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Spectrum HoloByte
Spectrum HoloByte, Inc. was an American video game developer and publisher. The company, founded in 1983, was known for its simulation games, notably the ''Falcon'' series of combat flight simulators, and for publishing the first version of ''Tetris'' outside the Soviet Union (in 1988 for MS-DOS). Spectrum HoloByte published games for various home computers and video game consoles. History Spectrum HoloByte was founded in 1983 in Boulder, Colorado, by Jeff Sauter, Phil Adam and Mike Franklin. In 1987 Spectrum HoloByte merged with another game developer, Nexa Corporation, forming a common holding company, Sphere, Inc., and prompting the company's move from Colorado to California. Nexa founder Gilman Louie served as chairman of the combined company. In 1992, Spectrum HoloByte received an investment from Kleiner Perkins, which let the company repurchase shares formerly owned by Robert Maxwell's companies, ending its ties to their bankruptcies. In December 1993, Sphere, Inc. merg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Public Company
A public company is a company whose ownership is organized via shares of share capital, stock which are intended to be freely traded on a stock exchange or in over-the-counter (finance), over-the-counter markets. A public (publicly traded) company can be listed on a stock exchange (listing (finance), listed company), which facilitates the trade of shares, or not (unlisted public company). In some jurisdictions, public companies over a certain size must be listed on an exchange. In most cases, public companies are ''private'' enterprises in the ''private'' sector, and "public" emphasizes their reporting and trading on the public markets. Public companies are formed within the legal systems of particular states and so have associations and formal designations, which are distinct and separate in the polity in which they reside. In the United States, for example, a public company is usually a type of corporation, though a corporation need not be a public company. In the United Kin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Imagine Media
Future US, Inc. (formerly known as Imagine Media and The Future Network USA) is an American media corporation specializing in targeted magazines and websites in the video games, music, and technology markets. Headquartered in New York City, the corporation has offices in: Alexandria, Virginia; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Washington, D.C. Future US is owned by parent company, Future plc, a specialist media company based in Bath, Somerset, England. History The company was established when Future plc acquired struggling Greensboro ( N.C.) video game magazine publisher GP Publications, publisher of '' Game Players'' magazine, in 1994. The company launched a number of titles including ''PC Gamer'', and relocated from North Carolina to the San Francisco Bay Area, occupying various properties in Burlingame and South San Francisco. When Chris Anderson, the founder of Future plc, sold Future to Pearson plc he retained GP, renamed Imagine Media, Inc. in June 1995, and operated ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soko-Ban
is a puzzle video game in which the player pushes boxes around in a warehouse, trying to get them to storage locations. The game was designed in 1981 by Hiroyuki Imabayashi and first published in Japan in 1982 by his company Thinking Rabbit for the NEC PC-8801 computer. It was later ported to various platforms and followed by new titles. It became popular in Japan and internationally, inspiring unofficial versions, a subgenre of box-pushing puzzle games, and artificial intelligence research. Gameplay The warehouse is a grid composed of floor squares and impassable wall squares. Some floor squares contain a box and some are marked as storage locations. The number of boxes equals the number of storage locations. The player, often represented as a worker character, can move one square at a time horizontally or vertically onto empty floor squares, but cannot pass through walls or boxes. To move a box, the player walks up to it and pushes it to an empty square directly beyond the b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tetris (Spectrum HoloByte)
''Tetris'' is a 1988 video game published by Spectrum HoloByte in the United States and Mirrorsoft in the United Kingdom. It was the first commercial release of ''Tetris'', a puzzle game developed in the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s, and was released on multiple home personal computer systems. ''Tetris'' received positive reviews overall, winning multiple Excellence in Software Awards, and would eventually sell over one million copies. Development ''Tetris'' was created by Alexey Pajitnov in the Soviet Union. Pajitnov wanted to export ''Tetris'', but had no knowledge of the business world. His superiors in the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union were not necessarily happy with the success of the game, since they had not intended such a creation from the research team. Furthermore, copyright law of the Soviet Union created a state monopoly on import and export of copyrighted works, and the Soviet researchers were not allowed to sell their creations. Pajitnov asked his superv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zig Zag (1987 Video Game)
''Zig Zag'' is a shoot 'em up video game developed by Zig Zag Software and published by Mirrorsoft for the Commodore 64 in 1987. It was designed by Antony Crowther. Spectrum Holobyte published the game in North America in 1988, part of the company's ''International Series'' brand. Gameplay The player controls a spaceship and the objective of the game is to collect eight crystal fragments hidden in a maze while shooting enemy aliens and solving puzzles. The game is played from an isometric viewpoint. The game has been compared to Sega's ''Zaxxon''. Reception ''Zig Zag'' received generally positive reviews. ''Computer and Video Games'' said " will probably appeal to people who like games that are original and full of new ideas". ''Commodore User'' called it " ..one of the most sophisticated hunt 'n' kill maze games that you're ever likely to see on the 64, with smooth action, flawless animation, solid 3D scenery and a nice line in clanky metallic sound effects". ''ACE'' was di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TX Digital Illusions
TX Digital Illusions was a video game developer located in Bryan, Texas. It was formed in the mid 1980s by Gordon Walton, Mike Jones, Rob Brannon, Don Gilman and others from Applied Computing Services about 1986, a small IT service firm. It ended up merging into Three-Sixty Pacific about 1989. Games *'' Sub Battle Simulator'' (Epyx) - Mac/PC/Atari 800/Amiga/Apple *'' PT-109'' (Spectrum Holobyte) - Mac/PC *''Shard of Spring'' ( SSI) - PC *'' F-15 Strike Eagle'' (MicroProse) - Amiga *''Harpoon'' (Three-Sixty Pacific Three-Sixty Pacific was an American video game publisher and developer. Founded in the late 1980s by avid wargamers and military history enthusiasts, they were acquired by IntraCorp Entertainment Inc. in 1994. Games They have developed the mo ...) - PC/Mac References Companies based in Bryan, Texas Defunct video game companies of the United States Video game development companies {{US-videogame-company-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
PT-109 (video Game)
''PT-109'' is a naval simulation video game developed by Digital Illusions and Spectrum HoloByte in 1987 for the Macintosh and MS-DOS. This game is roughly based on the events involving the Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109. Gameplay ''PT-109'' is a torpedo-boat simulation game which starts in the practice-tactics mode to teach new players how to operate the boat, fire torpedoes, read radar on different displays, using the engine muffler to approach quietly, operating smoke screens, and locate other weaponry. Players also learn about the history of the ship, because some of the patrol boats were only available at specific stages during World War II. The game has four levels of difficulty, and it also gives the player the ability to send radio messages to the base to request air or ship support, an automatic pilot feature, and assignment of patrols. Development A remake of ''PT-109'', called ''PT Boat Simulator'', was released for DOS PC in 1994. Reception A ''Computer Gaming World'' re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple Inc., Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the designers and programmers responsible for its games as "software artists". EA published numerous games and some productivity software for personal computers, all of which were developed by external individuals or groups until 1987's ''Skate or Die!'' The company shifted toward internal game studios, often through acquisitions, such as Distinctive Software becoming EA Canada in 1991. Into the 21st century, EA develops and publishes games of established franchises, including ''Battlefield (video game series), Battlefield'', ''Need for Speed'', ''The Sims'', ''Medal of Honor (video game series), Medal of Honor'', ''Command & Conquer'', ''Dead Space'', ''Mass Effect'', ''Dragon Age'', ''Army of Two (series), Army of Two'', ''A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Falcon (video Game)
''Falcon'' is a combat flight simulator video game and the first official entry (not counting the 1984's ''F-16 Fighting Falcon'') in the ''Falcon'' series of the F-16 jet fighter's simulators by Spectrum HoloByte. Originally developed by Sphere for Macintosh and MS-DOS in 1987 and ported to several platforms between 1988 and 1992, the game earned commercial success and critical acclaim. Gameplay and development history The game was originally developed by Sphere, Inc. for the Macintosh and PC in 1987. Rowan Software ported ''Falcon'' for Spectrum HoloByte to the Atari ST in 1988 and Amiga in 1989, and the version for the CDTV was also published by Spectrum HoloByte and Mirrorsoft in 1992. A Sega Genesis version intended to be compatible with the unreleased TeleGenesis Modem peripheral was planned but never released. In 1992, an updated release of the 1987 Macintosh version, called Falcon MC (Macintosh Color) was released; mostly identical to the original, but with color added ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Solitaire Royale
''Solitaire Royale'' is a collection of solitaire games published by Spectrum HoloByte in 1987 for the Apple IIGS, MS-DOS, Macintosh, and Amiga. The eight games included are "3 Shuffles and a Draw", "Pyramid", "Golf", "Corners", "Reno", "Klondike", "Canfield", and "Calculation". There are also three children's games: "Pairs", "The Wish", and "Concentration". Gameplay ''Solitaire Royale'' is a computer solitaire card-game simulation which features colorful card-back designs, digitized sounds of cards shuffling, and eight solitaire games. The game features a tournament competition where the challenge is to accumulate the highest total score upon playing all eight games in a row, with the two combatants receiving exactly the same deal. When a solitaire game is won, fireworks are displayed. Reception The game received 5 out of 5 stars in ''Dragon'' #141 in "The Role of Computers" column. Reviews * ''ACE (Advanced Computer Entertainment)'' - December 1987 * ''ASM (Aktueller Softwar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Intrigue!
''Intrigue!'' is an adventure video game developed by Kinemation and published by Spectrum HoloByte for Apple II and Commodore 64 in 1986. Plot International terrorists are planning to blow up a bomb that spreads a virus called PF13. The player is a private detective set to find and defuse the bomb in Washington, D.C. The game's plot is randomized each playthrough with suspects, motives, and clues different. Gameplay The player chooses from text options during exploration and dialog scenes. Close-ups of characters and other images accompany the text during these sequences. The graphics are in monochrome. 360 degree panoramic view of the gameworld is used on the streets and in building interiors. The characters react differently to the player depending on the gender chosen for the detective. Multiplayer is supported up to four players, where each player controls a different detective. Reception ''Computer and Video Games'' wrote: "Here is a completely novel game system, with a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
