Zweiseitige Rezension zu 68000: The Flame Wars und Verlagsvorstellung:
[…] “Wie frühere Microzeit-Bücher ist The Flame Wars mit vielen Screenshots, Werbeanzeigen und einigen Fotos großzügig illustriert.” […]
[…] “Für beide Systeme gibt es eine ausgeglichene Anzahl Gastautoren und -autorinnen, die jeweils ein Thema aus ihrer Sicht beleuchten. Der ehemalige Marketing-Manager von Atari UK, Darryl Still, berichtet über den britischen Markt („Marketing the ST to the Masses”), sein Commodore-Pendant ist David J. Pleasance („Only Amiga Makes it Possible”). Die beiden sind es dann auch, die auch heute noch einem „Flame War” nahekommen: Still macht vor allem ein etwas zu großzügiges Atari-Bundle für den Wechsel der britischen Entwickler auf den Amiga als Lead-Plattform verantwortlich, Pleasance hebt das geschickte Marketing von Commodore UK hervor. Hätte Breddin die beiden für ein paar Stunden in einen Raum gesperrt, hätte sich zumindest die britische Sicht des Systemduells fast selbst geschrieben.” […]
[…] Die Vielstimmigkeit der Publikation ist ihre Stärke, insbesondere, wie unterschiedlich die beiden Computer in den drei wichtigsten Märkten Deutschland, Frankreich und Großbritannien bewertet wurden. […]
[…] The Flame Wars is very balanced, and whether you own(ed) an ST or Amiga (the Mac also gets a mention), you will come away having learned something, with an appreciation of the wider aspects of the story. Did you know there was a 130ST concept, for example? Much of the book marries the two sides up – there’s some flaming, of course, but also credit is given to both sides. ’Thanks to its wedge-shaped design, the Atari ST will replace the Spectrum as a doorstop.’ the writer quotes. Ouch... I had both! But the book has good humour throughout, and you’ll be feeling warm and fuzzy one minute, intrigued the next; it will flood you with memories of great times! […]
I give this book a resounding thumbs up. The book proposes to give a comprehensive retrospective of computer culture, looking at important achievements and what the time has given us. It absolutely does! […]
68000: The Flame Wars. Kurze Vorstellung des Buches in der Retrofeed-Rubrik der jetzt renovierten und unabhängigen deutschen Retro Gamer. Ausgabe 03/2024.
[…] It is really difficult to explain in words the iconographic wealth of the two volumes in terms of photos, images, screenshots, posters, extracts from publications of the time, maps and illustrations and anything else imaginable. More generally, the graphic and layout work is impressive: there is not a single page without a graphic element, without this complicating the ease of reading in any way. Merit also goes to an enviable graphic coherence, which manages to make flashes of a vaporware aesthetic coexist with texts that are always intelligible, psychedelic green insights on a black background, and photo galleries of games and conventions.
I can hardly call them extras because all the additional elements, such as the in-depth columns on films, or the interludes on paper-based anti-piracy systems, fit perfectly into the flow of the story, and the dozens of final pages of the second volume containing interviews with several prominent figures of the cracker scene are the fitting climax to a simply monumental work of collection and documentation. Considering also the price, which is decidedly low (35€ per volume), the overall quality is impressive, also from the point of view of the physical object: hardcover, perfect printing on very high quality paper and wire binding. I have a feeling you will hear more about Microzeit's volumes on these pages in the future. […]
February 2024: Kniha 68000: The Flame Wars ve slevě. Czech article and overview on The Flame Wars. Written by Martin Flashback.
Journalistic essay about the CRACKERS book series. Written for American Oldschool Gamer Magazine January 2023, Issue #32. The article is intended as an introduction to piracy and a good place to start if you are interested in reading the books. Oldschool Gamer Magazine is made by American retro enthusiasts and features a variety of topics about old hardware from the 70s to the 90s, such as computers, consoles and arcade machines. The magazine is available digitally and as a print edition and can basically be obtained free of charge (only digital with a delay). The pay models entice with an annual low-priced subscription for Digital Plus, Digital Plus Lifetime, Print and Digital Plus for the US, Print and Digital Plus Canadian – all with six print and/or digital issues.
