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The story of the Commodore 64 in pixels
The book contains many features including an article on the history of the Commodore 64 by Roger Kean; a feature on those games that appeared on cartridge; a look at the SID chip, giving recognition to the best the music the chip had to offer; tape loaders and more. The cover of the book was designed by C64 graphics legend, Steven Day or STE'86 as many fans know him and is in matt with the Commodore logo and text embossed, and spot varnished. The book also has in its pages over 35 double page spreads of the best of the best of the games that the C64 has to offer. There is a glorious large central game image surrounded by the loading screen, cassette inlay art and publisher logo. Each double spread also has a mini 175-word review. We have spoken to over of those who worked on the Commodore 64 - producing the graphics, creating the sounds and music and programming the games. Their memoirs, in their own words, are in the book.
268 pages, Paperback
Published January 5, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 20, 2019
En baştan söyleyeyim, bu kitaba para vermiş olsaydım çok daha acımasızca eleştirecektim. Neyse ki kitabın dijital hali uzunca bir süre bedava dağıtıldı, şu anda da çok düşük fiyatla satılıyor. Dolayısıyla benim de yazarı ve yayıncıyı ticari düşünmekle suçlamam gerekmiyor.
Daha önce Commodore firmasının tarihçesi vs. konularında bir şeyler okuduysanız, bu kitapta anlatılan yeni bir şey yok. Başlıktaki "... in pixels" ifadesine de takılmayın, kitabın çok çok büyük kısmı Commodore 64'ün ses özelliklerinden ve C64 müzisyenleriyle röportajlardan oluşuyor. Aralara programcılarla da röportajlar serpiştirilmiş, bazı önemli oyunlara ikişer sayfa yer verilmiş. Ancak ortaya çıkan eser hem dağınık, hem de sıkıcı. Yazar C64'ün müzik yönüne fazlasıyla tutkun belli ki, ama sayfalar boyunca bir türlü bitmeyen SID müzik ve müzisyenleri muhabbeti bir C64 meraklısı olarak beni bile bezdirdi.
Yapılan röportajlar tarihe not düşmek adına önemli sayılabilir, çünkü bu insanlar birer birer göçüp gidecekler ve geriye çok eski bir bilgisayarda yaptıkları işler kalacak. Sayfa düzeni açısından da kitap başarılı denebilir, bu kitabın kağıda basılı hali özellikle keyif veren, şık bir obje olacaktır. Ancak okunmak için bence çok iyi bir eser değil.
Eğer siz de kitabı incelemek isterseniz, resmi web sitesi https://fusionretrobooks.com adresinde. Buradan basılı ya da PDF halini edinebiliyorsunuz.
Daha önce Commodore firmasının tarihçesi vs. konularında bir şeyler okuduysanız, bu kitapta anlatılan yeni bir şey yok. Başlıktaki "... in pixels" ifadesine de takılmayın, kitabın çok çok büyük kısmı Commodore 64'ün ses özelliklerinden ve C64 müzisyenleriyle röportajlardan oluşuyor. Aralara programcılarla da röportajlar serpiştirilmiş, bazı önemli oyunlara ikişer sayfa yer verilmiş. Ancak ortaya çıkan eser hem dağınık, hem de sıkıcı. Yazar C64'ün müzik yönüne fazlasıyla tutkun belli ki, ama sayfalar boyunca bir türlü bitmeyen SID müzik ve müzisyenleri muhabbeti bir C64 meraklısı olarak beni bile bezdirdi.
Yapılan röportajlar tarihe not düşmek adına önemli sayılabilir, çünkü bu insanlar birer birer göçüp gidecekler ve geriye çok eski bir bilgisayarda yaptıkları işler kalacak. Sayfa düzeni açısından da kitap başarılı denebilir, bu kitabın kağıda basılı hali özellikle keyif veren, şık bir obje olacaktır. Ancak okunmak için bence çok iyi bir eser değil.
Eğer siz de kitabı incelemek isterseniz, resmi web sitesi https://fusionretrobooks.com adresinde. Buradan basılı ya da PDF halini edinebiliyorsunuz.
December 31, 2024
A wonderful trip down memory lane for any retro computing fan!
This book is a beautiful visual journey into the history of tbe Commodore 64, one of the best selling home computers of all time.
The C64 is remembered fondly by a generation of computer enthusiasts, and this book features interviews with some of the top game creators, musicians and graphic designers of the era.
As a student of computing history, I found the insights provided by the folks who created games for the C64 to be really interesting. The game screens, game case covers and magazine covers also included in this book were a real treat.
If you grew up with a Commodore 64, or are a fan of computing history, you'll love this book. Highly recommended!
This book is a beautiful visual journey into the history of tbe Commodore 64, one of the best selling home computers of all time.
The C64 is remembered fondly by a generation of computer enthusiasts, and this book features interviews with some of the top game creators, musicians and graphic designers of the era.
As a student of computing history, I found the insights provided by the folks who created games for the C64 to be really interesting. The game screens, game case covers and magazine covers also included in this book were a real treat.
If you grew up with a Commodore 64, or are a fan of computing history, you'll love this book. Highly recommended!
March 1, 2020
A potted history of the C64 along with information about its internals and peripherals. While the majority of the book is taken up with memoirs from many of the top names from British (mainly) C64 games development back in the day.
Along with that are some beautiful photos and it's all printed on high quality paper and bound perfectly (maybe sounds odd to mention this but some lesser "retro" books don't always hit the printing quality of mainstream publications. This does.)
An evocative, fascinating, well written, and extremely readable book.
Along with that are some beautiful photos and it's all printed on high quality paper and bound perfectly (maybe sounds odd to mention this but some lesser "retro" books don't always hit the printing quality of mainstream publications. This does.)
An evocative, fascinating, well written, and extremely readable book.
August 26, 2017
The first home computer I ever played a game on was the Commodore Vic 20 which was soon upgraded to a Commodore 64 so I was definitely interested in some retro nostalgia and this book doesn't disappoint. Facinating insight into the formation of the Commodore company as well as segments provided by many industry insiders from C64 programmers to SID musicians.
August 24, 2020
Good nostalgia piece with plenty of behind the scenes annecdotes those of us who were there for the ride won't have heard before. Ending with the series of short memoirs means the book just sort of stops without any sort of conclusion rather than building to an ending so I think structurally it could be better but that's the only real complaint.
November 21, 2018
A thoroughly enjoyable read. If you're a fan of retro gaming then this book is for you!
August 7, 2016
In 1984, the Commodore 64 became my first home computer. Armed with my trusty C-1530 Datasette, 1701 color monitor, and 300-baud 1650 modem, I learned programming basics, explored online bulletin boards, and indulged in some serious gaming. At the time, I had no idea what an influence it would have on my chosen profession.
So, when I heard about a Kickstarter campaign for a book titled, The story of the Commodore 64 in pixels, I was immediately all-in. The campaign blew past its funding goal, and for good reason. Over the course of 268 pages, author Chris Wilkins provides a trip down memory lane for C64 fans, retro-gamers, and computing nostalgia enthusiasts.
Wilkins begins with a brief history of the Commodore International company, including the back-story of its innovative and driven founder, Jack Tramiel. The chapter profiles the various C64 models that dotted the computing landscape, as well as other key models in the company’s history, including the Commodore PET, VIC-20, and 128.
The remainder of the book is divided into two sections, each engrossing in its own right.
In The Games, more than 70 games are profiled. Each is given a two-page spread that includes screen shots, box art, year published, publisher name, and author. Some of my favorites included Lode Runner from Broderbund, Summer Games from Epyx and The Bard’s Tale from Electronic Arts.
In The Memoirs, Wilkins rounds up a veritable 8-bit who’s-who to provide first-person accounts of what the Commodore 64 meant to them and the trials and tribulations of developing games for the platform.
With a whopping 64 kilobytes of RAM at the time, The Commodore 64 went on to sell more than 10 million units worldwide, a sales mark that landed it in the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest selling single computer model of all time. Wilkins' book makes it easy to see what the fuss was all about.
So, when I heard about a Kickstarter campaign for a book titled, The story of the Commodore 64 in pixels, I was immediately all-in. The campaign blew past its funding goal, and for good reason. Over the course of 268 pages, author Chris Wilkins provides a trip down memory lane for C64 fans, retro-gamers, and computing nostalgia enthusiasts.
Wilkins begins with a brief history of the Commodore International company, including the back-story of its innovative and driven founder, Jack Tramiel. The chapter profiles the various C64 models that dotted the computing landscape, as well as other key models in the company’s history, including the Commodore PET, VIC-20, and 128.
The remainder of the book is divided into two sections, each engrossing in its own right.
In The Games, more than 70 games are profiled. Each is given a two-page spread that includes screen shots, box art, year published, publisher name, and author. Some of my favorites included Lode Runner from Broderbund, Summer Games from Epyx and The Bard’s Tale from Electronic Arts.
In The Memoirs, Wilkins rounds up a veritable 8-bit who’s-who to provide first-person accounts of what the Commodore 64 meant to them and the trials and tribulations of developing games for the platform.
With a whopping 64 kilobytes of RAM at the time, The Commodore 64 went on to sell more than 10 million units worldwide, a sales mark that landed it in the Guinness Book of World Records as the highest selling single computer model of all time. Wilkins' book makes it easy to see what the fuss was all about.
July 10, 2016
One of the best 8-bit nostalgia books out there.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews