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Zombi (1986 video game)

Topic: Software

 From HandWiki - Reading time: 7 min

Zombi
Developer(s)Ubi Soft
Publisher(s)Ubi Soft
Designer(s)Patrick Daher
Platform(s)Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, ZX Spectrum
ReleaseAmstrad CPC
Other versions
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Zombi is an icon-driven action-adventure video game. It was Ubisoft's first publication, released in 1986.[1] It was programmed by Yannick Cadin and S. L. Coemelck, with graphics by Patrick Daher and music by Philippe Marchiset.

Gameplay

A first-person action adventure, it borrows heavily from the George A. Romero film Dawn of the Dead: four protagonists exploring a zombie-filled shopping mall, gunshops, escalators, and the articulated trucks used to block the entrances. If a character's health is depleted, he turns into a zombie, which then roams the room they died in. Zombies can be killed either by numerous body shots, or a single shot to the head. Characters are named after the creators of the game.

Ports

The game was re-released in 1990, with ports developed for the ZX Spectrum (by Geoff Phillips, Chris Jones and Steve Chance), Commodore 64 (Jean Noel Moyne, Laurent Poujoulat, Jean Francois Auroux),[2] Amiga (Alexander Yarmitsky),[3] Atari ST and DOS (Yannick Cadin).

Legacy

Another Ubisoft title ZombiU was release for the Wii U in 2012 and later ported to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2015. It is debated whether or not this game is a remake/reboot of the original.

Reception

The ZX Spectrum version was awarded 87% by Sinclair User magazine[4] and 77% by Your Sinclair,[5] both reviewers were impressed with the immersive atmosphere.

CU Amiga awarded the Amiga version of the game 85%, whilst German magazine Amiga Joker scored it at 69%.[6]

Zzap!64 awarded the Commodore 64 version of the game 72%. The reviewer said that the gameplay is outdated and is very similar to Catch 23, a 1987 ZX Spectrum game.[7]

Reviews

  • Jeux & Stratégie #40[8]
  • Jeux & Stratégie #59[9]
  • Jeux & Stratégie HS #3[10]

See also

  • ZombiU, a similarly titled 2012 game from Ubisoft

References

  1. ↑ "Games, Games and More Games" article from Start magazine volume 3 issue 8, March 1989; retrieved from Atarimagazines.com
  2. ↑ Zombi at Lemon64.com
  3. ↑ Zombi at Hall of Light
  4. ↑ Sinclair User issue 98 at World of Spectrum
  5. ↑ Your Sinclair issue 52 at World of Spectrum
  6. ↑ Amiga Joker March 1990 and CU Amiga May 1990 reviews at Amiga Reviews (archive.org copy)
  7. ↑ "Zombi for Amiga (1990) MobyRank". MobyGames. http://www.mobygames.com/game/zombi/mobyrank. 
  8. ↑ "Jeux & stratégie 40". August 1986. https://archive.org/details/jeux-et-strategie-40/page/52/mode/2up. 
  9. ↑ "Jeux & stratégie 59". June 1989. https://archive.org/details/jeux-et-strategie-59/page/72/mode/2up. 
  10. ↑ "Jeux & stratégie HS 3". 1986. https://archive.org/details/jeux-et-strategie-hs-3/page/74/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 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]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

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. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
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