Before Mario
| Author | Erik Voskuil |
|---|---|
| Language |
|
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Published | November 20, 2014 |
| Publisher | Omaké Books |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 224 |
| ISBN | 978-2919603107 |
Before Mario: The Fantastic Toys from the Video Game Giant's Early Days, known in France as Before Mario: Les Jouets Qui Ont Changé le Destin du Géant Des Jeux Vidéos, is a non-fiction book written by the Dutch video game collector Erik Voskuil centered around Nintendo's products prior to the Famicom. The book was published on November 20, 2014, by Omaké Books and was received positively by critics, who called the book interesting. Critics also praised the book's pictures for being "big" and "colorful".[1][2]
Contents
Before Mario contains 224 pages and is written in both English and French.[3] The book features information about products produced and manufactured by Nintendo prior to the release of the Famicom in 1983. To accompany the book's text, images of the products and other related media are included in the book.[4] Most of the book's content is product descriptions. Each product description is divided into two sections: one written in English, and one written in French. The book also features a foreword from the former general manager of Nintendo Research & Engineering, Satoru Okada.[2]
Background and release
Before Mario was written by the Dutch video game collector Erik Voskuil, who's best known for running the blog BeforeMario.com, which catalogs products made by Nintendo prior to them entering the video game market. Before Mario is a book adaption of Voskuil's blog.[5]
Pre-orders for the book were made available in October 2014.[3] The book was later published by the France publisher Omaké Books on November 20.[6] A limited edition version of the book featuring a black hardcover was also released.[3]
Reception
Before Mario was received positively by critics, who believed that Nintendo fans would "enjoy looking at each page in wonderment". The book's photos were praised,[2] with Nintendo Life's Damien McFerran describing them as "gorgeous" and "high-quality". McFerran felt that the book "perfectly illustrates" the impact that video game designer Gunpei Yokoi left on Nintendo.[1]
Nintendo World Report's Justin Berube directed criticism towards the book's formatting, stating that the book "sometimes mixes up" the side containing English text. Berube also criticized the short length of the product descriptions. Overall, however, Berube was positive to the book, calling it "the best Nintendo coffee table book on the market".[2] Jeremy Parish of USgamer stated that the book "offers the physicality of a nicely printed hardcover", but criticized how the book is in both English and French, as it removed space for more detailed product descriptions.[5]
References
- ^ a b McFerran, Damien (October 20, 2015). "Book Review: Before Mario". Nintendo Life. Nlife Media. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Berube, Justin (December 5, 2014). "Before Mario Book Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
- ^ a b c Berube, Justin (October 8, 2014). "Before Mario Book Now Available for Pre-Order". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
- ^ Fahmy, Albaraa (October 5, 2015). "A new book offers a look at some of the toys Nintendo made before Mario". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
- ^ a b Parish, Jeremy (November 10, 2015). "Worth Reading: Erik Voskuil's "Before Mario"". USgamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
- ^ "Before Mario". Omaké Books. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
External links
Category:Books about companies
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