Software:Virtual Pool 64

From HandWiki
Short description: 1998 video game
Virtual Pool 64
North American Nintendo 64 cover art
Developer(s)Celeris
Publisher(s)Crave Entertainment
Platform(s)Nintendo 64
Release
  • NA: December 17, 1998
  • EU: February 26, 1999
Genre(s)Sports (pool)
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Virtual Pool 64 is a 3D first-person sports simulation video game that was developed by American studio Celeris and released for the Nintendo 64 by Crave Entertainment on December 17, 1998, in North America, and in Europe on February 26, 1999. The game features simulations of 11 forms of pool (pocket billiards). It is part of the "Virtual Pool" game franchise, which also includes the PC games Virtual Pool, Virtual Pool 2, Virtual Pool Hall and Virtual Pool 3. The game has been simultaneously lauded as "a top-notch simulation" and criticized as dull, lacking both player incentive and engaging characters.

Gameplay

Virtual Pool 64 as the follow-up to the main series title Virtual Pool 2 retains the same different pool games, and adds new games, such as Rotation pool.[1] The game features 11 different pool games: Eight-ball including American "bar pool" rules, British rules and APA league rules) Nine-ball including variations such as Three-ball, Six-ball and Ten-ball, as well as Straight, One-pocket, Bank and Rotation pool.[2]

The game follows on from Virtual Pool 2, including additions such as a tournament mode, allowing the player to play through up-to a 32-man tournament with AI players, a trick shot mode, and three difficulty levels, amateur, professional and championship. The different levels of gameplay not only change the skill level of the opponent (who range from "pushover" to "vicious"), it will also change the size of the table and pockets for the table.[3] It can also be played in "free play" mode, with no rules, or "shark-skins" mode requires you to clear a table of three, six, and nine balls in the fewest strokes possible.[1]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings65%[4]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Consoles +87%[5]
EGM6.625/10[6]
Game Informer7.75/10[7]
GameFan83%[8]
GameProStarStar[9]
GameSpot5.8/10[1]
Hyper80%[10]
IGN8/10[3]
N64 Magazine77%[11]
Nintendo Power7.4/10[12]

Virtual Pool 64 received mixed reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[4] Nintendo Power said the game's graphics had "ultra realism", but also said the number of controls were confusing.[12] Jack Curtis of N64 Gamer said, "Celeris have created a very commendable pool game that remains true to its real-life counterpart", but that the game may have "limited lastability."[13]

Robin Alway of Arcade Magazine said that "the only faults are those you'd associate with any 3D game."[14] Peer Schneider of IGN was "impressed" by the games physics engine, and called the visuals "exceptionally sharp."[3] However, he was not so impressed with the presentation, stating that VP64 "comes short in the presentation department. No characters, no sense of atmosphere"; and also critical of the game's soundtrack, with "extremely dated midi music."[3]

Nelson Taruc of GameSpot said that the gameplay engine is "as close to the real thing as you'll find anywhere."[1] Taruc also called the game's presentation as "excellent", when discussing the pool table and balls. However, he named games Pool Hustler and Backstreet Billiards as having more of an in-game incentive to play more, as the game does not have a clear career mode.[1] Taruc even called the game "bland" and "boring", saying "it's the video game equivalent of a college textbook: great to learn from but not really exciting to read."[1]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Taruc, Nelson (January 29, 1999). "Virtual Pool 64 Review". San Francisco, CA: CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/virtual-pool-64-review/1900-2545405/. 
  2. ↑ Calimero (February 1999). "Virtual Pool 64" (in fr). Official Nintendo Magazine France (12): 52–53. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Schneider, Peer (January 11, 1999). "Virtual Pool 64 Review". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/01/12/virtual-pool-64-2. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Virtual Pool 64 for Nintendo 64". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/n64/199219-virtual-pool-64/index.html. 
  5. ↑ Niiico; Spy (February 1999). "Virtual Pool 64" (in fr). Consoles + (85): 110–11. 
  6. ↑ EGM staff (December 1998). "Virtual Pool 64". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (113). 
  7. ↑ "VR Pool 64 [sic]". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (68). December 1999. 
  8. ↑ Higgins, Geoff "El Nino"; Mylonas, Eric "ECM" (January 1999). "Virtual Pool 64". GameFan (Shinno Media) 7 (1): 88. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_7_Issue_01/page/n89/mode/2up. Retrieved October 5, 2020. 
  9. ↑ Boba Fatt (December 1998). "Virtual Pool 64". GamePro (IDG Entertainment) (123): 154. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_113_December_1998/page/n157/mode/2up. Retrieved October 5, 2020. 
  10. ↑ Shea, Cam (April 1999). "Virtual Pool 64". Hyper (Next Media Pty Ltd) (66): 69. http://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-696-65.jpg. Retrieved October 5, 2020. 
  11. ↑ "Virtual Pool 64". N64 Magazine (Future Publishing) (26). March 1999. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "VR Pool 64 [sic"]. Nintendo Power (Nintendo of America) 115: 126. December 1998. http://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-357-126.jpg. Retrieved October 5, 2020. 
  13. ↑ Curtis, Jack (April 1, 1999). "Virtua[l] Pool 64". N64 Gamer (14): 64–65. 
  14. ↑ Alway, Robin (April 1999). "Virtual Pool 64". Arcade Magazine (5): 128. http://www.nintendo64ever.com/scans/mags/Scan-Magazine-1052-130.jpg. Retrieved October 5, 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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