↑ "Review Crew: True Lies". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (69): 35. April 1995. 
  5. ↑ "ProReview: True Lies". GamePro (IDG) (79): 62. April 1995. 
  6. ↑ "ProReview: True Lies". GamePro (IDG) (80): 48. May 1995. 
  7. ↑ "Honest". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (6): 111. June 1995. 
  8. ↑ "ProReview: True Lies". GamePro (IDG) (82): 82. July 1995. 
  1. ↑ Released under the LJN brand name on Nintendo systems.
  • 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. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.




Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:True_Lies_(video_game)&oldid=728265"