Bitmap Books – A Tale of Two Halves: The History Of Football Video Games | Britt's Review ⚽️📘 @bitmap_books #RetroGaming

Image Credit: www.BitmapBooks.com

We have covered many of Bitmap Books’ fine releases here at Games Freezer, with the most recent being Dave Cook’s rather wonderful Run ‘n’ Gun tome. This, their latest, is a very different beast, tackling a genre that has existed since the early ‘80s and was very much been twisting and morphing for decades before settling into (mostly) more sedate, incremental releases in recent years.

The book covers the football (or ‘soccer’ depending on your geographic location) genre from its nascency in the early ‘80s - when the games were effectively variations on the Pong theme - right up through the modern generations where the majority of the releases are ultra realistic and pretty – but perhaps lack the character and individuality that previously made the football genre a more interesting beast, with some incredible goals, some near misses...and some that deserved a red card, and a kicking in the car park.

Bitmap Books: Run ‘N’ Gun - A History of On-Foot Shooters 📖📚 @bitmap_books #RetroGaming

Bitmap Books Purchase Link

From Dave Cook - the mind behind the awesome Go Straight: The Ultimate Guide to Side-Scrolling Beat-’em-Ups - comes this history of run ‘n’ gun shooters (think Contra, Metal Slug etc. and definitely think about Mercs and Rambo III on the Mega Drive, which are a couple of my personal faves), a genre of videogames that – to me at least – almost feels like the very essence of gaming itself.

The requirements of concentration, quick reflexes and (usually) saucy multiplayer action are timeless, and these quintessential essential ingredients allow for quick dip in ‘n’ out gameplay for blasts of fun, whilst requiring the players to lose themselves in the flow and design of the game to really get the most out of it…and the most 10p’s out of your pocket, natch!

Bitmap Books – The Unofficial N64: A Visual Compendium Review By Britt 📚📖 @bitmap_books #Retrogaming #N64

The last Bitmap Book release that we covered here at Games Freezer was the incredible From Ants to Zombies: Six Decades of Video Game Horror, a book that could very well be – and indeed is - one of the best gaming-related pieces of literature that I’ve ever had the pleasure of inhaling.

It’s a slight change of pace here, from the many forked branches of horror through to a visual compendium focused on the much beloved fan favourite Nintendo 64, whether through many a blistering, thumb-stick breaking multiplayer session of Goldeneye, marvelling at Mario in 3D, or zooming across Hyrule Fields in Zelda, there are millions of memories out there that began with that trusty trident controller in-hand.

FROM ANTS TO ZOMBIES: SIX DECADES OF VIDEO GAME HORROR Book Review "The Gaming Necronomicon" 🧛‍♂️ @BitmapBooks #Retrogaming

Sam Dyer – the brain behind Bitmap Books – is someone that I imagine laughing wildly in a vast, ever-growing library somewhere, surrounded by mad monks engrossed in ever-more-perfect drafts of upcoming books through which they will eventually devour the gaming world. Each time I read a book by the publisher, it always feel definitive and individually voiced. I’ve commented before on how each release doesn’t feel like a run-through of the topic at hand, moving from genre-to-genre with a  vanilla, ‘one-size-fits-all’ sensibility. From the all-encompassing JRPG book to the laser-focused CRPG tome – and the surprisingly moving release on Gremlin Graphics – these books really do each have their own approach and style. 

From the moment that I caught wind of From Ants to Zombies, the fact that it was covering video game horror – a genre incredibly dear to me – I was desperate to discover what approach this book would take - and as it turns out, it’s possibly the boldest move by Bitmap Books yet, and one that absolutely lives up to the lofty heights that author Alexander Chatziioannou sets out in the first few pages.

THE CRPG BOOK: A GUIDE TO COMPUTER ROLE-PLAYING GAMES (EXPANDED EDITION) REVIEW ⚔️ @BitmapBooks #CRPG

The release of a new Bitmap Book is always a good thing, and this expanded edition of The CRPG Book: A Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games weighs in at a mammoth 684 pages and is the perfect sibling to their A Guide to Japanese Role-Paying Games – released back in 2021.

Each of these tomes is beautifully designed, and can be used to fend off burglars, so thick are they with glorious information and imagery. This book, in particular, took me a lot longer than usual to review purely because I was poring over each page, devouring the words and constantly getting side-tracked in marking where I was and then watching YouTube videos on the releases covered therein, because the passion of the text drew me in so much that I yearned to find out as much as I could about the games covered.

I’d had my eye on the CRPG Book since a reprint was announced several months ago, and I vividly recall spending a few moments on the Bitmap Books website genuinely getting lost in the cover art alone.

I’ve said this before, I’m not a student of art, and the visual arts are very much not my forte, so when something grabs me in that aspect, I really enjoy the sensation, a sensation which was spiked upon seeing the cover of this book. The richness of the illustration here absolutely captures the feeling of RPG gaming, where the imagination takes over and boundaries between game and gamer bleed into each other, the sense of dynamism and kineticism in the characters bursting forth from the screen is ‘framed-poster-worthy’ (definitely a term, don’t look it up) in how it almost hypnotises the reader into opening the book and getting lost in the pages. Awesome stuff, thank you Jan Pospíšil!

Bitmap Books – PC Engine - The Box Art Collection Review 🕮 @bitmap_books

Having previously covered Bitmap Books’ Game Boy - The Box Art Collection, my expectations were pretty high for this collection of PC Engine art, as their releases tend to be of extremely high quality in terms of the physical products themselves, as well as the work that goes into the design, research, information, and editing. 

I have to spend a second just high-fiving the packaging that Bitmap Books use. As someone who gets vinyl in the post – a notoriously delicate product - there have been occasions when I’ve actually been nervous when opening parcels due to the condition in which they’ve turned up.

I’m not a snob, but the thought of a warped or bent record sends shivers up my spine! With Bitmap Books, though – this is never an issue, as the packaging is generous, tightly bound and could probably stop a close-range shotgun blast. Good.

I’m Too Young to Die: The Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters Review 💥 @bitmap_books @BrittRecluseuk

We’ve covered several Bitmap Book releases here at GF, and each has been cause for celebration, from the sheer scope of 'A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games' through to the oddly enchanting 'A Gremlin in the Works', their books always get hips deep into their subject matter and yank my trousers off, regardless of how firmly I’ve initially buckled them. 

In the case of I’m Too Young to Die: The Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters, it was the sections on oddities and ultimately unsuccessful titles that had grazes with greatness that really caught my attention.

It was eye-opening to find out just how much experimentation was going on, especially in the world of PC gaming in the mid-’90s, and I found myself marking a page to watch some gameplay footage of these games - that had somehow passed me by in my formative years – before continuing my reading and inevitably repeating the process a few pages later, always a good sign when reading a book such as this.

📖 The King of Fighters : The Ultimate History | Bitmap Books 📖 @bitmap_books

Another Bitmap Books offering means another deep dive into some aspect of video game history. I own Go Straight, the publisher's love letter to side-scrolling beat 'em ups and it's a thing of coffee table-straining beauty.

This 540-page monster delves into what is probably the second most famous one-on-one fighter franchise, SNK's venerable king of Fighters series. This book represents the latest in Bitmap Books' ongoing relationship with the company, following in-depth looks at the Metal Slug series and a visual history of the Neo Geo. This relationship gives the publisher what looks like full access to SNK's archives, as well as the ability to interview what must be most of the past and present contributors to the series.

📖✅ Go Straight: The Ultimate Guide to Side-Scrolling Beat-’em-Ups Review | "I’ll see you at the player select screen" #VideoGameBooks

We’ve been lucky enough to cover some of Bitmap Books’ previous releases, and all have been some of the most impressive tomes to cross our desks, from the likes of the (as far as I’m concerned) legally definitive A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games to the more -surprisingly – emotional hit of A Gremlin in the Works, Bitmap Books are seemingly the pinnacle of quality books for the gaming scene. Perfectly edited, beautifully illustrated and wonderfully written.

👹 A Gremlin In The Works | 1983-2015 | by Bitmap Books | "Quite Frankly - Bitmap Books Have Done It Again." 👹 @hardistymark @bitmap_books

https://www.bitmapbooks.co.uk/products/a-gremlin-in-the-works

When I previously covered Bitmap Books’ A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games (https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/2021/10/bitmap-books-guide-to-japanese-role.html) I felt quite certain that I had read the definitive ‘gaming book’.

It was so rich with information and so well-presented and researched that I couldn’t imagine it really being bettered. It was a pleasant surprise then, when receiving A Gremlin in the Works, as the book had a totally different and arguably bigger impact on me as I read through it.

It’s extremely early days, but following my time with the book, I can very much imagine this ending up in my year-end list for 2022…and it’s currently January.

📕📗📘📙 Bitmap Books – A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games | Available 29th October 2021 📕📗📘📙 @bitmap_books

https://www.bitmapbooks.co.uk/products/a-guide-to-japanese-role-playing-games

Having previously covered – and been extremely impressed by – Bitmap Books’ Game Boy: The Box Art Collection (https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/2021/05/bitmap-books-game-boy-box-art.html), I already knew what to expect from them this time around. Solid, robust packaging, luxurious, glossy paper as well as well-researched and well-presented text augmented by crisp imagery and screenshots. Good.

📘 Bitmap Books – Game Boy: The Box Art Collection | Book Review By Britt | "an extremely tasty tome" 📘 @bitmap_books #RetroGaming #GameBoy

I’ve heard nothing but good things about Bitmap Books’ prior releases and so was keen to get hips deep in this, their most recent project. The book definitely lived up to the weighty expectations and really feels of a high quality throughout its almost 400-page heft.

☆ Book Of The Week: NEOGEO: A VISUAL HISTORY ☆ #Retrogaming

Those awesome chaps at BITMAP BOOKS have sent us some new details on the 

NEO GEO VISUAL HISTORY book that I think will make you want to own this tome opus even more!

☆ Exciting News For All NEO GEO Fans ☆ #Retrogaming #NeoGeo

I've just received some awesome news from BITMAP BOOKS relating to their next exciting retro gaming book.....

It's going to be a Neo Geo Art Book! 

Neo Geo has it's own beautiful art style that is both unique and beautiful, you can truly tell a Neo Geo Game apart from all other systems due to it's lovely brighty chunky sprites that bring so much character to the video games.

Read On For More Info Directly From Bitmap Books................