Software:Zombie Raid

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Zombie Raid
Cover art
Developer(s)American Sammy
Publisher(s)American Sammy
Programmer(s)Tomohiro Takahashi, Hiroaki Murase
Artist(s)Isao Suwa, Ujita, Noriyo Antako
Composer(s)Brian L. Schmidt
Platform(s)Arcade (Seta 1st generation hardware)
Release
  • NA: September 28, 1995
Genre(s)Rail Shooter
Mode(s)Up to 2 players simultaneously

Zombie Raid is a screen scrolling, horror-themed light gun shooter game released for the arcade by American Sammy in January 1995.[1]

Plot

Gameplay of the first level, depicting a zombie aiming at the player

In 1918 England , a small village suffers a rash of kidnappings and grave-robbing incidents, and heavily armed zombies have begun to emerge. With the job too dangerous for the police to handle, private detective Edward Windsor begins to investigate. Following a shootout in the village cemetery, Edward rescues a man named Charles, and the two join forces to infiltrate a nearby castle where the zombies have originated. They become separated upon entering the castle, with Edward falling into a subterranean dungeon and having to fight his way out. Shortly after Edward and Charles reunite, Charles suffers a fatal gunshot wound but transforms into a hideous monster, which Edward must defeat in order to continue. Edward moves through the castle laboratory only to find Charles - mutated into a new form - waiting to battle him again at the exit.

After defeating Charles again, Edward must set three colored crystals into the correct positions in order. Any mistake, or a failure to find all three crystals in previous stages, causes Edward to fall to his death in a pit of spikes and ends the game. If the correct combination is entered, Edward confronts the mad monster scientist who has been creating the zombies in order to mutate weak mortals into powerful creatures that can dominate the world. The scientist drinks one of his own potions, which mutates him into a giant reptilian beast, Edward battles him and eventually triumphs by shooting the beast's head off. Edward walks away, reflecting that even though the village can now live in peace, he feels that he did not fulfill his mission.

Gameplay

The player travels through five stages and must shoot zombies and other monsters along the way before being hit by their attacks (gunshots, knives, axes, etc.). Innocent bystanders appear frequently; if they are shot, the player suffers a health penalty. Pieces of the scenery such as gravestones and windows can be destroyed to reveal weapon power-ups and bonus items. The player starts the game with a standard handgun, but stronger weapons such as shotguns, machine guns, and fire rifles can be found; however, if the player is hit or shoots a bystander, any weapon power-ups are lost. The player's controller is a pump-action shotgun mounted to the cabinet. When a weapon's ammunition supply runs out, the player must pump the fore-end to reload.

A boss character must be defeated at the end of each stage in order to advance to the next. In addition, to reach the final boss of the game, the player must find three colored crystals and place them in the proper order at the end of the fifth stage. Failure to find them all or place them correctly will immediately end the game, with the player's character being dropped into a pit of spikes.

Development

Zombie Raid was developed by both Japanese and Americans working at American Sammy Corporation. The game's music was composed by Brian L. Schmidt, who also made the BSMT2000 sound system (Zombie Raid does not run on this system, however). Zombie Raid runs on Seta's first-generation arcade system, which was originally developed in 1987 and allows for high-quality sprite graphics.

Release

Zombie Raid was released on September 28, 1995. The game was released exclusively in North America.

Reception

Next Generation gave Zombie Raid a score of two stars out of five, and stated that it "isn't terrible, it's kind of fun, but compared to the current shooter crop, it's lacking."[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Zombie Raid". Arcade History. http://www.arcade-history.com/?n=zombie-raid&page=detail&id=3257. 
  2. ↑ "Finals: Zombie Raid". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (12): 209. December 1995. ISSN 1078-9693. https://archive.org/details/nextgen-issue-012/page/n209/mode/2up. 
  • 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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