Review of Video Game Invasion

Introduction

So what was your evolution as a game player? My own started back in the late 70`s with one of those clunky home gaming systems of which I have no idea who the manufacturer was. It plugged straight into the back of our portable TV and we could play tennis, squash and football with two lines as bats (or paddles) and a ball. Well, we could play it when mum and dad let us, like after washing up or taking the rubbish out or when Coronation Street or something equally `riveting` wasn`t on. At the time, this was high technology and a flick of the wrist sending the ball whizzing across the screen at acute angles was enough to bring feelings of elation and conquest over your siblings. Them was the days, lad. By the way, this is likely to go on for a bit, but indulge me, please…

Of course, I hadn`t seen anything yet. My mate John, who lived in a flat over the road from me, got a ZX81 with a 16k RAM pack and once more the technological cutting edge had shifted. Although I didn`t own it, I was fascinated with this tiny box with membrane keys, the first creation from C5 scientist Sir Clive Sinclair. We used to sift through magazines for games listings, all faithfully reproduced in BASIC, and attempt to type them in and play the games. The listings got longer and the machine had a tendency to crash about halfway through, but we had patience. Well, enough patience to last until his dad enabled him to move up the computing ladder.

The beast that replaced the ZX81 came from the same stable and was a 48k ZX Spectrum and came with a Kempston Joystick Interface and a Quickshot 2! Good god, I was in heaven and I was still across the road without one. I`m sure John got a little peeved with me for going round to his house so much, but this thing had me hooked. Ghost Rider, Ant Attack and then, the piece de la resistance, JetPac. From there it really was onwards and upwards. I eventually inherited John`s Spectrum when he upgraded to a C64, but I persevered for about five more years before I made the same move myself, content to play KnightLore, Jet Set Willy, Lords of Midnight and School Daze for hours on end with a tape recorder with a dodgy volume control.

1989 saw my purchase of a second hand C64 with my first disc drive and a lot of software. Although we had good sound as in Ghostbusters, I felt the gameplay and graphics weren`t always as good as the Spectrum, which is probably akin to heresy amongst C64 enthusiasts. Two games really carried me through those days: Paradroid and Impossible Mission. There were others that were good certainly, but those were the standard bearers for me.

The early 90`s saw me switch to the Amiga, first the 500 and then the 1200. This, I felt was where real gaming was happening. Rocket Ranger, Wings, Speedball 2 (with one of my all-time favourite sound effects `ice cream, ice cream`), Sensible Soccer, etc. My only initial problem with the 500 was the multiple disc swaps, but other than that, all was right in the world. The 1200 solved that problem as I found I now had a hard drive and could just install games onto it. It wasn`t that big so I had to be selective, and one of those was Sid Meier`s Pirates!

At this point, lots of people were switching to PC`s but I was one of those Amiga snobs who resisted the transition from a superior machine until I had no choice. PC owners had to keep buying new equipment to replace old whilst I had a spanking good machine with limited required add-ons for what I needed. None of this buying a sound card rubbish and as for the big old 5.75 floppies? We already had 3.5 discs that were built to last. Now, of course, technology has moved along so much that the modern PC or Mac just blow away the old technology and I have been sucked into the ever increasing upgrade game for my PC. As for gaming? Well, I still hammer away and although I still hanker for the old days now and again, gaming has moved onto new levels and new platforms.

Well, so much for the autobiography, what about Video Game Invasion? Well, this DVD is a documentary hosted by Tony Hawks that delves into the origins of gaming, right back into the 50`s and up to virtually the present day. We learn about the various systems that were created for gamers and how gaming actually influenced the creation of additional hardware for PCs. There are interviews with game designers for some of the top companies of the day throughout this timeline and footage of some of their creations. There is also a surprising, for me at least, story on the origins of the PlayStation.

Video

Presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio as per the original NTSC broadcast I expect. The picture has a soft-focus feel to it, as per most transfers of this kind, but being studio based the colours are vibrant and you don`t notice it too much - unlike say the WWE and UFC type features.

Audio

Dolby Stereo 2.0 soundtrack which seems to be the norm for documentary or most TV DVDs, and rightly so. Good clear dialogue and the music soundtrack is pretty good too…

Features

Interview with Tony Hawk - based around gaming and skaters, and how his range of games has brought new fans to the sport.

Gamers Games - some of the interviewees from the main feature discuss both their first and favourite games

The Frankenstein Factor - Peter Molyneux discusses a pivotal creative moment during the development of Black & White.

Testing `Fable` - Peter Molyneux discusses the quirks of games testing and deviousness of games players.

Birth Of EA Sports - Trip Hawkins, founder of EA, on the origins of EA Sports.

Commercials - two commercials for the original broadcast.

All the extras last around 20 minutes all told and are a useful addition to the main feature.

Conclusion

So, you may just guess from the intro that I`m quite interested in gaming. I`ve been in love with gaming since my teens and now nearly in my 40`s. I don`t class myself as a hard-core gamer by any means, but I am still conducive to the occasional all-nighter, such as the day I brought Guild Wars home recently or the marathon session on Joint Operations: Escalation just last week. Still, I tend to stick with either strategy or certain types of FPS games, no racing games here. And no consoles either, although my sons have both an Xbox and PS2 between them - sorry just find the pad controls just too finicky and a disconnection from the action that isn`t apparent on the PC, which just seems to me have a more symbiotic user/hardware relationship..

So with all this in mind, this documentary is right up my street. Not a dumbed down programme for the MTV generation, probably because it wasn`t shown on MTV, but a detailed and interesting history of gaming. Interviews are mainly with guys far older than myself who were at the cutting edge of gaming history, bucking the trend and moving things forward so that people like me could hammer a joystick or kill some pixellated image. It takes you right back to the very beginning when computers filled rooms and then takes those of a certain age right through their childhood to the present-ish day. The only thing that dates this broadcast is the games featured in the final segment which include Full Spectrum Warrior and Tony Hawks: Underground.

Obviously this is an original US TV broadcast so it`s heavily biased in that direction, but this doesn`t make it less interesting. Hawks is quite a good presenter and does a good job, the only embarrassing moment for me is when he does the 5 foot board roll for the intro and the `Hi, I`m Tony Hawks`. Bet he was made to do that though. Despite it`s bias, this is a nice piece of history of a cultural phenomenon that is still seen in some quarters to be the preserve of the nerd in a darkened room. That`s not true, look at me. Oh, hang on…

As an English gamer I would have liked to have seen reference to some of the classic platforms and games designers that I was privileged to use. The ZX Spectrum and Amiga plus software companies like Microprose, Hewson Associates, Ocean, Ultimate! (!), Sensible Software and Cinemaware among those who were beacons in those heady days. You can`t have everything though. Maybe some independent film maker could pick up the mantle and produce something as good for the UK market one day.

If you`ve read this far, then you have some patience or have an interest in gaming and just indulged in the sharing of gaming history. Either way, this is a fascinating documentary on a subject not covered a lot in the mainstream other than straight game reviews or the negative connotations of press coverage of something like the Grand Theft Auto series. Well worth watching at least, but I also believe that this will stand repeat viewing and so is a necessary and cheap purchase for gaming fans.