Software:Xenon 2 Megablast

From HandWiki
Xenon 2 Megablast
Developer(s)The Bitmap Brothers
Publisher(s)Image Works (AMI, AST)
Virgin Games (GEN)
Designer(s)The Bitmap Brothers
Programmer(s)The Assembly Line
Artist(s)Mark Coleman
Composer(s)Bomb the Bass
David Whittaker
SeriesXenon
Platform(s)Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, IBM PC, Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive, Acorn Archimedes, Game Boy, Sharp X68000, NEC PC-88, NEC PC-98, Atari Jaguar
ReleaseAmiga, Atari ST
August 1989
Genre(s)Shoot 'em up
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Xenon 2 Megablast is a shoot 'em up video game developed by The Assembly Line and published by Image Works for the Amiga and Atari ST in 1989. It was later converted to the PC, Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive, Acorn Archimedes, Game Boy and Atari Jaguar platforms. The game is a sequel to Xenon and takes place a millennium after the previous title. The goal of the game is to destroy a series of bombs planted throughout history by the Xenites, the vengeful antagonists of the first game. The game's subtitle is derived from the Bomb the Bass track "Megablast", which serves as the game's theme music.

Gameplay

An example of gameplay in the Atari ST version of Xenon 2 Megablast.

Xenon 2 Megablast is a shoot 'em up[1] in which the player takes on the role of a starship pilot who must destroy five bombs planted throughout history by the villainous Xenites.[2] The player controls the Megablaster, a small battlecraft that can move in multiple directions, is equipped with a raygun as an offensive measure, and is shielded from enemy attacks and collisions for a temporary period.[1] The game is split into five scrolling levels ranging in theme from the Cambrian era to futuristic metallic spaceways. The levels are primarily inhabited by aggressive lifeforms that have been mutated by radiation emanating from the bombs planted at the end of each level.[3] Attacks from these enemy characters will decrease the player's shield. If the shield is completely depleted, the ship will be destroyed by the next hit it sustains, and the player will lose a life.[1] Each level contains six "restart positions", from which the ship will respawn at the most recent position passed if a life is lost.[4] If all three lives are lost, the game ends prematurely.[1] The shield can also sustain damage if the ship is trapped in a corner of the scenery and is crushed as the screen continues to scroll. The player can reverse the direction of the scrolling to a limited extent by pulling back on their directional input when the ship is at the bottom of the screen. A boss character is found at the end of each level and requires a specific strategy to destroy. When the boss is defeated, the bomb within the level will defuse. The first level only features one boss character, while the other four feature another boss at the level's halfway point.[5] Capsules can occasionally be found within the levels, and release one of a variety of collectible tokens when destroyed.[6] These tokens can augment the ship's weaponry or speed, restore a portion of the ship's shield, or allow the ship to dive into the background for a limited time.[7] Destroyed enemies leave behind currency known as Real Cash, the quantity and value of which depending on the size of the enemy. Real Cash can be used to buy and sell tokens at "Crispin's Swop Shop", which the player can access twice per level.[6]

Development and release

Xenon 2 Megablast was designed by The Bitmap Brothers, programmed by The Assembly Line and published by Image Works. The graphics were created by Mark Coleman, and the audio was created by David Whittaker,[8] who arranged the Bomb the Bass track "Megablast" as the game's background score. The game's subtitle is derived from this track.[9] The Bitmap Brothers announced the game's development six months prior to its release.[10]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
CVGAMI: 96%[11]
AST: 94%[11]
Zzap!64AMI: 97%[12]
Atari ST UserAST: 10/10[10]
The Games MachineAMI: 96%[9]
AST: 95%[9]
ZeroAMI: 94%[13]
AST: 93%[13]

The Amiga and Atari ST versions of Xenon 2 Megablast were met with critical acclaim. Roland Waddilove of Atari ST User gave the game a perfect score and declared it to be one of the year's best vertically-scrolling shoot 'em ups. He praised the graphics as "superb" (while highlighting the detailed sprites and parallax scrolling backgrounds) and the soundtrack as "very professionally performed", but stated that while the gameplay is "fast and addictive", it lacked originality in the face of a saturated shoot 'em up market.[10] The reviewers of Zzap!64 lauded the game's presentation, visuals and difficulty, and said that while the gameplay was standard for its genre, the wide range of power-ups to enhance the ship with served as a vital difference.[12] The Games Machine described the game as "a truly awesome sight", "a superlative shoot-'em-up", and "a classing sounding, looking, and playing blaster, wholly deserving of the prefix 'Mega'." They commended the "pleasingly vicious" enemy designs as "imaginative and conception and brilliant in execution", the shop feature as "brilliantly presented and cleverly thought-out", and the ability to reverse course as a "great idea ... [that] helps transform an already highly playable shoot-'em-up into a classic, addictive one".[9] Paul Glancey of Computer and Video Games praised the gameplay, graphics and sound and called the game "utterly superb".[11] Duncan MacDonald of Zero declared that the game "is (to date) the DEFINITIVE vertical scrolling shoot 'em up" and "has the best music, graphics, gameplay and doner kebabs this side of Crewe".[13] The loading times between levels and the Swop Shop were criticized.[9][12][13]

The game was ranked the 33rd best Amiga game of all time by Amiga Power.[14] In contrast, Amiga Format's review of the CDTV version (Issue 39, October 1992) was very harsh: they rated it a paltry 32%, commenting that, while innovative at the time it was first released, the game had aged poorly and its gameplay was not well-balanced.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Xenon 2 Megablast instruction manual, p. 5
  2. ↑ Xenon 2 Megablast instruction manual, p. 3
  3. ↑ Xenon 2 Megablast instruction manual, p. 6
  4. ↑ Xenon 2 Megablast instruction manual, p. 9
  5. ↑ Xenon 2 Megablast instruction manual, p. 7
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Xenon 2 Megablast instruction manual, p. 8
  7. ↑ Xenon 2 Megablast instruction manual, pp. 10–12
  8. ↑ Xenon 2 Megablast opening credits
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 "Review: Xenon 2 – Megablast". The Games Machine: 80–81. October 1989. https://archive.org/stream/the-games-machine-23/TheGamesMachine23#page/n79/mode/2up. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Waddilove, Roland (October 1989). "Blast it!". Atari ST User: 36–37. http://www.atarimania.com/atari-magazine-issue-atari-st-user-vol-4-no-08_1133.html. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Glancey, Paul (September 1989). "Review: Xenon 2". Computer and Video Games (94): 52–53. https://archive.org/stream/cvg-magazine-094/CVG_094_Sep_1989#page/n51/mode/2up. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Zzap! Test: Xenon 2 Megablast". Zzap!64: 70–71. October 1989. https://archive.org/stream/zzap64-magazine-054/ZZap_64_Issue_054_1989_Oct#page/n69/mode/2up. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 MacDonald, Duncan (October 1989). "Review: Xenon II Megablast". Zero: 8–11. https://archive.org/stream/zero-magazine-00/Zero_00_Oct_1989#page/n7/mode/2up. 
  14. ↑ Amiga Power magazine issue 0, Future Publishing, May 1991

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. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari




Warning: Default sort key "Xenon 2 Megablast" overrides earlier default sort key "Mobygames".




Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Xenon_2_Megablast&oldid=669313"