Reinvent the video game strategy guide, one pledge at a time.
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Reinvent the video game strategy guide, one pledge at a time.
About this project
For the last 9 months I’ve worked hard to develop a new way to bring the good aspects of old game guides and turn it into something fresh and user-friendly. Strategy guides and video game magazines are at a crossroads for a variety of reasons. I believe there is an opportunity to reinvent it by making the guides interactive beyond anything currently available on the market. I hope to do this with my new "Retro Strategy" iBook series.
My previous work as Lead Designer on the HebrewVision Series- the impetus for it was my love of video game magazines & strategy guides.
I started by designing a product demo of an interactive iBook for the original Super Mario Bros. This served as a template for other guides I wanted to make. Most importantly, getting the gaming community to partake in the future development became an integral component. Numerous map makers at vgmaps.com have granted permission to use their cartographic work to breathe visual life into the guides.
Additionally, amateur guide makers that have provided their own unique strategy tips over the years from gamefaqs.com and strategywiki.org have also contributed. Popular retro gamers on YouTube such as Old Classic Retro Gaming have also granted permission to reference their gameplay videos in the guides.
For mapmakers and strategy guide writers, this is a great opportunity to showcase your work as you will be referenced in the iBooks themselves as a source. Additionally, if you have Twitch or YouTube "Let's Play" videos you would like to see referenced in the strategy guide then this might be another avenue to build your subscriber-base. I believe the time is ripe to have competent strategy guides that are fully interactive, providing a seamless experience on an Apple device or Mac. I hope to bring it to Android and PC later if this Kickstarter campaign is successful.
RETRO STRATEGY GUIDE FEATURES
-Fully integrated maps showing a wide-view that is accessible through the iBook thumbnail scrollbar.
-Sectional maps highlighting the important tips & items of a game level. Each map hyperlinks to close-up views.
-High resolution individual images uniquely stitched together to provide a seamless close-up of a level.
-Interactive sprite widgets & Retro Strategy game tips throughout each level courtesy of Strategywiki.org.
-Glossary showing item details & enemies stats.
-Levels with specific off-site gameplay video courtesy of Youtube retro gamers such Old Classic Retro Gaming.
Nintendo is releasing the NES Classic Edition on November 11th that contains 30 classic retro games. With this in mind, I hope to achieve funding to start creating fully-interactive strategy guides for each of those 30 classic games. You can pledge for the individual guides or the 30-guide volume.
List of 30 NES-Mini Classic games that Retro Strategy will initially be creating guides for: Balloon Fight, Bubble Bobble, Castlevania, Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Double Dragon II: The Revenge, Dr. Mario, Excitebike, Final Fantasy, Galaga, Ghosts 'n Goblins, Gradius, Ice Climbers, Kid Icarus, Kirby's Adventure, Mega Man 2, Metroid, Mario Bros., Ninja Gaiden, Pac-Man, Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream, Star Tropics, Super C, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, Tecmo Bowl, The Legend of Zelda, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
For those that want to pledge beyond the full volume, you can get additional interactive guides for your favorite retro games from Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, or any other retro console of your choosing. Note: Limited to side-scrollers and top-down games.
If you like what you see overall or if you share my vision of making retro strategy guides relevant again, then why not give it a pledge?
Thanks,
Mark Nauth (Avi Natan)
*Additional Acknowledgments
-Mega Man 2 & Actraiser Background Map courtesy of Rick Bruns of nesmaps.com and snesmaps.com
-Super Mario Bros and The Legend of Zelda map courtesy of Ian Albert.
-Mega Man 2 (property of Capcom) & Actraiser (property of Enix).
Risks and challenges
I have a very efficient process for compiling all the strategy tips and maps to break them down for individual design. Bringing them into my design structure is the most time consuming aspect and it's something I don't want to compromise on. The main challenges I anticipate is that each guide needs to be completed with an eye for detail and interactivity. The purpose is to raise the bar for video game strategy guides. I am confident I will be able to meet the primary goal of getting the guides out within the time specified.
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