Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time

by Loguidice; Bill

• ISBN13: 9780240811468
• ISBN10: 0240811461
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2009-02-18
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Vintage Games explores the most influential videogames of all time, including Super Mario Bros., Grand Theft Auto III, Doom, The Sims and many more. Drawing on interviews as well as the authors' own lifelong experience with videogames, the book discusses each game's development, predecessors, critical reception, and influence on the industry. It also features hundreds of full-color screenshots and images, including rare photos of game boxes and other materials. Vintage Games is the ideal book for game enthusiasts and professionals who desire a broader understanding of the history of videogames and their evolution from a niche to a global market. *Explores the gameplay, history, development, and influence of the most important videogames of all time *Includes material from interviews, contemporary reviews, manuals, and other primary and secondary sources *Identifies and analyzes the key concepts behind each videogame *Features hundreds of exclusive, full-color images

Table of Contents

Introduction (purpose, background, etc.)

XI. will each cover elements of the following: General Game Summary (history/development/description as it only relates specifically to the game; what games came before and/or may have influenced this game, but were not ultimately influential en masse like this game) Play mechanics/Version variations (how the game is designed/played, what the differences are on each platform the game in question was released on, etc.) Why the game had an impact Games that it directly influenced (including sequels and spiritual successors) and what, if any, major play mechanics found their way into other games, with descriptions of those other games (weaving in interviews and other quotes) Post mortem on the good and the bad parts of the game's influences/legacy, as well as what went right with the original game and what went wrong and how some of the later influenced games fixed and broke things THE GAME SELECTION

Alone in the Dark (PC, 1993) - Survival horror, use of 3D in pre-rendered 2D environments

Castle Wolfenstein (Apple II, 1981) - Stealth adventure genre

Dance Dance Revolution (arcade, 1998 (home consoles and computers a bit later and what may have caused the actual influence)) - (Was this the first? Certainly the first popular, which should be a consideration) - Highly influential on "non-game" type of games, ones where performance is the game, be it on a dance pad, using a controller, using maracas, using a guitar, using drums, etc.; Really the only successful non-standard peripherals outside of light guns, and probably has far eclipsed how popular those ever were or could be

Defender (arcade, 1980) - Game more than one screen, first game with a mini-map that represented what was happening in the oversized game world, return to more complex game mechanics of games like Computer Space

Diablo (PC, 1996) - Action RPG (modern incarnation of Rogue/Dandy/Gauntlet; started a trend towards simplification of more obtuse elements again)

Doom (PC, 1993) - Nowhere near the first, but certainly the most influential, setting many standards/conventions that others followed (possibly might replace with Wolfenstein 3D?); user created levels and modifications

Dragon Warrior (NES, 1986) - Began the transition from western-influenced CRPGs to a different beast entirely, the JRPG; Final Fantasy VII (PS1, 1997) could also be a candidate as that prized cut scenes and linear play as much as it did any traditional play elements

Dune II: The Battle for Arrakis (PC, 1993) - Could also argue for Herzog Zwei (Genesis, 1991) or Military Madness (TG-16, 1990) on the console side, or simply give the nod to Warcraft (PC, 1994) for injecting personality; Cytron Masters, Rescue Raiders

Elite (BBC Micro, Acorn Electron, C-64, etc., 1984) - Sandbox flight sim

Flight Simulator (Apple II/TRS-80, 1977/78) - Set the standard for all flight games to follow, with simulated 3D views and instrument panel

Grand Theft Auto III (PS2, 2001) - The definitive sandbox game (obviously many pre-cursors must be mentioned) that was the first breakout commercial success for such games, spawned many clones

John Madden Football (Apple II, 1989; Genesis, 1992?) - Set requirements for other sports games, highly influential (and not necessarily in a good way)

King's Quest (PCjr, 1984) - Transitionary step from text and graphics adventures to adventure games

Pac-Man (arcade, 1980) - Collecting aspect very influential and the idea of power-ups, (Ms. Pac-Man added cut-scenes)

Pinball Construction Set (Apple II, 1982/3) - User-generated game boards, user-generated content, drag and drop interface, etc.

Pole Position (Arcade, 1982) - Racing game paradigms

Pong (arcade, 1972) - Influence on simplicity and accessibility, non-violent approach, play model still in use today

Robotr

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.