Hurt Me Plenty by Stuart Maine - Book Review

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.

I'm Too Young To Die by Stuart Maine - Book Review

Taking its title from the easiest difficulty option from DOOM, this chunky tome from Bitmap Books presents itself as the ultimate guide to first person shooters between the years 1992 and 2002. A lofty claim, given the nature of the subject, but one that, from initial impressions, could be highly accurate.

If you've purchased a Bitmap Books publication before, you'll know what to expect with regards to the quality. Extremely well packaged, the hardback is suitably sturdy and the paper stock used is perfect for imagery and text alike. There's a handy bookmark attached and if there is one criticism, it's the actual format. I get why but it doesn't half stick out on the bookshelf!

That quibble aside, what we get is a wander through the history of the first-person shooter. There is a brief introduction to the pre-1992 era before you get to the core of the book: a year by year run down of famous (and not so famous) shooters that graced pretty much every system you could buy in the shops. 

It is this coverage that makes I'm Too Young To Die such a brilliant book. Sure, you get Wolfenstein, DOOM and Half Life, all of the usual suspects, but it's the coverage of the lesser known titles, the ones that maybe weren't critical or commercial hits, that lift this book to the heights of must buy.

For example, Blake Stone is an absolute classic, but due to its release coming just as DOOM redefined the genre, it died a death in the market. Here, it gets a loving write up. Each entry varies in size: quarter, half or full pages get a half page,  and the format of the tome allows the screenshots to shine, whether they be 1/16th, a quarter or a full page in size. Having covered 3DO FPS's for RVG and Fusion magazine, it was great to see several included here, even if he does prefer the PC version of Escape From Monster Manor. And no mention of the sublime song that plays over the credits! Tsk! ;-) 

As I progressed through this book, I found I was making a list of titles that I had never played the first time round and that appealed now. Sure, some have issues, and inclusion into this collection is a sign of how noteworthy the game was, not that it was actually a good title to play - Trespasser being a prime example. It turned out to be quite a list, as there are hundreds of games featured, yet it is a credit to the author that his writing style is as fresh with the last entry as it is with the first. As for the jokes, well, there are some doozies included, page 314 featuring a gag that, well... yes...

It's not just about the games though, as there are interviews with key contributors to the genre, including Ken Levine, David Doak, John Romeo and Warren Spector amongst others. Each of these is packed with detail and have something of interest even though many have been interviewed many, many times before. In a cute nod, they have DOOM-style portraits included at the beginning and end of the book and, it has to be said, they seem to have suffered in the interim, aside from Mr Romero, naturally. 

As you can guess, this volume is very much worth your time if the FPS genre is a go to for you and this single volume on the topic can't be beaten. I not only have a reference for future years on my bookshelf, but also a long list of shooters that, one day, I'll eventually get to the bottom of. It would be really cool to see a follow up, charting how the genre moved on from 2003 onwards - from the commercial juggernauts of the Battlefield and Call of Duty series, the more interesting narrative shooters (Clive Barker's Jericho, Singularity, the Bad Company duo), to the complete and utter mess that was Rogue Warrior: all deserve their time in the sun.Well, apart from maybe Rogue Warrior, but anyhoo... For now though, pick up a copy of this fine book and revel in the rich and illustrious history of this evergreen genre. 

You can buy I'm Too Young To Die directly from Bitmap Books, and can follow the author on Twitter here.