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Under the Skin (video game)

Topic: Software

 From HandWiki - Reading time: 6 min

Under the Skin
North American box art
Developer(s)Capcom Production Studio 4
Publisher(s)Capcom
Director(s)Hiroki Kato
Producer(s)Hiroyuki Kobayashi
Writer(s)Hiroki Kato[1]
Composer(s)
  • Chamy Ishi
  • Marika Suzuki
  • Shusaku Uchiyama
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
Release
  • JP: August 5, 2004
  • NA: October 12, 2004
  • EU: October 22, 2004
  • AU: October 28, 2004
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Under the Skin, known in Japan as Meiwaku Seijin: Panikku Mēkā,[lower-alpha 1] is an action-adventure video game by Capcom. It was developed by the company's Production Studio 4,[2] and released in 2004 for the PlayStation 2. Containing science fiction and comedy elements, the main character of the game's story is an extraterrestrial named Cosmi, sent from Planet Mischief to Earth to generally wreak havoc. The game features cameos from some of the cast of one of Capcom's other games, such as an entire level that functions as a parody of Resident Evil 3.

Plot

The story revolves around the Planet Mischief, where there is a tradition that once someone turns 3-years old, he or she must travel to a planet and learn how to perform "Mischief" and cause panic on that planet. Cosmi, a three-year-old alien, travels to Earth for his mission, in order to impress his father, the Master of Mischief, Cosmi Sr., mostly because Earth is considered the greatest challenge. Cosmi crashes with a TV satellite from a town called Coco Town. When crash landing, he manages to hide in an alley on Coco Town, where he is saved by Earth's Mischief Master, Master Itazura. He takes him to his Dojo to train, and lets Cosmi move on with his mission, on 8 different locations: Coco Town, High Stakes Hill, Pranksylvania, Pharaoh Island, Big Booty Bay, Frontiersville, Raccoon City and finally Cosmopolis. It is revealed that Cosmopolis is a trap for "Anti-Alien-Forces" to capture all of the aliens on Earth by disguising themselves as aliens. Itazura uses their trap as the final challenge for Cosmi, and challenges him personally there. Cosmi wins and travels back to Planet Mischief to celebrate, but crashes into another TV-station and crashlands on Earth again, this time, in the middle of Coco Town square. Of course, panic arises and reporters try to get a snapshot of the little alien, but Cosmi accidentally pushes someones camera around, causing it to take a photo of the crowd, thus revealing that several of them are also aliens.

Gameplay

Since Cosmi is vulnerable in his small alien form, he must first beam up a nearby earthling in order to create a disguise for himself. Once he has beamed a person up, he can change his form by stepping under a UFO. Each earthling has a different ability that can be used for causing mischief, such as boomboxes, vacuum cleaners or bazookas. Successfully knocking over earthlings yields coins that are required to complete the goals set in each level. Once pranked, the earthlings will become hostile towards Cosmi and try to attack him. While disguised, Cosmi can take two hits, the first leaving him in underwear (a possible homage to Ghosts 'n Goblins), while the second one reverts him to his vulnerable alien form. Earthlings will continue to chase and attack Cosmi, forcing him to lose coins, until he can find another UFO to change into another disguise. At certain points in the level, a Panic Time will occur where something crazy in the stage happens for a short amount of time.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic55/100[3]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Edge6/10[4]
EGM4.5/10[5]
Eurogamer4/10[6]
Famitsu31/40[7]
Game Informer5/10[8]
GameRevolutionD+[9]
GameSpot6.1/10[10]
GameSpyStarStarHalf star[11]
GameZone6/10[12]
IGN6/10[13]
OPM (US)StarStarStarHalf star[14]
The Sydney Morning HeraldStarStar[15]

The game received "mixed" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[3]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: めいわく星人 パニックメーカー, lit. Annoying Alien: Panic Maker

References

  1. ↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). Seminars Village. http://seminars-village.com/profile.html. 
  2. ↑ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}" (in ja). Capcom Co., Ltd. http://www.capcom.co.jp/panic/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Under the Skin for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/under-the-skin/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2. 
  4. ↑ Edge staff (December 2004). "Under the Skin". Edge (143). http://gamesradar.msn.co.uk/reviews/default.asp?pagetypeid=2&articleid=32736&subsectionid=1605. Retrieved March 20, 2015. 
  5. ↑ EGM staff (November 2004). "Under the Skin". Electronic Gaming Monthly (184): 144. 
  6. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (October 18, 2004). "Under the Skin". Eurogamer. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_undertheskin_ps2. 
  7. ↑ "めいわく星人 パニックメーカー". Famitsu 816. August 8, 2004. 
  8. ↑ Helgeson, Matt (October 2004). "Under the Skin". Game Informer (138): 136. 
  9. ↑ Silverman, Ben (October 13, 2004). "Under the Skin Review". Game Revolution. http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/under-the-skin. 
  10. ↑ Davis, Ryan (October 11, 2004). "Under the Skin Review". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/under-the-skin-review/1900-6110282/. 
  11. ↑ Fischer, Russ (October 14, 2004). "GameSpy: Under the Skin". GameSpy. http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/meiwaku-seijin-panic-maker/557186p1.html. 
  12. ↑ Valentino, Nick (October 20, 2004). "Under the Skin - PS2 - Review". GameZone. http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/under_the_skin_ps2_review. 
  13. ↑ Sulic, Ivan (October 12, 2004). "Under the Skin". IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/10/12/under-the-skin. 
  14. ↑ "Under the Skin". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine: 130. November 2004. 
  15. ↑ Hill, Jason (January 27, 2005). "Lacking depth". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/Games/Lacking-depth/2005/01/26/1106415606329.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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