New game or just new platform?

Forums > MobyGames > New game or just new platform?

MegamanX64 (16003) on 8/26/2011 3:03 PM · Permalink · Report

I am adding a bunch of games, and I need some advice on whether to add a new game or to just add a new platform to an existing game. I've read the standards, but it does not help me enough (Different game: When either game play, perspective, and/or storyline are different than the existing entry. Graphics/Sound that are merely improved are usually not a different game.)

Scenario 1: Original (web) game contained 5 levels played in consecutive order. Newer version (for iphone) contains 30 levels, plus a level select screen. Other minor differences may include different highscore system, added stats/trivia screen, achievements etc. The gameplay is the however the same.

Scenario 2: Same as above, but new version also adds a new "powerup", a new enemy or similar minor changes that slightly affect the gameplay.

Scenario 3: Same as first, but new version also adds a brand new bonus game. It does not seem right to me to add as different games when it actually is the same game but "further developed". But it's not up to me to decide the moby standards, so please help me.

vedder (70767) on 8/26/2011 3:11 PM · Permalink · Report

I think that according to our standards all scenarios would require separate game entries.

But in practice that is pretty much ignored when it comes to mobile and browser games. For example, I'm pretty sure that some of those Plants vs Zombies versions don't feature all levels and most don't feature all the puzzle/endless/etc. game modes.

It's rather problematic to determine the state of games, if (like is often the case for these platforms) they get updated with new content every other day.

Personally I'm in favour of having a single game entry and just describing the differences in the description. But even that description will be outdated fast with most games nowadays.

Игги Друге (46653) on 8/26/2011 10:59 PM · Permalink · Report

[Q --start vedder wrote--]I think that according to our standards all scenarios would require separate game entries.[/Q --end vedder wrote--]

A bonus game can hardly count. We keep Pinball Illusions as one platform even though the PC version contains an entire additional table.

My stance is that if the differences don't affect the genre system, and can be ascribed as differing hardware or described in a single line in the description, it's the same game.

Unicorn Lynx (181780) on 8/27/2011 2:54 AM · Permalink · Report

Yup, that's pretty much what I consider when faced with this dilemma.

There are plenty of borderline cases, of course.

Unicorn Lynx (181780) on 8/26/2011 4:40 PM · Permalink · Report

I think it should be the same entry, too.

Patrick Bregger (300053) on 8/26/2011 4:56 PM · Permalink · Report

Scenario 1 is definitely a new game entry as far as I am concerned.