Classic Home Video Games -- SAMPLE PAGES

[8bitgamer]

McFarland, the publisher of Classic Home Video Games 1972-1984, has posted certain pages of the book on their website. If you want to view the pages, click on the link below, then click on Atari 2600, ColecoVision or Intellivision.

http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/contents-2.php?id=978-0-7864-3226-4

[Bojay1997]

The writing style of the various entries I read in the preview could not be more boring. Why would anyone need to spend $55 for this when they can buy a DP guide for significantly less and be entertained and informed?

[ALAKA]

Seems like a cool book.

[Sothy]

words that come to mind are "superfluous" and "dry"

[8bitgamer]

Why would anyone need to spend $55 for this when they can buy a DP guide for significantly less and be entertained and informed?

I love the DP Guides. I own several and use them to keep track of my unwieldy collection. I recommend them wholeheartedly to anyone who collects classic games. They are funny at times and very useful.

However, Classic Home Video Games 1972-1984 is a different animal entirely. It is the only book that describes every game for every pre-NES console in full detail. It is the video game equivalent of a classic movie guide.

For example, if you're digging through cartridges at a convention or perusing eBay and come across a copy of I Want My Mommy for the Atari 2600 or Jungler for the Arcadia 2001 and have no idea what type of games those are, look them up in my book and here's what you'll find:

I Want My Mommy
Publisher: Zimag
Developer: Zimag
Genre: Climbing
1 or 2 Players (alternating)
Year of Release: 1983

Recommended for children eight years old and under, the amusingly titled, yet ordinary looking I Want My Mommy has players helping Teddy reach the top of the playfield to get a large apple, then on to the top of the next screen to hug his ape-like mother. Unlike most games of this type, in which the ladders, ropes, or other climbing devices are already in place, I Want My Mommy has the main character walking over to flashing dots, then extending “magical stardust ladders” with a press of the fire button and a push of the joystick. During his trek, Teddy must avoid dream demons, which can be punched only if Teddy has picked up a floating block that represents a kiss from his mom. I Want My Mommy is mildly entertaining, but it ends after two screens, making it a short-lived affair.

Jungler
Publisher: Emerson
Developer: UA Limited
Genre: Maze Shooter
1 Player
Year of Release: 1982

Jungler is a port of Konami’s 1981 coin-op curiosity. Players guide a snake-like dragon through nine different mazes, shooting the segmented tail of an enemy dragon (or pair of dragons, depending on the difficulty level). When the enemy dragon’s tail gets shorter than the good dragon’s tail, the player should force a head-on collision, effectively removing the enemy dragon from the screen. Regenerative segments, which can be eaten to restore a partially depleted dragon, appear randomly at the top of the playfield. The original arcade version of Jungler boasts three onscreen enemies and is more challenging, but this is nevertheless a finely programmed conversion. The dragon heads look like spaceships, but they do resemble their arcade counterparts fairly closely.


Now, if that's not your cup of coke, no problem. You're certainly welcome to your opinion.

~Brett Weiss

[8bitgamer]

words that come to mind are "superfluous" and "dry"

I was thinking more along the lines of "literate" and "timeless." ;)

Brett

[8bitgamer]

Seems like a cool book.

Thanks! I happen to agree!

Brett

[j_factor]

I bought it at CGE, it's definitely a good resource. It is a bit pricey, though. I'd like to see further editions, i.e. one for the 8-bit era, one for 16-bit systems, and so on. They'd be more useful, at least to me.

[vintagegamecrazy]

Definately not for me, I love the DP guides and I collect and don't buy games for how they play. I am interested in cold hard facts.

[8bitgamer]

I am interested in cold hard facts.

My book's got plenty of those as well, based on years of research and more than 25 years of collecting video games and more than 30 years of playing them.

http://brettweisswords.blogspot.com/

[Little Samson]

Yup, it looks like a great resource to me, too.

[8bitgamer]

Some have emailed me wanting to see more sample pages, so McFarland has posted a few more, including entries for Odyssey2 and Atari 5200. Click on the following link for easy access.

http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-3226-4

Thanks,

Brett

[lkermel]

Looks like a good book to me too !
An edition that'd come with all the game cover scans would also be great... but it'd also add a couple of hundred of pages to the book which is maybe not that great :)

[blissfulnoise]

Looking at the sample pages, it does look like a pretty good investment. It would benefit GREATLY with screenshots, but, again, it would make the book unwieldy in size.

As one of the majority (I think so anyway) of collectors who are more interested in playing the games than simply collecting them, these types of books right up our alley.

Would it be possible to get an excerpt or an idea of how extensive the homebrew section is?

[Gamingking]

I wouldn't pay that price..

[YoshiM]

It reminds me a LOT like those paperback game guides from the early 80's. Some hand drawings to depict some of the games and a lotta text to describe the titles.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Seriously, this book is good quality stuff. The only reason I didn't snatch it up at CGE was because I was trying to save just a smidge of cash to take home for the baby fund. I remember thumbing through one of the copies on Brett's table for about 10 minutes, mesmerized, thinking to myself, "Well, crap. Someone else has already gone and written a book I was thinking of writing." LOL The fact that he got a real live publisher to put it in a snazzy hardback cover just rubbed in that sweet smell of defeat for me.

All kidding aside though, I highly recommend it. You can criticize the writing style all you like, but the sheer amount of research and organization that went into this thing is scary.

[8bitgamer]

Seriously, this book is good quality stuff. The only reason I didn't snatch it up at CGE was because I was trying to save just a smidge of cash to take home for the baby fund. I remember thumbing through one of the copies on Brett's table for about 10 minutes, mesmerized, thinking to myself, "Well, crap. Someone else has already gone and written a book I was thinking of writing." LOL The fact that he got a real live publisher to put it in a snazzy hardback cover just rubbed in that sweet smell of defeat for me.

All kidding aside though, I highly recommend it. You can criticize the writing style all you like, but the sheer amount of research and organization that went into this thing is scary.

Wow, thanks, Earl. I appreciate your kind words. It's nice to know that a gamer of your stature thinks so highly of my book. I hope things are going well with your young'un.

http://brettweisswords.blogspot.com/