Classic Home Video Games, 1985-1988: A Complete Reference Guide 2nd Edition

by Brett Weiss (Author), Foreword by Bill Kunkel (Author)

12 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0786436606

ISBN-10: 0786436603

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A follow up to 2007's Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984, this reference work provides detailed descriptions and reviews of every U.S.-released game for the Nintendo NES, the Atari 7800, and the Sega Master System, all of which are considered among the most popular video game systems ever produced. Organized alphabetically by console brand, each chapter includes a description of the game system followed by substantive entries for every game released for that console. Video game entries include publisher/developer data, release year, gameplay information, and, typically, the author's critique. A glossary provides a helpful guide to the classic video game genres and terms referenced throughout the work, and a preface provides a comparison between the modern gaming industry and the industry of the late 1980s.

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Weiss follows his 2007 volume (Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984) with this follow-up, which covers games made for the Atari 7800, Nintendo NES, and Sega Master System, with the bulk of the text devoted to the popular Nintendo system. The entry for each game lists the publisher, developer, possible number of players, and year of publication. Sound, graphics, and levels of play are briefly described, and the author--an experienced collector and gamer--provides his well-educated opinion on the quality of play. Arcade games and other systems for which the game was also ported are listed. A glossary and index provide further information. For as far as it goes, this reference is professionally executed and an obvious labor of love.

Review

"Valuable...great...succeeds with flying colors...vivid commentary and descriptions...will save you time, money and frustration." --Nintendo Age

"This is a great book...information is spot-on...100% accurate...a must-own." --Video Game Trader

"A great tome of reference...excellent...a must-own for any avid 8-bit collector." --Retro Gamer

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ McFarland; 2nd edition (July 6, 2009)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 287 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0786436603
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0786436606
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.4 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.25 x 0.75 x 10 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,065,695 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Grand Slam Sam

Great read, seems like this should really be a digital title doesn't it?

Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2015

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This is a wonderful resource. The author spent an ungodly amount of time in research. The authors seem like he had a good time writing this and it seems to be. It is a great reference guide to individual games and is as close a complete guide in print form that I have seen. I like to read through this and revisit games I played as a kid. It also has a few systems in there that I did not know about. If you are a collector, or just an oddball that likes to read about video games this is one of the 3 books you should own.

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Starwander

Informative, fun and easy to read

Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2009

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For anyone that is interested in the Nintendo NES, Atari 7800 and Sega Master System this book is well worth purchasing. This guide does a good job of providing a quick and informative overview of all US licensed games for each system. Considering that there are over 700 games for the Nintendo NES alone, a guide like this helps the potential gamer to home in on games that fit their taste. That way you can only purchase games that you might enjoy.

Overall the book is an interesting read and I doubt that anyone who plays video games wouldn't find it interesting.

2 people found this helpful

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Thedisappearer

A good starting point but not definitive

Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2012

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Ten or fifteen years ago, before everything went online, this would have been a 4 or 5 star book. Sadly, it just doesn't stand up to the vast wealth of information on the internet, which for free, is infinitely cheaper.

The author lays out the book in three sections, the Atari 7200, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), and the Sega Master system. He gives a brief history of the system, highlights the peripherals, and lists all the games in alphabetical order to include year released, publisher, etc. That's great. That's where the positives stop. All pictures are in black and white which would have been OK for a book from when the games were released but seems dated in a book released in 2012. The summary of the games is usally less informative than the Wikipedia entries. Most games get one paragraph. A few games are referred to as "rare" which no context to just how rare, and many games that I would easily classify as rare make no mention of limited press runs.

I don't want to make it sound like the book is worthless though. First of all, if you are reading the book, you obviously enjoy retro games, so you probably don't want everything all digital and online any way. Second, it is a handy reference for the basics, and some of you probably have the first volume of the series ([...]) so might as well go all Pokemon and collect them all.

Still, there is plenty of room for improvements. First, a screenshot from most, if not all of the games. Come on! Also, the cover art, or at least, cartridge art is a good start. Second, this book is aimed at collectors, so give them what they are looking for. The entry for the NES' Action 51 just says it's a crappy game. With that knowledge, you would not pick up a copy for $2 at a yard sale, and then you'd be a complete idiot as the game frequently sells for ~$100 in good condition. Third, a full-page article on some of the pinnacle games that defined the system and discuss their lasting legacies would be good.

A decent book, but the simple ways it could have been better make it a tad frustrating for me.

10 people found this helpful

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cybersp78

Great Reference Book

Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2011

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I just purchased this on the kindle. I was very pleased with the savings over the hardcover copy. I wish the hardcover copy was a little cheaper. With that being said, I found this book to be a great reference book for entire video game library of the NES, SMS, and Atari 7800. The descriptions were very informative and I liked the feature of listing the number of players and where else the game was released. The only thing I wished it had was if the author rated each title on a 1-10 scale. You can sort of tell the titles he really likes, but I would love to see how he would actually rate them. Also, as another reviewer noted screenshots would have been a big plus if possible. With that being said, I am looking forward to the author's next book and I might have to pick up the first one to hold me over until then.

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HARMIK KHORONIAN

Awesome Book

Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2014

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Well worth the asking price and a great reference guide for the systems covered recommend you get the whole set.

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Douglas McCoy

Completely Love It

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2013

I completely love what Brett has done here and how he has done it. This book can give you your nostalgia fix (something I'm always looking for), taking you back to the games you played and lived all those years ago. But it can also give you an overview of the games and systems you missed. I agree with the reviewer who said it's a must have (if you're my age and you lived through the home video game age from the beginning, then all three are must haves), and I disagree with the reviewer who complained about a lack of pictures. Pictures would be nice, but would make the book twice as long and would probably violate somebodies copyright. I think the pictures Weiss does give us are good enough. Highly recommend.

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geekzapoppin

Exhaustive and entertaining

Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2010

In these days of Wikipedia, printed reference books are a dying breed. In their heyday, reference books that were actually enjoyable to read were the exception to the rule. That is why I am so pleased to recommend both of Weiss' books on classic home video games. They are the rare tomes that are both comprehensive and imminently-readable. It is obvious from both Weiss' Introduction and the actual entries on each system and game that he truly loves the subject about which he writes. While the sheer amount of information available on the Internet, by its very nature, dwarfs that of any printed book, it can be difficult to sort through all of the ephemera and find concise descriptions of classic console games. Weiss' books fill that need nicely. The only negative aspect of both books is the lack of screenshots of the games. This may be due to copyright restrictions, but it does hurt the overall experience of reading them. That minor gripe aside, for those of us who were the original "Video Game Generation" or for newer fans who are discovering the treasures of video gaming's past, Weiss' books are invaluable.

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wesley chanin

my review

Reviewed in Canada on October 23, 2013

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it gives the info any collector needs.very knowledgeable and makes for some enjoyable reading. i would recommend it to any collector

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Classic Home Video Games, 1985-1988: A Complete Reference Guide 2nd Edition

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