Unboxing The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987

[8bitgamer]

A very silly video of me unboxing the advance copy of my new book, The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152572296394800&set=vb.524789799&type=2&theater

You can pre-order the book here:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Greatest-Console-Video-Games/dp/0764346180/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393335803&sr=8-1&keywords=100+Greatest+Console+Video+Games%3A+1977-1987

Thanks for watching and reading!

[Rickstilwell1]

Phew, at first I thought you meant you were unboxing sealed copies of each of those 100 games.

[tom]

Awful cover, those Nes carts were ugly.
But are they your personal greatest or THE all time greatest games? If it's the second how would you know unless you played ALL video games out there.

And you're saying 'rebirth of the industry', which was never dead, after the 1984 crash it had just moved on to A2, A8 and C64.

[bb_hood]

I think the cover is nice, Nintendo carts are awesome.

[fluid_matrix]

While I applaud the book, I must ask... why should I spend the money for the book when there are hundreds, if not thousands of peoples' opinions of what the greatest video games are on youtube?

[8bitgamer]

Phew, at first I thought you meant you were unboxing sealed copies of each of those 100 games.

Ha ha, yeah I thought of that.

[8bitgamer]

I think the cover is nice, Nintendo carts are awesome.

Thanks, I agree. The cover design was out of my hands, but I think the familiarity of the NES cart design among the general public will help sales.

[8bitgamer]

But are they your personal greatest or THE all time greatest games? If it's the second how would you know unless you played ALL video games out there. And you're saying 'rebirth of the industry', which was never dead, after the 1984 crash it had just moved on to A2, A8 and C64.

Great questions/remarks.

First, they are essentially my personal favorites (most top 100 books are heavily influenced by the author's opinion), but I also took into account how the games were perceived and enjoyed by the industry and by fans at the time (and now), meaning each chapter has lots of contemporary and current quotes by other reviewers. I also included anecdotes, production histories, comparisons to other games, etc. As a steady gamer since 1974, the author of the "Classic Home Video Games" book series, and a longtime (former) contributor to the All Game Guide, I've played almost every game released from 1977-1987.

Regarding the rebirth of the industry, I know what you mean, but the CONSOLE industry in the U.S. did indeed resurrect phoenix-like from the ashes after the NES gained popularity. Yes, personal computers took off, and arcades were still doing relatively well (though they were on the downturn), but consoles were all but dead. The Atari 2600 and Intellivision were barely hanging on, the Atari 5200 and ColecoVision died, and there were zero video game magazines being published around 1985-1988 or so, for example.(Video Update, I believe it was called, was the only substantial periodical about video games at the time, but it was merely a small press newsletter distributed by a retail store--interestingly, it was the only publication where you could read a contemporary review of Super Mario Bros..)

[8bitgamer]

While I applaud the book, I must ask... why should I spend the money for the book when there are hundreds, if not thousands of peoples' opinions of what the greatest video games are on youtube?

Great question. The book is different in that each game entry is backed by quotes from contemporary and current reviewers. It also includes production histories, personal anecdotes, and more, based on my 40-year history of playing video games. Plus, I've been writing professionally since 1997 for a variety of publications, so hopefully most people will find the book well-written and fun to read. There are some entertaining and informative YouTube reviewers, but it's apples and oranges. I can watch a rerun of "Siskel & Ebert's At the Movies," but still want to turn off the TV and read a more in depth analysis of various films.

With certain other historical subjects--let's take Abraham Lincoln, for example--historians, history teachers, history buffs, and the like never ask why anyone would read an Abraham Lincoln book when you can simply Google the 16th president. While the Internet has made certain books outdated--I'm guessing you haven't had a visit from an encyclopedia salesman recently?--books on various interesting subjects, including video games, are still important and useful in my opinion.

[8bitgamer]

A first look at a couple of interior pages from The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987:

http://www.brettweisswords.com/2014/08/the-100-greatest-console-video-games.html

The hardcover, full color book is available for pre-order for just $26.76, nearly $10 off the cover price:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Greatest-Console-Video-Games/dp/0764346180/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393335803&sr=8-1&keywords=100+Greatest+Console+Video+Games%3A+1977-1987

Thanks for reading!

[8bitgamer]

Sample pages are now available. You can read the "Stampede" chapter for free:

http://www.brettweisswords.com/2014/08/stampede-atari-2600-100-greatest.html