What do you think?
Rate this book
Commodore 64: a visual compendium
Commodore 64: a visual compendium celebrates one the most popular home computers of all time, taking you on a journey through the C64's varied and colourful gaming library, starting in 1982, with early releases like Jupiter Lander and Beach Head , and travelling forward through the decades. The 1980s saw an array of amazing C64 think Dropzone, Impossible Mission, Elite, Mercenary, Uridium, The Last Ninja … These and others represented an incredible variety of genres, from shoot 'em ups to puzzlers, racing games to arcade adventures, plus games that still defy categorisation – The Sentinel , anyone? By the time the 1990s rolled around, talented coders were making the machine do things the original hardware designers didn't think were possible; games like Turrican, Creatures and Lemmings showed that there was life left in the old CPU yet. Even when Commodore went bust, and the computer was no longer being manufactured, the games still kept coming. So, this book pays homage not only to the seminal games of the C64's official lifespan, but also to the developers that kept the system alive, featuring games that were completed and released a decade after the last boxed C64 left the high street. Commodore 64: a visual compendium features well over a hundred titles, represented by beautiful in-game shots or loading screens, plus a gallery of artwork by legendary Zzap!64 artist Oliver Frey. Also included is a series of features, including profiles of key Britsoft developers, interviews with famous C64 artists, a look back at the demo scene, plus a showcase of unreleased titles and the new games being released more than 20 years after the last machine rolled off Commodore's production line. Presented in full colour throughout, printed on high quality paper and complete with a spot-varnished protective dust cover, this unique title is a treat for anyone who grew up playing games or learning their craft on this most ubiquitous of home computers. Book specifications
500 pages. 170mm × 230mm. Edge-to edge high quality lithographic print. Hardback. Sewn binding for enduring quality and the ability to lay flat for ideal double-page image viewing. Spot-varnished cover and dust jacket that highlight key elements against a matte background. Two coloured bookmark ribbons. Shrink-wrapped. Includes contributions
Mat Allen, Pete Baron, Andrew Braybrook, Steve Brown, Stoo Cambridge, Gary Carr, David Crane, Stephen Crow, Andrew Davie, Ivan Davies, Karen Davies-Downey, Steven Day, Mevlut Dinc, Paul Docherty, Andy Dyer, Andreas Escher, Brian Fargo, Simon Forrester, Oliver Frey, Kevin Furry, Martin Galway, Ron Gilbert, Dave Golder, Matt Gray, Michael Haire, Jon Hare, Andrew Hewson, Robin Hogg, Paul Hughes, Andy Hutchinson, Robert Jaeger, Steve Jarratt, Mark Jones, Roger Kean, Mark W.J. Kelly, Kevin Kieller, Phil King, Paul Koller, John F. Kutcher, Ned Langman, James Leach, Robin Levy, Peter Liepa, Oliver Lindau, Richard Löwenstein, Steinar Lund, Archer MacLean, Sean Masterson, Jordan Mechner, Alan Miller, Jeff Minter, Andrew Morris, Paul Norman, Michal Okowicki, Philip Oliver, The Oliver Twins, Gary Penn, Jason Perkins, Simon Phipps, Julian 'Jaz' Rignall, Hugh Riley, Stephen Robertson, Andy Roberts, John Rowlands, Stephen Ruddy, Chris Shrigley, Jonathan Smyth Temples, Steve Snake, Mat Sneap, Chuck Sommerville, Audun Sorlie, Bob Stevenson, Trevor Storey, Stephen Ian Thomson, Mikael Tillander, Jacco Van't Riet, Bob Wakelin, Martin Walker, Trenton Webb, Matt Wilsher, Gary Winnick and Stuart Wynne. ©Bitmap Books
500 pages. 170mm × 230mm. Edge-to edge high quality lithographic print. Hardback. Sewn binding for enduring quality and the ability to lay flat for ideal double-page image viewing. Spot-varnished cover and dust jacket that highlight key elements against a matte background. Two coloured bookmark ribbons. Shrink-wrapped. Includes contributions
Mat Allen, Pete Baron, Andrew Braybrook, Steve Brown, Stoo Cambridge, Gary Carr, David Crane, Stephen Crow, Andrew Davie, Ivan Davies, Karen Davies-Downey, Steven Day, Mevlut Dinc, Paul Docherty, Andy Dyer, Andreas Escher, Brian Fargo, Simon Forrester, Oliver Frey, Kevin Furry, Martin Galway, Ron Gilbert, Dave Golder, Matt Gray, Michael Haire, Jon Hare, Andrew Hewson, Robin Hogg, Paul Hughes, Andy Hutchinson, Robert Jaeger, Steve Jarratt, Mark Jones, Roger Kean, Mark W.J. Kelly, Kevin Kieller, Phil King, Paul Koller, John F. Kutcher, Ned Langman, James Leach, Robin Levy, Peter Liepa, Oliver Lindau, Richard Löwenstein, Steinar Lund, Archer MacLean, Sean Masterson, Jordan Mechner, Alan Miller, Jeff Minter, Andrew Morris, Paul Norman, Michal Okowicki, Philip Oliver, The Oliver Twins, Gary Penn, Jason Perkins, Simon Phipps, Julian 'Jaz' Rignall, Hugh Riley, Stephen Robertson, Andy Roberts, John Rowlands, Stephen Ruddy, Chris Shrigley, Jonathan Smyth Temples, Steve Snake, Mat Sneap, Chuck Sommerville, Audun Sorlie, Bob Stevenson, Trevor Storey, Stephen Ian Thomson, Mikael Tillander, Jacco Van't Riet, Bob Wakelin, Martin Walker, Trenton Webb, Matt Wilsher, Gary Winnick and Stuart Wynne. ©Bitmap Books
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
7 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 15, 2022
Did you know that the C64 is the greatest-selling computer of all time? Did you know Commodore games are still being made to this day?
Factoids like these make me smile. While many would consider a game system from 1982 obsolete, I believe it's important to examine the roots of what we enjoy, to go back to the classics to better understand and appreciate the systems and innovations we currently take for granted. The home console systems of today would not be possible without the hundreds of innovations that went into the C64, the Atari, and similar breakthroughs.
Can I feel nostalgia for a system I never played myself? Why not? Part of me wishes video games never progressed past 16-bit technology. While I won't deny being addicted to Elden Ring like everyone else I know, I will be the first to claim that life is simpler, and therefore better, without the stress-inducing photo-realism of modern games, films, and even books, the clutter of hyper-speed consumption, and the radically accelerated pacing of interactive media. Proper immersion, and therefore escapism, depends on the intervention of one's imagination, and retro games were particularly suited to allowing this faculty to flourish.
All of the editions of the UK publisher Bitmap books I've examined have superb production quality. They come at a hefty price, but are must reads for me, fascinated as I am by pixelated environments.
I rated it 4 rather than 5 stars because other titles they offer, like Game Boy Box Art, for instance, have a greater balance of text to graphics. The super-sized 8-bit pixel art pages were often hit or miss in this one and I yearned for a greater focus on Commodore box art. I think compositionally, this volume could have been improved. Also, I found about 40% of the game blurbs to offer insufficient information.
The interviews, on the other hand, were illuminating. It never occurred to me that the persona of the gamer which so many of us embody, did not exist at the genesis of the industry. Arcades were the mainstay until consoles infiltrated the majority of homes, and making the transition as a culture took time.
First and foremost, Bitmap Books represents the pinnacle of gaming history preservation endeavors, and while their publications are not encyclopedic, neither is the average attention span. Would I have liked the book to have 1000 more pages and cover ever single title ever released? Sure I would have, but such a volume would be impractical and frankly insane. What we get instead is probably the best, most lovingly compiled Commodore 64 reference book that will ever exist.
Now, on to the next volume!
Factoids like these make me smile. While many would consider a game system from 1982 obsolete, I believe it's important to examine the roots of what we enjoy, to go back to the classics to better understand and appreciate the systems and innovations we currently take for granted. The home console systems of today would not be possible without the hundreds of innovations that went into the C64, the Atari, and similar breakthroughs.
Can I feel nostalgia for a system I never played myself? Why not? Part of me wishes video games never progressed past 16-bit technology. While I won't deny being addicted to Elden Ring like everyone else I know, I will be the first to claim that life is simpler, and therefore better, without the stress-inducing photo-realism of modern games, films, and even books, the clutter of hyper-speed consumption, and the radically accelerated pacing of interactive media. Proper immersion, and therefore escapism, depends on the intervention of one's imagination, and retro games were particularly suited to allowing this faculty to flourish.
All of the editions of the UK publisher Bitmap books I've examined have superb production quality. They come at a hefty price, but are must reads for me, fascinated as I am by pixelated environments.
I rated it 4 rather than 5 stars because other titles they offer, like Game Boy Box Art, for instance, have a greater balance of text to graphics. The super-sized 8-bit pixel art pages were often hit or miss in this one and I yearned for a greater focus on Commodore box art. I think compositionally, this volume could have been improved. Also, I found about 40% of the game blurbs to offer insufficient information.
The interviews, on the other hand, were illuminating. It never occurred to me that the persona of the gamer which so many of us embody, did not exist at the genesis of the industry. Arcades were the mainstay until consoles infiltrated the majority of homes, and making the transition as a culture took time.
First and foremost, Bitmap Books represents the pinnacle of gaming history preservation endeavors, and while their publications are not encyclopedic, neither is the average attention span. Would I have liked the book to have 1000 more pages and cover ever single title ever released? Sure I would have, but such a volume would be impractical and frankly insane. What we get instead is probably the best, most lovingly compiled Commodore 64 reference book that will ever exist.
Now, on to the next volume!
September 2, 2021
A nostalgia trip on the iconic C64 video games. The book is, as the name suggests, a visual commpendium; it is mainly composed of in-game or poster art from various well-known and iconic video games for the C64 platform and a short description for each. To that end the book delivers its promise.
January 6, 2018
Nostalgia, social history and even a bit of an education in 8-bit games programming.
May 24, 2015
I got this book as part of a promo deal after backing and reading the second book about the Amiga; I liked that one so much I had to get this too, even though I'm not a c64 fan.
Unfortunately, it wasn't anywhere near as good... Sure, some of the same quality features are evident here, too, but there are three reasons I didn't enjoy it that much:
-it's much shorter than the Amiga book - some 220 vs 420 pages, so you can actually get through it in a single sitting.
-unfortunately the low resolution of the c64, coupled with the, erm, unexciting palette, don't make two-page screenshots that great to look at. At times I had to squint to understand what I was looking at while the muted colours, in contrast to the Amiga screens, made the whole thing decidedly less impressive.
-The selection of the games is a bit strange. The book progresses chronologically, but much of it deals with early games, featuring really plain graphics that definitely don't show off the capabilities of the c64.
-The book lacks the interviews that took the Amiga book to another level. Just the small blurb about each title is included.
Yes, I did enjoy the book. Why only two stars then? Because I don't think that what's there justifies the price. There's just not much in it, and what there is isn't terribly good.
The book, at least (it must be said) is very well put together, with excellent print and paper quality.
Unfortunately, it wasn't anywhere near as good... Sure, some of the same quality features are evident here, too, but there are three reasons I didn't enjoy it that much:
-it's much shorter than the Amiga book - some 220 vs 420 pages, so you can actually get through it in a single sitting.
-unfortunately the low resolution of the c64, coupled with the, erm, unexciting palette, don't make two-page screenshots that great to look at. At times I had to squint to understand what I was looking at while the muted colours, in contrast to the Amiga screens, made the whole thing decidedly less impressive.
-The selection of the games is a bit strange. The book progresses chronologically, but much of it deals with early games, featuring really plain graphics that definitely don't show off the capabilities of the c64.
-The book lacks the interviews that took the Amiga book to another level. Just the small blurb about each title is included.
Yes, I did enjoy the book. Why only two stars then? Because I don't think that what's there justifies the price. There's just not much in it, and what there is isn't terribly good.
The book, at least (it must be said) is very well put together, with excellent print and paper quality.
October 2, 2014
A beautiful and fun visual journey into the game artwork of a great many C64 games. I backed this as a project on Kickstarter, and wasn't disappointed with the final result -- great color and printing, showcasing the wonderfully low-res graphics of some amazing games.
Great as visual inspiration or a bit of a nostalgia trip.
Great as visual inspiration or a bit of a nostalgia trip.
August 6, 2016
A great addition to any 8-bit game nostalgia book collection. High production quality, great visuals, and many recollections from the original programmers and artists. Had me off to YouTube to watch related videos, especially for the post-2000 games I hadn't yet seen.
December 26, 2014
Beautiful book, really well put together. If you feel like getting nostalgic this will do the job.
May 7, 2015
Thoroughly enjoyed it, some of the quotes/insights are great
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews