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Battleship (1996 video game)

Topic: Software

 From HandWiki - Reading time: 5 min

Battleship
Battleship
NA Cover art
Developer(s)NMS Software Ltd.
Publisher(s)Hasbro Interactive
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • GER: September 30, 1996
  • NA: November 26, 1996[1]
  • UK: 1999
Genre(s)Action game

'Battleship' (also known as 'Battleship: The Classic Naval Warfare Game') is a PC video game developed by NMS Software Ltd. and published by Hasbro Interactive, released in 1996 in Germany, and 1997 and 1999 in North America and the United Kingdom.

Gameplay

Battleship is a revision of the board game popularised by the Milton Bradley Company. The game contains several variants: 'Classic', which generally follows the turn-based rules of the board game, and the more in-depth 'Ultimate Battleship', where players manipulate fleets of ships on a larger playing field in real-time. 'Ultimate Battleship' is supported by several game modes, including missions and scenarios.[2]Battleship also features local 'hot seat' play, and supports multiplayer games for up to four players over LAN, modem-to-modem, or online using MPlayer.[3]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGWStarStarStar[3]
CVGStarStarStar[4]
GameSpot6.8[5]
PC PowerPlay77%[6]
PC Zone70%[7]

Battleship received a lukewarm reception. Positive reviews evaluated the game based upon its innovations compared to the board game. Mark Clarkson of Computer Gaming World stated the real-time approach of the game was a "pleasant surprise", and "Hasbro has spruced up the old game considerably".[3] Gareth Jones of PC PowerPlay praised the game as "more technical than the board game" with its "deep and complex gameplay, although acknowledged that "apart from the name, it's actually almost nothing like the original board game".[6]

Less favorable reviews of Battleship focused on the lack of depth of certain features. Andy Mitchell of PC Zone stated the game's "bells and whistles...ultimately doesn't change the fact that this is still a pretty basic concept wrapped in hi-tech clothing".[7] Moira Muldoon of GameSpot critiqued the Classic mode of the game as having "no strategy", due to players being unable to turn boats lengthwise, and knowing which type of ship they have hit.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "Online Gaming Review". 1997-02-27. http://www.ogr.com/news/news1196.html. 
  2. ↑ "Battleship". 31 March 2020. https://www.giantbomb.com/battleship-the-classic-naval-warfare-game/3030-16290/.  [user-generated source]
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Clarkson, Mark (March 1997). "Battleship". Computer Gaming World (152): 142. https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_152. 
  4. ↑ Huhtala, Alex (April 1997). "Battleship". Computer & Video Games (185): 84. https://archive.org/details/Computer_and_Video_Games_Issue_185_1997-04_EMAP_Images_GB. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Muldoon, Moira (27 February 1997). "Battleship Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/battleship-review/1900-2538153/#comments-block-32375469. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Jones, Gareth (September 1997). "Battleship". PC PowerPlay (15): 71. https://archive.org/details/PCPowerplay-015-1997-08. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Mitchell, Andy (April 1997). "Battleship". PC Zone (49): 100. https://archive.org/details/PC_Zone_49_April_1997. 
  • 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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