Retro Gaming Hacks: Tips & Tools for Playing the Classics (Paperback)

by Chris Kohler (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Maybe it was the recent Atari 2600 milestone anniversary that fueled nostalgia for the golden days of computer and console gaming. Every Game Boy must ponder his roots from time to time. But whatever is driving the current retro gaming craze, one thing is certain: classic games are back for a big second act, and they're being played in both old and new ways.

Whether you've just been attacked by Space Invaders for the first time or you've been a Pong junkie since puberty, Chris Kohler's Retro Gaming Hacks is the indispensable new guide to playing and hacking classic games. Kohler has complied tons of how-to information on retro gaming that used to take days or weeks of web surfing to track down and sort through, and he presents it in the popular and highly readable Hacks style.

Retro Gaming Hacks serves up 85 hard-nosed hacks for reviving the classic games. Want to game on an original system? Kohler shows you how to hack ancient hardware, and includes a primer for home-brewing classic software. Rather adapt today's equipment to run retro games? Kohler provides emulation techniques, complete with instructions for hacking a classic joystick that's compatible with a contemporary computer. This book also teaches readers to revive old machines for the original gaming experience: hook up an Apple II or a Commodore 64, for example, and play it like you played before.

A video game journalist and author of Power Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life, Kohler has taught the history of video games at Tufts University. In Retro Gaming Hacks, he locates the convergence of classic games and contemporary software, revealing not only how to retrofit classic games for today's systems, but how to find the golden oldies hidden in contemporary programs as well.

Whether you're looking to recreate the magic of a Robotron marathon or simply crave a little handheld Donkey Kong, Retro Gaming Hacks shows you how to set the way-back dial.

About the Author
Chris Kohler is a video game journalist and editor who has written for several publications in the past decade, including Wired, Animerica magazine, and Nintendo Official Magazine UK. After graduating from Tufts University with a degree in Japanese, Chris attended Kyoto Seika University on a Fulbright Fellowship, and completed major research for a book tentatively titled Super Mario Nation: The Cinematic Japanese Video Game. At Tufts, he taught a for-credit undergraduate course titled "A History of Video Games" and continues to study Japanese at an advanced level.

Product Details

• Paperback: 502 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.; illustrated edition edition (October 12, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596009178
• ISBN-13: 978-0596009175
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #836,642 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This item is part of The O'Reilly Hacks Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Relive The Classic Games Of Yesteryear, November 23, 2005

By	Daniel McKinnon (Tewksbury, MA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Ever miss the days of old when the Atari 2600 and the original Nintendo ruled the land? Wish you could relive the old days of Pac Man and Super Mario Brothers but you don't have your classic systems any more?

If you answered yes to any of these questions and still have a hunger to play or at least learn about the classic games of the past, then Chris Kohler's 'Retro Gaming Hacks' is for you!!

While it's called a "Hacks" book, this book is mainly comprised of talking about emulators and how to play these classics on your PC, Macintosh, or another gaming machine. While the book goes into detail about buying classic games and systems online and/or buying vertical JAMMA machines, the easiest and most economical way is to run emulators. Since the games of old all use the most basic of graphics engines and memory relative to the computers of today, the best way you can experience said games is via the home computer route.

With over 400 pages of material, Mr. Kohler talks about systems such as the Atari 2600, 5200, and 7800. The Colecovision, Commodore 64, and the Amiga. The original Nintendo, SNES, Sega Master System, Genesis and Dreamcast are not forgotten either. Basically if there is an emulator available for a gaming system, this book covers it all.

After discussing a myriad of ways to find and run emulators, Chris talks about some basic programming and how to write your own DOS based games, and also discusses how even Dreamcasts and XBOXs can serve as great emulator machines to play these stapled of the video game world.

If you collect, play, or just want to learn more about the classic games of the past, this book is for you. If you already know how to use emulators for the PC but want to branch out and learn to emulate on other operating systems, this book is for you. If you just want to take a stroll down memory lane and relive part of your childhood, this book is for you.

A very entertaining read, and great for hobbyists that love to tinker with old game systems and don't mind getting their wire cutters out or sautering iron hot and ready to go.

***** HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars HACKING YOUR WAY TO FUN!!, May 26, 2006

By	John R. Vacca "Tech Write Independent Reviewer" (Pomeroy, Ohio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Are you an avid game player, programmer or video game journalist? If you are, then this book is for you! Author Chris Kohler, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that shows you everything you need to know to get your retro game on.

Kohler, begins by showing you how to play the real thing, setting up classic game systems, fixing broken hardware, and getting good deals on buying games. Then, the author covers new hardware and software that plays old games, whether on an all-in-one joystick or on the PalyStation 2. He continues by covering MAME from all the angles, learning how to play classic arcade games on the PC and other platforms. Next, the author shows you how to play classic console games. Then, the author brings back those classic computers, showing you how to set them up or emulate them. He also shows you how to play with text adventures. Then, he shows you how to get DOS games to work properly under modern operating systems, or even get DOS up and running again. The author continues by showing you how to play at game design. Finally, the author shows you how to hack around inside games, exploring glitches and bugs to your advantage.

The author of this most excellent book shows you how to emulate classic games on everything from cell phones to computers. More importantly, after reading this book, you will have everything you need to have to rediscover classic games in style.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun topic, great book, November 12, 2005

By	Jack D. Herrington "engineer and author" (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

If you have any interest in reliving your gaming past on Apple ][s, or old Nintendos or Ataris, you will love this book. The book has recipes for emulating all of those consoles and even building and hacking your own hardware. I really enjoyed reading this book.