High Score! The Illustrated History of Electronic Games
Product Description
“…overflowing with color screenshots, package art, reproductions of old game ads, shots of old machines, and photos of collectibles. Every picture triggers another memory, and before long you’re awash in blissful recollections…”–Computer Gaming World, August ’02 “…300+ pages offer a visually compelling record of the origins and development of electronic entertainment, so buy it for the pictures of rare game boxes and screens… it’s a great nostalgia trip … More >>
High Score! The Illustrated History of Electronic Games
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Bill Bixby said :
April 8, 2010 at 12:20 am
The Bottom Line: This is a nice coffee table book to spark some discussion, but true gaming fans and players will be dissapointed with this version of gaming history.
My own, personal dissatisfaction with this book comes from the lack of coverage of the 2D fighter genre, which was kicked off in the early 1990′s with Street Fighter 2. This one game single-handedly revitalized and recreated the arcade market, which had been strugling since around 1983. It forever shifted some primary design philosophies, most importantly, from competing against a computer AI to competing against human opponents (which is the main draw to just about every online game in existence today).
In a sense, it was a retro-evolution back to games like Pong and what made those games so much fun.
To put it another way, games were designed with the idea that humans would be competing against each other as a primary design element. Therefore, issues such as balance, cheating, and competition took on new meanings. These factors had to be developed within the framework of highly complex games, not simple games like Pong.
The impact of this game cannot be overstated, but the authors devote a whopping 1-page to this landmark game and say little about the genre (and the hundreds of games) that came after and are still being made today. That’s simply inexcusable. Street Fighter, alone, has about 30 sequels in various incarnations.
The vast majority of 1990′s section is devoted to PC gaming and profiles of PC Gaming companies (because the PC finally began to become a powerful enough machine that it could deliver graphics and sound that had broad market appeal).
Very little is ever said about the shifting gaming cultural landscape that occured between cosoles, home computers, and Arcades but that sort of thing, to a true gamer, is as important as the demise of Saturday morning cartoons when cable got big.
In short, with the exception of the early history section, this book reads more like a catalog of games organized by release date and accompanied with a screen or box shot. It fails to actually comment intelligently on the subject itself.
Rating: 2 / 5
Gustaf Stechmann said :
April 8, 2010 at 1:08 am
This is the best book on computer games that I have seen so far. An amazing lot of work and love has gone into it and it is a real masterpiece – pure joy to read and look at.
300 pages, densely packed with thousands of illustrations, photos, screenshots, cover & concept art — and the layout is just amazing. For most popular games series, e.g. Ultima, you get screenshots and covers for every single title! But the book is not mere eyecandy. There’s tons of exquisite information too, like interviews with major game designers. Even if you already have a lot of insider knowledge of computer games, I guarantee you’ll find lots of new and interesting stuff here.
The book is well structured and very detailled, yet at the same time great fun to read. It starts of with the pre-Pong era, going back as early as the 19th century with the foundation of companies that later became Nintendo and Philips. Further on, it focusses majorly on arcade games, consoles and the PC.
The only shortcoming is that the book is rather USA-centric. The european games scene, which moved more around homecomputers like the Commodore 64, Amiga and Atari ST isn’t covered. Same goes for most european productions, like the games from Bullfrog (Populous), Bitmap Brothers (Speedball), Graftgold (Uridium), Factor-5 (Turrican, Rogue Squadron) and the likes.
However this is not a real drawback as the book is an unmatched treasure chest nonetheless. You will certainly not regret buying it. Did I mention the entire book is in full color and the print quality is excellent? Get it *now*!
Rating: 5 / 5
Anonymous said :
April 8, 2010 at 2:05 am
This book shows the evolution of video games. It shows how Donkey Kong looked on Atari(a dark fuzzy ugly thing) to the way he looks on Game Cube’s Super Smash Bros.(much more detailed and graphically lovable). It doesnt say things like oh Atari is horrible because its old or SNES is dumb because its more than 10 years old. It simply shows how things got more sophisticated and better looking in time. The whole book is a must see. I hope that in the next life I get to play every single game listed in this book. It shows the story of Mario and Link as well as Sonic The Hedgehog.
Rating: 5 / 5
Anonymous said :
April 8, 2010 at 2:39 am
If you grew up in the computer generation this book will bring joy to your heart. Techno-nostalgia litters every page of this quality paperback. Glossy screenshots and pictures of game packaging act as a magnet, pulling the memories of games gone by from the deepest parts of the reader’s brain. This book brings back memories of Donkey Kong!, Lode Runner, M.U.L.E., Rocket Ranger, Space Quest, and many of the great dynasties of the game world. Wilson and DeMaria have pulled together a virtual encyclopedia of special memories. The only way that this gaming tome could have been improved would have been to provide the games with it. Even without the games, readers will exult in this quality portrayal of their hobby and those who helped propel it forward into the 21st century. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Rating: 5 / 5
Carl A. Lund said :
April 8, 2010 at 3:25 am
Past accounts of gaming history are marred by mistakes, omissions, or a focus on one aspect of electronic entertainment. High Score provides balanced coverage of consoles, computers, and the arcade. As someone else noted, it *is* very much from an American perspective. The history of European gaming still needs to be written. And, yes, the book–like today’s gaming magazines–relies too much on pictures and not enough on words. Those are valid points. They are secondary, though, to the impressiveness of the book. If you fondly remember past golden days of gaming or if you want to learn more about them, this is so the book for you.
Rating: 5 / 5