2005 Gamer’s Almanac (Book) Review

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April 21st, 2005 Jason Rybka Leave a comment Go to comments

I was at Barnes & Noble the other day looking around for some good reading material. I’m an avid reader of mystery and all different books, in fact, my collection of books is now over 4,000. I just happened to look over and notice the 2005 Gamer’s Almanac, now when it comes to gaming I don’t make it a habit to buy books about the subject, I would much rather play than read. Needless to say, the cover looked intriguing so I purchased a copy of it. To my surprise, the book happened to be very interesting and amusing. If you own a console, you may want to consider picking a copy of this book up, it covers Xbox, Gamecube, PlayStation, mobile gaming, as well as PC, but let me tell you my thoughts on the 2005 Gamer’s Almanac first.

Extended Evaluation

The book format is structured by the day of the week, meaning that if you open it up to the current date, and it’s a Monday, the content will cover Mobile Gaming, which includes GBA, PSP, Nintendo DS, Palm, Pocket PC, and cell phone games. Tuesday is all Xbox, Wednesday is GameCube, Thursday is Classic Gaming (my personal favorite), Friday is PC, Saturday is PlayStation, and Sunday is ‘Grab Bag’ – you never know what’s in store for you on Sunday.

Sean Carton, the author, writes the book in a way that is humorous and entertaining, and talks about everything from reviews, buying guides, networking, controllers, and a whole lot more. Some of the information in the book is quite helpful. For example, some topics include how to fix a broken controller, what controller is the best for a certain platform, etc. On each page, on the day of that year, he will also give some tidbits about gaming history, like what happened on that day in 1980, as well as some humorous insight into the gaming world.

The reviews in the book, while nowhere near being considered a comprehensive review, talk about the game a little bit and then give you some background information on certain enemies, a few tips on how to beat them, and some hints to help you through the game itself. I have an Xbox, a PlayStation, and a PSP, and I find myself reading about all of the consoles on a daily basis ever since I got the book. There is allot of information in the book and it is written very well. Even people who are not avid readers will enjoy the book because the author has a good writing style, and keeps you entertained throughout.

For me, Sundays in the book are allot of fun. There is one section that talks about Gourmet Vending Machine Cooking, some are very funny, some actually sound pretty good. The thing I like most about the book is that you can really tell it was written by someone who loves gaming! Kudos to Sean Carton. I think everyone should consider picking up a copy of the 2005 Gamer’s Almanac.

Overall Score

Overall Score: 9/10 (not an average)

Additional Comments

A book about gaming certainly isn’t for everyone, but if you want to get some useful information, and some factual history on the gaming evolution, I recommend picking a copy of it up. You won’t be disappointed, mainly because of the way it is presented and the author’s writing style. It provides factual information in an entertaining way, so you’ll find yourself picking it up from time to time to catch the last few days in gaming history. The only real problem with a book about games, or any printed media for that matter, is it cannot keep you up to date, but what it can do is give you history, and it does this well.

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