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sassi3molassi3's review against another edition
4.0
Very cool to see video game art from an era where I was a tad too young to enjoy firsthand.
clowdywings's review against another edition
4.0
more about the history and the artists rather than the art but thats okay! they included almost every game they produced and the concept art for it (and some unreleased/scrapped art)
my favorite part was probably the graphic design and their explanation of how they chose to do what they did. informative and interesting!!
my favorite part was probably the graphic design and their explanation of how they chose to do what they did. informative and interesting!!
staplerscissors's review against another edition
5.0
YES. okay, didn't read. but, I did look at all the pictures. old-school Pac-Man! looks like an alien/Bomberman thing.
geekwayne's review against another edition
5.0
'The Art of Atari' by Tim Lapetino with Robert V. Conte is a great tribute to the the branding and packaging of Atari.
Atari is one of the most recognized names in the world, but when they were putting out their consoles, no one knew who the artists were behind the great box art for the games. This book introduces us to most of these people.
They had a tough job because early games were just a series of pixels. They had the job of infusing the buyer with the images to fire their imaginations. From sports stars to fighter pilots, some of the art is iconic. Along with the art, the home and arcade console designs are discussed. There are discussions of almost all of the games and longer articles about Atari concepts that never made it to market. There is art and advertising from over 40 years of the company's history.
I really had a great time reading this book and learning more about the artists behind this iconic brand. It took me back to the early days of coin-op arcades and those early home consoles.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Dynamite Entertainment, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
Atari is one of the most recognized names in the world, but when they were putting out their consoles, no one knew who the artists were behind the great box art for the games. This book introduces us to most of these people.
They had a tough job because early games were just a series of pixels. They had the job of infusing the buyer with the images to fire their imaginations. From sports stars to fighter pilots, some of the art is iconic. Along with the art, the home and arcade console designs are discussed. There are discussions of almost all of the games and longer articles about Atari concepts that never made it to market. There is art and advertising from over 40 years of the company's history.
I really had a great time reading this book and learning more about the artists behind this iconic brand. It took me back to the early days of coin-op arcades and those early home consoles.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Dynamite Entertainment, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
shayneh's review against another edition
3.0
Yes, it's a picture book, but it was fun, and I learned some good history from it, too!
rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
I remember going to my cousin's house to play on his Atari. It was this platform that cemented the foundation that made me a gamer during my formative years and beyond. Lapetino's book offers a glimpse into the company's history and the stories behind the designs of their logo, coin-operated arcade games, cabinets, and cartridges. It sure brought back memories when I saw the design for some of the cartridges I played as a kid! A must read for anyone who loved Atari or is interested in graphic design, video games, and their history.
loonyboi's review against another edition
5.0
This is an amazing book, a terrific exploration of a time when games themselves were extremely limited in what they could depict, so the box and manual art had to show everything. Lapetino clearly loves this subject, and he's done an admirable job tracking down many of the artists, the overwhelming majority of whom get their own spotlight sections and interviews. Beyond just box art, the book explores packaging, industrial design and advertising.
Yes, this is ultimately all just marketing art. But what art it was! If you have any nostalgia at all for this era, you owe it to yourself to read this book. Highly, highly recommended.
Yes, this is ultimately all just marketing art. But what art it was! If you have any nostalgia at all for this era, you owe it to yourself to read this book. Highly, highly recommended.
cate_ninetails's review against another edition
5.0
For nearly 45 years, Atari has been creating consoles and games to capture the public imagination, using original artwork and conceptual designs from talented individuals. As a kid I remember being captivated by these now classic examples of advertising and art emblazoned across the front of every cartridge, in the pages of my comic books and in glossy magazines. This big, beautiful book is the work of a fellow electronic golden age fan, who tracked down these somewhat unsung heroes, attributing artists to the images that they created such as Hiro Kimura (Pac Man) and even Ralph McQuarrie, best known perhaps for his work on Star Wars, Close Encounters and E.T. but shown here for his amazing work on Atari's Vanguard game.
This is a great find for anyone with even a passing interest in video games, to see the massive amount of trailblazing done by the men and women of Atari in the analog age, far before Adobe Photoshop, Quark or even modern and bitmap typography. There are sketches, colour studies, and plenty of rough drafts alongside full colour splash pages plus informative artist spotlight interviews. A true collector's piece.
This is a great find for anyone with even a passing interest in video games, to see the massive amount of trailblazing done by the men and women of Atari in the analog age, far before Adobe Photoshop, Quark or even modern and bitmap typography. There are sketches, colour studies, and plenty of rough drafts alongside full colour splash pages plus informative artist spotlight interviews. A true collector's piece.
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