Reverse Design

Reverse Design
Author: Patrick Holleman
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 139
Release: 2018-09-03
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 042983425X

The Reverse Design series looks at all of the design decisions that went into classic video games. This is the second installment in the Reverse Design series, looking at Chrono Trigger. Written in a readable format, it is broken down into four sections examining some of the most important topics to the game: Analyzes how the designers use gameplay to preserve and embellish the surprises in the plot Explains how Chrono Trigger is really two different games: the Tragedy of the Entity and the Comedy of the Sages. Highlights how the two games differ in terms of tone, linearity, player choice and in the pacing of their content. Key Features Comprehensive definitions of key concepts and terms, introducing the reader to the basic knowledge about the study of RPG design Summary of historical context of Chrono Trigger how it came to be, how it influenced other games, and how it manipulated players through expectations they had about the RPG genre Extensive collections of data and data visualizations explaining how Chrono Trigger’s systems work and how the game’s challenges increase in complexity as the player gets deeper into the content

Chrono Trigger

Chrono Trigger
Author: Michael P. Williams
Publisher: Boss Fight Books
Total Pages: 123
Release: 2014
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1940535018

A deep dive into the classic SNES game many consider the high point in the entire RPG genre.

The Ultimate Reference Guide to Chrono Trigger

The Ultimate Reference Guide to Chrono Trigger
Author: BlackNES Guy
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 136
Release: 2018-03-30
Genre:
ISBN: 9781987408966

Think you know Chrono Trigger? Think again!! This is the ultimate reference guide to Chrono Trigger on the SNES; part of The Ultimate Guide series from bestselling author The BlackNES Guy!! This book has over 100 full-color pages which allows you to cover the quest on your own while giving you all of the information needed to succeed. Change the course of history! Travel through time, meet friends along the way, and save Earth's past, present, and future! ****FREE -- Get the Ultimate Guide to the SNES Classic Edition FREE when you purchase this book! Build Your Team. Character descriptions, Stats, and tables explaining their special Techniques help you choose the best team in each situation. Feel confident in the characters you choose! Know Your Enemies. Full tables containing information on every enemy you will face, from tiny creatures to the most difficult bosses. Explore the Eras. Full-color world maps of every era show you important locations to inspect. Complete Every Ending. Full descriptions and explanations of the game's multiple endings give you the information to access every ending yourself. Learn how your choices through time affect the present and future. Complete the Game Without a Walkthrough. This book is for gamers who want to play without step by step instructions. Explore the game and discover each new encounter at your own pace. And So Much More. Like the original game, this reference guide has many areas to explore. Whether you want to master the basics or discover hidden secrets, the information inside this book will help you play with confidence. Take your Chrono Trigger knowledge to the next level with The Ultimate Guide! Scroll up and BUY YOURS TODAY!!!

Final Fantasy V

Final Fantasy V
Author: Chris Kohler
Publisher: Boss Fight Books
Total Pages: 111
Release: 2017
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1940535182

When Final Fantasy V was released for the Japanese Super Famicom in 1992, the game was an instant hit, selling two million copies in the first two months alone. With a groundbreaking job system that combined the usual character classes like knights, thieves, and mages with offbeat classes such as chemists, dancers, and bards, the game appeared to be a shoo-in for North American distribution. But the game was dubbed "too hardcore" for a Western audience and was swapped out with Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, a simplistic new game tailor-made for Americans. That didn't stop a teenage Chris Kohler from tracking down Final Fantasy V. The young RPG fan got a Japanese copy of the game, used it to teach himself Japanese, and with the help of some internet companions created the first-ever comprehensive English-language FAQ of the game. As the internet narrowed the cultural gap between the East and West more each year, the game was eventually translated into English for the PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, and iOS. Fans in the West finally got to learn what all the fuss was about. Now the acclaimed author of Power-Up and an editor at Kotaku, Kohler is revisiting the game that started his career in games journalism. Based on new, original interviews with Final Fantasy V's director, Hironobu Sakaguchi, as well as previously untranslated interviews with the rest of the development team, Kohler's book weaves history and criticism to examine one of the Final Fantasy series's greatest and most overlooked titles.

Chrono Cross Official Strategy Guide

Chrono Cross Official Strategy Guide
Author: Dan Birlew
Publisher:
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2000
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 9780744000009

This BradyGAMES strategy guide contains thorough maps for parallel worlds and comprehensive side quest coverage. It includes bestiary and weapons, armor, accessories, and elements lists. Detailed walkthrough reveals all side quests and strategies for every important battle. Color interior.

Creating Q*bert and Other Classic Video Arcade Games

Creating Q*bert and Other Classic Video Arcade Games
Author: Warren Davis
Publisher: Santa Monica Press
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2022-01-11
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 1595807853

Creating Q*bert and Other Classic Video Arcade Games takes you inside the video arcade game industry during the classic decades of the 1980s and 1990s. Warren Davis, the creator of the groundbreaking Q*bert, worked as a member of the creative teams who developed some of the most popular video games of all time, including Joust 2, Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, and Revolution X. In a witty and entertaining narrative, Davis shares insightful stories that offer a behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to work as a designer and programmer at the most influential and dominant video arcade game manufacturers of the era, including Gottlieb, Williams/Bally/Midway, and Premiere. Likewise, the talented artists, designers, creators, and programmers Davis has collaborated with over the years reads like a who’s who of video gaming history: Eugene Jarvis, Tim Skelly, Ed Boon, Jeff Lee, Dave Thiel, John Newcomer, George Petro, Jack Haegar, and Dennis Nordman, among many others. The impact Davis has had on the video arcade game industry is deep and varied. At Williams, Davis created and maintained the revolutionary digitizing system that allowed actors and other photo-realistic imagery to be utilized in such games as Mortal Kombat, T2, and NBA Jam. When Davis worked on the fabled Us vs. Them, it was the first time a video game integrated a live action story with arcade-style graphics. On the one-of-a-kind Exterminator, Davis developed a brand new video game hardware system, and created a unique joystick that sensed both omni-directional movement and rotation, a first at that time. For Revolution X, he created a display system that simulated a pseudo-3D environment on 2D hardware, as well as a tool for artists that facilitated the building of virtual worlds and the seamless integration of the artist’s work into game code. Whether you’re looking for insights into the Golden Age of Arcades, would like to learn how Davis first discovered his design and programming skills as a teenager working with a 1960s computer called a Monrobot XI, or want to get the inside scoop on what it was like to film the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band Aerosmith for Revolution X, Davis’s memoir provides a backstage tour of the arcade and video game industry during its most definitive and influential period.

Balam, Spring

Balam, Spring
Author: Travis Riddle
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 422
Release: 2018-02-10
Genre:
ISBN: 9781984949806

Balam is a sleepy town on the eastern coast of Atlua, surrounded by forest and sea. It's a village where nothing happens and everybody knows each other. But now, people are dying. School is out for the spring, and schoolteacher Theodore Saen is ready to spend the next few months relaxing with his family. But when the town's resident white mage falls ill and several townspeople begin to show similar symptoms, they must call on a new mage. Aava has freshly graduated from the nearby mage academy when she is swiftly hired to deduce the cause of the unknown illness and craft a cure before the entire town is afflicted. Aiding her is an ex-mercenary named Ryckert who keeps to himself but has grown bored with retirement and is itching for a new investigation when a suspicious young man appears in the local pub the same night the sickness begins to spread. On top of it all, whatever is causing the sickness seems to be attracting strange insectoid creatures from the surrounding woods, desecrating the bodies of the victims and tearing through anyone unlucky enough to cross their path. Theo, Aava, and Ryckert must come together to discover the cause of the illness and put a stop to it before there is nobody left alive in Balam.

Power-Up

Power-Up
Author: Chris Kohler
Publisher: Courier Dover Publications
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2016-10-10
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 0486816427

Enjoyable and informative examination of how Japanese video game developers raised the medium to an art form. Includes interviews, anecdotes, and accounts of industry giants behind Donkey Kong, Mario, Pokémon, and other games.

Interactive Storytelling for Video Games

Interactive Storytelling for Video Games
Author: Josiah Lebowitz
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 333
Release: 2012-09-10
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 113612733X

What really makes a video game story interactive? What's the best way to create an interactive story? How much control should players be given? Do they really want that control in the first place? Do they even know what they want-or are their stated desires at odds with the unconscious preferences? All of these questions and more are examined in this definitive book on interactive storytelling for video games. You'll get detailed descriptions of all major types of interactive stories, case studies of popular games (including Bioshock, Fallout 3, Final Fantasy XIII, Heavy Rain, and Metal Gear Solid), and how players interact with them, and an in-depth analysis of the results of a national survey on player storytelling preferences in games. You'll get the expert advice you need to generate compelling and original game concepts and narratives.With Interactive Storytelling for Video Games, you'll:

The Legend of Dragon Quest

The Legend of Dragon Quest
Author: Daniel Andreyev
Publisher: Third Editions
Total Pages: 215
Release: 2019-05-21
Genre: Games & Activities
ISBN: 2377842313

Discover all the secrets and mechanics of the famous Japanese video game Dragon Quest ! This book looks back at the entire Dragon Quest saga, tells the story of the series' birth, retraces its history and deciphers its mechanics. In this book, the author shares us all his expertise and his passion in Japanese gaming to decipher the creation and the story of this saga and his creator, Yuji Horii. EXTRAIT Even with only limited knowledge of Japanese and somewhat difficult technical conditions, the story was very well told. This was perhaps what surprised players most. Dragon Quest V is a large family cycle of emotions, as transparent as an epic tale by Alexandre Dumas, the author of famous works such as The Three Musketeers. In the end, I was lucky that my first taste of the series was this excellent episode, since VI was far more extravagant, with its tales of parallel universes and heroes traveling on flying beds. A slightly puzzling game, but not without levity nor offbeat humor. One of the most emotional moments of Dragon Quest V is when we end up going back in time to change the past, thus saving the future. The time travel theme has been so often used in science fiction, particularly during the 1980s, that it should have left me impassive. It was not even the first time I had experienced it in a video game. But this adventure, with its simple graphics and persistent melodies, glanced lightly upon feelings that leave no one unmoved. “What would I have done differently if I could have changed things” is a very common concept used in fiction, from A Distant Neighborhood by Jirô Taniguchi to the Quantum Leap series. Well-told, it is so simple and so effective that it affects each and every one of us. CE QU'EN PENSE LA CRITIQUE Un libre passionnant que j'ai dévoré au point de rogner sur mes heures de sommeil. Ici, l'auteur ne nous bassine pas avec des tartines de textes pour nous conter avec détails l'histoire de chaque épisode, les ventes incommensurables de la série ou encore un almanach des jeux estampillés DraQue. - Kaisermeister, Sens Critique Un livre plein d’anecdotes qui feront vibrer votre corde nostalgique et qui donne envie, une fois terminé, de replonger dans l'aventure. - neotsubasa, Sens Critique C'est une biographie très détaillée, riche en anecdotes et bien romancée, Yuji Horii est un personnage fascinant au CV bien rempli et la genèse de la saga est tout aussi passionnante à tel point que j'ai parfois eu du mal à décrocher. - Nixotane, Sens Critique À PROPOS DE L'AUTEUR Daniel Andreyev is an author and journalist of Russian origin. His career in video game journalism began twenty years ago, during the golden years of video gaming, with Player One, Consoles + and Animeland, with a particular interest in Japan. Having spent some time on translation, he is now part of the New Games Journalism movement, which places the player at the heart of the video game experience. He produces the After Hate and Super Ciné Battle podcasts. He also trades memories with his friends in Gaijin Dash, the Gamekult show on Japanese video games. He is a fan of far too many things to list them all here. But when he is not writing, not watching a movie, not reading comics and graphic novels, not climbing mountains or exploring ruined buildings, he might be cooking, exercising or dreaming of one day owning a dog.