Retro Books

waeberd · Post by **waeberd** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 3:43 pm

I like the book called "gameplan". I own the german version, dunno how good the translation is, but Winnie Forster (the author) is well known in the german mag scene:
http://www.game-machines.co.uk/gameplan ... /index.php

(there's even a quote from Martyn Carroll

)

merman · Post by **merman** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 7:19 pm

waeberd wrote:I like the book called "gameplan". I own the german version, dunno how good the translation is, but Winnie Forster (the author) is well known in the german mag scene:
http://www.game-machines.co.uk/gameplan ... /index.php

(there's even a quote from Martyn Carroll )

I have the English translation and it's pretty good.

batman877 · Post by **batman877** » Wed Sep 06, 2006 7:04 am

Just to add my opinion...

A retro book round up in a future issue would be more than welcome!

Antiriad2097 · Post by **Antiriad2097** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 7:44 am

Thread mined because there's been some book talk recently. May as well keep it in the old thread. Note that there some good pickings in this old thread too.

Finished reading Zap! The Rise and Fall of Atari last week.
Its ok, but all a bit serious and focussing on the business rather than the games. Quite short too. Its dated quite badly in places having been written in 1984. Apparently videogames may turn out to be another hula hoop, a passing fad

Can we perhaps pin one of these threads or start an 'official' one?

psj3809 · Post by **psj3809** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 9:01 am

I must be the only one but i actually did enjoy 'Video games guide' by Matt Fox, got slated in the review in the mag but i enjoy it and have often done a 'ohhh i remember that game' as i'm flicking through reading about games from the past. Some of the ratings are a bit poor but theres a ton of stuff in there for me to read, dont mind it at all

paranoid marvin · Post by **paranoid marvin** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 1:07 pm

anyone know if 'Game On!' is any good?

Antiriad2097 · Post by **Antiriad2097** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 2:12 pm

paranoid marvin wrote:anyone know if 'Game On!' is any good?

Which one? There are at least two books with that title.

There's Game On: The History and Culture of Videogames.
That was produced and sold initially alongside the Game On exhibition, though there's tenuous connections between the two. Its a very odd selection of articles written by a mish mash of gaming society. It has its moments with a few nice articles, but for the most part I felt it was a let down.

Then there's Game On: From Pong to Oblivion.
I have that but not read it yet. It looks good and its been written by knowledgable industy insiders who entertain me on the One Life Left radio show, so I'm expecting big things of it.

PS: I wrote a huge reply to the Matt Fox Video Game Guide comment above, but the office PC threw a wobbler and lost it

In short, that one is decidedly average, being one man's list of random games in no particular order or preference. Ok for tea break reading, but not for extended bouts. Probably a decent 'on the bog' book.

paranoid marvin · Post by **paranoid marvin** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 2:19 pm

Antiriad2097 wrote:
paranoid marvin wrote:anyone know if 'Game On!' is any good?
Which one? There are at least two books with that title.

There's Game On: The History and Culture of Videogames.
That was produced and sold initially alongside the Game On exhibition, though there's tenuous connections between the two. Its a very odd selection of articles written by a mish mash of gaming society. It has its moments with a few nice articles, but for the most part I felt it was a let down.

Then there's Game On: From Pong to Oblivion.
I have that but not read it yet. It looks good and its been written by knowledgable industy insiders who entertain me on the One Life Left radio show, so I'm expecting big things of it.

PS: I wrote a huge reply to the Matt Fox Video Game Guide comment above, but the office PC threw a wobbler and lost it
In short, that one is decidedly average, being one man's list of random games in no particular order or preference. Ok for tea break reading, but not for extended bouts. Probably a decent 'on the bog' book.

the second one - I've just bought it from play.com for reasonable ish price of just over a tenner

Randall Flagg · Post by **Randall Flagg** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 4:43 pm

I read the first and thought it was an ok read, but a bit brief on subjects. Just when you getting into it, it changes to next.

I guess my ideal solution is a 1000 pager on 8-bits, same again with 16bits, 32bits etc with another 1000 pager on misc.

I think histories of gaming machines should have like at least 10 pages per machine, not 2/4. I want to know everything. the insides, the best games, the anecdotes, developement, prototypes, people involved, company secrets, everything.

There is no definitive book at the mo which is a real shame. I've enjoyed all the computer history/console history/game history books I've read but always come away with a bit of dissapointment that I feel I've just skimmed the surface.

jimid2 · Post by **jimid2** » Fri Mar 02, 2007 9:23 pm

revgiblet wrote:Please include the UK release of 'High Score - the Illustrated History of Electronic Games'. Superb book.

Yes. Between this book and Steve Kent's The Ultimate History of Video Games, you can trace the history of gaming up to the introduction of the last-gen consoles with accuracy. Kent's book is particularly well written, filled with anecdotes, period quotes and retrospective comments from many of the key players in the field, and though it's only illustrations are photos of those same men and women who formed the industry, High Score more than makes up for that with hundreds of pages of full colour photographs, that include screenshots, box art, cabinet art and candid pictures of the developers from 'back in the day'. The two books complement each other extremely well. Great stuff...

Antiriad2097 · Post by **Antiriad2097** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 4:03 pm

SirClive · Post by **SirClive** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 4:23 pm

Almost bid, but Â£7 postage is crazy.

Elgin_McQueen · Post by **Elgin_McQueen** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 4:54 pm

jimid2 wrote:
revgiblet wrote:Please include the UK release of 'High Score - the Illustrated History of Electronic Games'. Superb book.
Yes. Between this book and Steve Kent's The Ultimate History of Video Games, you can trace the history of gaming up to the introduction of the last-gen consoles with accuracy. Kent's book is particularly well written, filled with anecdotes, period quotes and retrospective comments from many of the key players in the field, and though it's only illustrations are photos of those same men and women who formed the industry, High Score more than makes up for that with hundreds of pages of full colour photographs, that include screenshots, box art, cabinet art and candid pictures of the developers from 'back in the day'. The two books complement each other extremely well. Great stuff...

I personally feel if you look through Kent's book it almost tells you exactly how the PS3 is gonna go. Look through the history of consoles and compare the formats of the time to what we have now. i.e. the PS3 will flop, and flop bad!!!!

Dudley · Post by **Dudley** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 5:02 pm

See, regardless of all their screw ups I can't see \"Flop bad\".

I can see 3rd place... certainly in europe but...

Elgin_McQueen · Post by **Elgin_McQueen** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 5:14 pm

Dudley wrote:See, regardless of all their screw ups I can't see "Flop bad".

I can see 3rd place... certainly in europe but...

I don't really count handhelds in the console wars, for me 3rd is last.

Admittedly advertising is gonna make a huge difference as it would with any other product. Sony have shown us time and time again they know how to advertise, and unless Nintendo keep up the ball in terms of their own exposure they're the one's who'll lose advertising sales to Sony. X-box's Gears of Wars ad, as well as their previous banned x-box ad show they can work with the platform.

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