Software:Who Dares Wins II

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Short description: 1985 video game
Who Dares Wins II
Developer(s)Alligata
Publisher(s)Alligata
Tynesoft
Programmer(s)Steve Evans[1]
Platform(s)Amstrad CPC, Atari 8-bit, BBC Micro, Commodore 64 / 16, Plus/4, MSX, ZX Spectrum
Release
Genre(s)Run and gun
Mode(s)Single-player

Who Dares Wins II is a run and gun video game developed and published by Alligata Software and released in late 1985 for the Commodore 64, as well as the Amstrad CPC, Atari 8-bit computers, BBC Micro, Commodore 16, Plus/4, MSX, and ZX Spectrum.

The game is a modified version of the earlier Who Dares Wins, which was withdrawn after legal action due to its alleged similarities to the arcade game Commando.[3] (See legal case section below).

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot (Atari 8-bit)

The main character is a lone soldier sent into enemy territory, wielding a gun and five grenades.[4] The player must capture eight enemy outposts against massive opposition.[2] The player can blow up vehicles and rescue prisoners in each level.[5] If the player takes too long, the prisoners are executed by firing squad.[5]

Reception

Zzap!64 rated the game a 90/100, calling the game "fantastic" and the landscapes "incredible".[2] It revisited the game 7 years later and gave it a revised rating of 78/100, saying that "it just hasn't weathered the years too well", but that it was "still very playable".[4]

Dion Guy of Nintendo Life called the game something he wished was on the Nintendo Virtual Console, and "a lot of fun" despite not being extremely difficult.[5]

Who Dares Wins II was a modified version of Who Dares Wins, an earlier Alligata release for the Commodore 64. This had been withdrawn almost immediately after release following legal action from Elite Systems due to similarities between it and the arcade game Commando.

(This similarity had been noted at the time by Computer Gamer magazine who described Who Dares Wins as an "accurate reproduction" of Commando.[6] The original game was also retrospectively acknowledged by GamesThatWeren't as "a blatant copy".)[7]

Elite held the official license for home conversions of Commando and- according to the company's Steve Wilcox- considered that Who Dares Wins would hurt sales of their official version.[8] After approaching Alligata to notify them of the legal situation and being rebuffed, Elite sought legal advice and obtained an Anton Piller order, leading to Alligata's supplies of the game being sequestered.[8][9]

As a result, few copies of the original Who Dares Wins made it out before withdrawal, with some having been sold via a computer show before the official release date and the game having been confirmed as being briefly available elsewhere before it was taken off shelves.[7]

Following the withdrawal, Alligata modified Who Dares Wins with cosmetic and layout changes to get around the legal order and issued the updated version as Who Dares Wins II.[8][9]

References

  1. ↑ Hague, James. "The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers". https://dadgum.com/giantlist/. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Who Dares Wins II". ZZap!64 (8 (December 1985)). 14 November 1985. https://archive.org/stream/zzap64-magazine-008/ZZap_64_Issue_008_1985_Dec#page/n127/mode/2up. Retrieved 2017-08-02. 
  3. ↑ "Who Dares Wins II for Amstrad CPC (1986) - MobyGames". http://www.mobygames.com/game/who-dares-wins-ii. "Who Dares Wins II was released as a new version of Who Dares Wins, as the original had an injunction against it from Elite, who felt the game was too similar to Commando. The maps were changed to make it different from Commando." 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "ZZap!64 Magazine Issue 084". May 1992. https://archive.org/stream/zzap64-magazine-084/ZZap_64_Issue_084_1992_May#page/n47/mode/2up. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Top 10 C64 games wanted on the Virtual Console" (in en-GB). Nintendo Life. 2008-04-13. http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2008/04/top_10_c64_games_wanted_on_the_virtual_console. 
  6. ↑ "Who Dares Wins". Computer Gamer (7). October 1985. https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gamer_Issue_07_1985-10_Argus_Press_GB/page/n60/mode/1up. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Who Dares Wins - 1985 Alligata". 2024-02-10. Archived from the original on 2024-05-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20240525055346/https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/gtw64/who-dares-wins/. "Elite were right… and [WDW] was a blatant copy of [Commando]. [..] It was discovered that the [original WDW] was in fact briefly released at a computer show in 1985, just before the official release was planned, and before Elite even saw it. [Alligata employee] Rich Stevenson confirms that the game was actually on sale elsewhere too for a very brief period, but the injunction meant that it was taken off shelves right away." 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Steve Wilcox (interviewee) via Martyn Caroll. "Are You Elite? (Section: He who dares...)". Retro Gamer (13): 79. https://issuu.com/roylazarovich/docs/retro_gamer_013. "[Elite obtained rights] to bring Commando to home computers and [Who Dares Wins looked, played and was layed out] the same [and was] on sale before Commando![..] If [WDW] came out [first] it would certainly take some of the shine off our product [...] We contacted Alligator [sic] [and] they basically told us to get lost![..We were..] advised to obtain an injunction [..and were granted an..] Anton Piller Order [..the sheriff..] went over to Alligata’s offices [and] literally sealed them off! [They] turned up for work on Monday morning and found that their entire warehouse full of [WDW] had been sequestered[..] [Alligata] discovered that if they changed the product, then the specific order we’d got would no longer apply [hence] Who Dares Wins II, which as far as I recall didn’t differ a whole lot [..] But it bought us a few weeks and Commando successfully made it to market [first].”". 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Creator speaks: Steve Wilcox from Elite talks about the WDW saga (extracted from Retro Gamer)…". Archived from the original on 2024-05-25. https://web.archive.org/web/20240525055346/https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/gtw64/who-dares-wins/#tabs-creator. "[Same quotations from Steve Wilcox as per Retro Gamer]" 

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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