Nintendo Quest Review

Nintendo Quest is a Kickstarter-funded documentary based on a simple premise; a young man, Jay, has to find all 678 original NES video games which were released in North America within 30 days. This sounds like a simple enough task right? In this day and age of the internet auction sites and online shopping it's a no-brainer, but to make it more challenging no internet or auction sites can be used and his current collection cannot be included.

This is a promising set-up, full of potential for insights into Nintendo history, a deep look at gaming and collectors and a look behind the recent surge in interest in retro gaming collection.

The documentary starts by talking heads saying things like, "It'll be a transformative experience", "He's going to go on a journey and find a lot out about himself" and so on, all set to background fast paced rock music! He's not after the holy grail, it's NES carts!

As an avid collector I love the thrill of finding carts in the wild but I would never be as hyperbolic as this documentary is. When Jay is finding the carts there is a UI (User Interface) that shows his money level and his NES cartridge count but there isn't a monetary value represented and the cost of the games isn't shared either. In some scenes I expected Westlife's 'Flying Without Wings' to be playing in the playground, all set to slomo images of the protagonist, Jay, digging through the carts.

When compared to something like 'From Bedrooms to Billions', again a documentary about gaming but this time about people making games in the 70's/ 80's, the information was interesting but well paced and not so hyperbolic, it made it a much easier viewing experience.

Nintendo Quest  fails to be insightful on what is a fascinating topic. For a documentary all about the vintage gaming scene it is fails to look at the reasons behind the scene, the cost of the hobby and even why there is a resurgence in old skool gaming. The documentary has a lot of potential but ultimately fails to deliver, being quite meandering and unfocussed.

Get Lamp Review

Get Lamp is a fascinating documentary that looks at the rise, fall and resurgence of the text adventure game.
Text adventure games were huge in the 1970's and early 1980's, mostly due to the fact that the machines were limited in power and so programmers and game designers created immersive worlds which required the power of the word to create the image in your mind.

Similar to Bedrooms to Billions, a documentary which looks into the micro computer scene in Britain in the 70's and 80's, this documentary is a chronological look at the rise of the video game industry but specifically the text adventure/ interactive fiction based genre.
It kicks off by talking about the importance of Adventure by William Crowther, the first text adventure game that emerged from the university mainframes and moves onto Zork, a smash hit text adventure.
The documentary then moves onto the creation of video game companies like Adventure Software and Infocom, both huge companies who laid the foundations of the billion dollar industry. It briefly discusses how they died out in the late 80's with the evolution of graphics and more complex games before reflecting back on the industry.
Get Lamp is an illuminating (pardon the pun) documentary that is informative and interesting. As someone who enjoys video games but hasn't had much experience with text adventure games at all I found this explained things well, featuring people who were there at the time as well as enthusiasts of the genre.

With tools such as Power Point, Twine and websites like the Internet Gaming Archive there has been a resurgence in interest in these types of games. I played The Hobbit as child in my friends house, he had a ZX Spectrum. I was impressed by the world created but the parser frustrated me.

The documentary had me thinking about the recent resurgence in text based games. For example there was an interesting take on the death of the interactive fiction in that with the advent of the internet text adventure is back, just in a modified form. We no longer >GET KNIFE but rather click links, explore the billions of possibilities on the web and go on a journey almost; we journey through the web. We do what interactive fiction asks of us; we read, make decisions and move on. I don't agree with this point but it is an interesting viewpoint and that is what I found this documentary did, it made me look at this genre of games in a different way.

For anyone with even a passing interest in video games this documentary is a fascinating look at a fondly remembered genre.

If you have been inspired to make your own text adventure then I have produced a series of lesson plans on interactive fiction using ppt and twine.  Check here to see and download them.

LINK- Adventure Maker App

LINK- The Hobbit ZX Spectrum online (free to play)

LINK- Steve Meretzsky Treasure Trove of Infocom Material

Oliver Frey- The Fantasy Art Book

I was a very lucky child growing up in the 80's. It was an amazing time for music, animation and computer games (but not fashion... oh gosh the fashion!) Growing up in the 80s and played computer games you would have been aware of the incredible illustrations of Oliver Frey. His gorgeous airbrush artwork, which appeared on classic games magazines, such as Crash, Zzap!64 and Amtix stood out from the competition and made the magazines a huge seller. At the time I was very young but I remember seeing some of these covers and they are ingrained in my memory.

The Fantasy Art of Oliver Frey celebrates the life and work of the great man. It starts off with a brief biography about the evolution of childhood comic fan to full time illustrator at Newsfield. The artwork is presented without coverlines, logos or titles so you can appreciate the pieces in all their majesty. At the back of the book there is an index of covers for those who wish to age themselves but truly it is the sumptuous artwork that shines through.

Anyone with an appreciation of computer gaming art should check this out as the 80's really were simpler times with basic graphics, Oliver Frey brought the games and worlds alive through his artwork and game covers. A must read and look! For those who want to know more check out the brilliant film From Bedrooms To Billions which looks at the evolution of gaming in the 70's and 80's in Great Britain.

'From Bedroom to Billions' Review →

There has never been a detailed look at the UK gaming scene in the late 70's and 80's... until now that is! Anthony and Nicola Caulfield sought to gain funding through the major UK TV channels to rectify this but after being declined they went through the process of crowdfunding and smashed through their target on Indiegogo and Kickstarter. This was all a couple of years ago and since then I have been looking forward to this documentary as most of the gaming films are American and Japan-centric. In Britain we didn't have a gaming crash in 1983, in fact there was never a more vibrant time and I'm glad that this period has now been covered in the wonderful 'From Bedrooms to Billions'

The couple leave a message in their credits to those who doubted that there was a market for this documentary.

The couple leave a message in their credits to those who doubted that there was a market for this documentary.

In the words of creators Anthony and Nicola Caulfield;

'From Bedrooms to Billions' tells the story of how the creativity and vision of a relatively small number of individuals allowed the UK to play a key, pioneering role in the shaping of the billion dollar video games industry, which today dominates the modern world’s entertainment landscape.

Developments in computer technology in the UK of the late 70’s early 80’s  helped inspire a generation of small team enthusiasts, hobbyists, school kids, bedroom coders and entrepreneurs to make and release some truly classic games. From Bedrooms to Billions reveals some of the remarkable stories, struggles and successes that saw the UK video games industry go from quite literally nothing into a major force littered with original thinkers, innovators and eccentric characters.

At 2 and a half hours this documentary is long but still whips along at a brisk pace so time flies by. There is no narration  or voiceover but rather the interviews weave the story, being expertly edited and cut to create a flow and narrative. The film starts with the early days of the UK games industry, talking about the home coders who started selling their games through adverts placed in the back of magazines. It then moves on to discuss the various Micro Meets where groups would come together to share their work and ideas.

The second part of the film talks about gaming gaining traction and the rise of distributors like US Gold and Ocean. The interviews are insightful and honest and thoroughly engaging, of particular note is the interview with Matthew Smith, creator of Jet Set Willy and Manic Miner. He was burnt out and thoroughly depressed after producing two hits at such a young age, he didn't know how to handle the fame and expectations placed on him and candidly recalls the 80's being a terrible time for him. As a gamer with much nostalgia for the 80's this section of the documentary was very interesting as it explained the introduction of the middle men and emerging business orientated approach of the industry. This professionalisation led to bigger teams and higher budgets, including the introduction of film license tie-ins and rising advertising budgets. There was a reduction in lone programmers and for many interviewed was a sign of things changing for the worst.

The final part of the film talks about the rise of the 16-bit era and the end of the micro computers. With the rise in quality and the demands on cost and skills many lone programmers either left the business altogether or went to join the big teams in America or Canada. However rather than end on a sad note there is a denouement with the rise of mobile gaming and the indie scene. Ian Livingstone, creator of 'The Next Gen Report' explains how computing is now back in British education and there is an emerging programming scene once again. This hopeful note is a wonderful end to the documentary, as a teacher in a primary school in East London I hope to show some of this film to my class to inspire them to be producers rather than just consumers.

This documentary is a brilliant look into a special time in Britain, where there was a punk spirit and where people with imagination and a hard work ethic could achieve. Compared to 'Indie Game: The Movie' the interviewees seem less egotistical and self-absorbed, more honest and engaging. This is a wonderful movie and I highly recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in retro gaming.