A Guide to ZX Spectrum Adventure Games - 1982 - 1985


Book Description

This book is a guide to ZX Spectrum adventure games released between 1982 to 1985. It includes all of the hit games, plus many that you've probably never even heard of (188 games in total), complete with screenshots, covers and some adverts from the era... Plus oodles of new artwork from Robin Grenville-Evans. This thick tome (over 575 pages) has an introduction from Mike Gerrard (Your Sinclair adventure game columist), plus interviews with developers Don Woods (Colossal Caves), Mel Croucher (Automata), Charles Cecil (Artic Computing), Scott Adams (Adventure International), Tim Gilberts (Gilsoft), Trevor Hall (Mikro Gen), Terry Greer (Interceptor Micros), Tony Barber (Phipps Associates, RamJam Corporation), Pete Austin (Level 9 Computing) and Roy Carnell (Carnell Software). You can download free maps from www.retro-spective-books.co.uk




The Video Games Guide


Book Description

The Video Games Guide is the world's most comprehensive reference book on computer and video games. Presented in an A to Z format, this greatly expanded new edition spans fifty years of game design--from the very earliest (1962's Spacewar) through the present day releases on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and PC. Each game entry includes the year of release, the hardware it was released on, the name of the developer/publisher, a one to five star quality rating, and a descriptive review which offers fascinating nuggets of trivia, historical notes, cross-referencing with other titles, information on each game's sequels and of course the author's views and insights into the game. In addition to the main entries and reviews, a full-color gallery provides a visual timeline of gaming through the decades, and several appendices help to place nearly 3,000 games in context. Appendices include: a chronology of gaming software and hardware, a list of game designers showing their main titles, results of annual video game awards, notes on sourcing video games, and a glossary of gaming terms.




A Guide to Movie Based Video Games


Book Description

You’ve seen the movie, now PLAY the movie! Long before gaming came to the big screen, cinema arrived in the homes of millions in the form of licensed video games; playable merchandise that tied in to some of the major tentpoles of cinematic history. Many of these games followed the storylines of the movies on which they were based, as well as providing supplementary adventures to major franchises. Collected in this book are some of the biggest games to come from Hollywood adventures during the '80s and '90s. In this comprehensive book, you’ll find over 300 games across 18 chapters, with sections dedicated to major movie franchises such as Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Top Gun, Pixar, Aliens and Indiana Jones, along with nearly 200 full-color screenshots of major releases. Showcasing the highs and lows of early computer gaming through the 16-bit era and onto the advent of 3D console gaming, A Guide to Movie Based Video Games: 1982 - 2000 covers two decades of video games with trivia, analysis and recommendations. Grab your controller, step into the silver screen and get ready to play!




The Guide to Classic Graphic Adventures


Book Description

Reviews of over 300 graphic adventure games, focusing on games from prominent publishers such as LucasArts, Sierra On-Line, and Legend Entertainment but covering games from independent developers as well. Reviews primarily cover games published 1984-2000. Interviews with game creators/developers Al Lowe, Corey Cole, Bob Bates, and Josh Mandel are included.




Designing Virtual Worlds


Book Description

This text provides a comprehensive treatment of virtual world design from one of its pioneers. It covers everything from MUDs to MOOs to MMORPGs, from text-based to graphical VWs.




Martin Bower's World of Models


Book Description

NOTE - This edition has white pages with black text for people with poor eye-sight.This huge book is a must for any fans of TV and movie special effects. In the days before CGI ruled the world, a small but dedicated group of people had to physically create all of the models and special effects for films and television. Martin Bower was one of those people...If you've ever watched Alien, Flash Gordon, or Outland, or seen TV shows such as Doctor Who, Blake's 7, or Space: 1999, (amongst many others) then you'll be very familiar with Martin's work, as he was part of the teams that made these possible. This is an in-depth look at his career, with lots of behind the scenes information about how many of the models (and effects) were created. It also contains many images that have never been published before, as well as several step-by-step guides.




The Game Console 2.0


Book Description

This revised and expanded second edition of the bestselling The Game Console contains brand new content, with coverage of 50 more consoles, variants, and accessories in 50 added pages. The Game Console 2.0 is a gorgeous coffee table book for geeks and gamers that brings together highly detailed photos of more than 100 video game consoles and their electronic interiors spanning nearly five decades. Revised and updated since the first edition’s celebrated 2018 release, The Game Console 2.0 is an even bigger archival collection of vividly detailed photos of more than 100 video-game consoles. This ultimate archive of gaming history spans five decades and nine distinct generations, chronologically covering everything from market leaders to outright failures, and tracing the gaming industry’s rise, fall, and monumental resurgence. The book’s 2nd edition features more classic game consoles and computers, a section on retro gaming in the modern era, and dozens of new entries — including super-rare finds, such the Unisonic Champion 2711, and the latest ninth-generation consoles. You’ll find coverage of legendary systems like the Magnavox Odyssey, Atari 2600, NES, and the Commodore 64; systems from the ‘90s and 2000s; modern consoles like the Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5; and consoles you never knew existed. Get a unique peek at the hardware powering the world’s most iconic video-game systems with The Game Console 2.0 — the perfect gift for geeks of all stripes and every gamer’s must-have coffee-table book.




A Guide to Playing the Hobbit


Book Description




A Guide to ZX Spectrum Games - 1985 To 1986


Book Description

Retrospective reviews of 256 ZX Spectrum games published between 1985 and 1986 - With an Introduction from Retro Gamer Journalist Kieren Hawken, and interviews from developers such as Steve Turner (Hewson Consultants), Jon Ritman (Ocean Software, Artic), John Gibson (Imagine, Denton Designs, Ocean), Julian Gollop (Target Games, Ubisoft), Bill Harbison (Ocean), Phil Mochan (Firebird), Fergus McNeill (Delta 4), Steve Wetherill (Odin Computing), Karen Davies (Imagine, Denton Designs), Ian Oliver (Realtime Games), Graham Stafford (Design Design), Ian Morrison (US Gold), Roger Womack (Icon Design, Gremlin), John Heap (Imagine, Denton Designs), Fergus McNeill (Delta 4 Software), Dave Martin (Martech), Simon Butler (Ocean), Clive Townsend (Durell Software), Shaun Hollingworth (Gremlin), Pete Harrap (Gremlin), Gary Bracey (Ocean), Ste Pickford (Binary Design), Shaun Abbott (Level 9), Pete Harrison (Icon Design, Binary Design), David Bishop (Argus Press), and Allan Findlay (Laser Genius) . Fully illustrated with screenshots of every game - Some original box artwork and advertisements, and original illustrations from Rob Grenville-Evans (Automata).




Rules of Play


Book Description

An impassioned look at games and game design that offers the most ambitious framework for understanding them to date. As pop culture, games are as important as film or television—but game design has yet to develop a theoretical framework or critical vocabulary. In Rules of Play Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman present a much-needed primer for this emerging field. They offer a unified model for looking at all kinds of games, from board games and sports to computer and video games. As active participants in game culture, the authors have written Rules of Play as a catalyst for innovation, filled with new concepts, strategies, and methodologies for creating and understanding games. Building an aesthetics of interactive systems, Salen and Zimmerman define core concepts like "play," "design," and "interactivity." They look at games through a series of eighteen "game design schemas," or conceptual frameworks, including games as systems of emergence and information, as contexts for social play, as a storytelling medium, and as sites of cultural resistance. Written for game scholars, game developers, and interactive designers, Rules of Play is a textbook, reference book, and theoretical guide. It is the first comprehensive attempt to establish a solid theoretical framework for the emerging discipline of game design.