Frankie Goes to Hollywood (video game)

Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Developer(s)| Denton Designs
Publisher(s)| Ocean Software
Platform(s)| Amstrad CPC, C64, ZX Spectrum
Release|

* NA: 1985
* EU: 1985

Genre(s)| Arcade adventure, puzzle, minigame
Mode(s)| Single-player

Frankie Goes to Hollywood is a computer game that was developed by Denton Designs and published by Ocean Software Ltd in 1985 for the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum home computers. The game is based on the music of UK band Frankie Goes to Hollywood.[1]

## Contents

* 1 Objective
* 2 List of minigames
* 3 Development
* 4 Music
* 5 Reception
* 6 Sex/Pleasure/Lust
* 7 References
* 8 External links
* 9 Features
* 10 History
* 11 See also
* 12 References
* 13 External links

## Objective

The game puts the player in Liverpool in search of the Pleasuredome. The player has to find and use various objects and play minigames to reach the goal. The player starts the game as a simple character, to reach the Pleasuredome one has to become a full person. To become a full person, the four attributes (sex, war, love and faith) must be filled to 99%. The attributes are boosted by completing tasks in the game. Additional pleasure points can be scored by playing the minigames. The four attributes are part of the symbols used on the covers of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's albums.

During the game, a murder takes place. All the rooms the player can visit contain clues in order to find the murderer. The clues are in pairs, helping eliminate suspects. For example, the player may be told "The killer is an atheist" and "Mr Somebody is a regular church-goer" - so Mr Somebody would be innocent. In theory, the game cannot be completed without making the correct accusation (by returning to the room with the body) - there is a large bonus of Pleasure Points for naming the killer.

## List of minigames

* Sea of Holes
* The Terminal Room
* Cybernetic Breakout
* Cupid's Arrows
* Raid Over Merseyside
* Talking Heads
* Shooting Gallery
* War Room
* Flower Power
* ZTT Room

## Development

The game was developed by Denton Designs and the game was based on the engine for Gift from the Gods.[2]

## Music

Certain versions of the game feature chiptune versions of the band's songs such as "Relax" and "Welcome to the Pleasuredome". The ZX Spectrum version features an adaptation of "Two Tribes" as the title music. The game package also included a live version of "Relax" on tape cassette.

## Reception

Reception

| Review score

Publication| Score
Zzap!64| 97%[3]
| Award

Publication| Award
Zzap!64| Gold Medal

Roy Wagner reviewed the game for Computer Gaming World, and stated that "The graphics and game play are well done. I think you will find it an interesting game."[4]

In 1991, Your Sinclair included the game at number 71 in their list of the Top 100 Best Spectrum Games of All Time.[5] In 1993, Commodore Force ranked the game at number one on its list of the top 100 Commodore 64 games.[6]

## Sex/Pleasure/Lust

The first icon, represented by two sperm in a yin yang image, is variously described as either Sex, Lust or Pleasure. The game inlay refers to the icon as Pleasure, the music press usually referred to it as Sex, and some computer magazines occasionally used the term Lust instead.[7]

## References

1. ↑ MacFarlane, Kit (11 January 2011). "Frankie Goes to Hollywood & Gets There Behind the 'Wheel' of a Classic Commodore 64". PopMatters. http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/134877-frankie-goes-to-hollywood-commodore-64-ocean-software-1985/.
2. ↑ Mason, Graeme (13 December 2020). "The making of Frankie Goes To Hollywood". Eurogamer.net. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2020-12-13-the-making-of-frankie-goes-to-hollywood.
3. ↑ "Zzap!64 100th Issue Pull-Out Special Page 5". Zzap64.co.uk. http://www.zzap64.co.uk/zzap100/100thspec5.html. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
4. ↑ Wagner, Roy (November 1986). "Commodore Key". Computer Gaming World 1 (32): 12.
5. ↑ "The YS Official Top 100 Part 2". Ysrnry.co.uk. November 1991. Archived from the original on 2012-11-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20121102073034/http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/articles/ystop100_2.htm. Retrieved 2012-10-03.
6. ↑ "Top Ton!". Autumn 1993. p. 33. https://archive.org/stream/zzap64-magazine-101/ZZap_64_Issue_101_Commodore_Force_Issue_11_1993_Autumn#page/n32/mode/1up/. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
7. ↑ Your Sinclair issue 19

## 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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* Frankie Goes to Hollywood at SpectrumComputing.co.uk
* Frankie Goes to Hollywood at Lemon 64
* Images of Commodore 64 version of Frankie Goes To Hollywood box and manual at C64Sets.com
* Frankie Goes to Hollywood at GameFAQs
* Frankie Goes to Hollywood retrospective at Rock, Paper, Shotgun
* https://web.archive.org/web/20110114183532/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/134877-frankie-goes-to-hollywood-commodore-64-ocean-software-1985/ at Popmatters

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