Yes, you can tell it’s almost Christmas. The run up to the season of giving is a great time for publishers to launch their latest projects, and the retro gaming world is no different.
This is a list of the latest retro merchandise – almost each item featured is a book – that you can add to your Christmas list, Amazon wishlist, or share with your significant other ahead of the big day.
All have either been released this month, or are expected to hit bookshelves (or doormats) before Christmas 2024.
Fusion Retro Books announce 2025 annuals Kickstarter
First up, it’s the latest project from Fusion Retro Books – their 2025 annual release, which is now available to support on Kickstarter. Four titles in total are available: on offer – ZZAP! 64, CRASH, FUSION and Spectrum NEXT.
While the FUSION annual contains all-new material, the others comprise around 40 pages of new content, along with material from the periodicals. They can be ordered in A4 or A5 format, depending on the title.
These annuals are all available to back now on Kickstarter. Don’t worry about your order not being fulfilled – they’ve already smashed the target, and at the time of writing, had £39,255 pledged of the £16,000 goal.
Out now: Memories of Firebird
This is a book I’m really looking forward to getting hold of. Memories of Firebird: The Unofficial and Unauthorised History takes a look at the British Telecom-owned software house, which rose like a phoenix in 1984 before crashing and burning at the end of its five year lifespan.
The first three games published on the label were The Wild Bunch (ZX Spectrum), Booty (Commodore 64) and Bird Strike (BBC Micro).
Memories of Firebird is by Richard Hewison, a man who was there at the time. The book, which features recollections from Richards’ colleagues and other relevant personnel, ships with some digital extras, including a text adventure game!
You can order Memories of Firebird: The Unofficial and Unauthorised History on Amazon, or buy direct from publisher Telos.
The Game Boy Encyclopedia: Every Game Released for the Nintendo Game Boy and Game Boy Color
Landing on September 30th, The Game Boy Encyclopedia: Every Game Released for the Nintendo Game Boy and Game Boy Color contains every game released in the west for both handhelds: around 580 on the Game Boy and around 560 on the Game Boy Color.
It also features around 1,150 games covered in total, screenshots and trivia factoids for every single title.
However, we’re not sure what the cutoff is – publishers are still releasing occasional titles for the Game Boy! You can order The Game Boy Encyclopedia on Amazon now.
The History Of the Famicom/NES
Translated by Florent Gorges, The History Of the Famicom/NES is an in-depth (albeit unofficial) look at the Nintendo Family Computer, which is better known in the west as the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Written by French retrogaming historian Florent Gorges and translated into English, this book explores the origins of the NES all the way to the release of the NES/Famicom mini in 2016. Gorges travelled to Japan to conduct research, and the book includes various revelations.
This is the third volume of The History of Nintendo series, and also features the story of the NES in France
You can order The History Of the Famicom/NES on Amazon now.
The History of the Game Boy
Back with the legendary Nintendo handheld, The History of the Game Boy is also coming soon from Florent Gorges, and is the fourth translated title from The History of Nintendo series, which began way back in 2011.
Like the other title, this is full of interviews and info and considers both the developments at Nintendo during the Game Boy’s lifespan and its lasting influence.
You can order Florent Gorges’ The History of the Game Boy on Amazon now.
The Unofficial GBA Pixel Book
Available from 11 Nov 2024, the Unofficial GBA Pixel Book is a translation of Robert Bannert, Thomas Nickel and Martin Nagel’s collection of 240 classic GBA games, originally published in Germany by Elektrospieler.
This title – published in English by Bitmap Books – includes 3000 screenshots, across 300 pages, along with stunning visual design.
You can order The Unofficial GBA Pixel Book from Bitmap Books.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through those links. This comes at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.
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