Highlander (video game)

Highlander

Spectrum cover art

Developer(s)| Canvas (Roy Gibson, Simon Butler, Steven Cain, Martin Calvert)[1]
Publisher(s)| Ocean Software Ltd
Platform(s)| Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum
Release| November 1986
Genre(s)| Action, beat-em-up
Mode(s)| Single player, multiplayer

Highlander is a video game tie-in to the Highlander franchise released in 1986, the same year as the film, published by Ocean Software for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC home computers. Highlander was panned by reviewers.[2][3][4][5]

## Contents

* 1 Gameplay
* 2 Reception
* 3 References
* 4 External links
* 5 Features
* 6 History
* 7 See also
* 8 References
* 9 External links

## Gameplay

In-game screenshot

Highlander is an arcade fighting game in which the player controls one of two swordsmen. In the single-player mode, the player plays as Connor MacLeod and must fight three opponents in one-on-one combat: his mentor Ramírez, then Fizir (named Fasil in the film), before finally facing The Kerghan (named The Kurgan in the film).[6][2] In each fight the objective is to reduce the opponent's health to zero, at which point he is beheaded and the player wins the fight. A two-player mode is also available.[6]

## Reception

Reception

| Review scores

Publication| Score
Crash| 57% (Spectrum)[4]
Sinclair User|  (Spectrum)[2]
Zzap!64| 30% (C64)[3]

Crash gave the Spectrum version an overall score of 57%, calling its gameplay "clunky" and "trite", graphics "chunky" and 'unimpressive', and all three reviewers described Highlander as "boring", with one reviewer summarizing the game as "totally boring and quite unplayable".[4] In addition to Sinclair User's "golden turkey" award, Sinclair User gave the Spectrum version of Highlander an overall score of two out of five stars, calling all three levels "virtually identical", and expressed that its gameplay 'lacks finesse', summarizing Highlander's gameplay as 'slamming the joystick until you win'.[2]

Crash's sister magazine Zzap!64 gave the Commodore 64 version an overall score of 30%, thoroughly criticizing it as "slow and boring" with "blocky" graphics and "unresponsive" controls, bluntly summarizing the game as a whole as a "film tie-in rip-off" with "nothing vaguely original or interesting".[3]

The ZX Spectrum version of Highlander is featured in Stuart Ashen's (also known by his online presence as Ashens) 2015 book Terrible Old Games You've Probably Never Heard Of, noting that the graphics for the Spectrum release are the same as those used in the Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64 releases, which are designed for a lower screen resolution and in more colors than the Spectrum. Ashens expresses that "the Spectrum's monochrome rendering leaves them an incomprehensible mess". Ashens heavily criticises its gameplay and graphics, expressing that the combat "feels futile" and stating that "on starting the game, the first thing to hit you is how incredibly ugly the characters are ... Astoundingly, it plays even worse than it looks. None of the sword fighting moves seem to do much ... you can't really tell who is successfully hitting whom ... Playing Highlander is one of the least entertaining ways you could possibly spend your time". Ashens calls Highlander's controls "horribly unresponsive" and moving the player character "clumsy", saying the single tactic to winning Highlander is to "mash the fire button and hope". Ashens calls the game design "lazy" as well, stating that "despite there being three different opponents that you have to load separately, they all have identical moves. They just look different and [have more health]", furthermore stating that the game feels like it was rushed.[5]

## References

1. ↑ Highlander at SpectrumComputing.co.uk
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Gilbert, John (January 1987). "Arcade Review: Highlander". Sinclair User (EMAP Publications) (58): 52. ISSN 0262-5458. https://archive.org/details/sinclair-user-magazine-058/page/n51/mode/2up.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Eddy, Richard; Sumner, Paul; Rignall, Julian (February 1987). "Zzap! Test: Highlander". Zzap!64 (Newsfield Limited) (22): 23. https://archive.org/details/Zzap64_Magazine_Issue_22/page/22/mode/2up.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Ben; Paul; Mike (February 1987). "Reviews: Highlander". Crash (Newsfield Limited) (37): 114. https://archive.org/details/crash-magazine-37/page/n113/mode/2up.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ashen, Stuart (2015). Terrible Old Games You've Probably Never Heard Of (1st ed.). London, England: Unbound. pp. 82–87. ISBN 978-1-78352-256-9.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Highlander gameplay instructions". Ocean Software Ltd. 1986. http://www.worldofspectrum.org/pub/sinclair/games-info/h/Highlander.txt.

## External links

* Highlander at SpectrumComputing.co.uk
* 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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