Software:Xenomorph (video game)

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Xenomorph
Amiga cover art
Developer(s)Interceptor Micros (Pandora)
Publisher(s)Pandora
Producer(s)Ray Edwards
Designer(s)Terry Greer
Ray Edwards
Programmer(s)David Neale
Artist(s)Terry Greer
Writer(s)Steve Hatherley
Composer(s)Nick Reeve
Platform(s)Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS
Release1990
Genre(s)Role-playing, dungeon crawl
Mode(s)Single-player

Xenomorph is a 1990 video game developed and published by Pandora for the Amiga and the Atari ST, and later ported for the Commodore 64 and DOS.[1]

Plot and gameplay

Xenomorph is a science-fiction role-playing video game, viewed from a first-person perspective with an icon-driven interface that drew comparisons with Dungeon Master.[2] The storyline is influenced by the early Alien franchise.[3][4]

The player controls a janitor on a two-year supply run to Sirius who wakes from cryosleep after traversing hyperspace (the big empty) to find his ship, the Mombassa Oak, has been crippled on arrival at its destination (part of it remaining in hyperspace) leaving the ship's computer system failing. The janitor manually pilots the failing ship to the mining platform, Astargatis, to find that the human population has vanished. The player must search the platform for microchips and fuel rods that can be used to repair the Mombassa Oak. In addition, the player character must defend himself against the aliens that are responsible for the attack on Astargatis. The player needs to manage weapons, medical supplies, keycard access, food, energy, and radiation levels in order to survive.

The Atari ST version, if not all versions, was released incomplete. No enemies re-spawned so that after reaching the objective the player was left to wander through a largely empty base to escape. In addition the food and radiation damage did not work and it was impossible to die from these effects. The game included a communicator system but never implemented any communications using it.[2]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
Computer & Video Games90% (Amiga)[2]
90% (Atari ST)[2]
Amiga Format83% (Amiga)[3]

Xenomorph was critically well received. Computer & Video Games highlighted the well-drawn aliens and scenery, addictiveness, and atmosphere of solitude. Some jerky animation was criticised, but overall the Amiga and Atari versions were awarded 90%.[2] Amiga Format awarded 83%, finding the 3D view to be well implemented, and the weapons and equipment to be varied, well-designed and graphically impressive. The lack of a wide variety of sound effects was criticized, as was the lack of an "outer-space" atmosphere.[3] Critics pointed out that drawing a map is important in progressing in Xenomorph,[2][3] as it is easy to get lost or miss an important location.

Legacy

A sequel to Xenomorph titled Xenomorph II was announced in a February 1991 issue of The One, and was to be developed by the development team behind Into the Eagle's Nest, however, the game was never released and is in dispute. According to rumour, Xenomorph II was to use Into the Eagle's Nest as a framework, but upgraded with "the Xenomorph 3D system", and was announced for a February 1992 release.[5] However one of the original authors of Xenomorph denies this was ever proposed and had other plans for a sequel.[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Xenomorph". MobyGames. http://www.mobygames.com/game/xenomorph. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Rand, Paul (May 1990). "Xenomorph review". C&VG (102): 81. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Evans, Maff (June 1990). "Xenomorph review". Amiga Format (11): 45. 
  4. ↑ Evans, Duncan (January 1990). "Xenomorph review". Amiga Computing (20): 24. 
  5. ↑ "Flying The Nest... Again!". The One (emap Images) (29): 12. February 1991. https://archive.org/details/theone-magazine-29/page/n11. 
  6. ↑ "Xenomorph". http://www.terrygreer.com/xenomorph.html. 
  • 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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