Retro Gaming Hacks: Tips & Tools for Playing the Classics 1st Edition

by Chris Kohler (Author)

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ISBN-13: 978-0596009175

ISBN-10: 0596009178

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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.

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Editorial Reviews

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

Publisher ‏ : ‎ O'Reilly Media; 1st edition (November 1, 2005)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 504 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0596009178
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0596009175
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.44 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.07 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,046,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #660 in PC Hardware
- #2,341 in Game Programming
- #2,450 in Computer Hacking

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Chris Kohler

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Chris Kohler is the author of several books about video game culture and history. His career in the games industry spans a quarter century, from journalism to development.

Born in North Branford, CT, he majored in Japanese studies at Tufts University. While living in Kyoto, Japan on a Fulbright scholarship, he wrote his debut book Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life.

From 2005 to 2017, Kohler was an editor at WIRED magazine, founding its Webby-nominated gaming section Game|Life in 2005. He is currently Editorial Director at Digital Eclipse, a game development studio focusing on preserving game history through re-releases of classic games.

He is also the co-host of the Stitcher Award-winning pub trivia podcast Good Job, Brain! and the co-author of the Good Job, Brain! book. In 2017, Kohler released his most recent book, titled Final Fantasy V.

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Mark Zablocki

Wonderful Book!!!

Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2008

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What an absolutely awesome book! Mr. Kohler did a wonderful job. I love this book and recommend it to everyone interested in retro gaming. It is packed full of useful and insiteful information. To top it all off, the book is in a fun, easy-to-read and enjoyable format. I can't recommend it enough.

I hope Mr. Kohler does a revised and updated edition of this book. The information in it is too good to be allowed to just fade away. I'll definately buy an updated copy.

Just one comment to the author Chris Kohler should he read this review: How about a hack about the Scot Adam's text adventure series for the section of your book on Text Adventure games? Scot Adam's was big in the early 80s.

Thanks!

One person found this helpful

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Andrew Bieszczat

Good book. Easy to read and understand

Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2015

Verified Purchase

Good book. Easy to read and understand. Now if you're looking for some kind of huge hack on an Atari 2600, that's not what this is about. But a very good read.

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Jacob

Well Worth The Money!!!

Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2014

Verified Purchase

This book has info in it that you probably didnt know existed. It lists everything from Consoles to PC stuff.
It has a lot of great stuff if you like the retro gaming scene.
Im kinda new to the modding scene but i loved this book and all the good stuff it has.

One person found this helpful

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Zachary Martinez

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2014

Verified Purchase

good book

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Dan McKinnon

Relive The Classic Games Of Yesteryear

Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2005

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

11 people found this helpful

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J. Thompson

How cool is this!

Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2006

Some of these 'hacks' I knew about, many i did not. But every 'hack' in here offered some level of detail that made my retro gaming experience just that much better.

The bulk of the hacks are focused on emulators - how to get them, how to use them, etc. Which means that you will be Retro-gaming on your PC. Before I nabbed this book, I thought that would be a slightly less than awesome experience. Mainly because the controls leave a lot to be desired (who wants to use a keyboard to play Satan's Hollow.) But thanks to one of the hacks, I now know where to go to get retro game controllers that fit right into your PC.

While retro-gaming on the PC is the the focus of the book, it by no means describes all the content. There is tunds of cruncy goodness in here on obtaining old platforms and cartridges, to hacking your old cartidges / games into your modern platform.

All in all a joy to read, and even more fun to implement. Pick it up! Its a good 'un.

2 people found this helpful

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D. Donovan, Editor/Sr. Reviewer

Write and use retro-style games

Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2006

Chris Kohler's RETRO GAMING HACKS: TIPS & TOOLS FOR PLAYING THE CLASSICS tells how to emulate classic games on cell phones to computers, how to locate vintage game hardware, how to convert gaming tools, and how to write your own retro-style games in various programs. From playing old games on original hardware or making conversions, RETRO GAMING HACKS is for avid gamers who want to tweak the experience.

One person found this helpful

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Jack D. Herrington

Fun topic, great book

Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2005

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.

4 people found this helpful

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Retro Gaming Hacks: Tips & Tools for Playing the Classics 1st Edition

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