Playbug Books has just announced The NES-ential Celebration — a new hardcover book that is being pitched as a definitive love letter" to the iconic 8-bit console.
The 300-page hardcover book is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter and will reportedly feature a mix of retrospectives and personal stories from "legendary developers, acclaimed gaming journalists, and dedicated superfans."
This includes video game developers like Jordan Mechner (Prince Of Persia), Takaya Imamura (Star Fox, F-Zero), Gavin Price (Viva Piñata, Yooka Laylee) as well as media personalities such as Andy Robertson (VGC), Alex Donaldson (RPG Site, VG24/7), Jen Glennon (Inverse), Andy Kelly (Edge, PC Gamer), Matthew Castle (Official Nintendo Magazine, The Backpage Podcast), Mark Brown (GameMaker's Toolkit) and Patrick Klepek (Waypoint, Remap).
The freelance journalist and former Fandom Games editor Tom Regan, meanwhile, will be responsible for the book's editing, with a bunch of artists also on hand to contribute lots of original artwork based on Nintendo titles.
Here's a description of what you can expect, courtesy of the publisher:
- Deeply researched essays on gaming's groundbreaking moments and hidden history.
- Behind-the-scenes insights into iconic NES titles and untold gaming lore.
- Personal reflections from gamers and industry insiders, sharing nostalgic and inspiring stories.
- Visually stunning retrospectives featuring original artwork and photography.
- Insightful analysis of genre-defining innovations, from platformers to RPGs.
- An exploration of Nintendo's revolutionary hardware, including R.O.B. and the Zapper.
- Thought-provoking discussions on the cultural impact of the NES and its legacy.
- Special features on iconic NES games, behind-the-scenes stories, and lost treasures from gaming history
The NES has certainly had its fair share of books over the years, focused on telling the story of the legendary 8-bit console and its library of games. So we won't blame you if you feel like another one would be a bit redundant. Looking at the caliber of some of the names attached to this project, though, we're certainly curious to see more.
You can secure a digital copy of the book for $30 CAD (roughly £17), with a hardcover version being priced at $70 CAD (£38). There are also a bunch of other, more expensive tiers to back, which include extras like an NES-Replica slipcase and additional books like the NESVault, which chronicles the games that were released for the console.
Here's a link to the project's Kickstarter page.