Conflict Zone

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Short description: 2001 video game
Conflict Zone
Developer(s)MASA Group
Publisher(s)Ubi Soft
Platform(s)Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Windows
ReleaseWindows
Dreamcast
  • NA: December 15, 2001
  • PAL: April 26, 2002[2]
PlayStation 2
  • PAL: August 16, 2002
  • NA: October 19, 2002
Genre(s)Real-time strategy
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Conflict Zone is a war-themed real-time strategy game, developed by MASA Group and published by Ubi Soft for Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and Microsoft Windows.

Story

In 2010, the majority of the world's developed countries have formed a centralised organisation, known as the International Corps for Peace, dedicated to bringing about world peace through worldwide media, but not all developing countries are keen to be involved. Ghost, a secret organisation, seeks only the economic interests of its members without any attachment to morals thus does not hesitate to create crisis situations which the International Corps for Peace is forced to solve, through humiliation, and healthy propaganda.

Gameplay

There are two playable campaigns in Conflict Zone: the Ghost campaign, and the International Corps for Peace campaign.

Missions take place in locations where fictional conflicts take place such as civil war in Ukraine, wars between Indonesia and Malaysia, India and Pakistan and Nigeria and Niger. Most missions usually require the player to build a base (or a 'camp' in Ghost's case) and complete objectives in order to successfully complete the mission.

Unlike most other traditional real-time strategy games, where a main resource pool is used to produce units and buildings, Conflict Zone uses a unique system where innocent civilians are the centerpiece and that the two factions have two completely different strategies that offers a unique challenge to master. Conflict Zone's main innovation was the use of propaganda, which was crucial in the game, with money second. Coming in the form of Popularity Points, players have to exploit the media in order to gain more PP to unlock units and buildings to help turn the fight in their favour, which faction the player may choose affects the way they are gained.

In some cases, the player may also employ artificial intelligence commanders who can be delegated duties. Each commander is tailored to a specific strategy: attack, defend, specialist and commando. By allocating resources, units and bases to a commander, the player can have him/her perform various operations with whatever is at hand.

The International Corps for Peace uses an arsenal of high end, fully trained forces and can easily overpower their Ghost counterpart in brute force but the commander is forced to 'appeal' to humanitarian efforts by rescuing Civilians, from neutral towns within the map, and take them to built Refugee Camps to gain PP. If the player accidentally causes civilian casualties or fails to rescue them, the player's PP level may drop.

The Ghost however do not care of civilian welfare and are more ruthless but depend on the people to help them win.

With a weaker arsenal but bigger unit capacity, Ghost players have the freedom to cause havoc wherever they please; whether by deliberately attacking International Corps for Peace forces near civilians, shooting down their rescue efforts, directly destroying their refugee camps or actively fighting off attacks, the organisation gain popularity by turning the country's people to their cause. To also help gain this, Ghost commanders can even 'enlist' civilians by taking them to enlistment camps where soldiers, dressed as civilians, can help hamper their oppressor's rescue efforts but the only to do this is employ their own cameramen to capture their motives.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
DreamcastPCPS2
EurogamerN/A6/10[4]N/A
GameSpot4.2/10[5]4.4/10[6]N/A
GameSpy7.5/10[7]50%[8]N/A
IGN5.6/10[9]6.7/10[10]4.1/10[11]
OPM (US)N/AN/AStarStarHalf star[12]
PC Gamer (US)N/A60%[13]N/A
PC ZoneN/A70%[14]N/A
PSMN/AN/A5/10[15]
X-PlayN/AN/AStar[16]
Aggregate score
Metacritic55/100[17]59/100[18]47/100[19]

The Dreamcast and PC versions received "mixed" reviews, while the PlayStation 2 version received "generally unfavorable reviews", according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[17][18][19]

References

  1. "GameSpot: PC News: Conflict Zone heading to stores". 2001-12-18. http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2821789,00.html. 
  2. "The Last Days of Dreamcast" (in en-gb). Eurogamer.net. 2002-04-11. https://www.eurogamer.net/article-45774. 
  3. Fletcher, John (March 2002). "Conflict Zone". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (212): 92. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_212.pdf. Retrieved April 8, 2018. 
  4. Bye, John "Gestalt" (June 7, 2001). "Conflict Zone (PC)". Gamer Network. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_conflict. Retrieved December 14, 2014. 
  5. Shoemaker, Brad (January 11, 2002). "Conflict Zone Review (DC)". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/conflict-zone-review/1900-2838375/. Retrieved December 14, 2014. 
  6. Beers, Craig (November 15, 2001). "Conflict Zone Review (PC)". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/conflict-zone-review/1900-2825034/. Retrieved December 14, 2014. 
  7. Retrovertigo (December 24, 2001). "Conflict Zone". IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 25, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090125094238/http://www.planetdreamcast.com/games/reviews/conflictzone/. Retrieved December 14, 2014. 
  8. Suciu, Peter (January 5, 2002). "Conflict Zone: Modern War Strategy". IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 29, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040629083236/http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/december01/conflictzone/. Retrieved December 14, 2014. 
  9. Chau, Anthony (January 7, 2002). "Conflict Zone (DC)". Ziff Davis. http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/01/08/conflict-zone-2. Retrieved December 14, 2014. 
  10. Blake, Bill (December 3, 2001). "Conflict Zone (PC)". Ziff Davis. http://www.ign.com/articles/2001/12/04/conflict-zone-3. Retrieved December 14, 2014. 
  11. Dunham, Jeremy (November 26, 2002). "Conflict Zone (PS2)". Ziff Davis. http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/11/26/conflict-zone. Retrieved December 14, 2014. 
  12. Rybicki, Joe (December 2002). "Conflict Zone". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis): 158. Archived from the original on June 26, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040626101525/http://www.playstationmagazine.com/article2/0%2C2053%2C1495387%2C00.asp. Retrieved December 14, 2014. 
  13. Poole, Stephen (December 25, 2001). "Conflict Zone". PC Gamer (Future US): 76. Archived from the original on October 6, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20031006051638/http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/archives/review_2002-07-10b.html. Retrieved December 14, 2014. 
  14. Pratchett, Rhianna (2001). "PC Review: Conflict Zone". PC Zone. Archived from the original on June 24, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070624090605/http://computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=3779. Retrieved December 14, 2014. 
  15. "Review: Conflict Zone". PSM (Future US): 42. January 2003. 
  16. Bemis, Greg (December 4, 2002). "'Conflict Zone' (PS2) Review". TechTV. Archived from the original on December 16, 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20021216192745/http://www.techtv.com/extendedplay/reviews/story/0%2C24330%2C3408865%2C00.html. Retrieved December 14, 2014. 
  17. 17.0 17.1 "Conflict Zone for Dreamcast Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/conflict-zone/critic-reviews/?platform=dreamcast. Retrieved December 14, 2014. 
  18. 18.0 18.1 "Conflict Zone for PC Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/conflict-zone/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved December 14, 2014. 
  19. 19.0 19.1 "Conflict Zone for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/conflict-zone/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2. Retrieved December 14, 2014. 
  • Official Ubisoft homepage
  • 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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