Soldiers of Anarchy

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Short description: 2002 video game
Soldiers of Anarchy
Developer(s)Silver Style Entertainment
Publisher(s)Bigben Interactive
Simon & Schuster Interactive
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: October 23, 2002[1]
  • EU: March 28, 2003
Genre(s)Real-time tactics
Mode(s)Single-player

Soldiers of Anarchy (SOA) is a 2002 squad-based real-time tactics video game released by Simon & Schuster.

Gameplay

Gameplay involves squad tactics, vehicles, and a wide variety of weapons and ammo.

Plot

The game takes place in the year 2015, ten years after a deadly man-made virus (Spontaneous Genome Degeneration Syndrome) kills billions across the planet. The initial protagonists are four soldiers who have spent the last decade in a bunker at a Russian Kalinina military base. What greets the survivors initially is a barren world populated by sporadic groups of survivors. Every community is self-sustaining, with trade organized by the Seeker Guild. Seekers are people who scavenge pre-catastrophe (referred to as Old Time) equipment from ruined cities. It is also revealed that after the disaster, central society became non-existent, with territories being controlled by gangs; apparently the area where the group's base was located was the territory of the Slingers, a group of thugs who have started to capture and kidnap people lately.

The group took control of a nearby town and its radar station. They also interrupted another kidnapping and busted up the Slinger base nearby, securing vital intelligence. The kidnapped were due to be sold at a slave market in New Boston, which the group wiped out and freed the slaves. They also paid a small visit to the Slinger headquarters nearby, killing their leader and permanently crippling their operations, as well as narrowly avoiding being caught in the crossfire of a gang war between the Claws and The Final Revolution.

The protagonists acquired intel about a secretive group of highly trained and heavily armed soldiers and scientists, known as NOAH. Their operations and location were a complete secret with only the local Seekers knowing the location of their laboratories. To gain this information in exchange, the protagonists intervened in the gang war in Bergstadt, joining one gang and wiping out the other (the choice is up to the player). However, the defeated gang retreated first to the township Solensk, then besieged the nearby NOAH base, leaving the protagonists to break the siege.

The leader of the local NOAH forces, Prof. Vlamidir Czeko gave the group minimal info: they were extensively but not successfully researching SGDS in the hope of finding a cure. They were suspicious about a religious community known as COTUC (Church Of The Undying Child). Suspiciously, nearly all of COTUC survived the SGDS-catastrophe and seem to be benefited from it, as they used the past ten years to research advanced technology.

To get more information, especially the location of the COTUC headquarters protagonists infiltrated a COTUC monastery protected by heavily armed troops, cyborgs and crawling mines: mines capable of subterranean movement and attracted to vibrations caused by surface movement. Fortunately the visit of a high ranked COTUC member can be used to extract the desired information. At this point, the storyline splits into two paths: the player can choose to join COTUC or to defeat them.

Joining COTUC the protagonists accepted a mission to infiltrate a NOAH compound and got vital intelligence from a COTUC spy. The intelligence revealed NOAH as responsible for creating SGDS and distributing it through the world in order to develop and sell the vaccine at a high price. Obviously, the vaccine wasn't completed and billions died as a result. Finally, the joint protagonist-COTUC taskforce raided and destroyed the central NOAH headquarters. At the end, the leader of COTUC arrived and gave the group a Hobson's choice: either surrender and be transformed into Death Knight cyborgs, or go down fighting.

Opposing COTUC the protagonists had to infiltrate the COTUC headquarters, disguised as unarmed monks. The group had to use anything they can find to fight their way out. It was also discovered that the COTUC not only found and synthesised a cure, but also perfected SGDS to become an even more potent toxin. Unfortunately the leader of COTUC escaped to his last resort and took the antidot with him. With a little help from a squad of NOAH soldiers the numerous enemies were defeated and a counterstrike targeting the players base was prevented. In his final standoff the COTUC leader offered an alliance, which was promptly and violently rejected.

Depending on the players choice the game has three possible endings, which are narrated in the closing:

  • If the player joined COTUC and surrendered, the protagonists are transformed into hideous Death Knights. Their only hope is to eventually be able to break through the brainwashing and get revenge.
  • If the player joined COTUC and fights, everyone is slaughtered. Maybe someone else will rise up and win against the COTUC in the future.
  • If the player sided with NOAH and killed the COTUC leader, it is remarked as the first step of humanity towards restoring civilization.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic73/100[2]
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGWStarStarHalf star[3]
GameSpot8.1/10[4]
IGN8/10[5]
PC Gamer (US)75%[6]
PC Zone74%[7]
X-PlayStarStarStarStar[8]

The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[2]

References

  1. Calvert, Justin (October 23, 2002). "Soldiers of Anarchy ships". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/soldiers-of-anarchy-ships/1100-2895559/. Retrieved March 1, 2018. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Soldiers of Anarchy for PC Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/soldiers-of-anarchy/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved March 1, 2018. 
  3. Liberatore, Raphael (March 2003). "Soldiers of Anarchy". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (224): 102. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_224.pdf. Retrieved March 1, 2018. 
  4. Grey, Bruce (November 8, 2002). "Soldiers of Anarchy Review". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/soldiers-of-anarchy-review/1900-2897108/. Retrieved March 1, 2018. 
  5. Adams, Dan (November 13, 2002). "Soldiers of Anarchy". Ziff Davis. http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/11/13/soldiers-of-anarchy. Retrieved March 1, 2018. 
  6. "Soldiers of Anarchy". PC Gamer (Future US): 114. January 2003. 
  7. "PC Review: Soldiers of Anarchy". PC Zone (Future plc). 2003. 
  8. Bondy, Karsten (November 25, 2002). "'SOA: Soldiers of Anarchy' (PC) Review". TechTV. http://www.techtv.com/extendedplay/reviews/story/0,24330,3408334,00.html. 
  • 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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