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Again (video game)

Topic: Software

 From HandWiki - Reading time: 7 min

Again
Developer(s)Cing
Publisher(s)Tecmo
Director(s)Shigeru Komine
Producer(s)Takuya Miyakawa
Designer(s)Angyo Hayasaka
Shiro Uagawa
Takashi Yano
Takashi Amano
Programmer(s)Tetsuji Fujisawa
Yasuki Sekihara
Toshifumi Higashi
Toshiyuki Iwabuchi
Kenji Udoh
Artist(s)Kenichi Shigeto
Writer(s)Yuki Tsuruta
Hidetake Itoh
Composer(s)Naoyuki Yoneda
Tatsuya Fujiwara
Platform(s)Nintendo DS
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Again: Interactive Crime Novel, known in Japan as Again: FBI Chōshinri Sōsakan (AGAIN　FBI超心理捜査官, "Again: FBI Parapsychological Investigator"), is a mystery adventure video game developed by Cing and published by Tecmo for the Nintendo DS. It was released in Japan on December 10, 2009 and in North America on March 30, 2010.

Gameplay

The game is presented in FMV cutscenes.[1] While playing the game, the DS is held vertically, using two screens for the visions.[2] Environments are explored in first person, with the player moving around using the control pad.[3] The player can use J's psychic abilities to see into the past, which allows him to investigate crime scenes as they happened. The player can inspect items and interact with the environment using the touch screen, and can view visions of the past by manipulating the area to make it look like what it looked like when the crime was committed.[4] After all of the visions in an area have been found, the player will be given a series of clips that are out of order. Putting the clips in order reveals a short video where the murder is shown. J has a "psychic health meter" which depletes if the players uses his abilities on areas irrelevant to the case. Completely draining the meter results in a game over, forcing the player to restart the investigation.[5] J can also interview witnesses for additional information through a branching dialogue system.[1]

Premise

A string of serial murders from 19 years ago have started up again. The player takes the role of J, an agent of the FBI and sole survivor of the murders. J has a special ability called "past vision" to solve puzzles, which he uses as he investigates the murders committed by the serial killer known only as "Providence".

Development and release

Throughout Again's development, Cing intended it to appeal to Western audiences from the very beginning by taking cues from US crime television shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and incorporating a realistic film noir visual style.[6] The game was originally planned to be subtitled Eye of Providence.

Again was first released in Japan on December 10, 2009, and a North American localization was released on March 30, 2010, just nearly one month after the company folded. Again is thus Cing's penultimate game overall (ahead of Last Window) and also its last game to be published by a third party or localized for North America.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic52/100[7]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Adventure GamersStarStarStarHalf star[1]
Destructoid5/10[8]
Eurogamer4/10[9]
Famitsu30/40[10]
Game Informer6/10[11]
GameSpot5/10[12]
GameTrailers4.7/10[13]
IGN4.5/10[6]
Nintendo Power7/10[14]
Nintendo World Report5.5/10[15]

The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[7] Critics praised the concept, FMV artstyle, and controls, but criticized the "Psychic health meter", mechanics, sense of direction, dialogue system, and ending.

Writing for Eurogamer, John Walker gave a disappointed review, stating, "It's a game that asks the player to think more deeply, or at least demands that one be slightly pretentious when discussing it. But rather sadly, it's also rubbish.".[9] Writing for Game Informer, Annette Gonzalez called the game a "Huge snoozefest" and criticized the area graphics, calling them "Muddy and pixelated".[11] Writing for IGN, Arthur Gies was harsh on the game, calling it "Full of bad adventure game cliches" and "Mired in repetition".[6] In a review for GameSpot, Nathan Meunier criticized the game's plot progression, calling it "Awkward and clunky", but praised the FMV artstyle, saying it "[Made] the [game] stand out in a good way".[12] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one eight, two sevens, and one eight, for a total of 30 out of 40.[10] Randy Nelson from Nintendo Power praised the game mechanics that recreate past crimes for bringing "a fresh new twist" to the DS hardware but felt there wasn't enough of it. He concludes by calling Again "an open-and-shut case for budding crime-solvers with a taste for the unusual."[14]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Morganti, Emily (May 5, 2010). "Again review". Adventure Gamers. http://www.adventuregamers.com/articles/view/18420. 
  2. ↑ Ronaghan, Neal (November 10, 2009). "Again and Monster Rancher Set For March 2010". Nintendo World Report. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/20293/again-and-monster-rancher-set-for-march-2010. 
  3. ↑ Cackowski-Schnell, Brandon (April 20, 2010). "The blind character keeps her eyes closed. Seriously.". GameShark. http://www.gameshark.com/reviews/3511/Again-Review.htm. 
  4. ↑ Kohler, Chris (October 12, 2008). "HANDS ON: AGAIN, NEW DS ADVENTURE FROM HOTEL DUSK DEV". Wired. https://www.wired.com/2008/10/hands-on-again/. Retrieved April 25, 2019. 
  5. ↑ Chandran, Neal (May 1, 2010). "AGAIN". RPGFan. http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/AGAIN/index.html. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Gies, Arthur (April 13, 2010). "Again Review". IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/04/14/again-review. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Again: Interactive Crime Novel for DS Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/again-interactive-crime-novel/critic-reviews/?platform=ds. 
  8. ↑ Sterling, Jim (April 4, 2010). "Review: Again". Destructoid. https://www.destructoid.com/review-again-169893.phtml. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Walker, John (April 13, 2010). "Again". Eurogamer. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/again-review. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Brian (November 30, 2009). "Famitsu review scores". Nintendo Everything. http://nintendoeverything.com/famitsu-review-scores-69/. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Gonzalez, Annette (April 6, 2010). "Again: Text-Heavy Whodunit Falls Victim To Slow Pacing And Bland Puzzles". Game Informer. http://www.gameinformer.com/games/again/b/nintendo_ds/archive/2010/04/06/review.aspx. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Meunier, Nathan (April 20, 2010). "Again Review". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/again-review/1900-6259157/. 
  13. ↑ "Again Review". GameTrailers. April 7, 2010. http://www.gametrailers.com/gamereview.php?id=10371. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Nelson, Randy (April 2010). "Again". Nintendo Power (Future US) 253: 89. 
  15. ↑ Yeung, Karlie (September 14, 2010). "Again". Nintendo World Report. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/24032/again-nintendo-ds. 
  • 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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