Software:Turrican

From HandWiki

Turrican is a 1990 video game developed by Manfred Trenz. It was developed for the Commodore 64 by Rainbow Arts, and was ported to other systems later. In addition to concept design and character creation, Trenz programmed Turrican on the Commodore 64. A sequel, Software:Turrican II: The Final Fight, followed in 1991 for the Commodore 64 and other platforms.

Gameplay

Level 1 (Atari ST version)

Turrican can be described as a cross between Metroid and Psycho-Nics Oscar.[1] While the huge levels and the morph-ball function were inspired by Metroid, the overall graphics design and weapons were inspired by Psycho-Nics Oscar. Unlike many other action games of its time, Turrican did not force the player to complete a linear level. Instead, the player can explore each level and uncover secrets.

Plot

The lost colony of Alterra is a completely man-made world in a nearby galaxy, abandoned long ago. Alterra consists of five self-contained habitats, separately bio-engineered by a powerful ecosystem generation network known as a Multiple Organism Unit Link, or MORGUL for short. Early colonists used MORGUL to render Alterra habitable, but a cataclysmic earthquake severed all system interface functions, and MORGUL murderously rebelled. The few colonists lucky enough to escape told a grim tale of a higher intelligence gone berserk.

For generations, mankind sought a return to Alterra. Finally, genetic science created a saviour: Turrican, a mutant warrior, bio-engineered for the task of planetary reclamation. In the meantime, MORGUL has diligently twisted Alterran life forms to his brutal, destructive purposes. Thus, Turrican's challenges consist of eliminating hostile organisms from Alterra's five multi-level worlds and, finally, destroying the three faces of MORGUL.

Development

The series started in 1989 on the Commodore 64 with a demo level of the full game which was released in 1990. Turrican became popular due to its high technical achievements, demonstrating graphics which many did not believe to be possible on a C64. Turrican was developed mainly by Manfred Trenz and published by Rainbow Arts.

Turrican was released for the Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum and CDTV. Factor 5 handled the Amiga, Atari ST and CDTV versions, while the Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum were developed by Probe Software. While all of these versions were published in Europe, the Commodore versions were the only computer versions to be published in North America, by Innerprise Software. The Spectrum version of the game went to number 2 in the UK sales charts, behind Shadow Warriors.[2]

In 1991, console ports for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, TurboGrafx-16 and Game Boy were handled by The Code Monkeys and published by Accolade in North America, with the Mega Drive and Game Boy versions being also released in Europe. A conversion of the game for the Atari Jaguar was under discussion by German studio Softgold, but work on the port was never stated beyond the discussional phase.[3]

Music

Chris Huelsbeck composed music for the Amiga conversions of Turrican, Turrican II and Turrican 3, as well as Mega Turrican for the Mega Drive and Super Turrican and Super Turrican 2 for the SNES. Music from Turrican II was performed live by a full orchestra at the second Symphonic Game Music Concert in 2004. The event took place in Leipzig, Germany. The music from Turrican was released in the Turrican Soundtrack Anthology on November 24, 2013, as a 4-volume digital download.[4]

In addition, "Subsong 2" from the Commodore 64 version of Turrican, arranged by Ramiro Vaca, was copied from the song "Escape" of The Transformers: The Movie Soundtrack. while "Death of Optimus Prime" is copied for Turrican's ending theme.[5] The title screen of Turrican is based upon the Manowar album cover Kings of Metal.[5]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Crash94%[7]
Sinclair User79%[8]
Your Sinclair92%[6]
MicroHobby (ES)StarStarStarStarStar[9]
Zzap!6497%[10]
MegaTech73%[11]
Awards
PublicationAward
Zzap!64Gold Medal
CrashCrash Smash
C+VGC+VG Hit
Amstrad ActionMastergame[12]

The Spectrum version was voted number 36 in the Your Sinclair Readers' Top 100 Games of All Time.[13] The four reviewers from Mega Play gave very positive reviews for the Sega Genesis port and lauded the variety of weapons and techniques. They also praised the gameplay for having a good combination of strategy and action. One reviewer felt that Turrican is "the ultimate action game for the Genesis".[14]

Sequels

Turrican II: The Final Fight

Main article: Software:Turrican II: The Final Fight

Turrican II: The Final Fight was released in 1991. The Amiga version, done by Factor 5, was finished before the C64 version, but Manfred Trenz cites the C64 version as the original design. The game was also released for the CDTV, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum and PC (MS-DOS). The Mega Drive/Genesis and Game Boy versions were modified into Universal Soldier, a tie in to the film of the same name. A planned Super NES version was cancelled before release.[15]

Mega Turrican/Turrican 3: Payment Day

Main article: Software:Mega Turrican

Mega Turrican was an original Factor 5 game initially designed for the Mega Drive/Genesis, and later followed by an Amiga port under the title of Turrican 3: Payment Day. PC (MS-DOS), Acorn Archimedes and Amiga CD32 versions were also planned and developed, but they were never released and only some enemy sprite designs have surfaced.[16]

Super Turrican (NES)

Main article: Software:Super Turrican (1992 video game)

Released for the NES, this Turrican game was created by Manfred Trenz alone. It is based roughly on the levels of the first two Turrican games.

Super Turrican and Super Turrican 2 (SNES)

Main articles: Software:Super Turrican (1993 video game) and Super Turrican 2

The Super Turrican games were developed for the SNES by Factor 5. They were released in 1993 and 1995, respectively.

Unreleased games

Turrican 3D was intended to introduce 3D graphics in the Turrican series, but was not released because publisher THQ stopped development. The game was intended for PC (Windows) and Dreamcast.[17] Screenshots and videos show how the world of Turrican would have looked.[18] In an interview, Manfred Trenz, creator of Turrican, Turrican II, Super Turrican (NES) and co-developer of Turrican 3D, stated that many members of the project were far too profit-oriented, and the project failed as a result.[19]

Thornado is another never-released Turrican spin-off. Handled by the US branch of Factor 5, they did not use the name Turrican because of legal issues. It was developed first for the Nintendo 64 and later for the GameCube. All that is available from this game is a piece of preliminary music composed by Chris Huelsbeck and some art assets that were reused in Star Wars: Rebel Strike, such as the Golden Gate-looking bridge. The "Thornado Demo" track which was released as a teaser for the then-upcoming GameCube game, was in fact running on the older Nintendo 64 sound hardware using Factor 5's new proprietary MusyX software sound engine. The Thornado demo, although not available on Factor 5's website anymore, can still be found on Chris Huelsbeck's page at GarageBand.com.[20]

In April 2007, a Gamasutra article revealed that Factor 5 was working on concepts for a new Turrican game.[21] The game did not have a title yet and was known as Turrican or Project cyclone.[22] Since the game was being planned once again by the US branch of Factor 5 and they went bankrupt not long after, this game was not released.

Turrican Flashback

The Amiga versions of Turrican and Turrican II along with Mega Turrican and Super Turrican were re-released in 2020 for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch under the title Turrican Flashback to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the original game. These versions feature various mods such as the ability to rewind the action to correct mistakes, modify the visuals to better simulate the CRT type displays used by players at the time and input cheat codes.[23]

References

  1. ↑ "Interview about games that inspired Turrican (German)". http://www.nemmelheim.de/turrican/files/aff5.php. 
  2. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 16, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140616004814/http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/ys59.htm. Retrieved June 15, 2014. 
  3. ↑ Baranski, Björn (November 3, 2015). "Interview: Earthworm Jim was planned for the Atari Jaguar". ejagfest.de. http://ejagfest.de/interview-earthworm-jim-was-planned-for-the-atari-jaguar/?lang=en. Retrieved September 23, 2018. 
  4. ↑ "Turrican Soundtrack Anthology". http://www.turricansoundtrack.com/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Facts about Turrican". Turrican SETA. Archived from the original on August 18, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20030818184936/http://www.nemmelheim.de/turrican/facts/. Retrieved November 7, 2009. 
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 28, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120128010804/http://ysrnry.co.uk/articles/turrican.htm. Retrieved January 26, 2012. 
  7. ↑ "Crash". http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=Crash/Issue77/Pages/Crash7700041.jpg. 
  8. ↑ "Sinclair User". http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=SinclairUser/Issue102/Pages/SinclairUser10200074.jpg. 
  9. ↑ "MicroHobby". http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=MicroHobby/Issue201/Pages/MicroHobby20100034.jpg. 
  10. ↑ "View a Scan". http://www.zzap64.co.uk/cgi-bin/displaypage.pl?issue=061&page=009&magazine=zzap. 
  11. ↑ MegaTech rating, EMAP, issue 5, page 79, May 1992
  12. ↑ Game review, Amstrad Action magazine, Future Publishing, issue 57, June 1990
  13. ↑ "Readers' Top 100 Games of All Time". Your Sinclair. September 1993. 
  14. ↑ "Mega Reviews". Mega Play: 62. July–August 2022. https://archive.org/details/mega-play-vol.-2-no.-4-jul-aug-1991/page/62/mode/2up. Retrieved March 12, 2022. 
  15. ↑ "Official Turrican Games". http://www.nemmelheim.de/turrican/official_turricans/show_turrican_details.php?game=UniversalSoldierSNES. 
  16. ↑ "Turrican 3 PC". http://bronko.turrican.eu/Bilder/t3pc.png. 
  17. ↑ Kennedy, Sam; Strohm, Axel (February 24, 2000). "Turrican Returns in 3D". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/turrican-returns-in-3d/1100-2447272/. 
  18. ↑ "Screenshots and videos of Turrican 3D". Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120208121955/http://www.mt-fanpage.de/en/programms/turrican3d/picture_gallery_s98.htm. 
  19. ↑ "Spielegruft Auf Eis gelegt, eingeäschert und vergraben! Special Teil 1 : Turrican 3D : (4/8) - auf GBase.ch". http://www.gbase.de/global/specials/9541/Spielegruft-810__p4.html. 
  20. ↑ "GarageBand for Mac – Apple". http://www.garageband.com/artist/huelsbeck. 
  21. ↑ "Gamasutra Story about Next-gen Turrican". http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=13651. 
  22. ↑ "Turrican: Cyclone (Factor 5) [PS3 - Cancelled] - Unseen64". May 27, 2009. http://www.unseen64.net/2009/05/27/project-c-factor-5-ps3-cancelled/. 
  23. ↑ "ININ | Turrican Flashback". https://www.iningames.com/games/turrican-flashback/. 
  • 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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