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I'm too young to die
Bitmap Books proudly presents I’m Too Young To Die: The Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters 1992–2002. Covering the early, experimental years of the first-person shooter, we celebrate more than 180 games as we track the genre’s explosive entrance onto the ’90s gaming scene. Whether obscure oddities or genre-defining behemoths, first-person shooters transported players to alien worlds, alternate universes and the shores of Hell itself, and in doing so helped to trigger the 3D-graphics arms race.
Containing in-depth research and hundreds of screenshots, I’m Too Young To Die covers it all: the classics that defined the genre, including DOOM and Quake, Half-Life, Deus Ex, GoldenEye 007 and Halo; multiplayer-only games such as Starsiege: Tribes, Unreal Tournament and Quake III, along with mods like Counter-Strike and Team Fortress; experimental games that pushed the genre in new directions, including Gun Buster, Codename Eagle, Assassin 2015 and Trespasser; forgotten games like ZPC and ReVOLUTION; and hidden gems like Dust, Wrath of Earth and Azrael’s Tear.
I’m Too Young To Die begins in 1969 with the precursors to first-person shooters, charting the genre’s inception and evolution through maze and roleplaying games, early 3D experiments and light gun shooters, all leading to 1992’s Wolfenstein 3D and Ultima Underworld. We also cover the anatomy of the first-person shooter, asking what gives them their power to enthrall, their influence over 3D graphics and online gaming, plus a look at first-person shooters that were never released.
Along with a foreword by first-person shooter legend, John Romero, I’m Too Young To Die includes in-depth interviews with industry legends such as Ian and Chris Andrew (the Freescape games), Scott Miller (Apogee and 3D Realms), David Doak (GoldenEye 007 and TimeSplitters), Randy Pitchford (Gearbox Software), Karl Deckard (Metroid Prime and Valve’s Prospero), plus many more …
Containing in-depth research and hundreds of screenshots, I’m Too Young To Die covers it all: the classics that defined the genre, including DOOM and Quake, Half-Life, Deus Ex, GoldenEye 007 and Halo; multiplayer-only games such as Starsiege: Tribes, Unreal Tournament and Quake III, along with mods like Counter-Strike and Team Fortress; experimental games that pushed the genre in new directions, including Gun Buster, Codename Eagle, Assassin 2015 and Trespasser; forgotten games like ZPC and ReVOLUTION; and hidden gems like Dust, Wrath of Earth and Azrael’s Tear.
I’m Too Young To Die begins in 1969 with the precursors to first-person shooters, charting the genre’s inception and evolution through maze and roleplaying games, early 3D experiments and light gun shooters, all leading to 1992’s Wolfenstein 3D and Ultima Underworld. We also cover the anatomy of the first-person shooter, asking what gives them their power to enthrall, their influence over 3D graphics and online gaming, plus a look at first-person shooters that were never released.
Along with a foreword by first-person shooter legend, John Romero, I’m Too Young To Die includes in-depth interviews with industry legends such as Ian and Chris Andrew (the Freescape games), Scott Miller (Apogee and 3D Realms), David Doak (GoldenEye 007 and TimeSplitters), Randy Pitchford (Gearbox Software), Karl Deckard (Metroid Prime and Valve’s Prospero), plus many more …
- GenresGamingVideo Games
424 pages, Hardcover
Published November 1, 2022
15 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 21, 2025
Představa, že by někdo vydal coffee table book o starých střílečkách z raných devadesátých až přelomu milénia mi přišla jako z říše snů. To, že bychom se dočkali české edice jako úplná fantasmagorie.
Díky Stewartu Mainovi a Xzone se obojí stalo a já jsem výsledku opravdu nadšený. Autor má krátkou předmluvu o tom, co zařazuje do žánru FPS, co naopak nikoli a proč a prokládá rozbor jenotlivých roků ve videoherní historii rozhovory z lidmi od fochu.
Obojí je poutavé, byť na několika místech je citelné, že se Maine snaží mermomocí říci něco pozitivního o titulech, které prostě nejsou dobré. Jazyk v rozhovorech mi místy zněl trochu šroubovaně a nepřirozeně, ale jinak překlad hodnotím jako docela zdařilý.
Jedná se o překlad z britského originálu, takže nadproporční pozornost se věnuje britským hrám a tvůrcům. Vzhledem k úspěchům studií jako Bohemia Interactive a Illusion Softworks by našinec by asi více ocenil rozhovory s lidmi, kteří se podíleli na nich, ale jedná se o překlad, nikoliv o českou edici knihy.
Na konci najdeme alespoň doslov od Bludra, který mě velice potěšil. Protože, pokud někdo má o FPS titulech této éry co říct, je to určitě on. Doufám, že se podaří vydat i teasované pokračování Hurt Me Plenty.
Díky Stewartu Mainovi a Xzone se obojí stalo a já jsem výsledku opravdu nadšený. Autor má krátkou předmluvu o tom, co zařazuje do žánru FPS, co naopak nikoli a proč a prokládá rozbor jenotlivých roků ve videoherní historii rozhovory z lidmi od fochu.
Obojí je poutavé, byť na několika místech je citelné, že se Maine snaží mermomocí říci něco pozitivního o titulech, které prostě nejsou dobré. Jazyk v rozhovorech mi místy zněl trochu šroubovaně a nepřirozeně, ale jinak překlad hodnotím jako docela zdařilý.
Jedná se o překlad z britského originálu, takže nadproporční pozornost se věnuje britským hrám a tvůrcům. Vzhledem k úspěchům studií jako Bohemia Interactive a Illusion Softworks by našinec by asi více ocenil rozhovory s lidmi, kteří se podíleli na nich, ale jedná se o překlad, nikoliv o českou edici knihy.
Na konci najdeme alespoň doslov od Bludra, který mě velice potěšil. Protože, pokud někdo má o FPS titulech této éry co říct, je to určitě on. Doufám, že se podaří vydat i teasované pokračování Hurt Me Plenty.
December 25, 2023
I'm too young to die
is not a book that’s easy to say anything substantial about. It’s essentially a coffee table book with a lot of really nice pictures printed in a very high quality. But it’s a very informative coffee table book. Stuart Maine is obviously both knowledgeable and enthusiastic about FPS video game and it shows. It’s a chronological tour de force through the years 1992-2002, a decade that came to shape FPS games as we know them. Maine has chosen some really good games to showcase for each year, touching on both the obvious classics like Doom, Duke Nukem 3D and Half-Life, as well as on some hidden gems that seem to be worth a play for anyone who’s a fan of the genre. To some comedic effect it also touches on games that you should probably never play, but even those entries in the book serves to underline just hos explosive the FPS-genre was within video games. If Forbes Magazine can release an FPS game, the genre must be doing something right.
Each year is also ended with an interview, and again Maine has done a quality job of choosing interviewees that balance people who had to be interviewed for such a book and the movers and shakers that most haven’t heard of.
Where the book does go outside its own purpose, is in the way that it links the developments of graphics hardware with the developments in graphics in FPS games. This is a shaky thesis to say the least, as there don’t seem to be clear evidence for Maine’s idea, that the developments within FPS games necessitated developments in the hardware and software used to accelerate the graphical demands of FPS developers. It’s a nice story, but the arguments made in the book aren’t all that convincing. Although, this is essentially limited to side-remarks made throughout the book and it isn’t the main point of the book.
Each year is also ended with an interview, and again Maine has done a quality job of choosing interviewees that balance people who had to be interviewed for such a book and the movers and shakers that most haven’t heard of.
Where the book does go outside its own purpose, is in the way that it links the developments of graphics hardware with the developments in graphics in FPS games. This is a shaky thesis to say the least, as there don’t seem to be clear evidence for Maine’s idea, that the developments within FPS games necessitated developments in the hardware and software used to accelerate the graphical demands of FPS developers. It’s a nice story, but the arguments made in the book aren’t all that convincing. Although, this is essentially limited to side-remarks made throughout the book and it isn’t the main point of the book.
February 3, 2023
An incredibly enjoyable read about the history of FPS games throughout the 90's, and how they changed over time with player expectations, increasingly impressive technological innovations, and the ability to create more and more immersive worlds and stories through them. Just about every FPS game that was released in the 90's is here no matter how obscure, and the author has very clearly played all of them. I can only imagine the amount of time and work that it took to create this book... It also contains some really fascinating interviews with people behind some of the biggest games of each year, including the legendary John Romero! I highly recommend this book to anyone fascinated with the genre or its history, as it is the ultimate encyclopedia for retro-FPS nerds like myself.
November 29, 2022
An encyclopedic trip down memory lane into the history of first person shooters. From Castle of Wolfenstein all the way to the original Halo, no stone is left unturned — 180 games released during the seminal decade of FPS games are covered.
July 31, 2023
Хорошая книга с парой интересных интервью и сотней иллюстраций со скриншотами великих шутеров. Очень круто, что автор пробегается не только по верхушке платинового пантеона.
September 20, 2024
Book 18 of 2024 complete, I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE is a gargantuan collection of the best first-person-shooter video games from 1992 to 2002. Featuring interviews with developers and in-depth reviews of such classics as GOLDENEYE, DOOM, QUAKE and more, @bitmapbooks prove yet again that they are the ultimate publishers in quality gaming books.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews