League of Pain

Short description: 1997 video game

League of Pain

North American PlayStation box art

Developer(s)| Beyond Reality
Publisher(s)| Psygnosis
Designer(s)| Lee Doyle
Graham McCormick
Craig Lawson
Dale Thomson
Programmer(s)| Andrew Bond
Graeme Love
Tim Swan
Composer(s)| David Lowe
Platform(s)| PlayStation, MS-DOS, Windows
Release| PlayStation

* NA: 13 February 1997[1]
* EU: 1 April 1997

MS-DOS, Windows

* EU: 1997

Genre(s)| Sports
Mode(s)| Single-player, multiplayer

League of Pain, also known as Professional Underground League of Pain, and known as Riot in the UK,[2] is a 1997 sports video game developed by British studio Beyond Reality and published by Psygnosis for the PlayStation, MS-DOS, and Windows.

## Contents

* 1 Plot
* 2 Gameplay
* 3 Teams
* 3.1 Game modes
* 3.2 Additional features
* 4 Reception
* 5 Notes
* 6 References
* 7 External links
* 8 Features
* 9 History
* 10 See also
* 11 References
* 12 External links

## Plot

National sports games are under threat by a new sport, Riot. Sponsors are pulling the plug on funding of traditional sports and moving to this new hybrid sport.[3][4]

## Gameplay

League of Pain combines elements of rugby, soccer/football and basketball in a futuristic sport that is violent and without rules.[2] The objective of the game is to charge up the plasma ball, and to then launch it through the ring that floats above the centre of the play area.[5] The points earned from a goal are determined by the distance from the ring.[6] The ball is charged by reaching the charger in the opponents side of the arena. In the PlayStation version, once charged, the ball will glow purple to indicate the home team charged it, or yellow to indicate the away team charged it.[7] For the Windows/DOS version, the ball will glow blue to indicate a home team charge and green to indicate an away team charge.[4] If the player scores while the ball is charged with the opposing team's color, it will count as an own goal.[4][7] Despite the futuristic set-up, the game plays in much the same way as standard sports games with the ability to tackle, slide and shoot but also allows the player to fight with their opponents.

There are 5 types of power-up available that are randomly thrown into the arena by the crowd. The power-ups are "Speed Up" which makes the player move 3 times faster than usual, "Power Punch" which makes the player's punching power 3 times stronger, "Power Shot" which makes the player throw the ball faster and harder, enabling the ball to be used as a weapon against opponents, "Health" which restores the player's health to maximum and "Hawkeye" which increases the accuracy of passes and shooting.[4]

## Teams

There are 16 international teams to choose from and an option that allows for customisation and trading of players.[5]

* New York Knights (USA)
* Los Angeles Lasers (USA)
* Tijuana Tyrants (Mexico)
* Mexico City Aces (Mexico)
* London Royals (England)
* Liverpool Dockers (England)
* Paris Strikers (France)
* Lyon Sharks (France)
* Frankfurt Vipers (Germany)
* Berlin Breakers (Germany)
* Leningrade Reds (Russia)
* Moscow Maulers (Russia)
* Osaka Comets (Japan)
* Tokyo Tornados (Japan)
* Sydney Sentinels (Australia)
* Melbourne Destroyers (Australia)

### Game modes

Friendly: A single exhibition game. This mode allows for team selections and team editing.

League: A season of 30 games where you play each of the teams twice.

Exhibition: A knockout competition with 2, 3 or 4 rounds.

Network: Only available on the Windows/DOS version. Allows for network play between 8 players but only allows for a "Friendly" game to be played.[4]

### Additional features

There are also in-game options to perform substitutions to alter the player line-up, and the ability to view a replay of the in-game action.[7]

## Reception

Reception

| Aggregate score

Aggregator| Score
GameRankings| 65%[8]
Review scores
Publication| Score
AllGame| [9]
EGM| 6/10[11]
Game Informer| 5.75/10[13]
GamePro| [6][lower-alpha 1]
GameRevolution| C−[14]
GameSpot| 4.5/10[15]
Next Generation| [5]
PC Zone| (PC; 1998) 72%[3]
(PC; 1997) 50%[16]

The PlayStation version received mixed reviews. Next Generation said that the game "offers an interesting alternative to the standard 'real' sports games. And you have to love a game with violence and no rules."[5] GamePro said, "League of Pain is fun at times, especially with 2 players, but the camera angles and sometimes frustrating control doom it to rental status."[6]

## Notes

1. ↑ GamePro gave the PlayStation version three 3.5/5 scores for graphics, sound, and overall fun factor, and 3/5 for control.

## References

1. ↑ "Available Titles Released in 1997 (158) (380 total)". http://www.vidgames.com:80/ps/software/release.html.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "NG Alphas: League of Pain". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (25): 140. January 1997. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_25/page/n141/mode/2up. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 PC Zone staff (April 1998). "Budget Zone: Riot". PC Zone (Dennis Publishing) (62): 109. https://archive.org/details/PC_Zone_62_April_1998/page/n109.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 How to Play Riot. Psygnosis. 1997. pp. 8–9. https://archive.org/details/riot-manual/page/n7.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "League of Pain". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (30): 118. June 1997. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_30/page/n119.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Johnny Ballgame (May 1997). "League of Pain". GamePro (IDG Entertainment) (104): 88. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_104_Volume_09_Number_05_1997-05_IDG_Publishing_US/page/n89.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 League of Pain Sony Playstation Manual. Psygnosis. 1997. pp. 6–9. https://archive.org/details/SonyPlaystationManuals/League of Pain - Professional Underground (USA)/page/n1/mode/2up. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
8. ↑ "Professional Underground League of Pain for PlayStation". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/198359-professional-underground-league-of-pain/index.html.
9. ↑ Weiss, Brett Alan. "Professional Underground League of Pain - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=7935&tab=review.
10. ↑ Ham, Tom (April 11, 1997). "League of Pain". CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Consoles/Sony/League/.
11. ↑ EGM staff (April 1997). "League of Pain". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (93).
12. ↑ Lucas, Victor (March 16, 1997). "Professional Underground League of Pain". Greedy Productions, Inc.. http://www.elecplay.com/sony/pulp.html.
13. ↑ Anderson, Paul; Reiner, Andrew; Storm, Jon (May 1997). "League of Pain". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (49). http://www.gameinformer.com/may97/pain.html. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
14. ↑ Dr. Moo (March 1997). "Professional Underground League of Pain Review". CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/33928-professional-und-review.
15. ↑ Robertson, Ed (March 20, 1997). "Professional Underground League of Pain Review [date mislabeled as "May 2, 2000""]. CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/professional-underground-league-of-pain-review/1900-2548089/.
16. ↑ Mallinson, Paul (June 1997). "Riot". PC Zone (Dennis Publishing) (51): 102–3. https://archive.org/details/PC_Zone_51_June_1997/page/n103/mode/2up. Retrieved July 25, 2021.

## 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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