Book

Exclusive Excerpt from “Console Wars”: SEGA of America’s first look at Sonic the Hedgehog

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Thanks to It Books, HarperCollins Publishers, and author Blake J. Harris, we have an exclusive excerpt from “Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation” which features the first time SEGA of America President Tom Kalinske and his staff laid their eyes on Sonic the Hedgehog in action! The full excerpt can be found after the break, and if you like what you read, make sure to pre-order a copy of the book today and enter our Twitter and Facebook contests to win a copy of the book. Contest winners will be announced on our release day podcast with the book’s author Blake J. Harris, which will debut alongside the book tomorrow!

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The battle of SEGA and Nintendo to be made into a book and a film – film to be made by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg

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To gamers, the battle of SEGA and Nintendo is something of legend. The video game giant Nintendo being taken on by the underdog SEGA. It’s almost like something out of a movie. So it only makes sense that the publishing industry and Hollywood would jump at the chance to make a book and film about the console wars. It was announced this week that Atlantic Books has acquired the UK rights to the book CONSOLE WARS, written by Blake Harris. The book is described as “a riveting behind-the-scenes business thriller that chronicles how SEGA, a small, scrappy gaming company led by an unlikely visionary, took on the juggernaut Nintendo and revolutionized the video game industry”. So basically The Social Network meets Rocky, and SEGA is the good guy. Atlantic plans to publish CONSOLE WARS: Sega, Nintendo and the Battle that Defined a Generation in August 2014, meanwhile American’s can expect the book to release this May from It Books.

Sony Pictures and Scott Rudin, of Moneyball and The Social Network, are developing a film version of the book, which is to be written and directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg of Knocked Up and Superbad fame. The book’s writer Blake Harris is serving as Executive Producer and has his own version of the story, a documentary, in the works. The news of the film is nothing new, however this is the first time in a while that we’ve heard anything about it. Back in 2012, IGN came across Sony Pictures registering the domain for Console wars the Movie. So in a few years time we may very well see SEGA vs. Nintendo the Movie! Hey, if Facebook gets a movie, SEGA easily deserves one.

Update: Interestingly, this isn’t the first mention of Rogan and Goldberg being attached to a film version of the book. Back in late 2012 their involvement was mentioned in a Facebook post made by Trident Media Group. Despite this, it appears that the news was never picked up and reported elsewhere. That same day, Rogan and Goldberg tweeted about it.

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Total War to enter the world of historical adventure novels – reading as you truly imagined it!

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I am a sucker for video game novels. I recall reading Myst: The Book of Atrus for a book report and thinking I was the coolest kid in school. SEGA Europe, in partnership with Pan Macmillan, will soon be releasing historical adventure novels based on the Total War franchise, so now kids can have a reason to read SEGA related books for school! Just tell them it’s world history. Coinciding with the release of Total War Rome II, SEGA plans to release four novels written by acclaimed adventure novelist David Gibbins. The first of these books, entitled Total War Rome II: Destroy Carthage, is due out September 3rd and can be pre-ordered now.

David Gibbons seems enthusiastic about the new series, stating “what really attracts me about the Total War games is their historical authenticity and attention to detail, as well as the contexts ranging from antiquity to more recent times that closely match my own range of interests.My novels will not only enrich the experience for Total War players but also stan alone in the wider market, where I see huge potential and an even bigger audience for the Total War franchise.” SEGA and Pan Macmillan plan to cross-promote the novels, including in-game marketing. Who knows, what you read could very well seep into the game you’re playing, allowing for a richer experience on both sides.

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Upcoming book answers the age-old question of “Where’s Sonic?”

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While we can’t report on EVERY piece of Sonic merchandise (if we did that, we’d be up to our necks in pencil cases, DVDs, statues, figures and the occasional toothbrush), we do like to share the unique and awesome items emblazoned with Sonic’s mug. “Where’s Sonic?: A Search-And-Find Adventure” is definitely of the unique category. It’s a Where’s Waldo/Wally style book in which fans try and find Sonic as well as other items as they litter recognizable zones and stages from the franchise. Currently the book is only listed in the UK and Australia. Amazon UK is taking pre-orders for £2.99 with free shipping within the UK. The release date is October 11th, so until then try to find Shadow creeping in the shadows in the image above.

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English version of The History of Sonic book coming courtesy of Udon?

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GoNintendo has stumbled upon a pre-order listing on Amazon for Pix’N Love’s The History of Sonic book. The fact that there is an English language version isn’t a surprise, since Pix’N Love confirmed that one is in the works earlier this month. What is a surprise is that the book is not being sold on Pix’N Love’s English site, and that the book looks to be published by Udon Entertainment. Udon Entertainment, for those who don’t know, is a Canadian based publisher responsible for gaming art books both original and imported including the Valkyria Chronicles 2: World Artworks book and the upcoming The Eyes of Bayonetta art book. So has Pix’N Love left the English language duties to Udon? Seems like it. The English translation already exists, as it was approved alongside the French translation several months ago. So at most, Udon would have to handle printing and perhaps a slight redesign to the cover to accomodate their logo. Pix’N Love estimated that the book would sell for between $45 and $50, and the MSRP on Amazon matches that guess at $49.99. However, Amazon currently lists the book for a cool $32.14. The release date is tentatively October 9, 2012. An Amazon.co.uk listing also exists, however a price is not given. The UK release date is listed as September 19, 2012.

A big thanks to Tracker the Doggy for the heads up!

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Spoiler Alert: See every page of The History of Sonic book

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGURDOlBcQ8

Pix’n Love Publishing’s The History of Sonic book has finally released… in French! So while English readers await the release of the English version, which is coming, enjoy this spoileriffic page by page video of the book. The book looks to be very impressive, with a lot of artwork and screens as well as a good amount of text, a nice balance of pictures and words in my opinion. The most awesome aspect of the book is that it has never before seen artwork! After the break, part two of the book.

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The Art of Video Games Companion Book Features Influential SEGA Games

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While the Smithsonian’s Art of Video Games show doesn’t open until March 16th, fans can get their pre-orders in now for the show’s companion book. Retailing for $40, and up for pre-order for $24 on Amazon, the 216 page book makes the argument that games aren’t just for play, but are also “compelling experiences that have crossed the boundary into culture and art”. Writer Chris Melissinos uses the 80 games featured in the show to support this argument, and shares stories and comments about their development and innovation. The book will also feature interviews and over 100 composite images drawn directly from the games themselves.

After the break, a rundown of the SEGA titles to be featured in the book.

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Valkyria Chronicles 2: World Artworks Book is coming to America

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Valkyria Chronicles has some amazing art, so its good to see the Japanese artbooks get American releases. This is going to be the second Valkyria Chronicles artbook that publisher Udon has published in America. The first art book released had art from the first title, this new one is going to be based on the PSP sequel.

If you guys want to pre-order the art book, you can do so on Amazon. The book is listed for $31.24, with a release date of April 10th, 2012.

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300 Page Sonic History Book Releasing in France

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The French are such lucky dogs (or should I say, “lucky frogs”? sorry, bad joke), they’re getting a beautiful 300 page book spanning the history of the Sonic franchise. Released by Pix’n Love Publishing, with approval from SEGA of Japan, the initial release touts a blue hardcover with a gold printed logo and a unique serial number. The book is up for pre-order with an expected January 2012 release and Pix’n Love ships worldwide for a nominal fee. I was able to preorder the book for 35.50 euros, that’s 30 euros for the book and only 5.50 euros for shipping, roughly $47. The downside? Most of it is in French, the upside, a bit of it is in English and there are a lot of pretty pictures to look at. Also, Pix’n Love Publishing has an English language site and they have released a few of their more popular French books in English. So if their History of Mario book is anything to go by, there may be a softcover English release of the Sonic book in late 2012. For more images of the book, check out their virtual preview on their pre-order page.

UPDATE: A rep from the UK Pix’n Love shop has said that an English version is coming, and pre-orders should start in a few weeks. Time to cancel that order from France!

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