Apocalypse (video game)

Short description: 1998 video game

Apocalypse

Developer(s)| Neversoft
Publisher(s)| Activision
Platform(s)| PlayStation
Release|

* NA: November 17, 1998[1]
* EU: November 1998

Genre(s)| Third-person shooter
Mode(s)| Single-player

Apocalypse is a third-person shooter video game released for the PlayStation, developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. It features actor Bruce Willis, who provides the main character's likeness and voice.

## Contents

* 1 Plot
* 2 Gameplay
* 3 Development
* 4 Reception
* 5 References
* 6 External links
* 7 Features
* 8 History
* 9 See also
* 10 References
* 11 External links

## Plot

A brilliant evil scientist named "The Reverend" has created a powerful theocracy based on the idea of a rapidly approaching apocalypse. He uses his expertise to create four powerful sentinoids modeled after the "Horsemen of Apocalypse" as well as "The Beast of Revelation" , War, Plague, Beast and Death, in order to ensure this comes to pass. His former colleague, Trey Kincaid (voiced by Bruce Willis), is the only man with the know-how to stop the Reverend, but is locked up in jail and must escape in order to save the world.

## Gameplay

The player is fighting a tank. The display in the top-right shows that the player is using the rocket launcher, and the blue bar coming down from it indicates how much ammunition is remaining for that weapon.

Apocalypse is a 3D multidirectional shooter. The character is moved using the DualShock controller's left analog stick, and shooting is handled independently by pressing the right stick in a given direction, which automatically fires the current weapon in said direction. Alternately, movement may be controlled through the directional pad and shooting performed by using the four face buttons on a typical PlayStation controller (which lack analog sticks), where the buttons' placement on the controller correspond with the fire direction. Using the shoulder buttons it is also possible to duck or jump, and a selection of different weapons are available.

## Development

The game engine for Apocalypse was completed in January 1996.[2] Initially, the player character was a mercenary accompanied by an AI-controlled partner, Trey Kincaid, in an effort to create the video game equivalent of a buddy film.[3] Activision later signed a multi-million-dollar deal for Bruce Willis to provide Trey Kincaid's voice and likeness, using "cyber-scanning" and motion capture.[4][5] Trey Kincaid's role was eventually changed to that of the main playable character, thus reducing the necessity for him to have as much spoken dialogue as was originally intended as the scope of Bruce Willis' involvement decreased as development went on.[citation needed] In the finished game, Willis' vocal contributions are limited mostly to the occasional one-liner and a few brief lines of dialogue in story sequences. Willis' face was photo-mapped onto Trey Kincaid's character model.[6] His motion capture performance was recorded at House of Moves, a film studio in Venice, CA.[2] The sessions were held in mid-January 1997 and took two days.[6] During voice recording, Willis made a number of suggestions of changes to the dialogue, which the developers agreed to.[6]

Poe was cast as the character Plague using the same combination of cyber-scanning, motion capture, and voice recording as done with Willis.[2][7] Apocalypse features several songs from various artists, including Poe and System of a Down. Technology developed for the game allowed live-action music videos from these artists to be projected on large screens within the game's environments.

A three-level "buddy AI" was developed for Kincaid, enabling Kincaid to take up aggressive or defensive approaches and attempt to get power-ups before the player character.[6]

The game was demonstrated at the June 1997 Electronic Entertainment Expo, with Willis present to help promote it. At this time the AI-controlled partner mechanic was still in place, and the game was set to release in September,[8] but the game had been delayed to a later release date of November 17, 1998.[1] While the game originally started off as an internal project for Activision, the almost-bankrupt Neversoft Entertainment picked up the project in early 1998 and used a retooled version of the game engine for the aborted project Big Guns.[9]

The Apocalypse game engine was reworked for use on Neversoft's next title, the seminal Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.[10] Already having in mind that they were going to begin work on Tony Hawk following completion of Apocalypse, the team said they had developed rough in-house playable demos of Trey Kincaid skateboarding around Apocalypse's game environments in order to experiment with the way they wanted Tony Hawk to feel. Even though Neversoft continued to develop and evolve the engine primarily to suit the needs of the Tony Hawk series, it was also put to use in another action title by the team, the popular Spider-Man game they released in 2000. The aspect of the engine that allowed for the live-action music videos to be displayed within Apocalypse's game world was also utilized in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater as well as other subsequent Neversoft titles.

## Reception

Reception

| Aggregate score

Aggregator| Score
GameRankings| 71%[11]
Review scores
Publication| Score
AllGame| [12]
EGM| 6.5/10[13]
Famitsu| 22/40[14]
Game Informer| 7.5/10[15]
GameFan| 91%[16]
GamePro| [17]
GameRevolution| B+[18]
GameSpot| 7.1/10[19]
IGN| 7/10[20]
Next Generation| [21]
OPM (US)| [22]

The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings[11]

Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot praised the game's gameplay as a shooter while criticising the voice acting for lacking any feeling and variety.[19] Next Generation called it "an action title that is average at best. There really is nothing new or innovative here. And in this fourth generation of PlayStation games, this is simply not acceptable".[21] In Japan, where the game was ported and published by Success on September 22, 1999, Famitsu gave it a score of 22 out of 40.[14]

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 IGN staff (October 29, 1998). "Apocalypse When?". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/10/30/apocalypse-when. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 EGM staff (May 1997). "Activision's Star Search". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (94): 101–2.
3. ↑ "NG Alphas: Apocalypse". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (25): 78–80. January 1997. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_25/page/n79/mode/2up. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
4. ↑ EGM staff (April 1997). "Tidbits...". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (93): 22.
5. ↑ "Inside Scoop". GamePro (IDG) (103): 20. April 1997.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 EGM staff (July 1997). "Brucing Up Apocalypse". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (96): 90–92.
7. ↑ "Activision's Nightmare". GamePro (IDG) (98): 20. September 1997.
8. ↑ "E3 Showstoppers!". GamePro (98): 39. September 1997.
9. ↑ Helgeson, Matt. "Big Guns, Big Air, Big Riffs: A Look Back at Neversoft (1994-2014)" (in en). https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2014/07/11/big-guns-big-air-big-riffs-a-look-back-at-neversoft-1994-2014.aspx.
10. ↑ Fristrom, Jamie (June 28, 2000). "Postmortem: Treyarch's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (Dreamcast Version)". UBM plc. https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131563/postmortem_treyarchs_tony_hawks_.php. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Apocalypse for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190501123805/https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/196615-apocalypse/index.html. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
12. ↑ Sackenheim, Shawn. "Apocalypse - Review". All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141114142118/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=12750&tab=review. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
13. ↑ EGM staff (January 1999). "Apocalypse". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (114).
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "アポカリプス [PS"] (in Japanese). Famitsu (Enterbrain). https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=18848&redirect=no. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
15. ↑ McNamara, Andy; Anderson, Paul; Reiner, Andrew (January 1999). "Apocalypse - PlayStation". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (69): 58. Archived from the original on December 5, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20001205210000/http://www.gameinformer.com/reviews/review_detail.cfm?ITEM_ID=2404. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
16. ↑ Mylonas, Eric "ECM"; Justice, Brandon "Big Bubba"; Ngo, George "Eggo" (January 1999). "Apocalypse". GameFan (Shinno Media) 7 (1): 14. https://archive.org/details/Gamefan_Vol_7_Issue_01/page/n15/mode/2up. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
17. ↑ Air Hendrix (January 1999). "Apocalypse Review for PlayStation on GamePro.com". GamePro (IDG) (124). Archived from the original on September 21, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20040921040715/http://www.gamepro.com/sony/psx/games/reviews/126.shtml. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
18. ↑ Hsu, Tim (November 1998). "Apocalypse Review". CraveOnline. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150907190517/http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/apocalypse. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Gerstmann, Jeff (November 17, 1998). "Apocalypse Review". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/apocalypse-review/1900-2546589/. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
20. ↑ Perry, Douglass C. (November 19, 1998). "Apocalypse". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/11/20/apocalypse. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Apocalypse". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (50): 100. February 1999. https://archive.org/details/NextGeneration50Feb1999/page/n101/mode/2up. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
22. ↑ MacDonald, Mark (January 1999). "Apocalypse". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) 2 (4): 102. https://archive.org/details/Official_US_PlayStation_Magazine_Volume_2_Issue_4_1999-01_Ziff_Davis_US/page/n101/mode/2up. Retrieved June 28, 2020.

## External links

* 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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