If you've wanted to do some reading about the history of and creation of video games, or about some weird subjects you may not originally have considered, StoryBundle has the bundle for you. The Fall Ball Game Bundle offers three books for whatever price you feel like paying, then another six if you drop $15.
The first tier of the bundle is "pay what you want" and nabs you three books. Wii, Ps3, and Xbox 360 Video Games You Will Never Play, by Unseen 64, dives into various video game projects for those consoles that were ultimately scrapped for one reason or another. One such example is a Snow White game that Obsidian was developing and Disney was publishing. The second book you can get is HG101 Presents: Star Fox and F-Zero, by Kurt Kalata. This book does a deep dive into both franchises, collecting details on all their games, their histories, and also includes some unrelated content like an article on Castlevania fan games. Finally, you can get Pleasant Dreams: The Welcoming Play of Kirby's Dream Land, by Joel Couture. This book details both the history behind Kirby's Dream Land and also why it was so beloved when it came out.
The second tier of the bundle contains the other 6 books and is set at the price of $15. First, you'll get GameDev Stories: Volume 4, by David L. Craddock. This book contains interviews with various developers and focuses specifically on the early "wild west" days of game development. The second book at this tier is Boss Fight Books: NBA Jam, by Reyan Ali. The book does a deep-dive into the NBA Jam series, and tries to figure out just how it was made. The third book is The Walkthrough: Insider Tales from a Life in Strategy Guides, by Doug Walsh. It follows Doug as he talks about what it's like writing strategy guides for a living, which games were particularly difficult to cover, and how his first job was the infamous Diakatana.
The fourth book you'll get at this tier is Beneath a Starless Sky, by David L. Craddock. This book, which was originally published on ShackNews, is a deep dive into the Baulder's Gate series and how it was born from Dungeons & Dragons. Fifth up is HG101 Presents: The Guide to Retro Horror, by Kurt Kalata, which details many of the classic horror games released in the NES and SNES days, and how they shaped horror games to come. Finally, the last book you'll nab in this bundle is Level Up! A JRPG Creator's Handbook, by John Harris. This book details what goes into the creation of a JRPG, and how tools like RPG Maker can be used to make your own JRPG today.
Like some bundles, you are able to select what percentage goes to the creators (in aggregate), and how much goes to Storybundle. Additionally, you can decide to have 10% donated to charity. This time around, the charity benefited is the Video Games History Foundation, founded by Frank Cifaldi that works to preserve games, how they were made, sold and seen at time of release.
The Fall Ball Game Bundle is currently available and will be available until Friday, November 22nd, 2019.
How do you feel about this bundle? Going to grab it? Any interest in the books that are on offer? Let us know in the comments below!
