Software:Wolfchild

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Wolfchild
Wolfchild cover art
Cover art
Developer(s)Core Design
Publisher(s)Core Design
Virgin Games (GG, MS, SNES)
JVC Musical Industries (MCD, Gen)
Director(s)Jeremy Heath-Smith
Producer(s)Ian Mathias
Designer(s)Simon Phipps
Programmer(s)John Kirkland
Artist(s)Simon Phipps
Composer(s)Martin Iveson
Platform(s)Amiga, Atari ST, Sega CD, Sega Genesis, Game Gear, Master System, SNES
Release1992
Genre(s)Platform game
Mode(s)Single-player

Wolfchild is a platform game originally released for the Amiga and the Atari ST by Core Design in 1992. It was later released for the SNES, Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega CD, Master System, and Game Gear.

The plot revolves around biotechnology researcher Kal Morrow and his son Saul. When the former is kidnapped by the evil Chimera organization, Saul uses one of his father's inventions to turn himself into a wolf-human hybrid (similar to a werewolf) that may be capable of defeating Chimera.

Wolfchild was designed by Simon Phipps, also responsible for the earlier Switchblade 2, a rather similar game. The action is viewed from the side and scrolls in eight directions. The player must guide Saul through five levels, negotiating platforms and shooting various monsters, the result of Chimera experiments. Initially, the player character is Saul in his normal, human form. Only when enough energy has been collected does he turn into a wolf-human, giving him much better attack techniques.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameSNES: StarStarHalf star[4]
EGMSNES: 5/10[1]
GEN: 5.25/10[2]
Mega32%[3]
ACE

Gary Whitta of ACE magazine gave the Amiga version a score of 905 (out of a possible 1000), praising its animation, speed and responsiveness, and generally deeming it executed better than Switchblade 2.[5] Mega said that the Sega CD version was overpriced and did not make use of the hardware.[3] Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the SNES version a 5 out of 10, complimenting the graphics and sound effects, but found gameplay as dull and unappealing.[1] They gave the Genesis version a 5.25 out of 10, saying it was identical to the earlier Sega CD version aside from the CD music, and that the game was overlong with repetitive gameplay which quickly becomes dull.[2]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Review Crew: Wolfchild". Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM Media, LLC) (51): 40. October 1993. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Review Crew: Wolfchild". Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM Media, LLC) (53): 46. December 1993. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Wolfchild review". Mega (Future Publishing) (9): p. 61. June 1993. 
  4. ↑ Brett Alan Weiss. "Wolfchild Review". http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=12049&tab=review. 
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ACE
  • 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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