The Video Games Guide: 1,000+ Arcade, Console and Computer Games, 1962-2012

by Matt Fox

The Video Games Guide is the world's most comprehensive reference book on computer and video games. Presented in an A to Z format, this greatly expanded new edition spans fifty years of game design--from the very earliest (1962's Spacewar) through the present day releases on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and PC. Each game entry includes the year of release, the hardware it was released on, the name of the developer/publisher, a one to five star quality rating, and a descriptive review which offers fascinating nuggets of trivia, historical notes, cross-referencing with other titles, information on each game's sequels and of course the author's views and insights into the game. In addition to the main entries and reviews, a full-color gallery provides a visual timeline of gaming through the decades, and several appendices help to place nearly 3,000 games in context. Appendices a chronology of gaming software and hardware, a list of game designers showing their main titles, results of annual video game awards, notes on sourcing video games, and a glossary of gaming terms.

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 3, 2013

Reviews

[Benjamin Espen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is one of my favorite books I've received for review. I end up with a lot of stinkers, but this book is pure joy for me. For a videogame nerd, this is an outstanding reference work. I can easily open it up to a random page and lose myself in memories by reading the brief description of one of my favorite games. I find lots of reviews by Fox that I disagree with, but that is all part of the fun. Unlike a fan-contributed sites like MobyGames, which is probably more comprehensive, every review here is the work of one mind, with a particular and interesting point of view. You just don't get as much out of a collection of disparate reviews. Even if there is some kind of wiki-style crowd-editing process, it cannot produce a work as interesting as this one.

The book is primarily composed of short reviews of videogames. The middle of the book contains color images of the best and most popular games. There are several appendices listing other interesting information: a chronology of videogames including many not reviewed in this volume, a capsule history of consoles, a listing of prominent videogame designers, and a glossary. This is the best one-volume videogame reference work I have ever seen. It is also the only one-volume videogame reference work I have ever seen. Don't let that deter you, this is a fine work.

The most complete and comprehensive history of consoles that I know of is Phoenix: The Fall & Rise of Videogames by Leonard Herman. This work focuses on the games themselves. The sheer quantity of games the author has played staggers my mind. I thought I played a lot! What really impresses is the overall quality of the work. Sure, you can find a mistake here and there, but there are hundreds of reviews, and I appreciate the yeoman's work done here to collate all this information into one handy volume. I know I'll be leafing through this often.

[Asher Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filled with tons of entries and helpful need-to-know information on every single one of them (which is many). Great as a book for reading, or as a guide to help you find those rare gems, or to simply help you learn more about the games you love. "The Video Games Guide" was a fun book for me, being someone who loves and cherishes the Golden Age, and I would recommend it to anyone who has a passion for old-school gaming.

[Sunday Kofax]

One guy's guide is going to have some really great reviews of the games the author was familiar with, and some briefer/less in-depth reviews of others.[return][return]This would be a great book for someone who was already a long-time gamer. The screenshots of games through the ages was very satisfying.[return][return]The alphabetical-by-game-title is actually a great organization, it makes for nice "oh my gosh, I remember that" moments.