VGC | John – Page 21 – Video Game Canon

Tim Lapetino and Arjan Terpstra Will Publish “Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon” in Summer 2021

Tim Lapetino spent all of 2020 plumbing the depths of Pac-Man for daily updates for his Twitter account, 365ofPac. But this project wasn’t just a fun distraction, it was also research for his next book… Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon.

Set to be published by Cook and Becker this Summer, Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon will look back at “historical imagery” and “concept designs” from the game’s genesis, as well as check in with an international cast of characters that helped make Pac-Man a star.

Co-written by Arjan Terpstra, and created with the full assistance of Bandai Namco, the book promises to explore the complete 40-year history behind one of video gaming’s first franchises:

Full of historical imagery, concept designs, marketing photos and more, the book examines the game’s design philosophy and origins through the artists, designers, developers, and other creative teams who brought Pac-Man to life.

This new non-fiction book will journey from creator Toru Iwatani’s “pizza slice” inspiration to the game’s incredible success in arcades and beyond. The book also dives into Pac-Man’s unprecedented impact on pop culture, with more than 40 new interviews from key players around the world.

With untold stories, new details, and archival imagery, Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon showcases the franchise’s complex history from Tokyo to Chicago to Boston, unpacking the stories of video game industry stalwarts Namco and Midway Manufacturing.

In addition to the “Standard Hardcover Edition”, Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon will also be available in a “Collector’s Edition” that comes packaged in a Pac-Man-shaped slipcase. Inside, readers will be treated to an exclusive arcade token and a brand-new 7″ vinyl pressing of “Pac-Man Fever” by Buckner & Garcia.

27th Release from Boss Fight Books, “Silent Hill 2,” Emerges from the Fog

Konami’s Silent Hill launched for the PlayStation in 1999 as a moodier alternative to Capcom’s Resident Evil. Created by a team of outcasts within the company known as Team Silent, the game’s potent mix of otherworldly visuals and atmospheric audio rewrote all the rules of the burgeoning “survival horror” genre.

And just two years later, the team did it again on the PS2 with a sequel.

Comedian Mike Drucker (who has credits on Full Frontal With Samantha Bee, Bill Nye Saves the World, and Adam Ruins Everything) might seem like an odd choice to explore the foggy corners of the titular town for Boss Fight Books, but that’s exactly who the publishing label turned to for their 27th book, Silent Hill 2:

A troubled man travels to a mysterious town from his past after receiving a letter from his wife… who’s been dead for years. And while our “hero” explores dark corridors and battles countless disturbing enemies, his journey offers more psychological horror than survival horror. Welcome to Silent Hill, where the monster is you.

Silent Hill 2 doubles down on what made the first game so compelling: The feeling of being lost in a foggy, upside-down town as unsettling as it is familiar. Nearly two decades after first experiencing Silent Hill 2, writer and comedian Mike Drucker returns to its dark depths to explore how this bold video game delivers an experience that is tense, nightmarish, and anything but fun.

With an in-depth and highly personal study of its tragic cast of characters, and a critical examination of developer Konami’s world design and uneven marketing strategy, Drucker examines how Silent Hill 2 forces its players to grapple with the fact that very real-world terrors of trauma, abuse, shame, and guilt are far more threatening than any pyramid-headed monster could ever be.

Silent Hill 2 is now available to purchase directly from Boss Fight Books, as well as through other online retailers.

Reyan Ali’s “NBA Jam” to Become a Feature-Length Documentary

Variety is reporting that Reyan Ali’s NBA Jam, a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of one of the greatest sports games of all time, will soon be adapted into a feature-length documentary.

BestCrosses Studios will produce the film alongside veteran documentarian Sean Menard, who previously directed 2016’s Fight Mom and 2017’s The Carter Effect.

As part of the announcement, Menard shared a few words about what NBA Jam meant to him as a basketball fan back in the early 90s:

“When ‘NBA Jam’ hit the arcade, I was barely tall enough to reach the joystick and view the screen at the same time,” says Menard. “But while literally standing on my toes, I was completely immersed in a game that allowed me the creative freedom to perform out-of-this world feats of athleticism. This was during a tipping point for the NBA as the league was bursting with excitement and culture that was appealing to a younger fan base.

“Our film is more than just an original story about the most successful sports game of all time. There are various sub-plots that detail how gaming was transitioning from arcades to home entertainment and how it would eventually lead to the demise of Midway,” adds Menard.

Reyan Ali’s NBA Jam was originally published by Boss Fight Books in 2019 and features interviews with many of the game’s developers (including Mark Turmell and Sal DiVita), announcer Tim Kitzrow, and NBA greats such as Shaquille O’Neal. In a perfect world, all of these larger-than-life personalities should get a call to appear in the documentary.

It’s unknown when (or where) we’ll be able to see the film, but I know my anticipation for its debut is certainly heating up.

Searching for the Perfect Trivia Video Game: Jeopardy!, 1 Vs 100, and HQ Trivia

Video game players have been searching for the perfect trivia game since the very beginning… and I mean that literally. Nutting’s Computer Quiz coin-op, which was first released in the 1960s, served as the precursor to both Computer Space and Pong.

After more than 50 years, developers are still trying to figure out what players want from a trivia game. It’s a good question, as the answer has eluded pretty much everyone.

But there are times when everything clicks into place, and though the genre is built on a bevy of game show adaptations, developers have also produced some fun and interesting experiments over the years. Let’s look at a few.

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GamingBible’s Editors Select “The Greatest Video Games of All Time” to Celebrate the Site’s Relaunch

GamingBible opened the doors to their redesigned website last month, but this rollout didn’t just consist of a new coat of pixels on their digital digs. The British outlet also published “The Greatest Video Games of All Time,” their first-ever Best Games list.

Starting out with Codemasters’s Dirt Rally at #100, GamingBible’s editors tapped ten titles with their first appearance on a Best Games list, including Soma (#96), TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (#95), Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (#83), Total War: Warhammer II (#81), RuneScape (#62), Oxenfree (#56), and 2017’s Prey (#40).

A pair of gems from 2020, Supergiant’s Hades (#48) and Moon’s Ori and the Will of the Wisps (#75), made an instant impact on players and wasted no time in qualifying for a Best Games list.

While GamingBible dug up a few forgotten favorites for their list, the Top Ten looks very familiar, including The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at #1. Link’s newest mainline adventure was followed by CD Projekt’s The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (#2), Valve’s Portal 2 (#3), Mojang’s Minecraft (#4), Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (#5), Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V (#6), Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us (#7), Nintendo’s Super Mario Galaxy (#8) and Super Mario Bros. 3 (#9), and Bungie’s Halo 3 (#10).

GamingBible’s “The Greatest Video Games of All Time” will be included in the next update to the Video Game Canon, which will be published later this year.

Game History Secrets Uncovers the WorkBoy, The Simpsons: Hit & Run 2, and This Is Vegas

Liam Robertson was very busy this past year. The journalist produced multiple new videos for his Game History Secrets series, uncovering the facts about unreleased passion projects such as the fabled WorkBoy peripheral, Midway’s This Is Vegas, and Radical Entertainment’s The Simpsons: Hit & Run 2.

While the latter two games share a common lineage with Rockstar’s explosive Grand Theft Auto franchise, the discovery of the WorkBoy is no less exciting. So let’s travel back in time and learn more about two massive open-world adventures and an organizer for your Game Boy.

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Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II Wins “Game of the Year” at the 2020 Game Awards

The winners of the 2020 Game Awards were announced last night, and in a bit of a surprise, Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us Part II won “Game of the Year” at the close of the ceremony.

The critical reaction to Naughty Dog’s sequel was decidedly mixed after its release in June, and fans have likewise been extremely divided in their opinions about the game. But its cinematic story of violence and vengeance certainly won over the judging panel at the Game Awards. In addition to “Game of the Year,” The Last of Us Part II collected statuettes for “Best Game Direction,” “Best Narrative,” “Best Audio Design,” “Best Action/Adventure Game,” “Innovation in Accessibility,” and “Best Performance” (for Laura Bailey’s Abby).

While The Last of Us Part II was the big winner at the 2020 Game Awards, three other games still managed to walk away with multiple awards. Supergiant’s Hades was crowned “Best Indie Game” and “Best Action Game.” Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII Remake earned “Best Role Playing Game” and “Best Score and Music.” And InnerSloth’s Among Us, which was originally released in 2018, claimed “Best Mobile Game” and “Best Multiplayer.”

A video replay of the 2020 Game Awards can be found after the break, along with more winners (including Half-Life: Alyx, Ghost of Tsushima, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Microsoft Flight Simulator), and all the nominees.

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GOTY Flashback: 2005 Spike Video Game Awards

Geoff Keighley will present the 2020 Game Awards to the best games from this past year on December 10th.

But first, let’s travel back in time to his earlier awards show gig, the Spike Video Game Awards, and see what was big in gaming in… 2005.

The 2005 Spike Video Game Awards were also held on a 10th of December, which was just days after the launch of the Xbox 360 and the beginning of a new generation for consoles. Promising high definition graphics and out-of-the-box online play, the Xbox 360 offered console gamers something they had never seen before. So it wasn’t too surprising that the console’s showcase game, King King: The Official Game of the Movie, lead all titles with seven nominations (though not one for “Game of the Year”).

2005 was also the year that the PC platform came roaring back in a big way with the release of Blizzard’s World of Warcraft, which was one of the frontrunners for “Game of the Year.” The massively popular game did battle against Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty 2, Monolith’s F.E.A.R., and Sony Santa Monica’s God of War for the prize, but it was Resident Evil 4 that took home the trophy. Capcom’s reinvention of the franchise put a nice capper on the GameCube/PS2/Xbox generation while also grabbing the award for “Best Graphics.”

However, all the “Game of the Year” nominees would get their chance to step into the spotlight.

World of Warcraft claimed victory as the “Best PC Game” and “Best RPG.” Call of Duty 2 captured the award for “Best Military Game.” F.E.A.R. scared up the prize for “Best First Person Action.” And God of War smashed its way to the stage to collect “Best Action Game” and “Designer of the Year” for David Jaffe.

Activision’s True Crime: New York City wasn’t up for “Game of the Year,” but its cinematic presentation and stacked cast garnered six nominations ahead of the ceremony. Those Hollywood connections came in handy, the game took home two trophies (“Best Supporting Male Performance” for Christopher Walken and “Best Supporting Female Performance” for Traci Lords) on its way to becoming a multi-award winner.

While one game can often dominate an awards show, that wasn’t the case at the 2005 Spike Video Game Awards. The judging panel was in a generous mood, and more than a dozen games received at least one award during the ceremony. Lumines (“Best Handheld Game”), Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland (“Best Individual Sports Game”), Madden NFL 06 (“Best Team Sports Game”), Fight Night Round 2 (“Best Fighting Game”), and We Love Katamari (“Best Original Score”) were among the games who each picked up a single award.

King King: The Official Game of the Movie even got the chance to climb up on stage by the end of the night. The Ubisoft-published adaptation claimed victory for “Best Performance by a Human Male” (for Jack Black), “Best Cast,” and “Best Game Based on a Movie.” Publishers poured a lot of resources into game adaptations of blockbuster movies 15 years ago, and though they’re mostly forgotten today, Charlize Theron also won an award for “Best Performance by a Human Female” for Aeon Flux and Maria Menounos was named the “Cyber Vixen of the Year” for her appearance in James Bond 007: From Russia With Love.

Samuel L. Jackson hosted the Spike Video Game Awards for the first time in 2005, and he would return to MC the ceremony three more times over the next decade. A complete list of all 27 trophies he handed out (as well as all the nominees) can be found after the break.

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GOTY Flashback: 2010 Spike Video Game Awards

Geoff Keighley will present the 2020 Game Awards to the best games from this past year on December 10th. But first, let’s travel back in time to his earlier awards show gig, the Spike Video Game Awards, and see what was big in gaming in… 2010.

2010 sat at the exact midway point in the lifecycle for the PS3 and Xbox 360, making it an uncommonly good year for video games. But a slew of classic games were introduced for all three consoles and the PC that year.

Leading the way was Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption, which captured “Game of the Year,” as well as “Best Original Score,” “Best DLC,” and “Best Song in a Game.” Red Dead’s closest competitor in 2010 was definitely Mass Effect 2, which earned “Studio of the Year” honors for BioWare, along with “Best Xbox 360 Game” and “Best RPG.”

The other big story of the night was God of War III. Ten years on, it’s been overshadowed by other games in the franchise (including the 2018 reboot), but Kratos’s third adventure did win “Best PS3 Game” and “Best Graphics.” Not to be outdone, the PSP’s God of War: Ghost of Sparta took home the “Best Handheld Game” prize.

Unlike Sony’s continued commitment to the God of War franchise, Blizzard has all but abandoned the the StarCraft series in 2020. However, that uncertain future couldn’t stop StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty from flying high in 2010 as the winner of “Best PC Game” and “Best Performance by a Human Female” (for Tricia Helfer’s role as Sarah Kerrigan) at the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards.

Amazingly, even the ceremony’s crop of solo winners are still fondly remembered a decade later (and many of them can be found scattered throughout the Video Game Canon’s Top 1000 too). That list includes Super Mario Galaxy 2 (“Best Wii Game”), Limbo (“Best Independent Game”), Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (“Best Action Adventure Game”) and Rock Band 3 (“Best Music Game”).

A complete list of all the winners and nominees from the 2010 Spike Video Game Awards can be found after the break.

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A Sealed Copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 Just Sold for $156,000

It happened again.

Heritage Auctions has announced they’ve sold another classic NES game for six figures, which set a new record for the price paid for a single video game.

This time, the company sold a sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 for $156,000, eclipsing the previous records set for an auction sale ($114,000 for a sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. in July) and a private sale ($140,000 for a different sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. in August).

According to Heritage, this copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 fetched such a high price because of three reasons. Obviously, it’s factory sealed, which is very important to collectors. But it’s also graded (a 9.2 A+ on Wata Games’s scale) and it’s from a rare earlier printing that pushes the “Bros.” in the logo to the left side (normally it’s on the right between Mario’s hat and the rest of the logo).

$156,000 is quite a lot of money for one video game, but is a $200,000 sale next?