Software:Wild Wild West: The Steel Assassin

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Short description: 1999 video game
Wild Wild West: The Steel Assassin
Developer(s)SouthPeak Interactive
Publisher(s)SouthPeak Interactive
Producer(s)Jim Simmons
Designer(s)Lee Sheldon
Doug Walker
Programmer(s)Doug Walker
Artist(s)Jeff McFall
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Wild Wild West: The Steel Assassin is an action-adventure video game published and developed by SouthPeak Interactive for Microsoft Windows. It is based on the 1999 film of the same name (which in turn is based on the 1960s TV series The Wild Wild West, whose episode "Night of the Steel Assassin" shares its name with the game).[2] A PlayStation version of the game was planned, but was cancelled.[3][4]

Gameplay

The game sees the player as either West or Gordon in a fully interactive 3D world where he interacts with the characters and objects via hotspots. Puzzles need to be completed in order to advance through the story.

Plot

Five years after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the tension between the North and the South is rising again. President Ulysses S. Grant has received a death threat and it's up to U.S. Army Captain James "Jim" T. West and U.S. Marshal Artemus Gordon to save him.

Development

The game used the NetImmerse game engine from Numerical Design Ltd.[5]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings55%[6]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarHalf star[7]
CGSPStarStarStar[9]
CGWStarStar[10]
GameProStarStarStarHalf star[12]
GameSpot5.1/10[13]
GameSpy25%[14]
GameZone8.4/10[15]
IGN7/10[3]
Next GenerationStar[16]
PC Gamer (US)60%[18]

The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[6] Jim Preston of NextGen said that the game was "better than a rattlesnake in your boot."[16]

References

  1. ↑ Fudge, James (November 30, 1999). "Wild Wild West: The Steel Assassin Goes Gold". Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on May 30, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20030530091557/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/024/133/www.html. Retrieved September 29, 2023. 
  2. ↑ "Lee Sheldon - Adventures Part 1 - deutsch". Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190920060229/http://adventure-archiv.com/leesheldon.htm. Retrieved September 29, 2023. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Butts, Steve (December 21, 1999). "Wild Wild West: The Steel Assassin". Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230929224828/https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/12/22/wild-wild-west-the-steel-assassin. Retrieved September 29, 2023. 
  4. ↑ "GameCave". NextGen (Imagine Media) (61): 52. January 2000. https://archive.org/details/NextGen61Jan2000/page/n53. 
  5. ↑ "NDL, RTIME Combine Market-Leading Products". May 6, 1999. Archived from the original on August 22, 2001. https://web.archive.org/web/20010822205357/http://www.ndl.com/news/9905b.html. Retrieved October 29, 2024. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Wild Wild West: The Steel Assassin for PC". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 21, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190521013927/https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/199306-wild-wild-west-the-steel-assassin/index.html. Retrieved May 14, 2020. 
  7. ↑ Baize, Anthony. "Wild Wild West: The Steel Assassin - Review". All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141116184015/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=19142&tab=review. Retrieved September 23, 2017. 
  8. ↑ Conley, Eric (January 18, 2000). "Wild Wild West: The Steel Assassin". CNET. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000816092012/http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0,6,0-3632,00.html. Retrieved September 29, 2023. 
  9. ↑ Vitous, Jeff (January 4, 2000). "Wild Wild West - The Steel Assassin". Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on May 30, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20030530111100/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/025/081/www_review.html. Retrieved September 12, 2018. 
  10. ↑ Clarkson, Mark (April 2000). "Tired, Tired West (Wild Wild West [The Steel Assassin Review)"]. Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (189): 86. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230411071127/https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_189.pdf. Retrieved September 29, 2023. 
  11. ↑ Conlin, Shaun (January 3, 2000). "Wild Wild West The Steel Assassin [date mislabeled as "January 3, 1999""]. Greedy Productions Ltd.. Archived from the original on July 20, 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20020720231412/http://www.elecplay.com/review.html?article=1804&full=1#mr_toppy. 
  12. ↑ Olafson, Peter (January 19, 2000). "Wild Wild West: The Steel Assassin Review for PC on GamePro.com". GamePro (IDG Entertainment). Archived from the original on February 14, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050214002553/http://gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/4291.shtml. Retrieved September 23, 2017. 
  13. ↑ Smith, Steve (January 3, 2000). "Wild Wild West: The Steel Assassin Review". Fandom. Archived from the original on December 23, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20041223073212/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/adventure/wildwildwestthesa/review.html. Retrieved September 29, 2023. 
  14. ↑ McConnaughey, Tim (February 20, 2000). "Wild Wild West [The Steel Assassin"]. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 2, 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20020602051815/http://www.gamespy.com/legacy/reviews/www_a.shtm. Retrieved September 23, 2017. 
  15. ↑ Lambert, Jason (December 8, 1999). "Wild Wild West: The Steel Assassin Review on PC". Archived from the original on February 16, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050216191557/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r13168.htm. Retrieved September 23, 2017. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Preston, Jim (March 2000). "Wild Wild West [The Steel Assassin"]. NextGen (Imagine Media) (63): 94. https://archive.org/details/NextGen63Mar2000/page/n95/mode/2up. Retrieved May 14, 2020. 
  17. ↑ Brenesal, Barry (March 2000). "Wild Wild West: The Steel Assassin". PC Accelerator (Imagine Media) (19): 81. https://archive.org/details/PCXL19Mar2000/page/n83/mode/2up. Retrieved January 26, 2021. 
  18. ↑ St. John, Don (April 2000). "Wild Wild West: The Steel Assassin". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 7 (4): 105. Archived from the original on March 15, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060315132545/http://www.pcgamer.com/archives/2005/06/wild_wild_west.html. Retrieved September 29, 2023. 
  • 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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