I have been fortunate over the last month or so to be reading through a few Bitmap Books, including Go Straight, The Games That Weren’t, Game Boy: The Box Art Collection, and The Unofficial SNES/Super Famicom: A Visual Compendium. The last of these is what I’m writing about today, even though it was originally published about four years ago. This epic book is the fifth in an ongoing series of visual compendiums that Bitmap has published. Other volumes in this compendium series include the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Commodore Amiga, and SEGA Master System. All of these books are numbered on their spine and on their outer protective board slip case, and look beautiful on any coffee table or bookshelf.
So what is this visual compendium and why might you be interested in it? Well, if you’re in the target demographic of those of us who either fondly remember the days of the 16 bit era and the wonders of seeing the SNES in action, or in commercials or magazines, or at the store, you’re in for quite a nostalgic trip. Even if you aren’t of age to have experienced the SNES/Super Famicom first hand, you can’t help but appreciate the art from those golden days, and this is a wonderful way to view and learn about it.
Accordingly, the focus of this visual compendium is to celebrate and document visual and art related aspects of many of the best games that graced the SNES. Nearly three hundred games are part of this book, with some games getting more of a spotlight than others (such as about thirty of the bunch getting their box art shown off in addition to other art). Some of my favorite games covered include Final Fight, ActRaiser and its sequel, Castlevania: Dracula X, Clay Fighter 2: Judgment Clay, Mortal Kombat II, Kirby Super Star, and literally dozens of others (to the point where listing them doesn’t make a lot of sense, actually).
In-game screenshots, box art, and product images (in the case of the system itself) are professionally displayed, and supplemented with a variety of forms of text. The text includes basics such as game name, developer, publisher, and year released, but also much more interesting bits such as a handful of developer interviews and five company profiles covering their history and the best of their portfolios, including Square and Hudson. There are also four feature articles that focus on specific topics including the SNES packaging (with an interview of those that were behind it), Mode7 (one of those topics I always meant to learn more about), magazines released during the SNES days, and several folks sharing their SNES memories. About a dozen really interesting homebrew games and a half a dozen of unreleased games are also given attention. All told, there are over 100 contributors for this compendium, including many people you have never heard of (such as guest reviewers, various journalists, and graphic artists), but also many folks you probably have heard of, including Shigeru Miyamoto, Eugene Jarvis, John Tobias, Keiji Inafune, and other directors, musicians, artists, producers, and programmers.
The collection of knowledge and interesting insider anecdotes and stories, coupled with the high quality photos make this an enjoyable read that is satisfying for those who are drawn to visuals as well as those drawn to history and backstories. I found this visual compendium to walk the line between being an exhaustive resource and a light-hearted, nostalgic-driven one, leaning clearly to the latter. Depending on what you’re looking for, it’s conceivable that the compendium may not go in depth enough on what it does cover, or that it lacks the breadth (given it’s just a relatively small fraction of the total amount of games on the platform in question), to appease you. On the other hand, those looking for a more strictly visual resource might wish for more in-game photos or art, be it box art or concept art, or what have you. At the end of the day, though, neither path is really all that practical — the amount of material would be for a multi-volume series, which is perhaps something Bitmap would pursue in the future, but for those looking to strike a good balance, what Bitmap has done here is very good.
With Bitmap Books, what I quickly found out is that their quality is top notch, and not only in between the covers. As I mentioned in my review of The Games That Weren’t, the Bitmap experience begins at the time of order, with concise, informative emails about shipping. You also get a full, high quality PDF of the book, too, which gets updated for free if ever a new edition comes out. Upon receiving the book, I was impressed with the packaging, something I won’t regurgitate here, but see my other review or unboxing videos online for more info. In the case of the compendium books, you have a beautiful, firm, lenticular animated slip cover that give the whole presentation an extra fun ‘pop.’ Within, 536 pages of high quality, lithographic printed pages means that the book not only smells great (only partially kidding — it actually does smell amazing), but it looks vibrant and feels crisp. The dimensions are agreeable — about 6.9 x 9.7″, makes it comfortable and very portable. The binding method, also something I cover in more detail in my other review, is excellent. Something unique to this compendium release are the four Super Famicom colored ribbons that can be used as bookmarks, too, so you can quickly turn to those favorite four items you might want to share with a guest.
Though some folks in the extreme may find irreconcilable nitpicks about some of the choices made in this book — the number and choice of games, the screenshots, the lack of this or that, or yearning for more text or less, and so on — the bottom line is that all of that doesn’t hold a candle to what is a wonderful tribute to the SNES/Super Famicom. I believe anyone who has interest, be it steeped in nostalgia or not, for this time in gaming history, this book is a beautiful gateway into your explorations. Another easy one to recommend out of England’s Bitmap Books.
