MindRover

1999 video game

MindRover: The Europa Project

Developer(s)	CogniToy
Publisher(s)	CogniToy
Platform(s)	Windows, Linux, Mac OS X
Release	November 11, 1999 Windows NA: November 11, 1999 (Online)^[2] NA: December 5, 2000 (Retail)^[1] Linux NA: May 23, 2001 EU: December 13, 2002 Mac OS X NA: October 7, 2003^[3]
Genre(s)	Strategy

MindRover: The Europa Project, also known as simply MindRover, is a video game for PC, developed by CogniToy.

Gameplay

The game, which can be thought of as a successor to the Learning Company's Robot Odyssey, revolves around three activities:

Assemble virtual robots from a library of stock parts.
Programming robots using a special graphical interface (referred to in the game as "wiring") with a paradigm more based on multicomponent circuitry construction than on traditional programming.
Participate in events such as robot battles and racing games with newly programmed robot.

Development

The game had a budget of $500,000.^[4] In October 2000, CogniToy signed a contract with Tri Synergy to distribute the game to retail stores.^[5]

The game was developed for Microsoft Windows and was released for online retail in 1999, and for traditional retail stores a year later. Add-ons were available to control Lego Mindstorms robots.

The game was ported to Linux by Loki Software and Linux Game Publishing and to the Mac by MacPlay.

Reception

Aggregate score
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	87%^[6]

Review scores
Publication	Score
CNET Gamecenter	8/10^[7]
Computer Games Strategy Plus	^[8]
EP Daily	9/10^[9]
GameSpot	8/10^[10]
IGN	8.5/10^[11]
Next Generation	^[12]
PC Gamer (US)	89%^[13]
PC Zone	86%^[14]
Corvallis Gazette-Times	^[15]

The PC version received favorable reviews. Carla Harker of NextGen called the retail version "A truly amazing title for anyone looking for something unique and challenging."^[12]

The same PC version was nominated for the "Best Strategy Game for PC", "Best Independent PC Game", and "Most Innovative Game of the Year" awards at The Electric Playground's Blister Awards 2000, which went to Sacrifice, Combat Mission: Beyond Overlord, and Jet Grind Radio, respectively.^[16]^[17]

References

^ Walker, Trey (December 5, 2000). "MindRover Now Available". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on January 27, 2001. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
^ Fudge, James (November 11, 1999). "MindRover the Europa Project Ships". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Strategy Plus, Inc. Archived from the original on May 24, 2003. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
^ IGNMac (October 7, 2003). "Hearts of Iron, MindRover Ship". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
^ "These gamespeople play out their dreams". The Boston Globe. June 14, 2000. p. 106. Retrieved December 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Walker, Trey (October 10, 2000). "MindRover deal announced". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on February 10, 2001. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
^ "MindRover: The Europa Project for PC". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
^ Williamson, Colin (September 14, 2000). "MindRover: The Europa Project (PC; Online)". Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on October 17, 2000. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
^ Vanous, Cindy (January 28, 2000). "MindRover (Online)". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Strategy Plus, Inc. Archived from the original on May 3, 2003. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
^ Walker, Mark H. (December 20, 2000). "MindRover: The Europa Project (PC)". The Electric Playground. Greedy Productions Ltd. Archived from the original on August 23, 2002. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
^ Ryan, Michael E. (January 18, 2000). "MindRover: The Europa Project Review (PC; Online)". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on March 31, 2001. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
^ Rouse, Rick (September 20, 2000). "MindRover: The Europa Project (PC; Online)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Harker, Carla (June 2001). "Mindrover: The Europa Project [sic]". NextGen. No. 78. Imagine Media. p. 91. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
^ Trotter, William R. (2000). "Mind Rover [sic]". PC Gamer. Imagine Media. Archived from the original on March 15, 2006. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
^ Wand, Phil (December 2000). "MindRover: The Europa Project". PC Zone. No. 96. Dennis Publishing. p. 86. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
^ Jones, Micah (March 9, 2001). "Computer games: 'MindRover' is the ultimate robot race". Corvallis Gazette-Times. Lee Enterprises. p. 51. Retrieved December 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ EP staff (2001). "Blister Awards 2000 (PC Games 2)". The Electric Playground. Greedy Productions Ltd. Archived from the original on August 18, 2001. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
^ EP staff (2001). "Blister Awards 2000 (Special Awards)". The Electric Playground. Greedy Productions Ltd. Archived from the original on August 18, 2001. Retrieved January 18, 2024.