Robert DeMeijer (99) on 3/7/2018 2:17 PM · Permalink · Report

What's really neat is that there are 150 reviews of older games. I'll write them down here so I can easily copy paste them later if/when this book is added to the database.

Computer Space (arcade), score: 5 After he'd created the first stand-alone arcade videogame, Bushnell discovered that Computer Space was far too complicated for the average punter, and it failed to sell.

Pong (arcade), score: 7 Pong involved nothing more than batting a small dot between two paddles controlled by a pair of dials, but it caught on, sparking a videogame craze across the world and sowing the seeds of a new entertainment medium

Space Invaders (arcade), score: 8 Although by no means the first coin-op videogame, Taito's mesmerising classic defined a new gaming genre and in the process became a convenient byword for the booming electronic entertainment industry.

Asteroids (arcade), score: 9 Graceful, almost balletic, zero-gravity shoot-'em-up. The controls are smooth and intuitive, and an analogue synth booms away spookily in the background, intended to represent your increasing heartbeat.

Galaxian (arcade), score: 8 This time the aliens don't march towards the bottom of the screen - instead they peel off and attack in waves. Features a colour display - previously games relied on stripes of coloured acetate to jazz up monochrome graphics.

Battlezone (arcade), score: 9 A tank simulator set on a strange world filled with alien tanks, flying saucers and angular blocks for hiding behind. The shock of seeing a crack spread across the screen after you get shot is a classic videogaming moment.

Defender (arcade), score: 10 The greatest shoot-'em-up of all time? Certainly nothing else could touch Defender wen it came to heart-stopping action and hardcore difficulty. Satisfyingly meaty analogue sound effects, huge explosions and perfectly refined gameplay. Utterly unbeatable.

Pac-Man (arcade), score: 10 The most enduringly popular arcade game start the most unlikely of heroes - a faceless yellow blob designed to look like a pizza with a slice removed. It's a simple concept, with just one maze, four enemies, and 240 dots to feed into Pac-Man's gaping maw, and it hasn't stopped selling since.

Missile Command (arcade), score: 9 The object of the game is to defend three cities from nuclear attack. The computer always wins in the end.

Moon Cresta (arcade), score: 8 Moon Cresta propelled shoot-'em-ups to a new level of sophistication, introducing a ship that could be built up in three stages by docking two smaller craft with a huge base unit. The finished item was one of the largest and most destructive forces ever seen in an arcade.

Tempest (arcade), score: 9 Now one of the most collectable arcade machines, Tempest has received gameplay upgrades from talented enthusiasts and two outstanding modern updates courtesy of Jeff Minter.

Gorf, (arcade), score: 8 An impressive cabinet included a chunky flight stick instead of the usual ball-top joystick, and a series of lights to counter your rank - from Space Cadet all the way to Space Avenger - each time the final mothership was destroyed.

Scramble (arcade), score: 9 The ship is equipped with bombs as well as a cannon, and it burns fuel at an alarming rate - forget to bomb the fuel tanks on the ground and it will simply fall out of the air. Challenging and enjoyable.

Pole Position (arcade), score: 8 The great granddaddy of current driving games, with its detailed graphics and fast 3D road. There's only one track - the Fuji GP circuit - and one type of car, but Pole Position was so far ahead of the competition that nobody really cared.

Sinistar (arcade), score: 8 Rock-hard space blaster. Shoot asteroids to make Sinibombs - the only thigs that can destroy the giant Sinsistar that hordes of worker drones are manufacturing. Once completed, the Sinistar itself yells insults as it pursues the player.