lchamblee's review against another edition
3.0
If you grew up on Mario it’s an interesting read. I remember playing certain of the game systems referenced here. But, the book isn’t particularly well written or worth ready if you’re not in it for nostalgia.
pantsless_aaron's review against another edition
4.0
I remember it being a pretty good read at the time, but now that a few months have passed, I couldn't tell you anything specific from this book, so ultimately forgettable.
palliem's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a 90s kid, and I loved my Super Nintendo with all the love my elementary school heart could muster. Reading this book, then, was largely a pleasant trip down memory lane. The inside story of Nintendo was fascinating and the book moved along at a quick pace. I wavered in the later chapters (I never went beyond SNES so the later gaming system chapters were more unfamiliar) but I thoroughly loved this book.
And now you'll have to excuse me. Nostalgia calls. I'm off to play Mario.
And now you'll have to excuse me. Nostalgia calls. I'm off to play Mario.
meganreadsome's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
3.5
solargalaxy6's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed reading this, though I’m a long-time Nintendo fan, and so I’m in the niche.
The book covers to history of the Nintendo Entertainment Company, along with their interactions with other game system companies, from the start of their prescience in the industry with coin operated machines up until the launch of the Nintendo Wii.
Solidly describing the development of the industry including the mentality behind he development of some systems and games, it was quite enlightening to discover why things were done the way they were.
Rightly so, the book does have a lot of focus on the Mario empire, but honestly, that was more a side effect of Mario being their most successful line at the time. The book’s true focus seems to be the development of the new games and game systems to best support their company’s goals, knowing that Mario games were for a long time their biggest draw.
I honestly wish I’d looked at the book’s publishing date before I had read it, so I’d know going in that Wii would get very little coverage, and there would be no mention of the Nintendo Switch - not to mention the other gaming developments of the 2010s, but hat leaves me interested in a follow up book should the author ever choose to write one.
The book covers to history of the Nintendo Entertainment Company, along with their interactions with other game system companies, from the start of their prescience in the industry with coin operated machines up until the launch of the Nintendo Wii.
Solidly describing the development of the industry including the mentality behind he development of some systems and games, it was quite enlightening to discover why things were done the way they were.
Rightly so, the book does have a lot of focus on the Mario empire, but honestly, that was more a side effect of Mario being their most successful line at the time. The book’s true focus seems to be the development of the new games and game systems to best support their company’s goals, knowing that Mario games were for a long time their biggest draw.
I honestly wish I’d looked at the book’s publishing date before I had read it, so I’d know going in that Wii would get very little coverage, and there would be no mention of the Nintendo Switch - not to mention the other gaming developments of the 2010s, but hat leaves me interested in a follow up book should the author ever choose to write one.
bluebirdsongs's review against another edition
3.0
There is very little content in here that [a:Blake J. Harris|7307459|Blake J. Harris|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1415712219p2/7307459.jpg]'s [b:Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation|18505802|Console Wars Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation|Blake J. Harris|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391419511l/18505802._SY75_.jpg|26198818] didn't cover better. There were a couple interesting tidbits, but otherwise I was too distracted by the inaccuracies and light-speed coverage of events discussed to get much out of it.