Law of the West

Short description: 1985 video game

For the films, see Law of the West (1932 film) and Law of the West (1949 film).

Law of the West

Developer(s)| Accolade
Tose (Famicom)
Publisher(s)|

* NA: Accolade
* EU: U.S. Gold
* JP: Pony Inc.

American Action (Scandinavia)[1]
Designer(s)| Alan Miller
Composer(s)| Ed Bogas
Platform(s)| Commodore 64, Apple II, Famicom, PC-88
Release|

* NA/EU: 1985 (C64)
* NA: 1986 (Apple II)
* JP: 1987 (Famicom, PC-88)

Genre(s)| Adventure
Mode(s)| Single-player

Law of the West is a 1985 graphic adventure set in the American Old West developed by Accolade for the Commodore 64, Apple II, and Family Computer. It was one of the company's launch titles and the only game from Accolade designed by co-founder Alan Miller. Graphics are by Mimi Doggett and music by Ed Bogas.[2] It was published by American Action in Scandinavia, by U.S. Gold in other parts of Europe, and by Pony Inc. in Japan.

## Contents

* 1 Gameplay
* 1.1 Scoring
* 2 Characters
* 3 Locations
* 4 Reception
* 5 References
* 6 External links
* 7 Features
* 8 History
* 9 See also
* 10 References
* 11 External links

## Gameplay

The entirety of the game happens in a small frontier town, and the player takes the role of the town's Sheriff. The scenes are located along the town's main street, with a view from behind the Sheriff's back (the view is so close that only the Sheriff's waist, right arm, and gun are visible). Various other characters appear on the main street in front of the Sheriff.

The actual gameplay mostly involves the Sheriff interacting with the various characters via a selection menu similar to those in contemporary graphical adventures. For each line the opposing character says, the game offers a selection of four different responses, and the discussion progresses depending on the chosen response.

Depending on the outcome of a discussion, the Sheriff may get involved in a gunfight. In this case, the gameplay becomes a test of pure shooting skills, as the Sheriff has to shoot his opponent before getting shot himself. Gunplay is accomplished by pushing up on the joystick to draw the weapon, which causes a joystick-controlled crosshairs to appear on the screen. The various characters will react if the Sheriff draws his gun before they have a chance to say their opening line, usually refusing to speak until the gun is put away.

If the Sheriff gets shot, he blacks out, and the doctor is called to help. Depending on the Sheriff's previous interaction with the doctor and the other characters in the game (and if the doctor is in town), he may either be healed, or left for dead (either by the doctor refusing to help or the doctor being drunk at the time). The only goal of the game is for the player to survive until the end of the day; if the player wishes he can gun down every character he meets without talking to them, albeit this will be reflected negatively in the final score.

### Scoring

The game ends when the Sheriff is shot and the Doctor does not heal him, or when the sun sets after 11 scenarios.[3] The player is then presented with a final score, which is based on various factors such as how the player dealt with the characters, how many crimes they prevented, and even their success with the ladies.

If the player chose to shoot everybody, they will receive the lowest possible score.[3]

## Characters

Characters interacted with in the game include:[3]

* Belle – A female cattle rustler.
* Little Willy – A kid with a secret to tell.
* The Deputy – Never there to help you; challenges the Sheriff's authority.
* The Doctor – Grumpy and cynical, the Doctor will not heal the Sheriff if he is too trigger-happy.
* The Mexicali Kid – A fugitive from across the border.
* Miss April – A schoolteacher who enjoys spreading gossip.
* Miss Rose – The Saloon hostess; tries to seduce the Sheriff.

## Locations

The game takes place in the town of Gold Gulch.[3] There are four different locations in the town:

* The Saloon
* The Wells Fargo stagecoach office
* The train station
* The bank

## Reception

Law of the West has received mixed reviews from game critics. Zzap!64 found the game to be initially impressive, with striking graphics and a strong atmosphere. However, it was thought to be too short and limited to have lasting appeal. It was given an overall rating of 78%.[4]

## References

1. ↑ "Commodore Report". http://www.stonan.com/dok/C-rapport1-86.pdf.
2. ↑ "Law of the West – Commodore 64 Game / C64 Games, C64 reviews, downloads & SID tunes". http://www.lemon64.com/games/details.php?ID=1495. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "You the Sheriff of this stinkin' town?". http://www.rarityguide.com/articles/articles/45/1/You-the-Sheriff-of-this-stinkin-town/Page1.html. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
4. ↑ "ZZAP Test!: Law of the West". http://www.zzap64.co.uk/cgi-bin/displaypage.pl?issue=012&page=022&thumbstart=0&magazine=zzap&check=1. Retrieved 14 May 2018.

## 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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