Official Video Game & Pinball Book Of World Records(Out of Print) [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Walter Day (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 22, 1998

The Official Video Game & Pinball Book of World Records - ARCADE VOLUME *Video Games * Emulation * Arcade Novelties * Pinball The Official Book of Records is now divided into three volumes. This Arcade Volume will be followed by two additional volumes that focus on Console Gaming and PC Gaming. What you will find in this 3-volume set: 1....Each volume settles all arguments by telling you what the current high score is on almost any game and who you have to beat to become the new world champion! 2...Each volume is the authority that establishes the rules and standardized settings on each game! 3...Each volume promotes computer gaming as a professional sport, with a tradition of contests, statistics, world records and star players! 4...Each volume publicizes an international schedule of tournaments players can compete in to gain entrance into this record book! 5...Each volume brings credit to thousands of gamers around the world who know they are the best!

Product Details

• Paperback: 984 pages
• Publisher: Sunstar; 1st edition (May 22, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1887472258
• ISBN-13: 978-1887472258
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,509,757 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A book of scores - but more stories would be welcomed., July 15, 1998

By 

N. Strum "Graphic Designer" (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Official Video Game & Pinball Book Of World Records(Out of Print) (Paperback)

I picked the book up thinking it was just a list of arcade game scores - but the author chose to also include scores for home video game systems as well. Since the focus of the recollections at the end of the book were about arcade games, a separate book for home systems would be more appropriate. A majority of the entries are for Nintendo systems, which were provided by Nintendo itself, and some are carried out to the top 250 scores. Surely the top 10 would have been plenty. On the plus side are the 200 pages of stories from the Golden Age of arcades. This is the highlight of the book, and despite the author getting a bit self-important at times, makes for very entertaining reading for those of us who were there. If you were an arcade junkie in the early 80's, you may get a kick out of it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Looking forward to the next edition, January 30, 2004

By 

G.Hawkins (Wellington, New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Official Video Game & Pinball Book Of World Records(Out of Print) (Paperback)

As the title says, the book is the authoritative collection of records on video games & pinball. As well as arcade machines this includes home computer systems, consoles, and arcade emulation (MAME, specifically). Unfortunately the main problem with this book now is its incompleteness: it's now several years old and somewhat out of date. (See the Twin Galaxies website for a searchable database of all today's records.) An updated and expanded edition is meant to be on its way.

The book makes up for it with a special section on "The Golden Age of Video Games" which recounts the early history of Twin Galaxies and the growth of video gaming in the 80's as a 'sport'. I thought the book took itself a little too seriously here. This section also tells the story of the That's Incredible video game competition, organized by Twin Galaxies, which many people reading this may remember watching on TV.

[As an aside: A clip of this is actually downloadable from the Twin Galaxies website. It's great 80's nostalgia, and listening to the hosts' earnest commentary of the players is sheer camp hilarity! Best Line: "He piles on the pepper and sends down a bun covered with hotdogs and an egg for his four thousand points!"]

The book also includes a detailed section on the TG rules and how to get yourself in the book. I'm looking forward to the next edition being an even thicker book, with records for many more games - not least for MAME!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Who Scored Highest ? How did MY best scores compare ?, September 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Official Video Game & Pinball Book Of World Records(Out of Print) (Paperback)

Walter Day is a consumate video game player and enthusiast. It was his dream to produce the definitive video game world record scorebook, and he has done so with flying colors !!

Between the records themselves, the nostalgic look at the "Golden Age" of gaming, and the historical account of how TwinGalaxies came to be, this is a MUST READ for any video gamer, new and old.

Plus, you can find out how YOUR scores compare to the best players in the world, and how YOU can possibly have YOUR score submitted for inclusion in next year's edition.

HIGHLY recommended !!