A Selective History of 'Bad' Video Games by Michael Greenhut - Book Review

Bad video games have been a favourite topic of writers since the very beginning of the industry. I have reviewed a couple of books focusing on the subject here and here, but one of the things that quickly becomes apparent is that, outside of the usual suspects (E.T. is always up there, even though Howard Scott Warshaw's excellent memoir - reviewed here - dispels the myths surrounding that particular title), it's usually with a UK focus. Sure, E.T. is an easy target, but it does the subject good if a different insight is offered, and this is where the White Owl-published volume from Michael Greenhut comes in.

It is the subtitle that defines the focus of the book: Unfulfilled Potential, Interesting Mistakes and Downright Clunkers. That variety is comforting, as unlike the Ashen pair, this isn't just an excuse to give a few games a good kicking, deserved or not. Nope, there is definitely some constructive criticism offered and this book is all the better for it. But what games did a kid from the Bronx play?

Atari, that's what, and the usual suspect is the first title covered. Of course E.T. has to be mentioned, because in the psyche of video game history, it is an "accepted" fact that this game nearly killed the industry. Greenhut knows better (and has possibly read HSW's book), and offers some much kinder words about the maligned film tie-in than you may expect. That approach works time and time again as the likes of Cosmic Ark, Tron Solar Sailor and Tax Avoiders (really!) are given an airing. 

Just a reader of the contents.

The NES comes under some scrutiny next, and despite that wonderful Nintendo Seal of Quality (now there's a gimmick and a half), the grey box of wonders held court to the likes of Dragon's Lair, Back to the Future 2/3 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (obviously the US didn't care about the violence associated with the word 'ninja" back then. We got "Hero Turtles" instead - that had been long forgotten by the time ITV started broadcasting Ninja Warrior UK!).

There's a break in this list of gaming goodness to highlight the start of the SNES era, where we're quickly shown the delights of Ballz (Oh, do grow up!) and the first Streetfighter, definitely a case of the sequel far surpassing the original. Rise of the Robots is a very familiar title to UK gamers of the period, being both lauded in previews and, with the exception of some very dubious shenanigans, almost terrible reviews from the UK gaming press.

For the rest of the book, the author's love of role playing games shines through, although there's still some action-orientated "gems" such as Shaq Fu and Bubsy 3D to savour. Indeed. There are plenty of screenshots throughout and the captions of some are truly inspired. 

This was a very enjoyable book to read, the author's voice coming through loud and clear, as is his knowledge and deft opinion of the games featured. To write about forty plus games and not descend into a generic "They were just a little bit poo" levels of commentary is a rare ability, and the wrap up at the end is a lovely little summary of where he thinks things go wrong. From past reading and my own QA experience (albeit not in the video games industry), I can agree with many of them. The awards ceremony appendix is a nice touch, whilst the other sources of interest and work cited sections give the reader plenty to follow up on. 

It does get more exciting than a QR code, honest ;-)

A Selective History of 'Bad' Video Games is another brilliant White Owl publication and one that should appear on many gamer's shelves just to add a bit of balance to the field. Michael Greenhut is to be commended for writing an excellent, and slightly different, tome on the subject, and I look forward to his future work. You can buy a copy direct from the publisher's website here, or from the usual online and physical bookshops (like this one spotted in Waterstones Newcastle upon Tyne). You can also check out the author's website here, and his Twitter account here.