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Power Chess

Topic: Software

 From HandWiki - Reading time: 5 min

Power Chess
Developer(s)Sierra On-Line
Publisher(s)Sierra On-Line
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows 95
ReleaseSeptember 30, 1996
Genre(s)Chess
Mode(s)Single player

Power Chess is a chess-playing video game originally released in September 1996 by Sierra On-Line for the Microsoft Windows 95 operating system. Later revisions of the software were released as Power Chess 98 (1997) and Power Chess 2.0 (1998).[1] Power Chess was also the "intermediate" game included in Sierra's Complete Chess (1998) along with Maurice Ashley Teaches Chess (1995) and Extreme Chess (1996).[2][3]

Engine

Its chess engine is "Wchess" by David Kittinger, which played against Deep Blue in the 1995 World Computer Championship in Hong Kong. The game is included as a watchable "Great Game" in Power Chess.

Gameplay

Power Chess had two major innovations: the program would adjust its level during the game trying to match that of the player (presaging Chessbase Fritz's Friend Mode). In addition, after each game, a female voice, the Queen, walks the player through the game, pointing out and explaining where the player could have played better.[4] The program keeps track of the player's rating. Players can also create their own characters with differing gameplay styles and difficulty.

Narration

The voice of the Power Chess Queen was voiced in English and French by voiceover artist Natacha LaFerriere.[5]

"Great Games"

A collection of famous games is included for review and study, each one narrated turn-by-turn by the Queen. The games include:

  • The Evergreen Game, Adolf Anderssen vs. Jean Dufresne (1852)
  • The Opera Game, Paul Morphy vs. Duke Karl of Brunswick and Count Isouard (1858)
  • Wilhelm Steinitz vs. Curt von Bardeleben (1895)
  • Ruger vs. Gebhard (1915)
  • Vasily Smyslov vs. Bobby Fischer (1970)
  • Wchess vs. Deep Blue (1995)
  • Deep Blue vs. Garry Kasparov, Game 1 (1996)

Reception

Power Chess won Computer Games Strategy Plus's award for the 1996 "traditional" game of the year.[6]

In a comparison between four chess programs, PC Joker rated Power Chess the highest.[7]

See also

Comparison of chess video games

References

  1. ↑ "Power Chess 2.0". Catalog 98 99 (UK: Sierra On-Line): 24. CAT JX 98/99 FE S0013471. https://www.sierrachest.com/index.php?a=publications&id=10&pid=104. 
  2. ↑ Budinska, Agata (Feb 1999). "Sierra's Complete Chess". PC PowerPlay (Redfern, NSW, Australia: Next Publishing) (33): 113. https://archive.org/details/PCPowerplay-033-1999-02/page/n112. Retrieved 2023-04-07. 
  3. ↑ King, Nancy, ed (1998). "It's Your Move". InterAction Magazine (US: Sierra On-Line) (Holiday Issue 1998): 18. https://archive.org/details/InterAction_Magazine_Holiday_1998_1998_Sierra_On-Line_US/page/n21. 
  4. ↑ Dulin, Ron (1996-11-15). "Power Chess Review". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/power-chess-review/1900-2545814/. 
  5. ↑ "Power Chess 98 | Natacha LaFerriere". http://www.natlaf.com/games_pc.html. 
  6. ↑ Staff (1997-03-25). "Computer Games Strategy Plus announces 1996 Awards". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Archived from the original on 1997-06-14. https://web.archive.org/web/19970614161401/http://www.cdmag.com/news/0325971.html. Retrieved 2010-11-02. 
  7. ↑ Duy, Manfred (March 1997). "Strategie - 4 Neue Schachprogramme" (in German). PC Joker (Joker-Verlag) (3/97): 72–74. https://archive.org/details/pcjoker-februar-1997-images/page/n69/mode/2up. 
  • 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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