Alternatives to Mobygames

Forums > MobyGames > Alternatives to Mobygames

CrankyStorming (2927) on 9/27/2013 7:25 PM · Permalink · Report

Since we're apparently all abandoning ship, where else should we go to document and research video games? Here are some sites that I could think of, please suggest others.

Giant Bomb

Pros:

Concepts - Provides easy categorisation as to what games have what things in them.
Long, structured descriptions - A lot can be written in a game entry's description section, including development history and details about soundtracks.
Painless approval process - In my experience, it almost always takes no time at all, and established contributors can apparently bypass it altogether.

Cons:

Atrocious credits - People can only be assigned to vague job descriptions such as Programmer or Audio, there's no Writing credit, no way to list them in order.
Gross inconsistencies - There is apparently no rule as to what counts as a separate game. For example, MGS 2 Substance counts as a separate game entry, but not MGS 1 Integral.
Official reviews - Some may find the website having an official stance as to the quality of a game as a barrier to being an impartial historical record.
No automatic notifications - You have to check manually to see if you're contributions have been approved yet.
Only acknowledges 4 countries - If a game was only released in Brazil or India, there's no way to list it. There isn't even a general Europe option.

IMDB

Pros:

Proper credits - Each person involved is listed appropriately and the people leading the development of a game are given proper listing.
Connections - It's easy to find out about a game by seeing how it's referenced in another game

Cons:

Does not take games seriously - No exposure on the front page, no game-specific credit roles, only very occasional news articles. In fact, I'm pretty sure they only have video games on there because of voice actors.
No notifications at all - Even though there's a contribution history page, you have to check on the entry to see if it's there yet.

Daniel Saner (3503) on 9/27/2013 8:47 PM · edited · Permalink · Report

My most-used sites after MobyGames:

UVL (Universal Videogame List)

Pros:
very comprehensive database of titles so far, at least as far as consoles are concerned (less so yet for PCs etc.); tag-based concepts system (with a few resident taxonomy-fanatic editors) that blows GiantBomb's sky-high out of the water; probably the most comprehensive searching/browsing feature set of any site; quick approval: you need to apply to become an editor, after which your additions and modifications are applied immediately, only reverted in case of vandalism of which there is very little, if not none.

Cons:
Many games so far only have basic data; only very basic credits system and no way of adding different release info (although the site developer is active and always open to suggestions); few descriptions and reviews so far; no sources; central point of failure (closed source and database).

OGDB

Pros:
A good system for tracking release info, as well as for referencing between compilations, game series, etc.; quite a large existing data set; quick approval of submissions; many scans already on file.

Cons:
As of yet there seems to be only a German interface to the site. Little activity in terms of reviews, and often missing or extremely short descriptions; no sources; central point of failure (closed source and database).

The Legacy

You all know this one. Current state of affairs is little better than MobyGames', but it's still a valuable data source.

Wikipedia

Pros:
Lots of editorial content on covered games, which is occasionally very good; generally reliable information with sources indicated. Openly licensed.

Cons:
Has no intention of being, or ever becoming, comprehensive or well-structured. Finding articles, and their quality, is hit-and-miss, browsing and searching very limited. Usually no scans or screenshots; otherwise extremely bad quality.

Rola (8482) on 9/27/2013 9:49 PM · edited · Permalink · Report

At present there are no valid alternatives...

Good idea about comparing features, I did the same in the past, let me just add:

Giantbomb:
cons: it's a wiki so poor cross-searching

IMDb:
cons: they don't even mention/differentiate platforms! so no system requirements; no screenshots, nor covers(?)

Wikipedia:
cons: almost no screenshots/1 cover as a policy! minimal credits; it's a wiki so poor cross-searching; "notability issue" - you can't add this game
pros: can list cancelled games or titles in production

any platform-specific website
pros: the best source about the given platform
cons: ...and only that platform - doesn't always mention/link to other ports of the game; often just screenshots/covers but no text description; poor categorization; usually features downloads - often treating them as abandonware - which may lead to legal problems someday and its subsequent disappearance from the net

80 (6478) on 9/30/2013 8:44 AM · edited · Permalink · Report

[Q --start Daniel Saner wrote--] The Legacy

You all know this one. Current state of affairs is little better than MobyGames', but it's still a valuable data source.

[/Q --end Daniel Saner wrote--]

Just a little better is an exaggerated statement.

Patrick Bregger (303246) on 9/27/2013 8:57 PM · Permalink · Report

Forget Giant Bomb. Just another company which is likely to pull the same stunt someday.

Indra was here (20752) on 9/27/2013 10:09 PM · Permalink · Report

Aye. All dot coms are now officially out of the question.

Tomas Pettersson (31846) on 9/28/2013 11:21 AM · Permalink · Report

I thought that IMDB only dealt with games that had some form of actors (voice actors or actors in FMVs). I myself have moved over to uvlist.

Ƒreddƴ (5833) on 9/29/2013 9:02 AM · Permalink · Report

[Q --start CrankyStorming wrote--]

Giant Bomb

Pros:

Concepts - Provides easy categorisation as to what games have what things in them.
Long, structured descriptions - A lot can be written in a game entry's description section, including development history and details about soundtracks.
Painless approval process - In my experience, it almost always takes no time at all, and established contributors can apparently bypass it altogether.

Daniel Saner (3503) on 9/29/2013 7:56 PM · Permalink · Report

They didn't. They had one or more early members who decided it was just easier to copy stuff than do it themselves. Basic data is not owned by MG, and any editorial content or images copied from MG can be reported at GB and will be removed. As far as I know almost all of it has been deleted by now. If something's still there, nobody has reported it yet.

Lain Crowley (6629) on 9/30/2013 7:11 AM · Permalink · Report

Not 100% true. There's a few contributors to GB who add tons of screenshots taken directly from MG, unapologetically. This is in direct violation of both websites' TOS, but the wiki/forum mods believe it falls under fair use.

Daniel Saner (3503) on 9/30/2013 6:14 PM · Permalink · Report

Didn't know that. Not nice. It's like reverse Wikipedia?

MZ per X (3017) on 9/30/2013 3:49 AM · Permalink · Report

Just wanna throw in VideoGameGeek. It looks sophisticated enough to be a MG replacement, but I can't surf it longer than 5 minutes due to its atrocious text overkill layout. So no pros and cons from me. :-)

piltdown_man (242650) on 9/30/2013 1:14 PM · Permalink · Report

I looked at VideoGameGeek, which I didn't know it existed until you posted it here so thanks for that, and I see what you mean - lots of lists everywhere. I read the user guide and game submission looks straightforward though and they seem to have a sound process for documenting compilations which is one of my little projects.

UVList is interesting. Lots of games listed but in many cases there is no substance like a description, screenshots, or cover art. It's 'quirky' and seems to have a very active community with site developer(s) who actually discuss future developments. I've set up an account there and this will be my first attempt to find a new home.

GameFAQ looks promising and it seems I have had an account there for ages, can't think why, so if UVLists doesn't work out I will try submitting here.

On a related note I see Wikipedia has been updated to show that Moby is all but dead. Don't know who did it but it's something that I had on my MobyBucketList.

Indra was here (20752) on 9/30/2013 1:25 PM · edited · Permalink · Report

[Q --start piltdown_man wrote--]On a related note I see Wikipedia has been updated to show that Moby is all but dead. Don't know who did it but it's something that I had on my MobyBucketList. [/Q --end piltdown_man wrote--]All is revealed at the MG Troll Pub on Facebook.

piltdown_man (242650) on 9/30/2013 7:05 PM · Permalink · Report

Ah, Indra old fruit, I don't understand the attraction of Facebook, Twitter or all those networking sites. I just don't do anything interesting enough to warrant world-wide publication, though I did consider joining so that I could send a message to GF's management team.

I see you're present on the Oregami forums. Just joined. Hope it takes off.

Indra was here (20752) on 9/30/2013 7:21 PM · Permalink · Report

Nah, I'm not in the forums. I was respectively represented there by MZ, despite an irrational fear by Germans that I'm obsessed with tentacle porn. :p No, that's Oleg. I'm obsessed with boobies. :p

Oh, the social media thingy is just an avenue for us for to stay in contact, since some of us were fearing the worst. Plus we get to gossip like desperate housewives.

Anyway here's the link if you decide to sell your soul to the social media devil (must be logged in to FB to see).

Ƒreddƴ (5833) on 9/30/2013 1:26 PM · Permalink · Report

[Q --start piltdown_man wrote--]I looked at VideoGameGeek, which I didn't know it existed until you posted it here so thanks for that, and I see what you mean - lots of lists everywhere. I read the user guide and game submission looks straightforward though and they seem to have a sound process for documenting compilations which is one of my little projects. [/Q --end piltdown_man wrote--] Same here, never heard of them till now. See they are at 27000 games across 116 platforms, you can upload files like manuals and they have quarterly goals. Overall it looks like a good alternative.

Rola (8482) on 9/30/2013 8:02 PM · Permalink · Report

I managed to find some ancient covers (like I do at Eli's website), but that's all. Hardly a competition for MobyGames. The interface is just as old as our old frontend.

http://videogamegeek.com/videogame/77044/history-line-1914-1918
For a website that grew from board wargaming site, poor categorization. No "World War 1"? No "turn-based"?

Pseudo_Intellectual (66423) on 9/30/2013 2:00 PM · Permalink · Report

If VGG is executed with anything like the rigor that they have brought to bear at Boardgamegeek, it will quickly become a formidable resource.

I'd almost be satisfied if we could just help Theodore Lauppert in his mission over at http://theodor.lauppert.ws/games/

MZ per X (3017) on 9/30/2013 7:00 PM · Permalink · Report

[Q --start Pseudo_Intellectual wrote--]I'd almost be satisfied if we could just help Theodore Lauppert in his mission over at http://theodor.lauppert.ws/games/ [/Q --end Pseudo_Intellectual wrote--]What exactly is his mission? Do you know more?

Pseudo_Intellectual (66423) on 9/30/2013 7:42 PM · Permalink · Report

Heh, I think he's just like any of us, but with very high personal standards, and set out to do it all on his own. It's a steep row to hoe, but in his way he's conducted research and gathered data about the rise and fall of certain game genres that is unsurpassed anywhere.

Daniel Saner (3503) on 9/30/2013 9:15 PM · Permalink · Report

I don't think he works on that site anymore, I believe he eventually wants Download Central to become its replacement.

Lain Crowley (6629) on 9/30/2013 7:22 AM · Permalink · Report

[Q --start CrankyStorming wrote--]

Gross inconsistencies - There is apparently no rule as to what counts as a separate game. For example, MGS 2 Substance counts as a separate game entry, but not MGS 1 Integral.

[/Q --end CrankyStorming wrote--]

This was due to an old mod decision that one game should have one page. It was borne out of a demand from Jeff that GB not become cluttered with compilations. The rule became softer after the site redesign, where search results would also show the systems the game was released on, so different games with the same name could be differentiated.

GB still has some old legacy stuff in the pages of less popular games, but for the most part if you've got a good idea you can probably run with it without anyone raising a fuss.

Fred VT (25949) on 9/30/2013 1:50 PM · Permalink · Report

From what I can see from those alternatives, it's still not as good as MG even with the new redesign, which is to say something...

Most have horrid just to look at, and it's barely comprehensive. Even just searching for a game is a challenge, and they often have screenshots and cover scan all mixed-up with poor thumbnails...

alincarpetman on 10/24/2013 9:48 PM · Permalink · Report

I found this long list put together by SweetShark at the Escapist forum here. It's a very comprehensive list of videogame databases.

Searching for "video game database" also yields many other databases as potential alternatives.

A list of vg databases is also on Wikipedia

I also had put together a short list myself separately here:

Mobygames
Video Game Collect
The Games DataBase
All Game
Game Faqs
The Internet Game DataBase
Open Game Database
Digital Press
Giant Bomb
Games Database
RF Generation
Universal Game List
Video Game Geek
Rovi Game Database

More specific niche sites:
The Indie Game Database
Retro Collect
Spong
Video Game Chartz
Atari Age
Pc Engine Catalog Project
Pc Fx World
64DD
Unseen64
Mod Database
Indie Database

Some of the above and on the 2 links provided have been already discussed but maybe there's bound to be one database out there that rivals Mobygames? It could be the setup of a niche site rather than a more general database with more titles. I wouldn't know the best criteria as I haven't submitted (yet) so can only provide these lists above.

What becomes apparent is that there have, are and will be many attempts to catalog video games so maybe instead of so many individual general attempts people might be able to get together for "optimal" database - sounds idealistic I know. Check out Discogs for music - a database, forum and marketplace. People have suggested here making a "Gameogs" based on the Discogs API which is available here.

As mentioned in another thread, you can use the Internet Archive to view the old Mobygames website. Maybe this program or some other way can be used to copy some info from Mobygames for those who contributed a lot before Mobygames is further messed up or shutdown.

eXo (346) on 12/11/2013 7:31 PM · Permalink · Report

Hey guys. I just discovered the state of mobygames after having taken a sabbatical from working on my collections.

During my time away I spent a lot of time working on contributions over at http://www.themoviedb.org/.

I really like their editing tools, and over time I did so much work that I've moved into a content mod position.

They have also recently added television to the site.

So what I am wondering is.... are any of the current games database alternatives worth organizing a concentrated effort to bring up to the specs of where mobygames was?

Or is there interest in seeing a site like themoviedb add support and tools for something like this? I imagine the notion of populating a new site from scratch wouldn't exactly be very popular, however I imagine it would be possible to build the database up based on scraped data.

Obviously the majority opinion is this new site sucks. And since they can't be bothered to simply roll it back and leave it be, that really only leaves the options to walk away from all of this, or put work into a different site. Eventually, a solid games database website will come into existence, and I'd like to see it sooner, rather than later. So, what are the thoughts here? Is there a site worth focusing on currently?

Sure, this thread is full of pro's and con's, but is it not possible to get into a larger discussion (preferably with the top contributors who left as well) and come to some sort of general consensus? If we all just split apart then not only have we allowed this ridiculous website makeover take away something many of us valued, but we allow it to destroy the community as well. I see no reason for that to happen.

I would like to see the community leave as one, or as close to what it was as possible.

Fred VT (25949) on 12/11/2013 7:39 PM · Permalink · Report

[Q --start eXo wrote--]Hey guys. I just discovered the state of mobygames after having taken a sabbatical from working on my collections.

During my time away I spent a lot of time working on contributions over at http://www.themoviedb.org/.

I really like their editing tools, and over time I did so much work that I've moved into a content mod position.

They have also recently added television to the site.

So what I am wondering is.... are any of the current games database alternatives worth organizing a concentrated effort to bring up to the specs of where mobygames was?

I would like to see the community leave as one, or as close to what it was as possible. [/Q --end eXo wrote--]

You may want to take a look at oregami.org. It is only in planning phase, but you can always bring in your experience and opinion into the forums.

eXo (346) on 12/11/2013 7:44 PM · Permalink · Report

Thanks for the heads up. I am registering over there now.

I'll keep an eye on it, however it is hard to tell how likely it is that it will pan out. Good intentions only go so far.

Fred VT (25949) on 12/11/2013 8:01 PM · Permalink · Report

[Q --start eXo wrote--]Thanks for the heads up. I am registering over there now.

I'll keep an eye on it, however it is hard to tell how likely it is that it will pan out. Good intentions only go so far. [/Q --end eXo wrote--]

Yeah, that's why they need more people ;) They already have a good planning and organization, programmers discussing about the code and programming, test pages for the data-model and a willing workforce (many coming from MG). So there at least is hope ;)

Daniel Saner (3503) on 12/12/2013 3:50 PM · edited · Permalink · Report

I don't think there's a more promising new project than Oregami out there at the moment. Mainly because of the legal framework they use. If it were to not pan out, which I think is unlikely at this point, anyone could continue where we left off at any time because the code is open-source and the database will be under a free license.

Starting from scratch sounds bad, but the sad truth is that there is no comprehensive freely reusable database out there, that you could legally take as a starting point. The data itself may not be protected by copyright, but a database as a whole is. But Oregami will be one, so I think while it's a pity that we'll have to start from scratch, the fact that it should be the last time anyone will ever have to do so makes it very worthwhile.

Tom D (1) on 12/19/2013 10:31 AM · Permalink · Report

I'm currently in the beta for www.igdb.com , which is very promising. But can it beat mobygames? Who knows, the website is still under development. You can even apply