Guiness Book of Videogames 2008

[swlovinist]

I went to local Game Crazy, and saw that Guiness has released a book on Video game records...full color with some great info...just a heads up for those who are looking for a great coffee table book or something to read in the bathroom. I do believe that it was priced at $20.

[Sniderman]

Is that the version that Twin Galaxies had a hand in creating?Link
Here's a list of the games covered:

Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition 2008
List of Featured Games

ACTION ADVENTURE GAMES
1. ZELDA
2. TOMB RAIDER
3. GRAND THEFT AUTO
4. RESIDENT EVIL
5. METROID
6. CASTLEVANIA
7. METAL GEAR
8. ALONE IN THE DARK

FIGHTING GAMES
9. STREET FIGHTER
10. MORTAL KOMBAT
11. TEKKEN
12. VIRTUA FIGHTER

SHOOTING GAMES
13. DOOM
14. QUAKE
15. COUNTER-STRIKE
16. HALF-LIFE
17. HALO
18. UNREAL
19. TOM CLANCY GAMES
20. GEARS OF WAR

PLATFORM GAMES
21. SUPER MARIO
22. DONKEY KONG
23. SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
24. PRINCE OF PERSIA
25. JAK & DAXTER

SPORTS GAMES
26. BASKETBALL
27. AMERICAN FOOTBALL
28. SOCCER
29. GOLF
30. TENNIS
31. EXTREME/STREET SPORTS
32. ICE HOCKEY
RACING GAMES
33. GRAN TURISMO
34. PROJECT GOTHAM RACING
35. TRACKMANIA
36. COLIN MCRAE RALLY
37. MARIO KART

ROLE-PLAYING GAMES
38. FINAL FANTASY
39. DRAGON QUEST
40. ELDER SCROLLS
41. POKEMON

MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER ONLINE RPGS
42. WORLD OF WARCRAFT
43. STAR WARS GALAXIES
44. EVE ONLINE
45. ULTIMA ONLINE
46. EVERQUEST
47. SECOND LIFE

STRATEGY GAMES
48. STARCRAFT
49. CIVILIZATION
50. COMMAND & CONQUER
51. TOTAL WAR

SIMULATION GAMES
52. SIM CITY
53. THE SIMS
54. FLIGHT SIMULATOR

MUSIC GAMES
55. DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION
56. GUITAR HERO

PUZZLE & MAZE GAMES
57. TETRIS
58. PACMAN
59. BRAIN TRAINING GAMES

[Bluteg]

Why the fuck is Second Life on there? Its not a game and even its dumbass creators admit that. It's a virtual chatroom where furries prance about and shit. Might as well put spray paint and a wall or something equally stupid.

[mnbren05]

Might as well put spray paint and a wall or something equally stupid.

You mean Microsoft Paint isn't considered a video game?! I call shenanigans on you sir!

[Drag0nsfyre]

Just picked up a copy from my local B&N $20 hardbound ed. Thanks for the heads up.
Sniderman, It's the same one as in your link.

[jedimind7]

Thanks for the information. I'll have to pick this up soon.

[Sniderman]

Just picked up a copy from my local B&N $20 hardbound ed. Thanks for the heads up.
Sniderman, It's the same one as in your link.

Nifty. Question: Are there lists of high scores for various systems throughout the years (say, high score runs on Atari 2600 Asteroids or NES Bionic Commando) or is it more of a coffee table book with big pictures, and few lines of text, and about 60 games covered as shown in the list above?

My fear is that this records book is just something that "looks purdy" rather than having anything truly comprehensive. For example, what if you picked up the DP Guide, but it only listed the rarity and value of the top 12 games for every system? That's what I'm afraid that's what this book is like.

So tell us - what's innit?

[MrSparkle]

*looks up from practicing for a mspaint world record score* .... oh....my....fucking.....god....NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!

[98PaceCar]

It's far from comprehensive. There are lists of high scores, but they seem to be related to the main games covered if not somewhat arbitrarily selected.

[Drag0nsfyre]

Ok I'll try and answer a few Q's just by quickly glancing over it for a short time so far.
This is not your typical Worlds record book as you would expect it. (at least not to me) It seems more like other gamer books before it in a sence (ie: High Score! etc.) History stuff other info and fact stuff like that.
Contents are as follows:
Intro
(About this book, About Twin Galexies, The year in games, The 2007 chart)
=Hardware section=
=Record Breaking Games= (as in sales or genre milestones it seems) which is most of the book with interviews etc.
Catagories Action Adv. Fighting Games, Shooting Games, Platform Sports etc. diff. milestone games in their respected genres ie: Zelda, GTA, Street Fighter, Doom etc.
=Top 100 Arcade Games=
=Record breaking High Scores=
Twin Galexies Leaderboard

Since I've only glanced through it I cannot give my full opinion but based on the initial flip through I'd probably say 3.5/5

[RetroYoungen]

I bought this book a few weeks ago, read through a few of the sections, closed it and refused to put it on my shelf. I honestly didn't like the way it was laid out, lacking a lot of info (yet saying things about that info) and while it has scores in it... if you want scores, buy the Twin Galaxies book. Disappointing.

[HYB]

I got the book just now, it was interesting but I noticed that they called Castlevania Rondo of Blood the most expensive CV game. What a shitload of fuck. They forgot to mention a ton of cameos Simon has had, they should have numbered them like thet did with Samus. They also have very few actual world records in there about playing times and such. I bet my boyfriend can top 17 minutes and 52 seconds in STH, and I hold at least one world record in SA2.

Also, they translated the infamous Dracula line. It made my eyes bleed. We know it can be only funny in english. What a miserable pile of secrets.

The book has pretty colors though.

[ProgrammingAce]

Walter Day was hawking this along with bottles of twin galaxies branded hot sauce at MGC... it was kind of surreal.

[Lady Jaye]

twin galaxies hot sauce? oh no, talk about reviving the King of Kong debate!

[Ed Oscuro]

Twin Galaxies Hot Sauce sounds like a metaphor for what happens to a thread when skilled gameplayers hear the name.

There's "records" in that book I could beat even right now, bleary-eyed as I am :P

[rbudrick]

Great, Guinness has drank the Kool-Aid. Being a reputable organization, I can't believe Guinness would take anything as legit from Twin Galaxies. Twin Galaxies is a load of shit and their authoritative nature is no longer existent for most of their records and probably never was. Their records verification methods leave fucktons to be desired.

-Rob

[sirhansirhan]

Yeah, I looked at this book for a while at a local bookstore, and it's really awful. I'd expect more from an article in Entertainment Weekly on video game high scores. It's a complete waste of time.