The Legacy of Oblivion by Martin Gamero Prieto - Book Review

This, gentle reader, is how you run a book campaign on Kickstarter! After the sublime Legacy of the Forgotten, Mr Prieto has let loose with a tome that wants, nay demands, that you take note of those companies that tried, and ultimately failed, to make their mark in the world of computer graphics card hardware. But do you know what the weird part is? Despite twenty plus years of AMD (nee ATI) and Nvidia (and occasionally Intel), reading through the many chapters present here brought back so many familiar names. Geez, I should have had a life in the 90's!

Jesting aside (honestly, I did more than play video games and read sci-fi!), what we have here is another tremendously researched history of the many entities that were, at one point or another, actual names a consumer would have seen when buying PC or gaming tech through the last two decades of the twentieth century. 

Cirrus Logic, SIS Corp, Trident Microsystems and NeoMagic Corporation are some of the more familiar inclusions, although for the life of me, Chromatic Research were a complete mystery until reading their chapter here. Company histories are detailed and where there is doubt or uncertainty, the author points this out clearly.

One of the most interesting chapters for me was that about Argonaut Software. I was aware of their work due to the FX chip so beloved of Nintendo, but there was much more to them than just that, filling in more than a few gaps in my knowledge. Also well worth reading were the near one hundred pages dedicated to "lesser companies." Therein lies a true education. 

This volume is very clearly laid out, with plenty of room for diagrams, artwork and tables. There are appendices detailing the various display standards used by the DOS/Windows PC format, as well as video interfaces, and a handy glossary. For those of a hardware bent, there are several pages of eye candy to finish off this volume - some lovingly taken photographs of the various cards and boards referenced throughout the book. 

As with The Legacy of 3dfx and The Legacy of the Forgotten, this is another essential reference for those with an interest in the admittedly rather niche subject of PC display technology. You can pick them up from the Kentinel Studios website here, and their prices are very reasonable. Shipping, as is the way of things, is something they cannot control. 

There is, however, one more volume from Martin, this one taking a keen eye to the history of Nvidia and ATi. That wasn't funded as part of any Kickstarter, yet I would like to highlight just how good the campaign for Oblivion volume was run. When it came time to ship Oblivion, Martin contacted the backers and asked if they wanted a copy of his fourth book in order to save shipping costs - two volumes at the same time. To be honest, I'd missed his earlier email offering this and it was a nice touch to be asked so close to final shipping. I immediately paid the required amount and thus ended up receiving the two books. Throughout this and the prior campaign I'd backed, Martin's communication's were timely and reassuring. There will be a review of book four is due course.

In short, if Martin, via Kentinel, ever decide to crowdfund for another tome, and if the subject piques my interest, I can honestly say that I shall have no qualms about supporting him again. 

The Saga Uncharted by Nicolas Deneschau and Bruno Provezza - Book Review

After thoroughly enjoying The Mysteries of Monkey Island back in October last year, I thought I'd try another of the growing range to tomes from Third Editions, and since I've loved Uncharted since playing the first game on the PlayStation 3, this tome seemed like the natural choice. 

A team effort by Nicolas Deneschau and Bruno Provezza, over the course of seven chapters they have delivered a highly detailed and interesting look at what the Uncharted series is, and why it became such a beloved series.

The coverage the book provides can be divided into four keys topics: the founding of Naughty Dog, the making of the main series entries and the spin offs, a retelling of the various narratives combined with deep dives into the inspirations for each of the stories, and then an analysis which, as you may have already guessed,  covers Drake's reputation as a mass killer along side the more usual thematics arising from the nature of the games. 

As befits the standard set by my experience with the Monkey Island volume, this is another well written tome, with a lightness of touch and a sense of humour running throughout the 230 pages. Illustrations are kept to maps at the beginning of each chapter, which match the style so familiar to fans of the games. 

There is much on offer as far as learning about the series goes, and there's no sugar-coating the perils of video game development during the period the series established itself. As someone who detests the crunch culture and brazen unfairness of the current industry, it would be nice to see leadership types suffer the same pressures and worries as the devs/artists/writers/QA and many others involved in game creation. Sure, there's a "vision", but continuing to hear about long hours, people never going home, and mental and physical burnout, is that price worth it? Especially when it's those who suffer these conditions are usually the first to be kicked out the door in the name of streamlining and "agility'. No, corporate leadership, you made the decisions, you fall on your swords first. Anyhoo, rant over. 

Taken as a whole, The Saga Uncharted is a great single volume focusing on a gaming series that has made countless fans over the years, as well as cementing Nolan North, Emily Rose and Richard McGonagle to name just three as brilliant actors within the video game art form. Video games are more than just interactive movies, but the quality of the performances within the Uncharted series are truly high points.

Checking Amazon recently, it seems the only version of this book is for the Kindle, and the hardback copy isn't showing on the publisher's website. That's a shame, though there do still seem to be copies available from other retailers, so an online search will sort you out. As for my copy, it will join its Monkey Island cousin as a go to future reference, for you never know if someday the Uncharted games will be no longer playable, so this excellent tome will remain as a highly regarded record of them.