Game Boy World: 1989 XL Edition

by Jeremy Parish

Note: This XL Edition of the book contains the same content as the previous edition of Game Boy World 1989, resized to a larger format for consistency with future volumes in the series. While Nintendo's Game Boy outsold every other game system of the 20th century, historians rarely discuss the system in depth. Game Boy World is an attempt to archive and analyze the system and its library in depth. This first volume explores the system, its creators, and every game released for Game Boy in all regions during 1989, the year it debuted. Features in-depth retrospectives for all games, including explorations of the companies people behind the software, as well as all-new photography of every game's packaging and Super Game Boy color-enhanced screen shots. A companion piece to the Game Boy World website (www.gameboy.world). Not endorsed by Nintendo of America.

Genres: Nonfiction, Video Games, Games, Ebooks, Gaming

103 pages, Paperback

First published April 19, 2015

Reviews

[Cristhian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es 100% neostalgia y textos relevantes.
Mis textos ofavoritos fueron:
Tetris
Super Mario Land
Baseball

[Cale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a dose of nostalgia - I was an adolescent when the Game Boy came out, and I've played at least half of the games covered in this book (Game boy games released in Japan or the US in 1989), with very fond memories of a few. This took me right back to the hours spent with Revenge of the Gator, and the frustration born from those pixel-specific jumps in Castlevania Adventure. The information around the development and release of the game is interesting, making this much more than a simple collection of reviews; instead you learn 'why' games came out the way they did. The book could have used a better editor - there are several incorrect words and spelling/spacing issues that are a bit distracting. And it's definitely a niche topic. But if you have any interest or memory of the early Game Boy days, this is a welcome reminder of the weird, wacky, and wonderful games that it spawned.

[Nabil Abdulla · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting snapshot of the history of the ultimate handheld. My only issue is that the book restricts itself to 1989 ( the year of release ) rather than the games that defined the gameboy and catapulted it into the pages of history. Still would recommend you pick this up if you are a gaming history fan .

[Brendan Creecy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative, well researched. I never had a Game Boy but I found it to be a great nostalgia trip and a great history that I was not super familiar with previously. I will definitely be checking out the later volumes.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

GAME BOY WORLD paved a black-and-green(ish) memory lane. I've spent a couple of weeks strolling down that lane, and that's part of the beauty of Parish's book: you can read it linearly, digesting the history of a game or three at a time, or skip around and focus on the games you remember playing as a kid.

Each chapter focuses on a specific game, chronicling every Game Boy release from 1989--the year Nintendo's legendary handheld debuted--in chronological order. Parish gives succinct and descriptive accounts of how a game plays and offers his opinions as sort-of micro reviews. I appreciated the gameplay summaries; many games originated in Japan and never made their way stateside, and I enjoyed learning about games I'd never heard of.

But Parish goes beyond simple reviews. Each chapter is a deep dive into the history of a particular game within a framework of history--the history of its developer, the history of the Game Boy handheld, and gaming history as a whole. In what ways did Hyper Lode Runner build on the original Lode Runner designed by Douglas E. Smith for the Apple II? And just how did Boomer's Adventure in Asmik World evolve on Lode Runner's concepts? Thanks to Parish, you can find out.

I particularly enjoyed chapters that stepped away from particular games to focus GAME BOY WORLD's microscope on influential developers and historical periods in the games biz. Parish shares how Gunpei Yokoi, the Game Boy's creator, got his start at Nintendo, and why he designed the Game Boy to withstand any type of damage short of all-out nuclear war. (And even then, you could probably get a Game Boy to boot up.) Other topics include the Game Boy's connection to ports of PC games like Lode Runner, and how a bulky, monochrome-screened, under-powered handheld outlasted bigger, sexier competitors.

Parish chronicles Game Boy releases chronologically on his blog, GameBoyWorld.com. I recommend swinging by to read the articles and watch the accompanying videos he produces for each game. That said, I'm hoping we get future GAME BOY WORLD volumes for each subsequent year of the Game Boy's prodigious lifespan. The convenience of having a year's worth of articles collected in a single volume cannot be overstated.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Game Boy World: 1989 recounts early US and Japanese releases for the perennial handheld and features write-ups on both gameplay and quality. There are color photos of the cartridge, packaging and the game itself. I was fascinated by the level of detail, particularly around the Japanese development teams responsible for creating these titles (of which little is known). The author, Jeremy Parish, is not entirely objective, but that is to be expected given that each article includes a review. Like any good critic, he provides context for his opinions and is never unfair. In total, it's a fast, fun and informative read.

[Dave Voyles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Video game fans who are looking to learn more about Nintendo's golden era of gaming will absolutely love this book. It's somewhat short (2.5 hours, perhaps), but offers lots of insight behind each title released during the Game Boy's first year.

The author includes images for each title, as well as the NA and JAP box art. Overall, I found it to be a great read, and look forward to seeing the titles released in 1990.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book explores the games released for Game Boy in 1989. A bit boring, more images needed.