The
Complete NES: Officially Licensed US Releases
By
Jeffrey Wittenhagen
Hardcover,
248 pgs., full color, $70
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During
the decade-long lifespan of the 
, which in the U.S. was from 1985
when the console was test-marketed, to 1995, when it was officially declared
dead by Nintendo, there were various books published about cartridges for the
system. These included such trade paperbacks as 
by Steven Schwartz, Ultimate Unauthorized Nintendo Classic Game
Strategies by Corey Sandler and Tom Badgett, and 
by the staff of VideoGames & Computer Entertainment
Magazine.
And,
of course, there was Jeff Rovin’s ubiquitous mass market paperback series, “
,” which ran for four volumes, plus a “Best of”
edition.
Each
of these books was fun to flip through, and in some ways crucial for those
wanting to more thoroughly experience certain games, offering such tidbits as
data, tips, tricks, strategies, reviews, and/or game storylines.
Nowadays,
with the prevalence of the Internet, these types of books, while fun to
collect, are less important to own for NES fans as you can find similar
information online. As such, anyone wanting to write a book about the NES would
do wise to produce a tome that provides a different experience than what you
can find on your computer.
With
The Complete NES: Officially Licensed USReleases, Jeffrey Wittenhagen has done just that. He’s published a large, durable,
hardcover, coffee-table style book that is essentially a fancy checklist for
collecting NES carts, boxes, and manuals.
Now,
“fancy checklist” may sound like a pejorative, but it’s not. Sure, you can keep
track of your collection on your phone, but it’s much more fun with this book,
which admittedly is not essential (some collectors still use the old Digital Press softcovers to track their
collections), but is nevertheless a nice luxury item to own. (Wittenhagen
offers a smaller, cheaper, black-and-white softcover version, but this review
is based on the deluxe edition.)
After
a one-page introduction and a four-page history of the
Each
game listing also has a convenient trio of squares for checking off the cart,
box, and manual that you own. There are no cartridge or manual scans, and no genre
or programmer info, but these are not deal-breaking omissions.
What
may be a deal-breaker for some is the text, which weighs in at around three to
four sentences per game. While a single paragraph isn’t enough to describe and
review a game thoroughly, it should be enough to give you a general idea of
what the game is about. In too many instances, this is not the case with this
book.
For
example, 
, one of the most beloved,
most hardcore NES cartridges of all time, is described as follows:
Aliens have arrived on Earth and they
definitely don’t come in peace. It’s your job, as Bill or Lance, to have them
leaving in pieces. Through thick humid jungles, frigid mountainsides and slimy
caves, the alien horde will confront you every step of the way. The fate of the
entire human race is in your hands!
From
this paltry, generic-sounding description, you can’t even tell that is a side-scrolling platform
shooter, much less understand its place in history.
Overall,
The Complete NES: Officially Licensed US
Releases is a nifty addition to anyone’s game room library, and it makes
for one hell of a checklist, but don’t expect much in-depth or insightful text.
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