Software:Twisted Metal: Small Brawl

From HandWiki
Short description: 2001 video game
Twisted Metal: Small Brawl
Developer(s)Incog Inc. Entertainment[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Director(s)Steve Ceragioli
Producer(s)Mike Batholomew
Designer(s)Dave Goodrich
Artist(s)David Goodrich
Composer(s)Michael Reagan
Gregory Hainer
SeriesTwisted Metal
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
Genre(s)Vehicular combat
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Twisted Metal: Small Brawl is a 2001 vehicular combat video game developed by Incog Inc. Entertainment and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. It is a spin-off of the Twisted Metal series and the final installment to be released on the PlayStation, having released at the end of its lifespan. It was released only in North America.

Gameplay

Hammerhead in Tree Top Rumble with Shadow next to the vehicle

Twisted Metal: Small Brawl is a vehicular combat game in which the player takes control of one of twelve unique remote control vehicles. While in control of a vehicle, the player can accelerate, steer, brake, reverse, activate the turbo, turn tightly, toggle between and activate weapons using the game controller's d-pad, analog sticks and buttons.[2]

Development

Tentatively titled Twisted Metal Kids during production,[3] the game was announced under the title at a press event for Software:Twisted Metal: Black in Santa Monica, California on March 2, 2001.[4] The official title of Twisted Metal: Small Brawl was revealed at the Electronic Entertainment Expo on May 16.[5] The game utilizes a physics engine based on what was used in Twisted Metal 2.[6]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic51/100[7]
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGM3.5/10[8]
Game Informer3/10[9]
GameProStarStarHalf star[10]
GameSpot6.5/10[11]
GameZone5.5/10[12]
IGN4.5/10[13]
OPM (US)StarStarHalf star[14]

Twisted Metal: Small Brawl received mixed reviews from critics. Trevor Rivers of GameSpot concluded that "some will immediately be turned away by the graphics and others by the more childish design, but if your PlayStation is still kicking, you might want to check it out".[11] Play Magazine speculated that "this must be where Martha Stewart's evil siblings reside".[15] The Badger of GameZone noted that the graphics felt "very unfinished" and the changes included in the game "[lacked] any real depth".[12] Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine said that the game "isn't a bad game by any means, but it feels like a definite step in the wrong direction".[14] GamePro said that the gameplay was "laboriously slow" and that "there's no real sense of speed".[7] Mark Fujita of IGN remarked that the game's graphics, sound, gameplay and level design were all worse than previous Twisted Metal titles, criticizing the graphics as "appalling" and the menus as "horrendous".[13] Kraig Kujawa of Electronic Gaming Monthly cited the "plumber's ass that sticks out from underneath the sink in the kitchen level" as the best feature in the game, while Shane Bettenhausen warned that "series veterans won't be impressed", and Christian Nutt dismissed the game as "a slapdash, sloppy and unimaginative retrofit".[8] Andy McNamara of Game Informer remarked that the game "doesn't even live up to the first four PSX titles in the series".[9]

Notes

  1. ↑ Santa Monica Studio assisted on development.

References

  1. ↑ "PlayStation - News". 2001-12-30. http://www.scea.com/news/press_example.asp?ReleaseID=9666. 
  2. ↑ Instruction Booklet, p. 3.
  3. ↑ Ben Stahl (March 5, 2001). "Twisted Metal Kids announced - PlayStation News at GameSpot". http://www.gamespot.com/ps/driving/twistedmetalsmallbrawl/news.html?sid=2692787&mode=all. 
  4. ↑ IGN Staff (March 2, 2001). "New Twisted Metal Coming to PlayStation - PSX News at IGN". http://psx.ign.com/articles/092/092058p1.html. 
  5. ↑ IGN Staff (May 16, 2001). "E3 2001: First Screens of Twisted Metal: Small Brawl - PSX News at IGN". http://psx.ign.com/articles/094/094497p1.html. 
  6. ↑ Trevor Rivers (October 26, 2001). "Twisted Metal: Small Brawl Preview - PlayStation Previews at GameSpot". http://www.gamespot.com/ps/driving/twistedmetalsmallbrawl/news.html?sid=2820578&mode=previews. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Twisted Metal: Small Brawl Critic Reviews for PlayStation". https://www.metacritic.com/game/twisted-metal-small-brawl/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Kujawa, Kraig; Bettenhausen, Shane; Nutt, Christian (January 2002). "Twisted Metal: Small Brawl - Too Many Games!". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (150): 232. "Kraig: Thank God for the plumber's ass that sticks out from underneath the sink in the kitchen level. If it weren't for that, this would be a total loss. / Shane: Sony's sanitized take on the classic TM series should please tykes looking for some car combat, but series veterans won't be impressed. / Christian: Small Brawl is a slapdash, sloppy and unimaginative retrofit.". 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 McNamara, Andy (January 2002). "Twisted Metal: Small Brawl". Game Informer (105): 88. http://gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200201/R03.0801.1201.56171.htm. Retrieved March 16, 2014. "This game doesn't even live up to the first four PSX titles in the series. It's that bad. I just feel dirty playing it, and Sony should feel worse for publishing it.". 
  10. ↑ Dan Elektro (November 28, 2001). "Twisted Metal: Small Brawl Review for PlayStation on GamePro.com". GamePro. http://www.gamepro.com/sony/psx/games/reviews/18501.shtml. Retrieved March 16, 2014. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Trevor Rivers (December 6, 2001). "Twisted Metal Small Brawl Review". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/twisted-metal-small-brawl-review/1900-2830679/. "Some will immediately be turned away by the graphics and others by the more childish design, but if your PlayStation is still kicking, you might want to check it out." 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 The Badger (December 5, 2001). "Twisted Metal Small Brawl Review - PlayStation". GameZone. http://psx.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r18755.htm. "While we were practically salivating to get started on this title, we spent an hour trying to get past the very unfinished feeling graphics and lack of any real depth to the changes included in Small Brawl." 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Mark Fujita (November 28, 2001). "Twisted Metal: Small Brawl". http://www.ign.com/articles/2001/11/29/twisted-metal-small-brawl. "The menus are horrendous, and the graphics are appalling. Come on, when you see a series of games, you expect them to improve, in graphics, sound, gameplay, and level design. In TMSB they're all worse" 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Twisted Metal: Small Brawl". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: 147. January 2002. "Isn't a bad game by any means, but it feels like a definite step in the wrong direction.". 
  15. ↑ "Twisted Metal: Small Brawl". Play: 62. February 2002. "This must be where Martha Stewart’s evil siblings reside.". 
  • 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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