1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die - The Review

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Last Christmas I was handed a present of substantial weight by my beloved girlfriend. I wasn't too sure what to expect because, as she always says, 'Jamie, you're so difficult to buy presents for'.

She wasn't joking. I flit in and out of hobbies and interests like a fly flits between turds on a hot day.

However, flitting aside, one thing has remained constant in my life and that is my love of video games.

I was bought my first computer in 1987 at the tender age of 6, it was an Amstrad CPC 464 and I was happy as Larry.

I've always had a gaming platform in my life from that day onwards and now have more than one room full of the blighters.

So last Christmas when I tenderly peeled away the tape holding the wonderfully intricate wrapping my girlfriend ritualistically partakes in every single year, a small tear of joy rolled down my cheek as I snatched my first peek at the glorious sprite laden book cover of the hefty reading material which now lay in my lap.

The book was '1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die'.

What lay before me was 960 pages of information, reviews, summaries & pictures of 1001 video games, in order of decade, starting at 1970 and ending in 2010.

I flicked through the book with the very same grin on my face as when I was six and sat beside the Christmas tree with my mother, staring at my new CPC 464, except now I was 24 years older and it was a book bringing me joy, whilst my mother was in France, doing French Christmas.... whatever that is.

Happy with my first thumbing through of the pages I decided to play a little game with the book, the game - a very basic one: 'I bet it hasn't got..'.

This game started off innocently enough with me thinking about games I had that none of my peers did.

"Space Harrier", I muttered to myself under the droning noise of Christmas day TV.
I flicked to the 80's and sure enough it was there.
Go on, try BombJack... Yep.. that's there too. Pang? Yep. Impossible Mission? California Games? That grinning eggy mug who goes by the name Dizzy? Yep, yep, yep.

Okay, How can I trick this book? I know, I'll throw in some PlayChoice10 Arcade games.

Track & Field? Yep.
Double Dragon? Also yes.

I gave up (a little too easily I know.. but hey, I'd had a lot of turkey!)

What I'd essentially been doing up until that point was grasping at confirmation of childhood memories whilst in the back of my lethargic, post Christmas dinner mind, a gentle stirring was happening. The stirring was the start of The Games Shed.

This book, aside from sparking memories of hot summer holidays spent in my house in England, playing my Sega Master System, whilst better off friends were in some luxurious resort in California, made me want more.

I wanted more 16-bit beauties, I wanted more 8-bit gems, I wanted it all.

Whilst I will admit I have found numerous examples of what I would consider 'a game you need to play before you die' missing from this book and other examples of what I would consider games 'I'd rather die than play again' within its pages, it is still a superb read.


The book lists a whopping 36 contributors and whilst this brings mixed content, it all fits together on the wonderful glossy pages like an Obsessive Compulsives Minecraft world.

If you are a keen video game player you need this in your life.

If you are keen on 70's, 80's or 90's video game nostalgia you need this in your life.

If you have ever had the Alex Kidd In Miracle World theme tune stuck in your head, you need this in your life.

The book features a great preface by the colossal Peter Molyneux (Of Theme Park, Fable II, Populous fame) and is edited by Editor-In-Chief of Edge Magazine Tony Mott.

It covers Intellivision to Xbox 360 and everything in between.

Grab hold of it now for your fill of Mario, Sonic, Shinobi, Earthworm Jim, R-Type etc, etc, etc...


You can buy this here: Amazon

Thanks for reading!

If you have any comments or want to suggest another book we should take a look at you can get in touch with us the following ways:

Twitter: @GamesShed
e-mail: info@thegamesshed.co.uk
Facebook: The Games Shed