I've read it, and I have some criticisms. Brace Yourselves...
I've read the new "Tony Hawk" bonus chapter, and I hate to say it, but it was my least favorite of the three currently-released bonus chapters. And although I am treading into uncharacteristically critical territory, I'm going to be brutally honest on why I felt that way. And perhaps some of my criticisms might be unfair, since I am no fan of "THPS" in the first place; a THPS fan might view the chapter in a much better light.
First of all, let me say that the "Pong" bonus chapter was great, and I was greatly relieved that it was not only "professional," but it exceeded my expectations. I felt it was well-written, historically intriguing, and passionate. It had a "flow" to it, and it was about PONG, a groundbreaking videogame which I have a fond nostalgia for. The next bonus chapter was about "Pinball Construction Set," and I felt all the same feelings for this chapter that I did for the "Pong" chapter, with the added novelty that I was personally quoted in the chapter (which actually had less of an impact than I suspected, so I felt that my reaction to that chapter was at least somewhat objective). I felt a nostalgic "glow" after reading these chapters.
Therefore, I had an initial bias towards liking these chapters, and I have been reading your (Bill and Matt's) posts for years, and have a vested (biased) personal interest in seeing you guys succeed! I am just saying this so that you know where I am coming from.
But I've never been a fan of the THPS series. I have no nostalgia for it, and I see the THPS games more as glorified "physics toys" than actual games. I didn't "get" the THPS game, so my initial disinterest might have biased me against this chapter to begin with. But I LIKE you guys, so I thought that might counteract my bias against this game.
However, both of you (Bill and Matt) are on record here as saying you weren't fans of this game either. And I think it shows..... I was hoping that your magical writing talents would pull off what you guys warned us was a "weak" chapter, and that you were just being hard on yourselves over this one, but I have to be honest.
I hope to dear God that this chapter wasn't written by Matt, because I would feel awful criticising his first online bonus chapter! He has written compelling, interesting articles (and a book!) on games and genres that I had no initial interest in, or even outright disliked! In fact, he has outright converted me to CRPG fandom with his great book "Dungeons & Desktops" through interesting writing and a sheer, full-force passion for the subject!
Although if this is a "Bill" chapter, I don't feel any better, even though he wrote two excellent bonus chapters previously. Well, let me get on with it......
Overall, the "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater" chapter was "Okay." That's it. I felt nothing more. And on a "common" scale, "okay" might be "okay," but not on the AA Bill-and-Matt scale. My reaction might have as much to do with my bias against THPS as anything else, but I don't think so. I still have high hopes for "Vintage Games," which I should receive any day now in the mail.
To be clear, the THPS chapter wasn't HORRIBLE. It wasn't an embarrassment. It wasn't even "bad." It was "okay." It certainly wasn't your best, I'm sorry to say, but it's not "hang your head in shame" bad either. At least not on a "common" scale it wasn't. You probably won't get much of a reaction to this chapter at all, if I may make a prediction.
Anyhow, here's where I will be specific on my criticisms of the "THPS" chapter:
First of all, the THPS chapter started off strongly. It mentioned the preceding historical games in the "extreme sports" genre, including "California Games," "Skate or Die," and "720 Degrees." While I (as a "classic" gamer) would have liked to see more mentioned about these games, I understand that the focus of the chapter was on THPS, so I understood that this was just the build-up to your treatise on THPS. But there was a clear passion for the subject in the beginning, much like the previous bonus chapters.
However, once the chapter actually started tackling "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater" itself, it largely became a recital of all the various versions and sequels of THPS that were released. "This version begat that version, which begat that version, which begat that version..... [and so forth]." That might be an oversimplification, but that's basically how it came across to me. It would have been fine if there was a clear (or faked!) passion for the games, but that didn't appear to be the case. The subsequent summary of the THPS versions was written in a rather dry, cursory fashion. I didn't learn anything new about THPS. Why was it popular? Who did it appeal to? What ground did it break? ...... On the other hand, I don't think fans of the THPS series learned anything they did not already know from this chapter either, except perhaps the short mentions of the previous "extreme sports" games that came before THPS.
Grammatically, all was fine (from my eyes), but there was no sense of passion for the subject. While many of the other "extreme sports" offspring of THPS were mentioned, they weren't dwelled upon, except in the photos and footnotes. This left the impression that THPS wasn't really all that influential, but was merely the next logical step up from "720 Degrees" or "Skate or Die," and that THPS was only focused on in this chapter because it was popular.
I know all of this sounds INCREDIBLY harsh, and that I have just contributed to your bad day (or have just ruined your day), but I KNOW this is not representative of your talents! It's not that this chapter is BAD, but it is just "okay," which is BAD on the "Bill-and-Matt potential" scale. You guys have the misfortune that I have viewed your musings, articles, and even BOOKS(!) and videos for years, and that I therefore KNOW what you are at least minimally capable of. You guys are highly intelligent and passionate guys in your own ways. The high intelligence was evident in this article, but NOT THE PASSION, which is entirely uncharacteristic of you guys.
I know this all reads like a TRASHING of your chapter, but I suspect that the average reader will read the chapter and think "eh..." and move on to the next Internet article, which won't make much of a difference on your book sales one way or another. Let me make this clear (and you guys KNOW THIS TO BE TRUE)... I want your book to be a MAJOR success. If this was your weakest chapter, then you have nothing to be worried about.... your book will be great. It will be the best book on "Vintage Games" ever written. I have no doubt about it.
If this chapter (or chapters like it) was just one of a series of chapters in the context of a book, it probably wouldn't register, and overall, I would probably review the book favorably based on the stronger chapters. After all, who reviews a book chapter by chapter? But out of context, this singular chapter is, in my eyes, just "okay." That's not good enough. Not for you guys.
Okay, let's turn this around to "constructive criticism." Could I do any better? No, especially with "Tony Hawk." But those who can't do.... criticize those who can. That's me. Here's where I think you guys should (in the future) play to your strong suits.
If you have no passion for the subject, find an angle that you can approach the subject from. "Everything is about angles," a famous Billiards player once said. While you had no obvious love for THPS, obviously there was some love for its predecessors, like "Skate or Die." Dwell on that, and on the more interesting spawn of THPS, rather than THPS itself. You can't please everyone (including me), but THPS fans would have probably been on board to read about their favorite game spawning me-too clones, or about the previous games in the genre.
Okay, I've said enough. Let me say that I feel very bad saying what I've said, but it's not actually a DISASTER. "Okay" is, well, okay, and I've read the chapter listings of "Vintage Games." There's NO WAY you won't feel passion for the majority of the games listed in the book. I don't believe this THPS "okay" chapter is representative of the book itself. And plus, I have a great nostalgia for almost all of the games mentioned in the chapter listings, so I will be biased towards liking those chapters.
I don't know if what I've just written will come across as constructive, harsh, vicious, or what, but it is the honest impression that I, as a long AA fan, felt upon reading the new "bonus chapter." I am a manager, and not an author, so writing is your job, and not mine. Technically, the "Tony Hawk" chapter is "there," but it isn't "there." Not like the previous bonus chapters, anyway. This is just my opinion, though. I love you guys, but I have to call them as I see them. This was the weakest of the "bonus chapters" so far, by my review. Perhaps others will (hopefully) feel differently.
I've read the new "Tony Hawk" bonus chapter, and I hate to say it, but it was my least favorite of the three currently-released bonus chapters. And although I am treading into uncharacteristically critical territory, I'm going to be brutally honest on why I felt that way. And perhaps some of my criticisms might be unfair, since I am no fan of "THPS" in the first place; a THPS fan might view the chapter in a much better light.
First of all, let me say that the "Pong" bonus chapter was great, and I was greatly relieved that it was not only "professional," but it exceeded my expectations. I felt it was well-written, historically intriguing, and passionate. It had a "flow" to it, and it was about PONG, a groundbreaking videogame which I have a fond nostalgia for. The next bonus chapter was about "Pinball Construction Set," and I felt all the same feelings for this chapter that I did for the "Pong" chapter, with the added novelty that I was personally quoted in the chapter (which actually had less of an impact than I suspected, so I felt that my reaction to that chapter was at least somewhat objective). I felt a nostalgic "glow" after reading these chapters.
Therefore, I had an initial bias towards liking these chapters, and I have been reading your (Bill and Matt's) posts for years, and have a vested (biased) personal interest in seeing you guys succeed! I am just saying this so that you know where I am coming from.
But I've never been a fan of the THPS series. I have no nostalgia for it, and I see the THPS games more as glorified "physics toys" than actual games. I didn't "get" the THPS game, so my initial disinterest might have biased me against this chapter to begin with. But I LIKE you guys, so I thought that might counteract my bias against this game.
However, both of you (Bill and Matt) are on record here as saying you weren't fans of this game either. And I think it shows..... I was hoping that your magical writing talents would pull off what you guys warned us was a "weak" chapter, and that you were just being hard on yourselves over this one, but I have to be honest.
I hope to dear God that this chapter wasn't written by Matt, because I would feel awful criticising his first online bonus chapter! He has written compelling, interesting articles (and a book!) on games and genres that I had no initial interest in, or even outright disliked! In fact, he has outright converted me to CRPG fandom with his great book "Dungeons & Desktops" through interesting writing and a sheer, full-force passion for the subject!
Although if this is a "Bill" chapter, I don't feel any better, even though he wrote two excellent bonus chapters previously. Well, let me get on with it......
Overall, the "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater" chapter was "Okay." That's it. I felt nothing more. And on a "common" scale, "okay" might be "okay," but not on the AA Bill-and-Matt scale. My reaction might have as much to do with my bias against THPS as anything else, but I don't think so. I still have high hopes for "Vintage Games," which I should receive any day now in the mail.
To be clear, the THPS chapter wasn't HORRIBLE. It wasn't an embarrassment. It wasn't even "bad." It was "okay." It certainly wasn't your best, I'm sorry to say, but it's not "hang your head in shame" bad either. At least not on a "common" scale it wasn't. You probably won't get much of a reaction to this chapter at all, if I may make a prediction.
Anyhow, here's where I will be specific on my criticisms of the "THPS" chapter:
First of all, the THPS chapter started off strongly. It mentioned the preceding historical games in the "extreme sports" genre, including "California Games," "Skate or Die," and "720 Degrees." While I (as a "classic" gamer) would have liked to see more mentioned about these games, I understand that the focus of the chapter was on THPS, so I understood that this was just the build-up to your treatise on THPS. But there was a clear passion for the subject in the beginning, much like the previous bonus chapters.
However, once the chapter actually started tackling "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater" itself, it largely became a recital of all the various versions and sequels of THPS that were released. "This version begat that version, which begat that version, which begat that version..... [and so forth]." That might be an oversimplification, but that's basically how it came across to me. It would have been fine if there was a clear (or faked!) passion for the games, but that didn't appear to be the case. The subsequent summary of the THPS versions was written in a rather dry, cursory fashion. I didn't learn anything new about THPS. Why was it popular? Who did it appeal to? What ground did it break? ...... On the other hand, I don't think fans of the THPS series learned anything they did not already know from this chapter either, except perhaps the short mentions of the previous "extreme sports" games that came before THPS.
Grammatically, all was fine (from my eyes), but there was no sense of passion for the subject. While many of the other "extreme sports" offspring of THPS were mentioned, they weren't dwelled upon, except in the photos and footnotes. This left the impression that THPS wasn't really all that influential, but was merely the next logical step up from "720 Degrees" or "Skate or Die," and that THPS was only focused on in this chapter because it was popular.
I know all of this sounds INCREDIBLY harsh, and that I have just contributed to your bad day (or have just ruined your day), but I KNOW this is not representative of your talents! It's not that this chapter is BAD, but it is just "okay," which is BAD on the "Bill-and-Matt potential" scale. You guys have the misfortune that I have viewed your musings, articles, and even BOOKS(!) and videos for years, and that I therefore KNOW what you are at least minimally capable of. You guys are highly intelligent and passionate guys in your own ways. The high intelligence was evident in this article, but NOT THE PASSION, which is entirely uncharacteristic of you guys.
I know this all reads like a TRASHING of your chapter, but I suspect that the average reader will read the chapter and think "eh..." and move on to the next Internet article, which won't make much of a difference on your book sales one way or another. Let me make this clear (and you guys KNOW THIS TO BE TRUE)... I want your book to be a MAJOR success. If this was your weakest chapter, then you have nothing to be worried about.... your book will be great. It will be the best book on "Vintage Games" ever written. I have no doubt about it.
If this chapter (or chapters like it) was just one of a series of chapters in the context of a book, it probably wouldn't register, and overall, I would probably review the book favorably based on the stronger chapters. After all, who reviews a book chapter by chapter? But out of context, this singular chapter is, in my eyes, just "okay." That's not good enough. Not for you guys.
Okay, let's turn this around to "constructive criticism." Could I do any better? No, especially with "Tony Hawk." But those who can't do.... criticize those who can. That's me. Here's where I think you guys should (in the future) play to your strong suits.
If you have no passion for the subject, find an angle that you can approach the subject from. "Everything is about angles," a famous Billiards player once said. While you had no obvious love for THPS, obviously there was some love for its predecessors, like "Skate or Die." Dwell on that, and on the more interesting spawn of THPS, rather than THPS itself. You can't please everyone (including me), but THPS fans would have probably been on board to read about their favorite game spawning me-too clones, or about the previous games in the genre.
Okay, I've said enough. Let me say that I feel very bad saying what I've said, but it's not actually a DISASTER. "Okay" is, well, okay, and I've read the chapter listings of "Vintage Games." There's NO WAY you won't feel passion for the majority of the games listed in the book. I don't believe this THPS "okay" chapter is representative of the book itself. And plus, I have a great nostalgia for almost all of the games mentioned in the chapter listings, so I will be biased towards liking those chapters.
I don't know if what I've just written will come across as constructive, harsh, vicious, or what, but it is the honest impression that I, as a long AA fan, felt upon reading the new "bonus chapter." I am a manager, and not an author, so writing is your job, and not mine. Technically, the "Tony Hawk" chapter is "there," but it isn't "there." Not like the previous bonus chapters, anyway. This is just my opinion, though. I love you guys, but I have to call them as I see them. This was the weakest of the "bonus chapters" so far, by my review. Perhaps others will (hopefully) feel differently.
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