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Lupine Games was a very small PC game development company started by Geoff Howland which completed two games: Hatfields & McCoys (published by ValuSoft in 1999) and Emergency Rescue: Firefighters (published by WizardWorks in 2000). However, only Emergency Rescue: Firefighters was recognized in the public market with adequate reviews.
Lupine Games was probably best known for interviews about a military game in development called Veiled Threat, which was never completed, and articles about game development which were hosted on the site.
History
[edit]Lupine Games was founded in 1998 by programmer Geoff Howland. Due to the short-lived existence of the company and relatively low-key productions, there is not much information on the origins, staff, or growth of Lupine Games. It is suspected that the company closed down for business in 2001 due to unsuccessfully developing further titles including Veiled Threat.[1] The company's former website is Lupinegames.com.
Product Development
[edit]Hatfields & McCoys
[edit]Lupine Games first developed Hatfields & McCoys in September 1999, introducing itself as a real-time strategy game, although there has been debate as to the 'strategy' component of the game due to limited mechanics.[2] The game itself is based off of the Hatfield-McCoy feud between two families living in West Virginia, which was popularized as a TV series produced by the History Channel named Hatfields & McCoys (miniseries). It has been described as a "light hearted real-time tactics (RTT) style comedy shooter from Lupine Games",[2] with cowboy-style gimmicks such as "grab yer' guns and lookout! They're acomin' fer ya!"[2] in order to set a Western theme.
The game is reportedly glitchy and has little to boast in graphics or sound effects,[2] and has received staggeringly low reviews. SomethingAwful.com ranks the game at a -49/-50 score (Awful)[2] while Gamespot's user-reviews score Hatfields & McCoys at 2.2 out of 10.[3]
Emergency Rescue: Firefighters
[edit]In April 26, 2000, Lupine Games developed a real-life simulator game published by WizardWorks named Emergency Rescue: Firefighters, which pits the player as a firefighter in charge of following orders and using a limited supply of personnel in order to solve each of the game's 23 scenarios.[4] The 23 missions include rescuing trapped victims, preventing destruction of buildings, and controlling for each situation all under a time limit.[4] One aspect of the game's scenarios is that the "caller" of each crisis may provide inaccurate information, which provides an element of surprise and challenge for the player. The player also controls each of the personnel provided to them in each scenario, but can only be controlled one at a time.[4]
Compared to Lupine Games's previous title, Emergency Rescue: Firefighters received mediocre reviews for its design, graphics, sound quality, and appeal, averaging a 5.5 out of 10 on IGN's Ratings.[4] Gamespot's player reviews averaged a 5.9 out of 10.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "MobyGames - Lupine Games". Game Critic. Mobygames.com. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
{{cite web}}:|first=missing|last=(help) - ^ a b c d e f Kyanka, Rich. "Hatfields and McCoys". Game Critic. Something Awful. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|ref name=ignored (help) - ^ a b "Hatfields & McCoys Tech Info". Game Critic. Gamespot. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
{{cite web}}:|first=missing|last=(help); Unknown parameter|ref name=ignored (help) - ^ a b c d e Steinberg, Scott. "Emergency Rescue: Firefighters". Game Critic. IGN. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|ref name=ignored (help) - ^ a b "Emergency Rescue: Firefighters Reviews". Game Critic. Gamespot. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
{{cite web}}:|first=missing|last=(help); Unknown parameter|ref name=ignored (help)
Category:Defunct video game companies
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