Software:Pang (video game)

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Pang
File:Buster Bros. Cover.jpg
TurboGrafx-CD release
Developer(s)Mitchell
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Yoshiki Okamoto
Designer(s)Toshihiko Uda
Programmer(s)Masatsugu Shinohara
Masamitsu Kobayashi
Artist(s)Masako Honma
Composer(s)Tamayo Kawamoto
Platform(s)Arcade, TurboGrafx-CD, SNES, PlayStation, Game Boy, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST, DOS, iOS
ReleaseArcade: CPS
  • NA: December 31, 1989
  • JP: December 31, 1989
  • EU: 1990
Genre(s)Action
Mode(s)Two-player
CabinetUpright
Arcade systemCP System + Capcom Mitchell Hardware
DisplayRaster, standard resolution

Pang (パン, Pan), also known as Pomping World (Japanese: ポンピング・ワールド, Hepburn: Ponpingu Wārudo), is a cooperative two-player arcade video game released in 1989 by the Mitchell Corporation. The North American release from Capcom was titled Buster Bros.. It was the tenth game released for the CP System hardware.[1]

The basic gameplay is identical to a much earlier 1983 MSX Japanese computer game called Cannon Ball (also released in 1983 on the ZX Spectrum as Bubble Buster). Cannon Ball was made by Japanese publishers Hudson Soft, and possibly inspired Mitchell Corp. to make Buster Bros. six years later.[citation needed]

In the game, the Buster brothers must finish a round-the-world quest to destroy bouncing balloons that are terrorizing several of Earth's landmarks and cities. The fight to save the Earth begins on Mt. Fuji, Japan , where the brothers must pass all three stages before moving on to the next location. Conversions for home systems were produced by Ocean Software in 1990 for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, MS-DOS and Atari ST.

Gameplay

Buster Bros screenshot

There are 50 stages at 17 locations: Mt. Fuji, Mt. Keirin, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Angkor Wat, Ayers Rock, the Taj Mahal, Leningrad, Paris, London, Barcelona, Athens, Egypt, Kenya, New York City , Mayan ruins, Antarctica, and finally Easter Island.

Each location has a unique background that shows the area's most famous landmarks. The stages contain a different layout of blocks, some that disappear after being shot, others that do not, and still others that are hidden and can reveal bonuses.

The stages start with differing numbers and sizes of balloons. The largest balloon divides for the first three times it is popped; after the fourth and smallest balloon is popped it vanishes. Each player starts with a single harpoon. When a balloon is popped, special weapons may drop down.

The other weapons include:

  • Double Wire - a twin harpoon that allows two shots at once.
  • Power Wire - a grappling hook that stays attached to the ceiling or block for a short period of time. This time can be decreased by rapidly pressing the fire button.
  • Vulcan Missile - a high-caliber gun that works much like a machine gun allowing rapid shots.

There is no ammunition limit to any weapon. The names of the weapons differ between the monitor bezel (given above) and the game's attract mode. Other bonuses include:

  • A force field.
  • An hourglass that slows the balls down.
  • A clock which stops the balls for a short time.
  • Dynamite that pops all of the balloons down to their smallest size simultaneously.

At a certain point in the stage, a food item will drop down that is worth several hundred (or thousand in the later stages) bonus points. These are different and of increasing value, until a 48,000-point cake slice is reached; thereafter the bonuses are all cake slices, alternating between 48,000 and 50,000 points.

If a player touches a balloon of any size, the player dies and both players must start the stage again.

When both players touch a balloon at the same time, only Player 1 will lose a life but this is somewhat offset because when both players reach a bonus or weapon simultaneously only Player 1 will get it.

Players start with 3-5 lives depending on the dip switch setting. Extra lives are also given when certain point totals have been accumulated. The stage ends when all of the balloons are successfully cleared. The game ends after all stages have been completed and our heroic duo ride their jeep into the sunset on an Easter Island beach.

In some[which?] later versions, there are more than 17 locations.

Release

The arcade version was released by Mitchell in Japan and Europe. In Japan, it was called Pomping World, and in Europe it was called Pang. When the arcade version was released by North America by Capcom USA, the name was changed to Buster Bros.

A TurboGrafx-CD version was released by Hudson Soft. A Game Boy version was also released by Hudson Soft. The game was ported to the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST, and PCs by Ocean Software. These versions were only released in Europe. The Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC+/GX4000 conversions were available on cartridge only.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Pang on their December 15, 1989 issue as being the thirdteenth most-successful table arcade unit of the year.[2]

The ZX Spectrum version was awarded a 94% in the February 1991 issue of Your Sinclair[3] and was placed at number 74 in the "Your Sinclair official top 100".[4] Amiga Power were even more enthusiastic, listing it as the 11th best game ever in their initial Top 100 list, published with Amiga Format in April 1991 as a preview of the magazine.[5]

Legacy

The first three versions of the game were released as a compilation on the PlayStation under the name of Super Pang Collection (Buster Bros. Collection in North America) in 1997. Buster Bros and Super Buster Bros were also included in the PSP game Capcom Puzzle World in 2007.

Sequels

References

  1. ↑ Maciejewski, A. "Bustin It Up With The Buster Bros.". https://videochums.com/article/bustin-it-up-with-the-buster-bros. Retrieved 12 May 2016. 
  2. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (Amusement Press, Inc.) (370): 23. 15 December 1989. 
  3. ↑ Pang
  4. ↑ "The YS Top 100 Speccy Games Of All Time (Ever!)". Your Sinclair (70): 31. October 1991. Archived from the original on 16 August 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060816053829/http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/articles/ystop100.htm. Retrieved 2006-09-04. 
  5. ↑ "Amiga Power Supplemental". Amiga Power (0): 4. May 1991. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140109182246/http://amr.abime.net/issue_419_pages. Retrieved 2006-09-04. 

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 lengthy 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]

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. 
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