A few mentions here of doing a 50 or 100 Best Games Ever book. There's a decent number of books/magazines that have done it over the years. Just me, I've bought these on Amazon over the years:
1. https://www.amazon.com/100-Greatest-Con ... 764346180/
2. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0755315707
3. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1633531317/
4. https://www.amazon.com/100-Greatest-Ret ... 1787393089
Personally I don't think it'd be the best route to go, for several reasons. I'll spare us all a giant post of those thoughts, unless it's a route the VGC was genuinely considering, and then we could debate it more.
(P.S., if anyone is interested in any of those books above, I think #4 is the best. Retro Gamer magazine worked on it.)
VGC Book? Top 100 Reviews?
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TheEagleXIII
- Posts: 283
- Joined: December 22nd, 2019, 9:33 am
Re: VGC Book? Top 100 Reviews?
Retro STrife wrote:A few mentions here of doing a 50 or 100 Best Games Ever book. There's a decent number of books/magazines that have done it over the years. Just me, I've bought these on Amazon over the years:
...
Personally I don't think it'd be the best route to go, for several reasons. I'll spare us all a giant post of those thoughts, unless it's a route the VGC was genuinely considering, and then we could debate it more.
I second this maybe not being the best route for a few reasons too.
In brief, there are already quite a few books that do this (not to mention websites) and it could get lost in the shuffle. Another issue is the people who buy those books (or get them bought for them) are often kinda already knowledgable, and expect to see certain games mentioned/praised.
Possible workaround for that if you wanna keep it to a brief selection of reviews could be a hidden gems/under appreciated games collection of reviews. That might stand out from the crowd a little more and removes reader expectations a little.
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noah98
- Posts: 517
- Joined: June 27th, 2015, 6:59 pm
Re: VGC Book? Top 100 Reviews?
I think you should do different volumes with different generations of gaming. You could start with something popular like 8 bit or 16 bit, and then either go backwards or forwards in future volumes.
For example, 8 bit would include Atari 7800, NES, and Sega Master System. You should include system reviews and controller reviews as well. Dedicate a full page to each game review with lots of screenshots, boxart, promotional ads, and a prominent score. You could also include your top 25 games for each system and even rank the systems in the conclusion for a true console war! In the game reviews you could also highlight the best version of certain games like Double Dragon, Rampage, Commando, etc.
If you go the 8 bit route, you might also consider reviewing a few of the significant games that you still haven't reviewed for each system (not too many) using a flashcart.
For example, 8 bit would include Atari 7800, NES, and Sega Master System. You should include system reviews and controller reviews as well. Dedicate a full page to each game review with lots of screenshots, boxart, promotional ads, and a prominent score. You could also include your top 25 games for each system and even rank the systems in the conclusion for a true console war! In the game reviews you could also highlight the best version of certain games like Double Dragon, Rampage, Commando, etc.
If you go the 8 bit route, you might also consider reviewing a few of the significant games that you still haven't reviewed for each system (not too many) using a flashcart.
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ThePixelatedGenocide
- Posts: 1234
- Joined: April 29th, 2015, 9:06 pm
Re: VGC Book? Top 100 Reviews?
Why not divide your reviews up by year and release date? (When known.)
That way, we get to see the systems evolve as the years go by. And we get a better understanding of how your tastes were formed.
It also gives early stand-outs and flawed experiments their due, and helps us understand their influence, even if they can't compare with the later releases that refined their ideas.
I'd buy as many volumes of a Chronogaming book as you're willing to put out.
That way, we get to see the systems evolve as the years go by. And we get a better understanding of how your tastes were formed.
It also gives early stand-outs and flawed experiments their due, and helps us understand their influence, even if they can't compare with the later releases that refined their ideas.
I'd buy as many volumes of a Chronogaming book as you're willing to put out.
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goldenband
- Posts: 773
- Joined: April 8th, 2015, 10:29 pm
Re: VGC Book? Top 100 Reviews?
I have a suggestion that's similar to others' ideas, but distinct: I'd love to see you do a book with complete North American library reviews for all of the pre-crash consoles you cover. (Maybe minus the edutainment games.)
I don't think anyone's done anything like that, so there's a niche for it, and people love "everything" projects. Most of the post-crash stuff has been covered to death, especially Nintendo -- but systems like the Vectrex and Arcadia 2001? Hardly. And the Atari 2600 games would drag people in.
You're really not far from the goal for most of those systems. It'd require you to bust a little bit of ass dealing with the rest of the Atari 2600 library, but they're also short games that don't require you to put in hours and hours.
If you don't do out-of-region and PAL releases, we're talking around 30 Atari 2600 games without the edutainment titles. Even fewer without the porn titles. A book would be a great motivator for dealing with those stragglers (and there are still some fun games you haven't covered).
The ColecoVision library is also a pain since there are a lot of games left. Not sure of the exact numbers there, but I'd guess maybe 20-25 games need covering.
But otherwise -- with edutainment removed -- you'd only have to do around about a dozen Intellivision games, 7-8 Channel F games, and between 3-6 games for pretty much every other pre-crash system you cover, through the 7800. Guest reviews for Microvision or Studio II, maybe, and omit the SG-1000 since it didn't really see a North American release of significance.
My two cents, but feel free to spend 'em!
I don't think anyone's done anything like that, so there's a niche for it, and people love "everything" projects. Most of the post-crash stuff has been covered to death, especially Nintendo -- but systems like the Vectrex and Arcadia 2001? Hardly. And the Atari 2600 games would drag people in.
You're really not far from the goal for most of those systems. It'd require you to bust a little bit of ass dealing with the rest of the Atari 2600 library, but they're also short games that don't require you to put in hours and hours.
If you don't do out-of-region and PAL releases, we're talking around 30 Atari 2600 games without the edutainment titles. Even fewer without the porn titles. A book would be a great motivator for dealing with those stragglers (and there are still some fun games you haven't covered).
The ColecoVision library is also a pain since there are a lot of games left. Not sure of the exact numbers there, but I'd guess maybe 20-25 games need covering.
But otherwise -- with edutainment removed -- you'd only have to do around about a dozen Intellivision games, 7-8 Channel F games, and between 3-6 games for pretty much every other pre-crash system you cover, through the 7800. Guest reviews for Microvision or Studio II, maybe, and omit the SG-1000 since it didn't really see a North American release of significance.
My two cents, but feel free to spend 'em!
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Retro STrife
- Posts: 2552
- Joined: August 3rd, 2015, 7:40 pm
Re: VGC Book? Top 100 Reviews?
^ Well said by goldenband, and along the same lines of what I think would be the best route. You have expertise in that era of gaming, and you already have most of the work done. Writing about the 70s and early 80s is not necessarily as popular/profitable as more recent eras of gaming (like NES, SNES, N64, etc.), but you'd also face more competition in books about those eras, and your review libraries for them are less complete.
Done right, a compilation of your reviews from the early eras could become a timeless reference book gamers keep around. I know I still pull my Digital Press Guide off the shelf for info from those eras, and that thing is like 20 years old. To my knowledge, no book has really adequately covered the games of that era, except maybe the 2600 library. Covering an era of systems/games would admittedly be a lot more work than a "best of" book would be. But it's also going to get more interest and have more staying power. It'd be like a culmination of all the work you've put into the site here, and hopefully finally earning some well-deserved monetization for that work. And from there, a book like that lays the groundwork to decide if you want to do more or if you're one-and-done.
Done right, a compilation of your reviews from the early eras could become a timeless reference book gamers keep around. I know I still pull my Digital Press Guide off the shelf for info from those eras, and that thing is like 20 years old. To my knowledge, no book has really adequately covered the games of that era, except maybe the 2600 library. Covering an era of systems/games would admittedly be a lot more work than a "best of" book would be. But it's also going to get more interest and have more staying power. It'd be like a culmination of all the work you've put into the site here, and hopefully finally earning some well-deserved monetization for that work. And from there, a book like that lays the groundwork to decide if you want to do more or if you're one-and-done.
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BlasteroidAli
- Posts: 1620
- Joined: April 9th, 2015, 7:50 pm
Re: VGC Book? Top 100 Reviews?
You could have your book of your top 6000 reviews. Leave you some space to review a few more games. You could have your top 100 7800 games since they only released 58 that would be good fun.
Though your top 1000 could be a good half way house. It would be a good project for you as well.
Plus to make it balanced you could have your top 100 online games!!
Though your top 1000 could be a good half way house. It would be a good project for you as well.
Plus to make it balanced you could have your top 100 online games!!
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BlasteroidAli
- Posts: 1620
- Joined: April 9th, 2015, 7:50 pm
Re: VGC Book? Top 100 Reviews?
Or maybe your top ten must have games for each system over the years. I think the Virtual boy strip poker, would be a number 1 game along with Distracted Driver on ps4. Or the cream of the crop Dead or Alive Beach Backgammon... or did I put in beach by mistake. 
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