With the introduction of Steam and other digital download services, the indie game development scene has greatly expanded, allowing the return of classic genres that were previously thought to be unviable. Thus, classic games like 2D platformers, Metroidvanias, point-and-click adventures, role-playing games, and shoot-em-ups have returned to the limelight. HG101 Presents: The Guide to Retro Indie Games Vol. 1 catalogs some our favorites of these types of games, including Shovel Knight, Freedom Planet, Undertale, Night in the Woods, Dust: An Elysian Tail, Assault Android Cactus, nearly all of Wadjet Eye's library, and many others!

Japan has produced thousands of intriguing video games. But not all of them were released outside of the country, especially not in the 1980s and 90s. While a few of these titles have since been documented by the English-speaking video game community, a huge proportion of this output is unknown beyond Japan (and even, in some cases, within it). Hardcore Gaming 101 Presents: Japanese Video Game Obscurities seeks to catalogue many of these titles – games that are weird, compelling, cool or historically important. The selections represent a large number of genres – platformers, shoot-em-ups, role-playing games, adventure games – across nearly four decades of gaming on arcade, computer and console platforms. Featuring the work of giants like Nintendo, Sega, Namco and Konami alongside that of long-forgotten developers and publishers, even those well versed in Japanese gaming culture are bound to learn something new.

Detailed contents listing here: http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/books/the-untold-history-of-japanese-game-developers-volume-2/ Nearly 400 pages and over 30 interviews, with exclusive content on the history of Japanese games. The origins of Hudson, Masaya's epic robot sagas, Nintendo's funding of a PlayStation RTS, detailed history of Westone Entertainment, and a diverse range of unreleased games. Includes exclusive office layout maps, design documents, and archive photos. In a world first - something no other journalist has dared examine - there's candid discussion on the involvement of Japan's yakuza in the industry. Forewords by Retro Gamer founding editor Martyn Carroll and game history professor Martin Picard.

Reviews of over 300 graphic adventure games, focusing on games from prominent publishers such as LucasArts, Sierra On-Line, and Legend Entertainment but covering games from independent developers as well. Reviews primarily cover games published 1984-2000. Interviews with game creators/developers Al Lowe, Corey Cole, Bob Bates, and Josh Mandel are included.

Learn how to market for your indie game, even with a small budget and limited resources. For those who want to earn a regular income from making indie games, marketing can be nearly as vital to the success of the game as the game itself. A Practical Guide to Indie Game Marketing provides you with the tools needed to build visibility and sell your game. With special focus on developers with small budgets and limited staff and resources, this book is packed with recommendations and techniques that you can put to use immediately. As a seasoned marketing professional, author Joel Dreskin provides insight into practical, real-world experiences from marketing numerous successful games and also shares tips on mistakes to avoid. Presented in an easy to read format, A Practical Guide to Indie Game Marketing includes information on establishing an audience and increasing visibility so you can build successes with your studio and games. Through case studies, examples, guidelines and tips, you will learn best practices for developing plans for your game launches, PR, community engagement, channel promotions and more Sample timelines help you determine how long in advance of a launch to prepare your first public communications, when to announce your game, as well as recommended timing for releasing different game assets Book also includes marketing checklist 'cheat sheets', dos and don’ts and additional resources

Presented by retro video game website Hardcore Gaming 101. Localization is a tricky business, especially due to the myriad of differences between both the English and Japanese languages and cultures. Retro Game Super Translation Selection examines 101 lines of dialogue from classic video games, compares how they were localized, and includes some explanation for the business or cultural reasons surrounding such changes. Originally authored by a professional video game translator, this is a localized version of a doujinshi released at the Game Legend retro game event in late 2016, and features a unique perspective rarely seen in the English speaking world! Also includes four columns by guest writers that compare English and Japanese onomatopoeia, examines different game titles between territories, explains the math behind retro games, and illustrates the many changes made to the Pok�mon Game Boy titles.Covered games include: Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior / Dragon Quest, Super Mario World, Landstalker, Lunar: The Silver Star, Zero Wing, River City Ransom, Cybernator, Pok�mon, Lufia II, Shadowgate, Shadowrun, Maniac Mansion, Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom, and many more!NOTE: The paperback edition of this book is in black and white, but the Kindle version uses color images.

This book is a guide to the expanding world of indie gaming. It helps readers to understand why indie games are so important to so many people in the entertainment industry. The book covers puzzlers, platformers, beat 'em ups, shoot 'em ups, role-playing, and strategy.