Tag: Minesweeper

Boss Fight Books: Season 6 Will Include “PaRappa the Rapper,” “Animal Crossing,” “Minesweeper,” and “Day of the Tentacle”

The team at Boss Fight Books has returned from a short hiatus with the sixth season of their documentary-style books about classic video games. The season’s theme is “Here to Play,” and publisher Gabe Durham has promised that this set of titles will explore the “fun, playful, and goofy” side of video games.

Boss Fight Books: Season 6 is currently seeking funding through Kickstarter (until Tuesday, March 7), and it’ll include PaRappa the Rapper by Mike Sholars, Animal Crossing by Kelsey Lewin, Minesweeper by Kyle Orland and Day of the Tentacle by Bob Mackey. All of these authors will be making their Boss Fight Books debut during this season, but each one is also a crafty veteran of the game history game.

Mike Sholars has previously worked as an editor for Boss Fight Books. PaRappa the Rapper will be available as an ebook in April 2023 with the paperback scheduled to follow a few months later.

Kyle Orland has served as the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica since 2012. Minesweeper will plant a flag in your ebook library in May 2023 before the paperback is released this Summer.

Bob Mackey is a co-founder, co-host, and podcast producer for the Retronauts network. Day of the Tentacle will invade bookstores as an ebook in August 2023 and in paperback a month later.

And Kelsey Lewin is the Co-Director of the Video Game History Foundation and co-host of the Video Game History Hour podcast. Animal Crossing will close out Season 6 as an ebook in November 2023 and in paperback a month later.

You can learn more about all four books after the break. And be sure to read a trio of excerpts from Minesweeper at Ars Technica, Kotaku, and GamesIndustry.biz.

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Finalists for the World Video Game Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022 Include Zelda: Ocarina of Time, PaRappa the Rapper, Minesweeper, and More

It’s that time of year again… the curators of the World Video Game Hall of Fame at the Strong Museum of Play have announced the finalists for this year’s class of inductees.

The games fighting for a spot in the Class of 2022 are all classics, but many of the titles have been here before. For Civilization and Dance Dance Revolution, this will be their third attempt to gain entry into the World Video Game Hall of Fame. Sid Meier’s Civilization was previously a finalist in 2016 and 2019, while Dance Dance Revolution tried to groove its way to immortality in 2018 and 2019.

Four other titles are also getting a second chance on the World Video Game Hall of Fame shortlist, including Resident Evil (which was a finalist in 2017), Ms. Pac-Man (2018), Candy Crush Saga (2019), and NBA Jam (2020).

With six slots spoken for by repeat finalists, there were a few surprises among the games that are brand new to the process. That includes Microsoft’s beloved timewaster, Minesweeper, which could be considered something of a frontrunner after Windows Solitaire‘s inclusion in the Class of 2019. The 1990s as a whole were well-represented on the shortlist, which also included appearances from PaRappa the Rapper, Sony’s funky PSone era rhythm game, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the first 3D adventure from the Zelda franchise.

Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed, Michael Toy and Glenn Wichman’s Rogue, and Zynga’s Words With Friends rounded out this year’s list of finalists.

As in years part, the general public will be able to vote for their favorite finalist by visiting WorldVideoGameHallOfFame.org between now and March 24. The three games that receive the most votes will be submitted as a Player’s Choice ballot alongside the other ballots from the Hall of Fame’s International Selection Advisory Committee.

This year’s inductees will be announced during an online presentation on Thursday, May 5, at 10:30 AM (Eastern Time), and you can learn more about all 12 games after the break.

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