The Video Games Guide: 1,000+ Arcade, Console and Computer Games, 1962-2012, 2d ed.

The Video Games Guide is the world’s most comprehensive reference book on computer and video games. Presented in an A to Z format, The Video Games Guide spans fifty years of game design–from the very earliest (1962’s ‘Spacewar’) through the present day releases on the PlayStation3, Xbox360, Wii and PC. Each game entry lists the year of release, the hardware it was released on, the name of the developer/publisher, a one to five star rating, and an informative review of the game itself. These reviews are written by gaming expert Matt Fox and include fascinating nuggets of trivia, historical relevancies, cross-referencing with other titles, information on each game’s sequels and of course the author’s own views and insights into the game. In addition to the main entries and reviews, another section provides a visual timeline of gaming through the decades, and there are also several detailed appendices which further help to place the nearly 3,000 listed games into proper context. Appendices include: a chronological listing of all gaming software and hardware (with written retrospectives on the most significant games consoles and computers), biographies of all named game designers, results of annual video game awards, sourcing video games, and a glossary of gaming terms. A comprehensive index completes the book.