Ultra Massive Video Game Console Guide Volume 1

The photo presentation of these game systems and software is great. The photography will highlight not only the hardware variations but also classic game software box / label art with full-page and the occasional 2-page spread. The key hardware images are unusual. While most of the detail shots are what you would expect—extracted on a white background—some key images are shot outdoors in natural light. For example, a Genesis Model 3 on a post in front of a lighthouse, or a NES Advantage joystick sitting in a field of grass. It's a weird idea that works, probably because mobile gaming has passed a tipping point where it's not so unusual to imagine playing a video game outside while sitting on a log. Interesting juxtaposition to make the tethered consoles and controllers "mobile". (Game Boy on the beach, however, was always a thing.) It's not just a photo book. For each featured system in this book is a full-page+ advice section on how to start a collection. For example, "Start Your Game Boy Collection." What I like about these lists is they primarily focus on games that are fun & affordable, rather than rare & expensive. Caveat: collecting for certain consoles will draw relatively higher prices overall. It's focus on games to be played rather than DISplayed is notable. If someone wanted to start a collection for a particular retro game system, these are ready-made starter shopping lists for the marketplace at next year's game convention. I have to say, I appreciated this volume even more when a buddy of mine came over and loved it too. I'm like, "hey check out this book I just got." And we're thumbing through the book (paperback edition) and my friend is really interested: "OMG I had that. Oh that one too! Wow that [Intellivision] was ugly. What the [heck] is an Odyssey 2? Never heard of it. Wait, Game Boy had a Printer? That's ridiculous!" And so on. Looking forward to the next volume, which I hope will include a full-page photo of a Colecovision Super Action Controller artfully positioned in a quarry pit.

I am a fan of the classic game room program and a fan of the review stylings of the author, Mark Bussler. I was not sure how this style would translate to the print medium. My worries were unfounded. The written word is a delightful delivery mechanism for the CGR style. Whilst reading the book, curled up in front of my fireplace, glass of single malt scotch resting comfortably next to me, hunting hound at my feet, I hear the author's voice in my head as the words pass before my eyes. Have I been transported to 2085? Is Mark in the room with me? No, those dulcet tones are just in my head. The above was really a commentary on my enjoyment of cgr , but this book has very nice photography, starter guides for new collectors, and commentary with that Bussler pizzaz. Just be forewarned, this is a product of a tamer version of Sega fan boy Mark but he is fair and balanced in his assessments. Looking forward to volume 2. The content is very good but the paper quality and cover is a step below that of pay contri's nes guidebook. That book is also much more expensive so the step down in material quality is not unexpected. Well worth the money I spent on this book

Ultra Massive Video Game Console Guide is a great video game book. If you're a long time fan of video games you'll enjoy the memories it will give you. If you're a younger game player, who is interested in what came before, you'll enjoy it. If you're a die-hard collector who already knows a bunch of stuff, you still just may find a few surprises in here. Mark Bussler has clearly spent hundreds of hours painstakingly photographing vintage hardware. The photography in this book is wonderful. In fact, if you just love photography, you may just want this book. As advertised, it does have some pretty good overviews of each of the platforms covered inside. It also does have some good suggestions on games for a person to pick up if they're just getting into collecting games. There's also a lot of humor in it for old timers, and newcomers alike. There really isn't too much I can fault with in this book aside from one typographical error (Street Fighter II Turbo was referenced as Champion Edition). Other than that one issue, it's a great book. Now the book doesn't go into deep technical specs of the platforms inside, or go into in depth looks at the lives of industry pioneers. So if you're looking for a book that will tell you all about the life of Nolan Bushnell or the design of the MOS 6502 chip variant in the Atari 2600, you'll want something else. But if you want a laid back book, choc full of great video game stuff, and some advice on where to build a collection, I think you'll enjoy Ultra Massive Video Game Console Guide.

This book is great. It has very high detail photos of the game systems in very unexpected places, but more importantly, it's just a great guide that provides an overview for a lot of game systems. It also has recommendations for people who want to get into collecting for any of them and they are practical suggestions that typically include some cheap selections some not-so-cheap selections and good description for each so you can decide which one is for you. This book is a great way for retro game collectors to branch out and discover new systems that they may not be familiar with and start collecting for them. It's also a celebration of classic systems that most game collectors are aware of. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in retro video games or video game collecting.

Great photos, this is a nice relaxing book to enjoy outside with a beer!

If you are interested in collecting vintage video games, this is a must buy. A guide to many classic game systems and their best games from an expert collector. Informative and beautifully photographed, and as laugh-out-loud funny as one would expect from the creator of Classic Game Room.

Ultra Massive Video Game Console Guide Volume 1 is a interesting book that is for sure. However it is not perfect. Writen and done by Mak Bussler from the iconic Internet review show Classic Game Room, it is heavily influence by it's personality which means that diversity in games is quite subjective. You better love spaceship shooter because it's video game genre that is going to be feature on almost every platform. Other than this little grippe that might annoy new collector / player to a specific console, some of the details, descriptions and informations is a little bit fuzzy or simple. That said! The rest is quite good. Page layout, recommendation and content is excellent. The picturse feature in this book are beautiful. It is really nice to have video games being capture in such a beautiful way. I do recommend this book, but I would suggest the second one first since it's by one star better than the first one (this book) Ultra Massive Video Game Console Guide Volume 1

Great book filled with tons of info and Mark's unique humour, would recommend to anyone interested in video games