Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book, 1 Oct 2007
The Book of Games is a comprehensive look at hundreds of the current top video games on the market. It is obvious that alot of time and research has gone into this volume, with attention paid to detail. From first page to last, this book is full of information relative to the video game end market. Its pages are filled with vibrant full-colour screenshots from the games covered, and in the individual game listings, the screenshots offer a very accurate view of what to expect during gameplay. This includes not only the high quality graphicsfor the games themselves, but also shots of what to expect in regards to violence in the game.
The title page for each game genre has thumbnail shots of retro games, showing the progression of game development. As a longtime gamer, I would have liked to have seen more material on the history of video gaming and the advances which have been made in the industry. Naturally, such a focus could easily fill a volume all on its own, and was not the purpose of this publication. The chapter on the future of gaming carries some interesting predictions. First and foremost is the prediction that those parents who purchase a Wii will themselves get involved in video gaming (if they aren't already). I find this an interesting prediction, because that is exactly what Nintendo hopes will happen, and the reason for its basic yet futuristic control system. This very prediction was discussed at a recent panel night hosted by the Vancouver chapter of the International Game Developers' Association. I was pleased to see the interactive future of video games given more than just a passing glance, along with the practical side of video game usage in scenario training. As someone involved in the video game industry, this is important to me primarily because of the general public's opinion of video gaming. They often are not aware of the benefits of this industry, and The Book of Games does a good job of passing along this important information.
Each game genre is indexed into alphabetical sections with colour-coded page edges and a brief description of the genre. There are accompanying appendices at the end of the book which further break down the game genres according to age ratings for ESRB and PEGI, so it is practical for those whose countries follow these rating systems. The games list is also cross-referenced alphabetically and by platform. Also included is a glossary, which will be especially useful for the non-gaming geek parents of the world. There is also a calendar of notable dates in the game industry for 2006; unfortunately I noted one small error in the calendar: the release date for Guild Wars: Factions was April 28, not March 28 as stated in the book.
Going back to the genre sections, I noted that some sections were a bit on the thin side while others held abundant game listings. A section which I would've expected to see more listings for was RPG. Two of the biggest selling Multi-Player Online roleplaying games for this genre were not listed at all. In May of 2006, Guild Wars: Factions became the top-selling PC game in North America and Europe, surpassing World of Warcraft, yet Guild Wars warranted nothing other than a thumbnail screenshot in the feature chapter about the MMORPG genre. Neither Guild Wars nor World of Warcraft were listed in the indexed RPG chapter, where only five games of a huge genre were given coverage. While Warcraft was given more coverage in the MMORPG feature chapter, I feel that the chapter could've gone more indepth on a genre which is so hugely popular on a global scale. The feature chapter about the making of Age of Conan was a somewhat interesting read, particularly as the game is so highly anticipated, largely due to its being one of the first large-scale games written for Vista.
The short feature chapter about the cross-over of games to movies, while giving an honest opinion about the growing trend, again could have gone further indepth. The fastest growing industry is New Media, and the lines are blurring between the traditional industries, largely due to the technological advances. Two of my screen-writing friends are currently working on a Uwe Boll movie, so this chapter held some special interest for me. I felt there could've been more mention of the cross-overs and mass-marketing benefits the video game industry is seeing from the inclusion of cartoons, comic books, movies, and of course television.
The feature chapter on gaming consoles again could've gone a little more indepth, comparing those early consoles (Pong, anyone?) with how far the industry has come. There was no mention of the early consoles which really opened up the home video game industry such as Atari and Sega. I know that I said earlier in this review that the history of gaming really wasn't the scope of this publication, but this is one area I felt should've been further expanded. I understand that the Book of Games is expected to become an annual publication, so perhaps many areas will be expanded in the future.
Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable book to read, and one that will prove useful in the future. I think it would make a nice gift for most gamers, and at the very least will get them away from their consoles for awhile. There are a few online references given where readers can watch a video battle between Sonic and Mario as well as check out some other game research sites. The volume is full of good information and well laid out; I am giving it a thumbs-up recommendation and feel it worth the purchase price.
|
|
|
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Finally a book about games!, 15 Mar 2007
I have to disagree with the previouse one on this....
I found this to be a really good book! Its got some really nice editorials, which most reviewers dont give to much credit for. Most of them open the book and say "Oh, its just a catalog" but if you look and read through, it has some articles about the future of gaming and research on gaming. And a quick look at video game heros. And also an article on the making of Funcoms "Age of Conan", which i might add is a really good read.
The book, has a list over major tittles of 2006 and newest ones of 2007, which in its self is really good, because it gives you an idea of what games you might like, if you liked a specific tittle.
I read on there website that this is a series, so there will be a volume 2, and by the looks of what i read on there forum.. .there will be some changes which sound pretty intresting.
This book is a really nice guide to parents and alike, as it gives you insite to what games are good for your children ect
|
|
|
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
MadGamers.net - The Book of Games Review, 2 Feb 2007
The Book of Games: Volume 1, a large compendium of gaming knowledge compressed onto the wonderful and portable media that is a book. Aimed primarily at those with an interest in gaming, this informative hardcover book covers over 150 top gaming titles as well as articles about genre histories, the main gaming platforms and other interesting articles such as the future of gaming.
The Book of Games is an original idea initiated by Bendik Stang, the founder of gameXplore and an avid gamer to boot. Showcased in prototype at the massive gaming event that is E3, this book gained a massive response which ultimately set the cogs in motion for this book to go into full production.
Taking a look at what the future might hold in store for the world of gaming, and how gaming hardware may play a bigger role in our lives, The Book of Games explores possibilities such as Virtual Rowing machines at the Olympics, Major League Gaming on National Television and PGA tour stars who hone their skills on the Nintendo Wii. Some of these predictions may seem a little silly, but the stories behind each of these predictions are very real indeed.
Any real gamer will have his or her gaming hero. The Book of Games takes a look at the popular gaming heroes and how icons such as Mario and Lara Croft have been transformed from characters in video games to Hollywood heroes.
So, before I mention the reference pages for each game, there are the genre histories. I could not quite work out why the makers of this book call these genre histories, because quite frankly they do not actually tell a history to any of the genres, that is unless you count a few screenshots from the some of the older games in the genre as a history lesson. What these sections do contain however is an informative description of each genre; what the basics of each genre are, what a normal game of this style might entail, and so on. A bad section title, but a good and interesting read all the same.
Next, we have the section that most of you will be bothered about, the game reference pages. As you would expect from anyone who has visited pretty much any gaming site, including this one, you will find the vital statistics of each game. Publishers, developers, release dates, summaries and screenshots; it's all in there. Thankfully this book does add things that you will not find in the average game review site such as a game's time period, complexity, your role within the game and the challenges you will have to overcome. Other details include similar games, US and EU ratings and other platforms that each game is on. I really like the reference pages of this book. They are well presented and with a good mixture of text and screenshots for an easy read.
Due to the fact that MMORPGs are so huge and so popular, this book dedicates a section to MMO's to tell us what makes them so addictive and where MMOs will go next. The book takes a look at the making of Funcom's Age of Conan. In an interview with product director Jorgen Theraldsen we find out all about Age of Conan, how it was made and how this game sets out to be better than other games in the genre. A fascinating read for any MMO fan out there.
The book has already talked about gaming heroes and what makes them great, but now we come to a section entitled `From Games to Movies'. This section is fairly interesting, with details of how video games such as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Resident Evil gained film glory. And an even more interesting page which tells us those adaptations which just didn't quite make it. This is definitely one of the better articles within the book, but unfortunately lacks images from the movies they talk about and is replaced by images of the games.
Any good games book would be lost without a section regarding the hardware that we need to be able to play the games we love so much. This colourful and well presented section provides us with information and specifications on the major consoles and hand-helds.
Game research is an interesting section which talks about, as you would expect, the research into games. I really like how this book has steered away from what many would expect to be a section about the research conducted by games developers, and constructed a section which looks at the study of video games by engineers, technology students and behavioural psychologists.
The book closes with a section that looks at the year 2006 in the world of gaming with a calendar format of dates and information that tell us what is supposed to be the best of 2006 in gaming. After reading this section of the book I felt myself asking questions like, Why have they left out October 17th and the release of Battlefield 2142? A game which, earlier in the book, is described as being a highly addictive game with an infinite replay value. Surely it deserves a mention in the best of 2006?
This book is a reasonably interesting well-constructed read, and with a fairly reasonable price tag of around £[...] or $[...] depending on your geographical location. It is available from many online shops, most noticeably Amazon.
In the end I suppose it all comes down to the all important question of whether this book is worth buying. Well, I would have to say that if you are buying this book for a friend or relative as a present, then yes it is. As a book for a fairly serious gamer however, no it is not. I really did want to be able to say yes to this question, but I feel that this book is defeated by the information that is freely available on the internet.
If you would like to read more reviews, then please visit [...]
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by Bendik Stang
by Matt Fox
by Steven L. Kent
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). 
Amazon Home