Software:WRC 4

From HandWiki
Short description: 2004 video game
This page is about the 2004 video game. For the 2013 video game, see WRC 4: FIA World Rally Championship.
WRC 4
PAL cover art
Developer(s)Evolution Studios
Publisher(s)
SeriesWorld Rally Championship
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
Release
  • EU: 22 October 2004
  • JP: 7 April 2005
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player

WRC 4: The Official Game of the FIA World Rally Championship (also known as WRC 4 and WRC 2004) is a racing video game developed by Evolution Studios for the PlayStation 2. It is the fourth rallying game to be officially licensed by the FIA World Rally Championship and is based on the 2004 WRC season.

Gameplay

In a quick race, the player will play a randomly selected stage with a randomly selected car and driver. During the race, the player will have to beat a time trial (although this is not needed to advance in the game). The time target will be based on the 1st place time ranking. If beaten, the best time will be the new target time to beat. The Championship mode lets the player play through the 2004 WRC season. The player must play through this mode based on the real life calendar, following the schedule for the 2004 WRC season. Championship mode ends when all 16 rallies are played, but the player can stop playing after any stage, because the game saves after each stage is finished. The player can play all six stages in a rally, but normally the player will have to buy the stage to play it in other modes.

The Pro Driver Challenge is a career mode where the player takes the role of a rookie who has to start from the weak Super 1600 class and must complete a series of tasks to enter the WRC class. In Super Special Challenge, the player will play against an AI generated opponent in all SSS course in the country's alphabetical order instead of the season's chronology. In a single rally, the player will play all six stages in a selected rally. The test track mode lets the player practice their driving skills or take part in rally tests akin to the license tests of the Gran Turismo series.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic77/100[1]
Review scores
PublicationScore
CVG7/10[2]
Eurogamer8/10[3]
Famitsu32/40[4]
GamesMaster88%[5]
OPM (UK)9/10[6]
PALGN7.5/10[7]
Play83%[8]
PSM387%[9]

The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[1] In Japan, where the game was localized and published by Spike on 7 April 2005, Famitsu gave it a score of all four eights for a total of 32 out of 40.[4]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "WRC 4: The Official Game of the FIA World Rally Championship (ps2: 2004): Reviews". Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080913121513/http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps2/wrc4. Retrieved 11 February 2017. 
  2. ↑ PSW staff (December 2004). PS2 Review: WRC 4. Computer and Video Games (PlayStation World). Archived from the original on 27 May 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080527021421/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=112134&site=psw. Retrieved 11 February 2017. 
  3. ↑ Reed, Kristan (20 October 2004). "World Rally Championship 4". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_wrc4_ps2. Retrieved 11 February 2017. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "World Rally Championship 4". Famitsu 852. 15 April 2005. 
  5. ↑ "WRC 4". GamesMaster. December 2004. 
  6. ↑ "WRC 4". Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine (53). December 2004. 
  7. ↑ van Leuveren, Luke (29 October 2004). "WRC 4 Review". Archived from the original on 23 March 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080323162914/http://palgn.com.au/article.php?id=1706. Retrieved 11 February 2017. 
  8. ↑ "WRC 4". Play. December 2004. 
  9. ↑ "Review: WRC 4". PSM2. December 2004. 
  • 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. 
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