Review: ‘Pretending I’M A Superman: The Tony Hawk Video Game Story’

Combat moves and platform sequences are all delivered, shining and smelling agreeably of grease. I found one gameplay bug, but other than that, Knack 2 is polished and highly competent.

Since gaming rides waves of popularity and, while some are considered classics, some of the games are not as well known outside of their specific following. The textual features of the books include a table of contents, bright graphics and text, links to some of the mentioned games, resources, glossary and an index. Some of key gaming terms used throughout the text are not listed in the glossary.

But it’s a reminder that the character-led platform combat game is still alive and well. Despite its good looks, it’s more a work of engineering than it is a work of art. But, as my kid said to me after we’d mashed our way software gatis through a co-op level, it’s kinda fun.

Each book in the series gives a description of the genre that is friendly for young readers and non-gamers. The read is generic and easily accessible while introducing some terms and important cultural references that each genre has built up in its short history. To provide a greater understanding of the video game medium, the series has included sections to highlight some key games in the genre (“Fact Files”) and Console Profiles. The top games in the market are already thoughtfully building audiences. Successful multiplayer games like Overwatch have thrived across the gender divide through a mix of FPS gameplay, social discovery mechanics, and representative roster.

However, the glossary has words that are more technical in nature or less frequently used in a primary students’ vocabulary. Reluctant readers and non-gamers will find just enough content to speak to some of the more nuanced terms in the genres. The additional resources section of the series is small collection of websites that lack any useful reading on the genre and point listed games and game studios. Use of the books in this series is best for pleasure reading and introducing nonfiction texts to readers who have a high interest in gaming.

The series has the elements teachers would want in a nonfiction text for teaching purposes clearly exhibited. Even if the content is meager, the series has enough power to grab some reluctant readers as the graphics and language are very engaging. To be fair, it is difficult to write about gaming genres devoid of specific game context because, while many of the terms are shared, many games have specific implementations unique to its own franchise.

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• The slightly smaller screen makes the graphics lovely and sharp.
• Early impressions from me are that it’s a great little hand-held console, perfect for someone who prefers hand-held gaming like myself.
• Though when the introduction of Pokémon Home early next year allows Pokémon Bank access in the game, some players might want to play both versions in order to complete their Pokedex.
• Though obviously if you’re wanting the Switch to actually, ya know, switch, the original console is probably a better shout.

The brightly coloured pages, images and colloquial text make for a series of quick reads. The sections highlighting games are the best part of the books. They give helpful background information about games in the genre. The “Fact Files” really do need a bit more content from the games themselves; it is hard to understand how important some of the content is when not immersed in the games. A small nitpick is that some of the games highlighted are out of date, and, as well, the books have not captured the most popular games in rotation in 2019.

Meanwhile, Naughty Dog’s single-player adventure game Uncharted 4 and its forthcoming DLC The Lost Legacy have similarly crossed over by building a compelling narrative framed within the popular action and adventure genre. Again, a deeper look at the figures suggests that the difference between genders should not be exaggerated. For example, age plays a factor in determining the preferred discovery route. Gamers under or over the age of 35 both list friends and family as the top discovery route, but only 12% of gamers older than 35 discover new titles through videos, compared to 25% of gamers younger than 35. 1 is a fast-paced hardcore platformer featuring hand-crafted levels and Lightning-fast respawns.

Help Square survive his journey to the depths of Flatland, a minimalist neon-style 2D world. Knack 2 is an entertaining platform game like those of yesteryear.