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Rogue Leaders: The Story of LucasArts
In 1982, George Lucas saw potential in the fledgling videogame industry and created his own interactive-entertainment company. Twenty-five years and dozens of award-winning games later, LucasArts has earned a prestigious place in the industry and in the hearts of gamers everywhere. Rogue Leaders is the first substantive survey of a videogame companya deluxe compilation that traces its history through never-before-published interviews. In addition, more than 300 pieces of concept art, character development sketches, and storyboards have been lavishly reproduced to showcase the creative talent behind such videogame classics as The Secret of Monkey Island, Grim Fandango, and Star Wars : Knights of the Old Republic, as well as games that were never publicly released. A thrill for millions of videogame and LucasArts fans around the world.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
February 16, 2012
LucasArts has produced some of my favorite adventure games over the years like the Monkey Island games, Day of the Tentacle and my all-time favorite Grim Fandango. But while I expected this book talk about these games in depth, I'm really surprised that it dwells more on their mediocre Star Wars games. Page after page is devoted to games that weren't that great either artistically or commercially. The adventure games were the ones that made LucasArts a superior games studio in the '90's and they deserved more recognition. But I suppose that in a nutshell is why LucasArts faces the situation they're in today. They'd rather focus on their next Star Wars iteration rather than the original properties that the game studio created that made them great.
It looks like the author got significant inside access to LucasArts design documents which made the book more interesting, but I guess the trade off is that he seems to gloss over some the failures and transitions the studio had. I would have traded off that inside access for a more independent voice. And are internal documents that necessary when they're spending their time talking about underwhelming games like RTX Red Rock? The author could have used his time better. The coolest thing about this book is the cover which shifts between Darth Vader, Purple Tentacle from DOTT and Guybrush Threepwood. If only they had devoted the same proportion to those characters inside the book I'm sure it would have been a more compelling read.
It looks like the author got significant inside access to LucasArts design documents which made the book more interesting, but I guess the trade off is that he seems to gloss over some the failures and transitions the studio had. I would have traded off that inside access for a more independent voice. And are internal documents that necessary when they're spending their time talking about underwhelming games like RTX Red Rock? The author could have used his time better. The coolest thing about this book is the cover which shifts between Darth Vader, Purple Tentacle from DOTT and Guybrush Threepwood. If only they had devoted the same proportion to those characters inside the book I'm sure it would have been a more compelling read.
August 7, 2011
Comprehensive, with a lot of nice art but not much in the way of interesting information. The author hints at some of the difficulties in the production of the various games, but doesn't seem permitted to tell the whole story.
The story of LucasArts is a really interesting one - how did it fall so far from grace? They were really the top game developer at one point with an impressively diverse portfolio and but they became known for poor quality shovelware just cashing in on their licenses. How that happened is what this book should have been, and you get the sense that Smith knows more than he lets on but it seems the access he got to LucasArts came at the expense of journalistic freedom.
The story of LucasArts is a really interesting one - how did it fall so far from grace? They were really the top game developer at one point with an impressively diverse portfolio and but they became known for poor quality shovelware just cashing in on their licenses. How that happened is what this book should have been, and you get the sense that Smith knows more than he lets on but it seems the access he got to LucasArts came at the expense of journalistic freedom.
November 23, 2022
A little too light on text. It covers all the major and minor game releases of the company (and reveals some interesting details about cancelled projects), but doesn't spend much time telling us about their conception or development. Lovely artwork throughout, but it could have been so much more.
LucasArts during the 1990s were the absolute pinnacle of game design. It's sad to see how they fell into mediocrity once the 21st century arrived, churning out endless Star Wars games that just didn't have the magic.
Of course, this book is now quite out of date, which makes its historical perspective feel a little skewed in the later stages. Knowing that LucasArts ceased to be within a few years of the book's publication, and that they went out on a low, really looms over it.
LucasArts during the 1990s were the absolute pinnacle of game design. It's sad to see how they fell into mediocrity once the 21st century arrived, churning out endless Star Wars games that just didn't have the magic.
Of course, this book is now quite out of date, which makes its historical perspective feel a little skewed in the later stages. Knowing that LucasArts ceased to be within a few years of the book's publication, and that they went out on a low, really looms over it.
October 1, 2023
Great content, just wish there was more of it.
December 31, 2009
Nice and big, and beautifully illustrated, 'Rogue Leaders' is a fine tribute to one of the most prolific video game studios in the US and the world. The large amount of concept artworks and other tidbits make it a feast for the eye.
Nevertheless, textually it might have been better. Smith gives a good overview of the company's history and structure, but the information about the games themselves is slightly cursory and perhaps lacks an element of critique. By the end of the book it's all Star Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars, when it's clear the company was in its heyday with originally developed titles and adventure games from the late 80s till the eraly 90s. Let's face it, howmany truly great games have the studio produced since then? Proportionally, I would have like to see more info and analysis about the games that will truly stand the test of time rather than the umpteenth Lucas-franchise game.
Nevertheless, textually it might have been better. Smith gives a good overview of the company's history and structure, but the information about the games themselves is slightly cursory and perhaps lacks an element of critique. By the end of the book it's all Star Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars, when it's clear the company was in its heyday with originally developed titles and adventure games from the late 80s till the eraly 90s. Let's face it, howmany truly great games have the studio produced since then? Proportionally, I would have like to see more info and analysis about the games that will truly stand the test of time rather than the umpteenth Lucas-franchise game.
March 4, 2019
What a treat. Loved every second of this book. I highly recommend it for any video game fan out there
February 6, 2018
For all its (many) limitations, it's still great to read about LucasArts history!
Unfortunately, only about the first half of the book is actually interesting, while the latter half is mostly comprised of cancelled games and the painfully bland Star Wars ones related to the never enough accursed Prequels.
A shame the absence of both ebook and reprinting. Scalper price is really not worth.
Unfortunately, only about the first half of the book is actually interesting, while the latter half is mostly comprised of cancelled games and the painfully bland Star Wars ones related to the never enough accursed Prequels.
A shame the absence of both ebook and reprinting. Scalper price is really not worth.
January 4, 2013
Too much text to be treated like a coffee table book: there's just too much info to merely flip through it, and text tends to refer back to earlier events making it hard to treat it non-chronologically. Too heavy to be treated like a normal non-fiction book: trying to curl up with this thing is hard, and you sure aren't taking it on the subway. But readers looking for either will be disappointed, as it doesn't have enough pictures or enough text to satisfy.
The book goes through the history of LucasArts, starting with their earliest games on Atari machines all the way to whatever products were in development in 2008. And until that last chapter most games have the same amount of attention allocated to them. If the book starts to feel like "Nothing but Star Wars" after a while, that's because LucasArts was nothing but Star Wars after a while.
Anyone looking for some deeper history and insight into their earlier adventure-game era will be disappointed, since this isn't a book about them. As it is a book about all of LucasArts, it dedicates as much as the company itself really dedicated to the genre (one thing you realize is that for all the nostalgia people have for that era, it was not a very long era).
(I do think that their adventure games probably deserve a book of their own, though, with more info about the SCUMM engine, and maybe stuff about casting and music. I feel like I don't hear about that side very much.)
Honestly, few games receive in-depth attention, making this largely unsatisfying, even for the Star Wars enthusiast. It becomes even more frustrating when the book starts to talk about all the games developed by outside studios; it's almost a laundry list of titles and features with no real insight, and besides, games made by outside studios aren't really the story of LucasArts, but the story of how they seem to have given up.
The book goes through the history of LucasArts, starting with their earliest games on Atari machines all the way to whatever products were in development in 2008. And until that last chapter most games have the same amount of attention allocated to them. If the book starts to feel like "Nothing but Star Wars" after a while, that's because LucasArts was nothing but Star Wars after a while.
Anyone looking for some deeper history and insight into their earlier adventure-game era will be disappointed, since this isn't a book about them. As it is a book about all of LucasArts, it dedicates as much as the company itself really dedicated to the genre (one thing you realize is that for all the nostalgia people have for that era, it was not a very long era).
(I do think that their adventure games probably deserve a book of their own, though, with more info about the SCUMM engine, and maybe stuff about casting and music. I feel like I don't hear about that side very much.)
Honestly, few games receive in-depth attention, making this largely unsatisfying, even for the Star Wars enthusiast. It becomes even more frustrating when the book starts to talk about all the games developed by outside studios; it's almost a laundry list of titles and features with no real insight, and besides, games made by outside studios aren't really the story of LucasArts, but the story of how they seem to have given up.
May 12, 2011
The premise of this book seemed so attractive to me, as I grew up during the golden age of adventure games from LucasArts and Sierra and a few other talented companies. But if you're looking forward to a book that celebrates the history of their games, you'll be in for a shock.
First, and I feel this is most important, over half the book is dedicated to Star Wars titles. This is not an exaggeration -- pages 122 through 251 do not mention any classic titles, in fact, concentrate mainly on 2000 and later.
The classic gaming system, SCUMM, is such an interesting topic in real life and so well loved that there are fan sites dedicated to programming for it, emulators to run the classic games on it, and other trivia. In this book, it receives a handful of paragraphs here, and a few sentences scattered throughout the book.
The book also seems to avoid conflict. In the 2 pages covering Maniac Mansion (one of which is artwork), there is no mention, for example, of the battles the company had when marketing the title on the Nintendo, for example. Stories that have been reported for over a decade on fan sites and magazines.
I use those few examples as just the tip of the iceberg. The book has some pretty artwork and interesting photos. But just like LucasArts the company in the new millennium, it lacks any teeth and does not cater to the curiosity of the true LucasArts fan base -- the adventure gamers.
First, and I feel this is most important, over half the book is dedicated to Star Wars titles. This is not an exaggeration -- pages 122 through 251 do not mention any classic titles, in fact, concentrate mainly on 2000 and later.
The classic gaming system, SCUMM, is such an interesting topic in real life and so well loved that there are fan sites dedicated to programming for it, emulators to run the classic games on it, and other trivia. In this book, it receives a handful of paragraphs here, and a few sentences scattered throughout the book.
The book also seems to avoid conflict. In the 2 pages covering Maniac Mansion (one of which is artwork), there is no mention, for example, of the battles the company had when marketing the title on the Nintendo, for example. Stories that have been reported for over a decade on fan sites and magazines.
I use those few examples as just the tip of the iceberg. The book has some pretty artwork and interesting photos. But just like LucasArts the company in the new millennium, it lacks any teeth and does not cater to the curiosity of the true LucasArts fan base -- the adventure gamers.
March 14, 2014
Ok I will have to give a warning here - if you are looking for a book which gives you insights in to how some of the most iconic Lucas Arts games came about you may be disappointed (in fact I see looking at other reviews showing that is exactly how some people felt) however if you are fascinated in the art of these games, the concepts that helped shaped them (both used and discarded) then this is a delight to read. Yes there may be no real details on the company, its philosophies or even its fate (it really only goes in to the late 2000s) then I am sure there are other books more worthy of your attention.
Now for my own opinion - I was one of the tradition (old school) pc gamers of my time - day of tentacle - sam and max - 7th guest and Myst - to mention a but a few where my thing (not all were Lucas Arts but I associate them together). This book gives some of the history behind such games and a number of never seen images both from the development and design of the games. So with a heady mix of nostalgia and fascination at a design process by people far more gifted than I got to relive these games one more time - and yes I am probably bucking the trend but I give this a full 5 stars simply by putting a smile back on my face remember these amazing games.
Now for my own opinion - I was one of the tradition (old school) pc gamers of my time - day of tentacle - sam and max - 7th guest and Myst - to mention a but a few where my thing (not all were Lucas Arts but I associate them together). This book gives some of the history behind such games and a number of never seen images both from the development and design of the games. So with a heady mix of nostalgia and fascination at a design process by people far more gifted than I got to relive these games one more time - and yes I am probably bucking the trend but I give this a full 5 stars simply by putting a smile back on my face remember these amazing games.
June 7, 2017
An interesting read for fans of LucasArts. I picked it up after the announcement of their closure.
Reading through the early history was great as I'm a fan of their classic adventure games, and I admit I youtubed almost all the games mentioned from the 80s through to the 90s as a sort of visual aid. I still remember how the Monkey Island games looked because I still play them to this day, so it's a great book for nostalgia.
Where it fails though, is how much focus is placed on the Star Wars games (expected though). I think more than half the book talks about Star Wars, but I would have wanted to read more about the host of other games that I didn't even realize was LucasArts....
Recommended for fans of LucasArts though. It's a shame it wasn't written after the closure. Maybe this book deserves a sequel? Haha
Reading through the early history was great as I'm a fan of their classic adventure games, and I admit I youtubed almost all the games mentioned from the 80s through to the 90s as a sort of visual aid. I still remember how the Monkey Island games looked because I still play them to this day, so it's a great book for nostalgia.
Where it fails though, is how much focus is placed on the Star Wars games (expected though). I think more than half the book talks about Star Wars, but I would have wanted to read more about the host of other games that I didn't even realize was LucasArts....
Recommended for fans of LucasArts though. It's a shame it wasn't written after the closure. Maybe this book deserves a sequel? Haha
September 29, 2009
I really enjoyed this book, especially the early chapters that cover the beginning of LucasFilm Games and into the early '90s when they were producing the adventure game classics. I grew up with several of these games, and so it was both nostalgic and a bit inspiring (to the latent game designer in me). Recommended if you grew up with these games, or are just interested in software/game companies of the 80s/90s (another interesting topic to me).
Also, great concept and game art throughout the book.
And yes, the second half of the book is pretty much devoted to Star Wars games.
Also, great concept and game art throughout the book.
And yes, the second half of the book is pretty much devoted to Star Wars games.
January 5, 2010
Too few pictures for a coffee table book, too little text for a regular book.
And honestly, even for a coffee table book the text is dreadfully shallow and hagiographic. It's like reading a press release from the LucasArts PR department.
Cool hologram on the front cover.
And honestly, even for a coffee table book the text is dreadfully shallow and hagiographic. It's like reading a press release from the LucasArts PR department.
Cool hologram on the front cover.
February 19, 2010
Rogue Leaders was meh. Take it or leave it. It mainly focuses on a few of the games released by LucasArts with trivia tidbits.
April 23, 2017
Great look at the history of the company which was sold and disbanded shortly after this book came out which renders a sad coda. The one problem I had was the overemphasis on Star Wars. There are far more interesting properties in the lucasarts library that were given the short end. I'd of rather had more looks at design documents, etc about those than a
Hundred shots of unreleased SW stuff.
Hundred shots of unreleased SW stuff.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews