After a stellar first volume (I'm Too Young To Die, reviewed all the way back in February 2023), Stuart Maine is back with a follow up tackling the years 2003 to 2010 inclusive, the period that truly cemented the first person shooter as a key genre in gaming.
After a brief introduction, proceedings begin with a foreword from Harvey Smith (lead designer of Deus Ex), before the reader is given a quick reminder of what a first person shooter is (and is not), a timeline of notable titles, the anatomy of an FPS, and a glossary of important terms. Oh, and the first is several interviews with notable figures within the industry. These are always informative and highly interesting, so even if you're here only for the games, don't skip these, I beseech thee.
It is at page 50 that we get to the first year covered by the volume, and if 2003 feels like a long time ago, well, yes, it was. Hell, so was 2010, but within that period, some three hundred shooters hit the market. Some were instant classics, others more of an acquired taste, and a few where you just had to wonder what the hell were they putting in the drinking water. Yet despite this tome's hefty dimensions, there is only room for just over 200 entries. This isn't as bad as you'd think, as whilst PS2 "classic" Secret Service gets a write up, America's 10 Most Wanted is excluded. The former is a by the numbers effort that really suffers in its PlayStation 2 guise (see issue 70 of Fusion Magazine for a Fusion Fail), but is possibly redeemed by its Xbox 360 release - if you really feel the need to play it. The latter, well, there was definitely something in the water when they developed that "game", and if you fancy a laugh, I believe the a future issue of Fusion magazine will see you right...
Needless to say, the usual suspects are present and correct, and even though the world and its cousin has lost count as to how many times someone has written about Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the author's style, approach and enthusiasm shine through, making every entry a true joy to read.
As you'd expect, there are plenty of screenshots, and although I was a tad waspish about the physical format of the first book, I apologise profusely now - it's the perfect way to present the history of shooters - allowing those widescreen visuals to truly shine - and once again proving that Bitmap Books really know their stuff when it comes to showing off the eye candy.
Hurt Me Plenty is a fantastic follow up from Mr Maine, and will be another go to reference on the subject for years to come, for games both good and bad. Especially the bad ones, as in a very weird way, they are often more "interesting" to play than stone cold classics - even/especially/because of Rogue Warrior. Once again, my "to play... eventually" list has ballooned to ludicrous levels, but hey, at least the list exists. One day... one day. I also said in the my review of the first book that I hoped there would be a follow up from 2003 onwards, and well, here we are. Would it be too much to hope for a 2011 and onwards volume? Pretty please???
You can pick up a copy of Hurt Me Plenty from the Bitmap Books website here, and order from the usual online and physical bookshops if that's your thing.
