*Love goes to Britt for sending me this amazing book as an early Christmas Present, what an amazing guy! 💙
PURCHASE LINK:
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.
GEORGE'S GAMING GRIMOIRE. Is a collection of borderline insanity that's been put together by George at Funky Spectrum with the much-appreciated help of some of his long-term collaborators.
It's a book very much designed for adults who either remember the heyday of the home micro scene OR who want to get a glimpse of what it might have been like had the world taken a very different turn in the 1980s.
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!
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.
C64: Polish Pixels in Video Games –
a must-have book for all retro gaming enthusiasts
C64 - Polish Pixels in Video Games: Book
Let's dive into the retro stage of gaming with C64: Polish Pixels in Video Games, a book about the miracle that is games created for the Commodore 64 computer. Back the project now on Indiegogo and get a game published by Movie Games!
Back the project now on Indiegogo
C64: Polish Pixels in Video Games is a coffee-table style book where the author, Krzysiek Augustyn, invites readers on an extraordinary visual journey through Polish games developed for the Commodore 64 computer, spanning from the 1980s to today. Yes, the C64 is still alive thanks to its creators! The descriptions of these productions are adorned with exclusive interviews, photographs, trivia, and stories from the developers.
Jump into the rad world of the Commodore 64. It's way more than a look-back – it's a lively story that high-fives the trailblazing Polish C64 game makers and the awesome demoscene crew.
Get ready for a deep dive into the cool and creative world that popped up during some pretty intense times. You'll get to check out the Polish games that rocked the world's best-selling computer. Plus, we're digging into the C64 demoscene – those art and coding wizards who are now a proud part of Poland's cultural scene, thanks to UNESCO.
We're talking about the hurdles faced by legends like California Dreams, and giving you the scoop on epic games like Blockout and Street Rod. Each page is crammed with eye-popping visuals and stories.
And it's not just about the games. We're sharing the real-deal stories from the peeps who were there, showing how these adventures shaped their lives.
"I'm proud that Movie Games can support such brilliant initiatives. The preservation of video games is a topic very close to my heart, as it should be for all gamers and video game fans," says Piotr Gnyp, Movie Games CMO.
And who is the author? Let him introduce himself!
Hey there! I'm Krzysiek, but you can call me Chris. I'm stoked to bring you along on my C64 journey with this book. Born in the late 70s in Gliwice, Poland, my love for computers kicked off early and just never stopped.
Been in the C64 scene since the early 90s. It wasn't just about playing games; it was about being part of a crew that was all about pushing what these cool 8-bit machines could do. I didn't just play games; I made them. Yep, I coded six games for the C64 and even founded the Inflexion Development team, known for some top-notch Polish games in the 90s.
Coding's not just a job for me; it's what gets me up in the morning. This led me to run one of Poland's biggest electronic entertainment websites, Virtual Poland / Games Empire, from 2006 to 2010. Got to really dive into the gaming world there.
I also started PolishPixels, a site all about retro gaming, and co-created the GameStory TV series, bringing classic video game stories to life. It's been a wild ride, reliving and sharing these epic game tales that have shaped so much of our culture.
This book? It's my way of taking you back to the golden days of the C64, shining a light on the awesome Polish side of the story that not everyone knows about.
Preorder the book by backing it up and get a free Movie Games title with your pledge!
Back the project now on Indiegogo
About Movie Games
Movie Games is a Polish game developer and publisher, listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
The company was founded by game enthusiasts with experience in the financial, gaming, and media sectors. It consists of new talents and industry veterans, including Maciej Miąsik, the key developer behind The Witcher, and David Jaffe, the creator of God of War, Piotr Gnyp, a longtime video game journalist and the creator of Polygamia.pl, and Tobiasz Piątkowski, one of Poland’s most acclaimed art directors and comic book writers.
Movie Games’ portfolio includes adventure games (the Lust series) and simulators (Drug Dealer Simulator, Gas Station Simulator, MythBusters: The Game, and Alaskan Road Truckers).
Today I received the latest expanded and remastered 4th Edition of 40 Best Machine Code Routines for the ZX Spectrum book.
The book features the full original text from the original 1983 release that was written by John Hardman and Andrew Hewson.
As an added bonus there are now new forewords from both original authors which does a great job of putting the book into context.
There’s also all-new content from legendary programmer and Spectrum Next founding member Jim Bagley.
As an added bonus there’s new cover art by Mike Berry of Old Skool Pixels fame.
And at the end of the book there’s a great appendix full of ZX Spectrum Memories which is a delight to read!
If you like what you see then Head over to huey games.com to grab your copy for £18.99.
Rich gets to grips with the GAMEBOOK from Ninty Media. This Kickstarted funded Gameboy book is a beautifully made book and Rich shows you a sneak peek of the one he was sent by the lovely folks at Ninty Media.
From glorious 16K wonders such as Deathchase and Jet Pac to extreme-value budget releases like Booty and Rebelstar and the beautiful games of Pete Cooke and Raffaele Cecco, ZX Dreams celebrates all those games we played – and loved.
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.
This is the second book published by Fusion Retro Books that I have covered this year, and I own several others by them that I’ve picked up over the years and it’s all been very good stuff. This 300-page hardback continues the trend of high quality releases, and celebrates those oh-so-often movie, TV, and product tie-ins that were released so freely across the cluttered 8-bit landscape. Author Jerry Ellis crams as much gold as he can in those 300 pages, covering a huge amount of movie, TV, comic, product and even board-game tie-ins in a style that blends humour, insight, research and approachability.
I have a little bit of personal history with Graeme, in that it was through his contacting me through Retro Gamer magazine for a ‘Collectors Corner’ article that my now evil editor endgame boss, Rich, caught wind of my existence and asked me to begin writing for The Mighty Games Freezer waaay back in 2017 –I definitely owe Graeme a pint at some point!
It was a pleasure to learn more about ZX Nightmares and also to find out where Graeme’s pixelated quill will take us next.
I hope you enjoy this article about one of the most active writers in the retro gaming scene today. 📖
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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!
Originally published to huge acclaim and popularity in 1984, with over 12 million copies sold, Joe Dever’s classic Lone Wolf gamebook series have been fan favourites ever since but not widely available.
Author Joe Dever passed away from cancer in 2016. It was his final wish that his son, Ben, complete the remaining unfinished books in the series and bring all of the books back into print for a new audience.
I was lucky enough to get to share a few emails with Ben, talking about the rich history of Lone Wolf, as well as what the future holds for this incredible, long-lasting series.
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.
A couple of years ago, I was in a charity shop in my home town of Cardiff and saw a good number of Fighting Fantasy books for sale and grabbed them all. After reading a couple, the fun of the experience set back in and it sparked some conversations with friends – especially my GF colleague Max – as the design of the books is timeless, and there’s universal accessibility in them that I’ll touch upon later.
In short, the chance to write about Joe Dever’s Flight in the Dark could not have been more timely.
Originally published to huge acclaim and popularity in 1984, with over 12 million copies sold, Joe Dever’s classic Lone Wolf gamebook series have been fan favourites ever since but not widely available.
Author Joe Dever passed away from cancer in 2016. It was his final wish that his son, Ben, complete the remaining unfinished books in the series and bring all of the books back into print for a new audience.
