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Brett Weiss

The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987 Hardcover – October 28, 2014

by Brett Weiss (Author)

4.4 85 ratings

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There have been many top 100 books before, but rarely one like this. Here are the best of the early video games, shown in over 400 color photos and described in incredible detail in the entertaining and informative text. Each game's entry features production history, critical commentary, quotes from industry professionals, gameplay details, comparisons to other games, and more. This book celebrates the very best of the interactive entertainment industry's games from this highly crucial, fondly remembered decade. This pivotal period was marked by the introduction of the indispensable Atari 2600, Odyssey2, and Intellivision, the unleashing of the underrated Vectrex, the mind-blowing debut of the next-gen ColecoVision and Atari 5200, plus the rebirth of the industry through Nintendo's legendary juggernaut, the NES. Whether you're young or old, new to the hobby or a hardcore collector, this book will introduce you to or remind you of some of the greatest, most historically important games ever made.

Reading age

1 year and up
Print length

240 pages
Language

English
Dimensions

7.25 x 1.25 x 10 inches
Publisher

Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.
Publication date

October 28, 2014
ISBN-10

0764346180
ISBN-13

978-0764346187
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From the Publisher

The Must-Have Book for all Video Game Lovers!


Donkey Kong for the Nintendo NES Donkey Kong is a longtime icon of the video game industry, and it still poses an enjoyable challenge today. The ColecoVision and NES versions, though missing a screen and the intermissions, represent the coin-op classic well.	Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo NES With the possible exception of The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros. belongs in this book more than any other game. Not only did it alter the course of the entire industry, it holds up as a charming and inventive platformer.	The Legend of Zelda for the Nintendo NES Considered by retro gamers and modernists alike to be one of the greatest games of all time, The Legend of Zelda will forever hold a significant place in the annals of video game history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is an amazing book...detailed information...very high quality all around. - 8-BitEric

Truly beautiful from cover to cover...It should be a fixture on every coffee table in a video gaming household...Each section of the book is well-written and accompanied by high quality artwork and photos." - Patrick Scott Patterson

Author Brett Weiss knows his stuff...a respected name in the classic gaming community...he provides insightful behind-the-scenes information...the book is suitable for just about any type of video game fan." - The Video Game Critic

If you love video games and have a fondness for the Golden Age of gaming, 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987, by Brett Weiss, will bring you back to those simpler days when games were just plain fun. Even if you owned an Atari, Coleco, Mattel, or Nintendo game console, Weiss' book adds additional context and info that will interest any gamer who loved this era. - 8-Bit Central

Whether you're anavid collector, or even just casually interested in gaming history, 100Greatest Consoles Video Games is a must-own. Weiss has written exactly the kindof guide knowledgeable enthusiasts will savor as a handy reference, while thosewith a budding passion for console gaming will find it a revelatory guide fornavigating through the format's incipient offerings. If he has any intention ofdoing so, I certainly hope he takes on subsequent eras of consoles leading upto the present day. - Marshall Garvey (Last Token Gaming)

I was reallyimpressed with this book...high quality...I really like it...a nice item to have - John"Gamester81" Lester

Ever crack open abook and instantly know you're going to love it? This one's kind of like that...Oneof the best things about these write-ups is that Weiss doesn't try and hide hisenthusiasm in the least. Not sounding like a dull history lesson, he actuallygets excited just talking (well, writing) about his favorites, and that makeshim come across like the game fan that he is. As a fan myself, that'srefreshing and makes for a much more interesting read... a joy to read...beautifullyillustrated and put together, with fantastic box art, screenshots, and evenoccasional cartridge pictures...Its colorful presentation is printed on someexcellently heavy stock as well, with big and glossy pages that are easy tothumb through and just plain fun to read. - Brutal Gamer

*"You can always depend on Brett Weiss for the world's most thorough deep-dive on vintage 80sand 90s gaming. There's no one I know that's more knowledgeable on the game systems we all fell in love with years ago. His books are a must-have for any modern-day gamer wanting to get an old school fix. His books won't just prove a dose of nostalgia, you'll also discover games you never even knew existed!" -Adam F. Goldberg, creator of "The Goldbergs" hit TV show

From the Author

I've been a gamer since 1974 and a professional writer since 1997. The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987 is a culmination of that experience, and I poured my heart and soul into the book, playing and critiquing hundreds of games, researching vintage and modern articles about classic games and legendary game companies and programmers, and doing my very best to write an interesting, informative, fun-to-read book.

Schiffer Publishing, the publisher of The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987, has done a fantastic job all around, from the gorgeous cover design to the awesome layout to the durable binding to the high quality paper to the full color photos and art. Schiffer is a class act all the way, and I'm proud to be an author of one of their books.

The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987 is much different from my "Classic Home Video Games" encyclopedia series in that it includes anecdotes, quotes from other reviewers, quotes from programmers, production histories, and collector pricing, among other features.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Schiffer Publishing, Ltd.; 1st edition (October 28, 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0764346180
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0764346187
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 1 year and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.12 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.25 x 1.25 x 10 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,005,327 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,809 in Video & Computer Games
- #2,230 in Computer & Video Game Strategy Guides
- #4,740 in Antiques & Collectibles (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.4 85 ratings

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About the author

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Brett Weiss

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Brett Weiss has been a professional writer since 1997. He’s the author of 13 books, mostly about the NES, Super NES, Atari 2600, ColecoVision, Sega Genesis, and other retro games and gaming consoles. His latest book is The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1988-1998. He's also got a YouTube show, "Tales from a Retro Gamer."

Weiss has written more than 1600 published articles for such publications as Fangoria, Filmfax, Game Informer, the Comics Buyer's Guide, and Old School Gamer, among many others. Weiss also has a national column in AntiqueWeek called The Pop Culture Collective.

When not writing, Weiss enjoys reading, hiking, cycling, playing basketball and tennis, watching movies, going to museums, collecting video games, listening to rock ’n roll, obsessing over the psychedelic '60s, and hanging out with his family.

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Anonymous

You won't find a better book on the topic!

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2020

Verified Purchase

I don't think you'll find a better book on this topic. Especially if you're old enough to remember playing these games on the original systems.

As background, this is a golden period in home gaming where arcades were still big and the Atari 5200, Intellivision, and Colecovision had barnstormed into the scene while the Atari 2600 was still super relevant. Many kids owned both the 2600 and a next generation system and switched back and forth. And the NES was launching its first classics (these games also made this book).

I chose 3 at random to show the next-level content Weiss provides...

(1) PBA Bowling for Intellivision: Whether or not you played this, the research is a great read: licensed by the Pro Bowlers Association (PBA); the first game developed in-house by Intellivision programmers; and he discusses every other systems' bowling games before and after it (not just this version) and why this one was special: Can choose many options which mimic the real sport (ahead of its time) such as handedness, spin, lane slickness, difficulty of lanes, and a "loft" maneuver where the ball breaks sharply at the end; pins bounce around realistically; the bowler looks realistic vs other games at the time and his arm swings with "a full range of motion." And the first sports game with a TV style view of the action.

(2) Defender for Atari 5200 and Colecovision. You get an article about the arcade coin-op version transitioning into the home console versions, and he mentions the sequel arcade game (Stargate aka Defender II).

Interesting facts: Defender was the very first side-scrolling shooter; the 5200 and Colecovision created faux vector mountains (vector graphics was a thing at the time); and the home versions had excellent smooth scrolling which was "not always a given" with Colecovision. He praises the long laser fire on both systems and the 5200's superior graphics vs Colecovision with fire coming out of the rear thruster and a "fireworks" style explosion when you lose your ship. He lists the zany names of the half dozen alien enemies.

Weiss discusses the intensity and difficulty of the game and compares it with Robotron 2084 and Asteroids Deluxe coin ops for that. I remember this game was probably the biggest accomplishment for the 5200 system (showcasing what it was capable of) and Weiss nails it by quoting magazines that argued the same point.

(3) Air Sea Battle for the 2600. If you know, you know. He thought to include this 2600 initial launch title. 27 variations, two-player competition that "never gets old." Picture a pair of kids right when video games came home dueling it out (rather than waiting your turn).

Finally, little things matter: the book's index contains a handy list of all the games that might not of made the list but were discussed as a comparison in the main articles.

The pages are heavy card stock and glossy, with good hardcover binding, and that's not cheap to do.

A couple reviews complained there weren't enough screenshots. Of the three articles I mentioned, Defender did have one from Atari Age magazine; Air Sea Battle had one too; the PBA Bowling one instead showed the box front/back, a magazine ad showing the gameplay, and a color scan of the Intellivision control layover. I'm sure there were licensing considerations...honestly the book has many other strengths so I guess you can look up a still shot on your tablet.

3 people found this helpful

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Holt Slack

this book is excellent. Well-written

Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2014

Verified Purchase

In a word, this book is excellent. Well-written, beautifully illustrated, and even the squareback hardcover binding makes it a tactile pleasure to hold while you peruse each entry. The author has taken on a very polarizing subject in declaring this book to be the "100 Greatest Console Video Games" from 1977-1987, as every person who grew up gaming in those early formative years of video gaming will undoubtedly have strong opinions about each included game and each personal favorite that was excluded. While it is true that technically this is an opinion-based book, the crisp writing pulls you in to each chapter and through interviews with the games' creators, past reviews, technical data, and interesting personal stories, Mr. Weiss convinces you that each game actually IS a top 100 console game from that era. Games included come from almost every console of the golden age of gaming, including the Atari 2600, 5200, and 7800, Colecovision, Intellivision, Vectrex, Odyssey, and even the first few years of the genre-saving Nintendo Entertainment System.

I would recommend this book to any fan of video games - from the early years of the 70's and the golden era of the 80's all the way to the present day. If you love playing retro video games, gaming history, collecting games, or just reliving your youth through full color photographs and anecdotes, you can not go wrong with this Tome of Gaming Knowledge.

7 people found this helpful

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USMEagleFan

Not bad, but nothing I can’t read on-line

Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2022

Verified Purchase

This is not a bad book. It’s just nothing really special either. There are a half dozen web-sites out there that have different “top ten” lists of vintage video games. This book has some good info, just nothing totally new. I got it on discount, and I looked through the whole book. Good nostalgia. Good info. Just nothing I haven’t seen before.

One person found this helpful

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J. Clark

Stands out from the pack

Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2020

Verified Purchase

We are kind of at a point where there are lots of retro video game books coming out these days. This (and everything by the author: Bret Weiss) are extremely well written and should be ranked ahead of a lot of the competition. I especially like this book as it focuses on a time before games really changed into something that now dominates part of our entertainment landscape. It includes great little write-ups and excellent photos of each game. The biggest problem you might find with this book is that it doesn't include your favorite game from XYZ system, but I'm sure you'll discover something new that you'll enjoy. Definitely recommended for any fan of "pre-crash" video game history.

4 people found this helpful

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Jamie Lendino

A slick, well-produced, and well-written video game guide!

Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2018

Verified Purchase

This excellent book offers plenty of material and well-written analysis of 100 of the greatest video games ever to hit consoles. Weiss includes descriptions, reviews, and quotes from critical press of the day, which isn’t something you see all the time—and from a writer that clearly has a passion for the games. He covers the various Atari consoles, the ColecoVision, the Intellivision, the Vectrex, the NES, and more. Buy this book!

2 people found this helpful

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Prime Candidate

It's a pretty comprehensive book

Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2015

Verified Purchase

It's a pretty comprehensive book, inclusive of all systems/consoles, which is nice.
I would have liked to have seen a ranking of the games from 1-100.
Overall, it was nice to take a trip down memory lane and read about games that I haven't seen or thought about in years.

Helpful

francochan

100 of this Guy's Greatest... & a Pretty Rad 100!

Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2015

Verified Purchase

Incredibly extensive, and although the book is a top 100 ACCORDING TO THE AUTHOR (one has to remember that when reading it), it's got a really good selection considering the eras he takes from. :) Perfect lazy weekend reading, or as a quick reference when wanting to reminisce about an old game in detail, or if you're a collector and on the fence about purchasing one of these classics. :)

One person found this helpful

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Allen

Really good book

Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2016

Verified Purchase

I'm a retro gaming fan and I really love this book. It's full of good facts, pictures, and the author writes a lot of their personal experiences with the games listed which makes the book fun to read. If you're a retro gaming fan I'd recommend picking this book up.

One person found this helpful

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