From HandWiki - Reading time: 6 min
| Infected | |
|---|---|
![]() North American box art | |
| Developer(s) | Planet Moon Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Majesco Entertainment |
| Director(s) | Tim Williams |
| Producer(s) | Aaron Loeb Dean Martinetti |
| Designer(s) | Jeffrey Sondin-Kung |
| Programmer(s) | Ike Herman |
| Artist(s) | Ken Capelli |
| Writer(s) | Tim Williams |
| Engine | RenderWare |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation Portable |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Third-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Infected is a third-person shooter for the PlayStation Portable, developed by Planet Moon Studios.
Infected puts players in the role of a police officer in New York City, 3 weeks before Christmas while the entire city is rapidly being infected with a virus that turns people into ravaging, bloodthirsty zombies. The player's blood contains the cure, which less than 1% of the population possesses. The objective is to destroy the infected while trying to reach someone who can make a cure from the blood.
Gameplay is a frantic over-the-shoulders blaster which revolves around the player's two weapons; a primary weapon and a Viral gun. Players must damage an enemy until their energy level drops to zero. This allows the player to use the Viral gun on them, killing the enemy. Missions include clearing areas and rescuing civilians. There is a gauge called the "Infected" bar. This has 3 sections to it; one for zombie level, one for area threat and one for the civilian level. If the civilian level drops down very low then the Zombie threat will increase and cause a rush of enemies to the player's vicinity. The enemies in this rush will be a lot more difficult to dispatch. In the game the player can use different avatars which also include band members from Slipknot, as well as Rayne from BloodRayne, and Mark Hunter from Chimaira.
Whenever a player starts a mission, they begin with the lowest weapon available. As more kills are performed, a gauge on the right of the player's display fills up and when the gauge passes certain levels, the next weapon is offered to the player. Players have to maintain their kill rate however, as this gauge does slowly trickle back down if no kills are maintained (i.e. the player will only be able to use lower based weapons again). Weapons are upgradable up to a maximum of level 3. At the same time sub-weapons can become available for purchase, which once bought appear as random drops during missions rather than being equipped from the start.
| Reception | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The game received "average" reviews according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[1] In his December 11, 2004 review, Jim Schaefer of Detroit Free Press initially gave the game three stars out of four, stating that "In these days of bird flu and fears of a real-world pandemic, a game called "Infected" leaves me a wee bit leery. The big deal about this game is that you can make your mark in it across the world - and I'm not talking about the usual route of racking up points to sit atop some leader board."[14] A week later, however, he raised the grade to all four stars, stating that, "The online ability to spread an infection to another player is so innovative that this game gets my top award, even if it's not perfect in other areas."[12]
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.

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]
Wikidata has the property:
|
Warning: Default sort key "Infected (Video Game)" overrides earlier default sort key "Mobygames".