The 100 Greatest Console Video Games: 1977-1987

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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. :)

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.

A good read written by someone who knows and enjoys his retro games.

Recuerdos

I found this book impossible to put down once I'd started reading. It's very informative and full of excellent facts and pics