Software:VR Sports Powerboat Racing

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"Powerboat Racing" redirects here. For the sport, see Boat racing § Motorboat racing.
Short description: 1998 video game
VR Sports Powerboat Racing
Developer(s)Promethean Designs Ltd.
Publisher(s)Interplay Productions
Platform(s)PlayStation, Microsoft Windows
Release
Genre(s)Racing (Powerboating)
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

VR Sports Powerboat Racing is a racing game developed by British studio Promethean Designs Ltd. and published by Interplay Productions division VR Sports in North America in 1998. Game Boy Color and Nintendo 64 ports were planned for release in the 2000s, but were later canceled.[3]

Gameplay

VR Sports Powerboat Racing is a racing game where players choose from 16 craft with different engine sizes and handling.[4] The game utilizes water physics, causing the boats' handling to be affected by turbulence and other boats' wakes.[5] Up to four players are supported via a split screen.[4]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
PCPS
AllGameN/AStarStarStar[7]
EGMN/A3.625/10[10][lower-alpha 1]
Game InformerN/A6/10[11]
GameFanN/A78%[12][lower-alpha 2]
GameRevolutionB−[13]D[14]
GameSpot4.4/10[15]2.7/10[16]
Next GenerationN/AStarStar[17]
OPM (US)N/AStar[18]
PC Gamer (US)41%[19]N/A
Aggregate score
GameRankingsN/A41%[6]

VR Sports Powerboat Racing met with mostly negative reviews. The PlayStation version held a 41% on the review aggregation website GameRankings based on five reviews.[6] Critics razed the visuals for the cheap-looking water spray effects,[10][15][16] dramatic pop-up which makes obstacles and even walls invisible until the player is too close to avoid them,[10][16][20] and most especially the upward-angled camera view, which causes the bulk of the screen to be occupied with blue sky and leaves the player little view of the actual course.[10][16][17] Next Generation speculated, "If only the game had more control over camera placement, it might have earned an extra star."[17]

Other common criticisms included oversensitive controls[10][15][20] and an annoying voice-over commentator.[16][20] The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly unanimously considered the game atrocious, with John Davison stating that it "takes the term 'bad' to completely new and previously uncharted territory."[10] GameSpot were also firmly negative in their assessment, summing up, "There simply isn't a good side to this title."[16] While sharing some of their criticisms, GamePro saw more of a bright side, offering praise for the selection of play modes and the intensity of the races. They concluded, "All told, Powerboat works fine as a poor man's Wave Race [64] for PlayStation gamers. It's plenty fun at first, but [it] wears thin because of the flaws in graphics and controls. We're talking rental all the way here."[20][lower-alpha 3]

Reviewing the Windows version, GameSpot further criticized that of the four controller options, a steering wheel is the only one which works even mildly well, and ridiculed the fact that name entry is done using a scrolling alphabet despite keyboards being a standard accessory on PCs. The reviewer concluded that even playing a car racing game and pretending it is taking place on water would be a better option for a boat racing game than VR Sports Powerboat Racing.[15]

Notes

  1. ↑ In Electronic Gaming Monthly's review of the PlayStation version, one critic gave it 2/10, another gave it 4.5/10, and the rest gave it each a score of 4/10.
  2. ↑ In GameFan's viewpoint of the PlayStation version, one critic gave it a score of 83, and the other 73.
  3. ↑ GamePro gave the PlayStation version three 3.5/5 scores for graphics, control, and fun factor, and 2.0/5 for sound.

References

  1. ↑ Johnston, Chris (April 9, 1998). "Powerboat Racing Drifts Onto Shelves". Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/powerboat-racing-drifts-onto-shelves/1100-2463467/. 
  2. ↑ Ocampo, Jason (April 9, 1998). "VR Sports takes to the water". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/011/052/powerboat_racing_to_shelves.html. 
  3. ↑ IGN staff (February 8, 2001). "Two More Bite the Dust". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/02/09/two-more-bite-the-dust. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Dr. Zombie (December 1997). "Powerboat Racing (Preview)". GamePro (IDG) (111): 99. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_111_Volume_09_Number_12_1997-12_IDG_Publishing_US/page/n99/mode/2up. Retrieved July 2, 2023. 
  5. ↑ Air Hendrix (April 1998). "Powerboat Racing". GamePro (IDG) (115): 56. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "VR Sports Powerboat Racing for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/199235-vr-sports-powerboat-racing/index.html. 
  7. ↑ Kanarick, Mark. "VR Sports Powerboat Racing (PS) - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=12781&tab=review. 
  8. ↑ Goble, Gordon (May 5, 1998). "[VR Sports Powerboat Racing (PC)"]. CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0%2C6%2C0-1678%2C00.html. 
  9. ↑ Chick, Tom (April 3, 1998). "[VR Sports Powerboat Racing (PS)"]. CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Consoles/Sony/Powerboat/. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Davison, John; Rickards, Kelly; Ricciardi, John; Williams, Ken "Sushi-X" (June 1998). "Review Crew: Powerboat Racing". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (107): 116. https://retrocdn.net/images/1/1f/EGM_US_107.pdf. Retrieved July 2, 2023. 
  11. ↑ McNamara, Andy; Reiner, Andrew; Storm, Jon (April 1998). "[VR Sports Powerboat Racing (PS)"]. Game Informer (FuncoLand) (60). http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=psx&path=apr98&doc=pbr. Retrieved October 19, 2020. 
  12. ↑ Higgins, Geoff "El Nino"; Mowatt, Todd "Video Cowboy" (May 1998). "VR [Sports Powerboat [Racing]"]. GameFan (Metropolis Media) 6 (5): 54. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_6_Issue_05/page/n55/mode/2up. Retrieved October 19, 2020. 
  13. ↑ Garcia, Thomas (June 1998). "Powerboat Racing Review (PC)". CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/33154-powerboat-racing-review. 
  14. ↑ Zimring, Jason (May 1998). "VR Sports Powerboat Racing - PlayStation Review". CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/34213-vr-sports-powerboat-racing-review. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Ryan, Michael E. (May 7, 1998). "VR Sports Powerboat Racing Review [date mislabeled as "May 2, 2000""]. Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/vr-sports-powerboat-racing-review/1900-2545806/. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 MacDonald, Ryan (April 21, 1998). "VR Sports Powerboat Racing Review [date mislabeled as "May 2, 2000""]. Fandom. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/vr-sports-powerboat-racing-review/1900-2548887/. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "Powerboat Racing". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (42): 142. June 1998. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_42/page/n145/mode/2up. Retrieved October 19, 2020. 
  18. ↑ "VR Sports Powerboat Racing". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) 1 (10). July 1998. 
  19. ↑ "VR [Sports] Powerboat Racing". PC Gamer (Imagine Media). 1998. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 Air Hendrix (May 1998). "PlayStation ProReview: Powerboat Racing". GamePro (IDG) (116): 92. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_106_May_1998/page/n93/mode/2up. Retrieved October 19, 2020. 
  • 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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