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Alias (video game)

Topic: Software

 From HandWiki - Reading time: 9 min

Alias
Developer(s)Acclaim Studios Cheltenham
Publisher(s)Acclaim Entertainment
Writer(s)J. J. Abrams
Breen Frazier
Composer(s)Michael Giacchino
Chris Tilton
EngineRenderWare
Platform(s)PlayStation 2, Xbox, Microsoft Windows
ReleasePlayStation 2, Xbox
  • NA: 7 April 2004[1]
  • EU: 8 April 2004
Microsoft Windows
  • EU: 28 May 2004
  • NA: 17 June 2004
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Alias is a 2004 stealth action video game developed by Acclaim Studios Cheltenham (being the last game developed by them before their closure) and published by Acclaim Entertainment. The game is based on the television series Alias, and is set between episodes 19 and 20 of season 2.The plot was written by Breen Frazier and the game features the voices of the cast principals. The score was composed by Michael Giacchino, and adapted by Chris Tilton.[2] It was released for PlayStation 2 and Xbox in April 2004, and for Windows in May/June.

Plot

When CIA agent, Sydney Bristow, is called in to work on her day off, she knows there must be something serious going down. The order came from the CIA's best mind: her father, Jack Bristow. A fellow operative, Agent Jacobs, has disappeared under suspicious circumstances. His last communiqué to the CIA contained highly sensitive intelligence regarding Sydney's nemesis, Anna Espinosa, formerly a top agent for K-Directorate, now gone rogue. While Sydney's been having free time, Anna has been busy - hard at work taking over the "Followers of Rambaldi" cult, a cabal of zealots hell bent on bringing the visions of 15th century philosopher, physicist and prophet, Milo Rambaldi, to life. Now, Anna has been teaming up with Julian Sark, a slippery and cunning gun-for-hire, along with Sydney's ex-boss, Arvin Sloane, a highly intelligent but utterly corrupt crime lord, and a man Sydney thoroughly despises.

Sydney is tasked with finding out what this trio of 'most wanted' fugitives is working on and discover exactly what "The Machine" is. She is ably assisted by her back-up team; Marcus Dixon, her field partner and loyal friend; Michael Vaughn, her CIA handler; and Marshall Flinkman, a socially inept technological whiz with a gadget for every occasion.

Starting in Agent Jacobs' last known location, a casino in Monte Carlo, Sydney locates a data disc in a dead drop. Hacking into a computer in the executive suite, she discovers that the casino's luxurious exterior hides a huge arms manufacturing facility in the basement. Now, Sydney has to acquire a laser prototype being tested there, sneak back into the casino to spy on a meeting between Anna and Sark, and finally escape from the casino grounds with armed enemies in hot pursuit.

Jacobs' data leads the team to a museum in Saudi Arabia proudly displaying new artifacts...a mysterious set of bones found in the desert with links to Rambaldi. When Sydney covertly enters the museum to acquire the bones, she finds that Anna has the same idea at the same time, except that Anna has brought her task force. Racing against Anna's forces, Sydney must collect all of the bones before getting a trace on a feeling Anna that takes them to ruins in the desert. Here, Sydney's best efforts are thwarted by Anna's underhanded tactics which force Sydney to put friendship before professional loyalty, and incidentally, disarm a rather large nuclear warhead.

While Sydney's been in the desert, Vaughn has tracked both missing agent Jacobs and a mathematician, Dr. Caplan, to an insane asylum in Romania, where prisoners are being held against their will. Breaking into the asylum, Sydney discovers that the prisoners are being used as human guinea pigs for Anna and Sark's experiments with their laser. After freeing Caplan and Jacobs, who in turn free the prisoners, Sydney initiates a daring plan to take Sark into custody and put an end to the experiments by starting a chemical reaction with the laser's components, which destroys the asylum when the reaction goes critical. The horrific truth about the experiments comes out as Caplan is debriefed back at the CIA.

Trading his intelligence for immunity, Sark tips the team off that Arvin Sloane is cutting a specific diamond to Anna's very precise specifications in a laboratory beneath an embassy in Hong Kong. Gaining admittance to the embassy by attending a glamorous party in the ballroom, Sydney gets into the cutting room and manages to acquire the diamond. She is forced to trade it for the lives of the innocent partygoers when Sloane appears on the scene and informs Sydney of the C-4 explosives he has placed around the embassy as insurance. Ignoring Sydney's warnings about Anna, he triggers a countdown on the bomb giving Sydney and Dixon just a few minutes to evacuate the embassy and get themselves to safety.

Tracing Anna to Rio de Janeiro, Sydney tails her to a nightclub where she is scheduled to meet with Sloan. Bugging a meeting between the two, Sydney finally manages to discover the true, awful potential about "The Machine," and its location in an underground bunker in Russia. As Anna marches off a double-crossed Sloane, the CIA operatives receive a surprise visit by the Followers of Rambaldi SWAT team. Realizing there is a mole within the agency, Vaughn attempts to stop the raid only to find that the leaks have come from the most unlikely of sources. The CIA team must regroup to draw up their final make-or-break plans to stop Anna's nefarious plan.

Following a HALO parachute jump insertion, Sydney must use all of the skills she has learned to infiltrate the bunker. By stealth, combat and quick-thinking, Sydney gets past Anna's forces and finds a captive Sloane. Reluctantly agreeing to an uneasy truce with him, Sydney must defeat Anna and figure out how to destroy the mighty Machine to stop ecological disaster being launched on the whole planet. As Anna's grand scheme and the bunker begin to collapse around her, Sydney has to push herself to the limit to escape with her life.

Alias: Underground

Prior to the Acclaim release, ABC Television produced a downloadable episodic video game for PC and Mac entitled Alias: Underground, which was available through ABC's website. Developed by a now-defunct company named Dream Mechanics, the game was a 3D third-person stealth/action game like the Acclaim production, though with comparably lower production values. Each level of the game was produced as an individual episode and released on a monthly basis during the second season between September 2002 and June 2003. Some levels resembled episodes from the TV series (such as "Raid on SD-6", based on first-season episode "The Box"), while others were unique creations. For a time, players were eligible to enter a contest based upon their score in the game.

Recently,[when?] ABC Media announced the ceasing of support for the online game, due to low usage, as the game was easy to complete and new levels were no longer being added. At one time the game was offered free of charge, but now ABC charges US$0.99 for each mission (excluding the training mission, which is still available for free download).

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
PCPS2Xbox
EGMN/A5/10[3]5/10[3]
Game InformerN/A7.5/10[4]7.5/10[4]
GameProN/AStarStarStarStar[5]StarStarStarStar[5]
GameSpot5.5/10[6]6.3/10[7]6.3/10[7]
GameSpyN/AStarStar[8]StarStar[8]
GameZone6/10[9]N/A7.9/10[10]
IGNN/A7.3/10[11]7.3/10[11]
OPM (US)N/AStarStarHalf star[12]N/A
OXM (US)N/AN/A6.5/10[13]
PC Gamer (US)60%[16]N/AN/A
PlayboyN/A63%[14]63%[14]
The TimesN/AStarStarStarStar[15]StarStarStarStar[15]
Aggregate score
Metacritic55/100[17]64/100[18]64/100[19]


Alias received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[18][19][17]

References

  1. ↑ Cove, Glen (7 April 2004). "Alias Ships". http://www.acclaim.com/company/pressReleases/product/AliasShips.html. 
  2. ↑ "Alias: The Game". Chris Tilton. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120229123232/http://www.christilton.com/credits/alias-the-game/. Retrieved 10 October 2015. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 EGM staff (June 2004). "Alias (PS2, Xbox)". Electronic Gaming Monthly (179): 92. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Mason, Lisa (April 2004). "Alias (PS2, Xbox)". Game Informer (132): 94. Archived from the original on 21 May 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080521010756/http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/ED3511DF-B842-4DF6-931E-90666E085B0A.htm. Retrieved 11 October 2015. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bad Hare (May 2004). "Alias (PS2, Xbox)". GamePro: 70. Archived from the original on 9 February 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050209083420/http://gamepro.com/sony/ps2/games/reviews/34931.shtml. Retrieved 11 October 2015. 
  6. ↑ Navarro, Alex (25 June 2004). "Alias Review (PC)". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/alias-review/1900-6101432/. Retrieved 11 October 2015. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Navarro, Alex (8 April 2004). "Alias Review (PS2, Xbox)". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/alias-review/1900-6093241/. Retrieved 11 October 2015. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Gibson, Jon (23 April 2004). "GameSpy: Alias (PS2, Xbox)". GameSpy. http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/alias/508531p1.html. Retrieved 11 October 2015. 
  9. ↑ Giacobbi, Kevin "BIFF" (3 August 2004). "Alias Review - PC". GameZone. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080110183033/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r21483.htm. Retrieved 11 October 2015. 
  10. ↑ Bedigian, Louis (19 April 2004). "Alias Review - Xbox". GameZone. Archived from the original on 18 January 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080118134901/http://xbox.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r21483.htm. Retrieved 11 October 2015. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Goldstein, Hilary (6 April 2004). "Alias (PS2, Xbox)". IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/04/07/alias. Retrieved 11 October 2015. 
  12. ↑ Nguyen, Thierry (June 2004). "Alias". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. Archived from the original on 3 June 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040603204609/http://www.playstationmagazine.com/article2/0%2C2053%2C1566306%2C00.asp. Retrieved 11 October 2015. 
  13. ↑ "Alias". Official Xbox Magazine: 76. June 2004. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Alias (PS2, Xbox)". Playboy: 32. February 2004. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Alias (PS2, Xbox). 1 May 2004. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/technology/article1862249.ece. Retrieved 11 October 2015. 
  16. ↑ "Alias". PC Gamer: 60. September 2004. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Alias for PC Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/alias/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved 10 October 2015. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Alias for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/alias/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2. Retrieved 10 October 2015. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Alias for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/alias/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox. Retrieved 10 October 2015. 

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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