I probably read 75% of these books, and Blaster Master was by far my favorite. I was absolutely gaga about Eve, and I thought it was so cool how the author managed to elaborate on little things in the game that you never think twice about when you're playing. I mean, you pick up the controller, use the D-pad to move the tank about, one button makes it shoot, another button makes it jump. But in the book, each one of these was a small plot point. The main character had to learn how to make the tank move and shoot through a process of trial and error, and the way it's described in the book draws you into the experience a lot more than watching a few pixels on the screen bob up and down. The book picked up on the most insignificant little things in a game that basically had no plot and turned them into a series of fun little adventures. Well, fun for a 12 year old, as you say. I re-read it a few years back in college and didn't get anywhere near the same emotional impact, but that's true for pretty much any book I loved when I was a kid.
Slashdot Mirror
I probably read 75% of these books, and Blaster Master was by far my favorite. I was absolutely gaga about Eve, and I thought it was so cool how the author managed to elaborate on little things in the game that you never think twice about when you're playing. I mean, you pick up the controller, use the D-pad to move the tank about, one button makes it shoot, another button makes it jump. But in the book, each one of these was a small plot point. The main character had to learn how to make the tank move and shoot through a process of trial and error, and the way it's described in the book draws you into the experience a lot more than watching a few pixels on the screen bob up and down. The book picked up on the most insignificant little things in a game that basically had no plot and turned them into a series of fun little adventures. Well, fun for a 12 year old, as you say. I re-read it a few years back in college and didn't get anywhere near the same emotional impact, but that's true for pretty much any book I loved when I was a kid.