Software:Winter Heat

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Short description: 1997 video game
Winter Heat
Sega Saturn PAL box cover
Developer(s)Sega AM3
Publisher(s)Sega
Platform(s)Arcade, Sega Saturn, PlayStation 2
ReleaseArcade
Saturn
  • JP: February 5, 1998
  • EU: February 6, 1998[1]
  • NA: February 27, 1998[2]
PlayStation 2
  • JP: July 29, 2004
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer
Arcade systemST-V[3]

Winter Heat[lower-alpha 1] is a sports video game developed by Sega AM3 and published by Sega for arcades in 1997, and for the Sega Saturn in 1998, featuring the license for the 1998 Winter Olympics that were celebrated in Nagano, Japan. It is the sequel to the 1996 Sega game DecAthlete.[4] Winter Heat was released on the PlayStation 2 in Japan as part of the DecAthlete Collection with DecAthlete and Virtua Athlete. The collection is the 15th volume of the Sega Ages 2500 series.[5]

Gameplay

Like Decathlete, Winter Heat features a number of different events to play in, most of them revolving around rapid button pressing and timed button taps.[4] Players choose from eight fictional international athletes, each with their own particular skill focus.[6]

Development

Winter Heat was developed by the in-house team Sega AM3.[7] The arcade version and Saturn port were developed in tandem.[7]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings78% (SAT)[8]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Consoles +91%[9]
CVG4/5 (SAT)[10]
Edge8/10 (SAT)[11]
EGM9.125/10 (SAT)[12]
Famitsu32/40 (SAT)[13]
Game Informer8.5/10[14]
GameFan87%[15][lower-alpha 2]
GameRevolutionB[16]
GameSpot5.7/10 (SAT)[17]
Hyper64%[18]
Joypad93%[19]
Sega Saturn Magazine92% (SAT)[20]

The Sega Saturn version was positively received by critics, and held a 78% on the review aggregation website GameRankings based on four reviews.[8] Critics widely praised the simple and natural controls,[10][12][17][21] and the attractive and well-animated high resolution graphics.[10][12][17][20][21] GameSpot explained that "Despite its simplicity and the immediate potential for carpal tunnel syndrome, Winter Heat succeeds at providing a fun and varied batch of snowy competitions. It does this by employing fairly consistent controls through a varied series of games. The speed button remains the speed button throughout, and so on. As a result, it's not such a headache to go from one competition to the next, and the package is tied together better than the competition's."[17]

GamePro called it "a fun, finger-jamming winter sports game".[21][lower-alpha 3] Sega Saturn Magazine criticized the bordered display on the PAL conversion, but said the three Saturn-exclusive events are as good or better than the eight events of the arcade version, which in conjunction with the four-player capability gives the game enough longevity to stand up as a console game.[20] GameSpot and Sega Saturn Magazine both also gave particular praise to the sense of speed in the bobsled event.[17][20] John Ricciardi of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) remarked that "Winter Heat is far and away the best of this year's Winter Olympics-style games. Each event requires different techniques with the control pad, and they're all a lot of fun." EGM gave Winter Heat their "Game of the Month" award, with three of the four members of their review team giving it a 9 out of 10 or better.[12]

Notes

  1. ↑ Winter Heat (ウィンターヒート, Wintā Hīto)
  2. ↑ In GameFan's viewpoint of the Saturn version, one critic gave it a score of 84, and the other 89.
  3. ↑ GamePro gave the Saturn version 4.5/5 for graphics, 3.5/5 for sound, 4.0/5 for control, and 4.5/5 for fun factor.

References

  1. ↑ "sega-europe.online". 1998-12-02. http://www.sega-europe.com/saturn/satinfo.html. 
  2. ↑ GameSpot staff (February 27, 1998). "videogames.com Game Calendar [date mislabeled as "April 24, 2000""]. Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/videogamescom-game-calendar/1100-2462313/. 
  3. ↑ Harrod, Warren (December 1997). "Coin-Operated: Winter Heat". Sega Saturn Magazine (Emap International Limited) (26): 90. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Winter Heat: Nagano Olympics, DecAthelete [sic] Style". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (104): 47. March 1998. 
  5. ↑ Gantayat, Anoop (20 August 2004). "Sega Ages: DecAthlete Collection Import Playtest". https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/08/20/sega-ages-decathlete-collection-import-playtest. 
  6. ↑ Yeo, Matt (February 1998). "Chill Out Dickwad!". Sega Saturn Magazine (Emap International Limited) (28): 36-43. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Winter Wonderland". Sega Saturn Magazine (Emap International Limited) (27): 8. January 1998. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Winter Heat for Saturn". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/saturn/199313-winter-heat/index.html. 
  9. ↑ Spy; Cheub (February 1998). "Winter Heat (Saturn)" (in French). Consoles + (73): 100–1. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Huhtala, Alex (March 1998). "Review: Winter Heat". Computer and Video Games (196): 52–53. https://archive.org/details/Computer_and_Video_Games_Issue_196_1998-03_EMAP_Images_GB/page/n51/mode/2up?view=theater. Retrieved 29 January 2023. 
  11. ↑ Edge staff (February 1998). "Winter Heat". Edge (Future Publishing) (55): 91. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 "Review Crew: Winter Heat". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (105): 98. April 1998. 
  13. ↑ "ウィンターヒート [セガサターン"] (in Japanese). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=14700&redirect=no. Retrieved December 2, 2020. 
  14. ↑ "Winter Heat - Saturn". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (60). April 1998. http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=sat&path=apr98&doc=wheat. Retrieved December 2, 2020. 
  15. ↑ Ngo, George "Eggo"; Higgins, Geoff "El Nino" (April 1998). "Winter Heat (Saturn)". GameFan (Metropolis Media) 6 (4): 68. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_6_Issue_04/page/n69/mode/2up. Retrieved December 2, 2020. 
  16. ↑ Bumblebee Man (July 1998). "Winter Heat Review (Saturn)". CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/33850-winter-heat-review. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 Smith, Josh (June 19, 1998). "Winter Heat Review [date mislabeled as "May 2, 2000""]. Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/winter-heat-review/1900-2534170/. 
  18. ↑ Fish, Eliot (April 1998). "Winter Heat (Saturn)". Hyper (Next Media Pty Ltd) (54): 58–59. https://archive.org/details/hyper-054/page/58/mode/2up. Retrieved December 2, 2020. 
  19. ↑ Willow; Greg (February 1998). "Winter Heat" (in fr). Joypad (72): 106–9. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 Cutlack, Gary (March 1998). "Review: Winter Heat". Sega Saturn Magazine (Emap International Limited) (29): 66–69. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Toxic Tommy (May 1998). "Video Game Survivor's Guide". GamePro (IDG Entertainment) (116): 96. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_106_May_1998/page/n97/mode/2up. 
  • Winter Heat at the Killer List of Videogames
  • 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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