Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
Something about Japan by someone who understands Japan, October 15, 2004
Kohler has done a very, very good job of surveying the Japanese video game industry.
Unlike other writers who have written game histories, Kohler speaks Japanese and lived in Japan. He covered the Japanese video game market for international publications. Frankly, the depth of his understanding shows throughout this book.
Kohler's interviews are direct and insightful. He managed to get access to many of Japan's leading game designers. As somebody who has read many books about the video game industry, I noticed that Kohler's knowledge of the Japanese language resulted in a more direct style of interview.
Kohler managed to get his hands on the creators of such games as ICO, Parapa, and, of course, Mario.
One thing I will say about "Power-Up" is that it is a specialized book. If you are looking for a general survey of gaming, or a picture book with glossy full-color art, this is not the book. This is NOT a book for folks who want to read about the games they played as kids.
"Power-Up" is a highly-specialized book. I believe that it belongs on the top shelf of ANY collector who considers himself/herself a serious student of video games. This is a resource, like Lenny Herman's "Phoenix," that will be appreciated by hardcore gamers for a very long time.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
For fans, by a fan., October 25, 2004
I've read a number of video game books over the years, and while most are well researched and informative, they seem to take a cynical or flat out negative tone most of the time. Possibly because they are more focused on the business side of the industry. Not so with this book. A labor of love by a fan who actually speaks and reads the language in which Japanese video games are created, he takes us on a journey from the beginnings of Nintendo in the late 1800's to the modern era without missing a beat along the way. The author also examines aspects of the industry that have gone unexamined in other texts, such as game music and Akihabara. It also includes a number of interviews with leading members of of various aspects of the Japanese gaming world. All in all, it's a wonderful example of what these inds of books can be, and I truly hope to see moreon this subject, both from this author and others, in the near future.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
Historical correctness isn't enough, October 29, 2004
I'm a rather even-tempered kind of guy -- except when I see falsehoods bandied about like truths. I see that all the time in videogame journalism. Not an issue of EGM or Gamepro goes by without me going into a rage at the ignorance of the editors. And the less said about G4techTV, the better.
I stayed calm throughout Power-Up. Chris Kohler certainly knows his stuff. But his writing left me feeling empty -- there's no soul to it nor any brilliant (or even not-so-brilliant) insights. Power-Up is dry to the point of reading like an instruction manual, as another reviewer mentioned, or an assigned class report. When Kohler does digress, he tends to toss in entirely irrelevant and boring trivia (for example, he spends a full page on the installation of FF XI, noting how the PS2 version works with any USB keyboard, not only the overpriced official Sony product).
I've found many of Chris Kohler's articles in Wired (et al) to be both informative and well written, so it's a real pity that Power-Up doesn't make itself deserving of shelf space by Steven L. Kent's The First Quarter. Power-Up's not a bad book, just mediocre.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great Read.
This book was an excellent read. Kohler does a terrific job of showing the culture links video games have created between Japan and the Western world.
Published 19 months ago by Jason Holden
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Great reading, but touches only the mainstream games
This is a good book about japanese videogames and their impact in the western world. The problem, and I agree with the other reviewers, is that the focus deals only with the...
Published 22 months ago by Sandro Massarani
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Gaming History in the eye of the beholder...
History in the eye of the beholder
The boot has very useful information for video game collectors and researchers who are looking for information related to mostly...
Published on August 20, 2006 by Mario A. Lamaestra
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narrow scope, but an interesting read.
other people have commented thoroughly about the generalities of this book, and i by-and-large agree.
Published on April 11, 2006 by radiosilents
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Too short and too shallow, but basically worthwhile
I enjoyed this book, mostly. Within its scattershot set of chapters about Japanese games in general, there's a fascinating, albeit sketchy, history of Nintendo that contained...
Published on September 14, 2005 by some dude
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Excellent book--some flaws
This is an excellent book. However, it's a bit too short and has some issues.
Firstly, as mentioned in other reviews, this book is really dry.
Published on April 13, 2005 by The Pope Must Diet
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Should be titled "An Ode to Nintendo"
Frankly, unless you're as enamored with Nintendo as Kohler is, you'll probably find the scope of this book far too narrow to be of any real interest or provide any insight.
Published on March 25, 2005 by Ivan Gluscic
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Interviews with industry movers and shakers
Power Up examines video games in general, and Japanese video games in particular, as an interactive storytelling medium.
Published on February 12, 2005 by Midwest Book Review
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Perfectly done, yet not perfect
this is a topic that nobody has ever touched on, as far as I can remember. Hence, it's so perfectly done that it has no elements of comparison.
Published on October 9, 2004 by Spri
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