Software:Wing Arms

From HandWiki
Short description: 1995 video game
Wing Arms
European cover art
Developer(s)Bell Corporation [1]
Publisher(s)Sega
Director(s)Kouji Iwashita
Designer(s)Joe Gillian
Platform(s)Sega Saturn
Release
  • JP: September 29, 1995
  • NA: January 1996
  • EU: February 1996
Genre(s)Flight simulator
Mode(s)Single player

Wing Arms is a 1995 mission based flight simulator video game for the Sega Saturn taking place some time after World War II in an alternate chain of events. Players choose one of seven different Allied and Axis fighter planes and are assigned to six seek and destroy missions against a large, equally unified squadron and naval force. It is an arcade style flight simulator, as the physics are simplified for the sake of playability;[1] the planes do not stall when traveling under stalling speeds and planes do not crash against water and other surfaces when descending from high altitudes. It was one of the first games to be developed using the Sega Graphics Library operating system.[1]

Story

Some time after the summer of 1945, a group of arms manufacturers throughout the Axis and Allied countries known as Avalon revealed to have played a large part in instigating combat in World War II which resulted in the boom of vehicle and weapons production. As soon as the war ended however, Avalon's riches started to decrease, resulting in their decision to keep the war going by using captured Axis and Allied planes against opposite nations military facilities.

A squadron of unified Allied and Axis planes are assembled aboard the USS Enterprise to deal with the newest products of Avalon and to crush the company for good.

Planes

These are the available planes the player can choose from aboard the Enterprise, each have different speeds, shield strength (which serves as the plane's armor) and are all equipped with up to 30 rockets.

Gameplay

Players start immediately by choosing the plane they wish to pilot. From there, their missions start with a quick briefing from the aircraft carrier's admiral via radio. Players must accomplish a particular goal in order to progress, particularly destroying a certain number of plane targets or destroying a particular base, ship or fortification.

After every mission, players are ranked by the types of targets they destroyed (Land, Air and Sea), their total number of targets destroyed, the time it took them to clear the mission and their current rank. Players can work their way up in ranks with 2nd Lieutenant being the lowest and Colonel being the highest. Players are also given three credits they can use once their plane is destroyed.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGM7.25/10[2]
Next GenerationStarStarStar[4]
MaximumStarStar[3]
Sega Saturn Magazine82%[5]

The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly each expressed different opinions of what Wing Arms's strong points and drawbacks are, but all but one agreed that it was an overall excellent flight simulator.[2] Rad Automatic of Sega Saturn Magazine praised the variety of missions and the sophisticated control system, though he felt that the enemy AI in the later missions is too difficult.[5] GamePro's Slo Mo gave the game a mostly positive review for its arcade-style gameplay, tough enemy AI, and graphics, remarking that "Wing's topnotch graphics maintain a stellar performance during the fast-paced gameplay with smooth, quick animation and three aircraft views". However, he criticized the unlimited ammunition and extreme durability of the player's plane as unrealistic.[6] Maximum remarked that Wing Arms has solid albeit unoriginal gameplay but highly uneven graphics, with extensive popup in the later levels. They concluded the game to be enjoyable but ultimately not worthwhile since it offers nothing new and is completely overshadowed by the already released Software:Firestorm: Thunderhawk 2.[3] A reviewer for Next Generation advised gamers that Wing Arms has a different dynamic than most arcade-style flight sims, since it uses "old-school dog-fighting" rather than locking missiles and other high-tech weaponry. He criticized the short length of the game but said it is fun while it lasts, since "the action is fast, the graphics are beautiful, and the control is a joy."[4]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Wing Arms". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (11): 124. November 1995. "But make no mistake about it - this is definitely an arcade game, not a flight simulator.". 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Review Crew: Wing Arms". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Sendai Publishing) (79): 32. February 1996. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Maximum Reviews: Wing Arms". Maximum: The Video Game Magazine (Emap International Limited) (4): 140. March 1996. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Wing Arms". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (15): 82. March 1996. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Automatic, Rad (February 1996). "Review: Wing Arms". Sega Saturn Magazine (Emap International Limited) (4): 68–69. 
  6. ↑ "ProReview: Wing Arms". GamePro (IDG) (90): 58. March 1996. 
  • 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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