Mehdi El Kanafi

Is video game an art form? This topic has stirred debate since many years. Amongst the games regularly mentioned when the debate is up, those made by the creator Fumito Ueda-ICO, Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian are probably the most iconic. These three games share the same aesthetic, the same design philosophy, and the same universe. These games are evocative, they tell us a lot about the man behind them and his fixed idea to create something new and detached from any trend, and to propose another perspective on video game.The Work of Fumito Ueda: Another perspective on video game is an unprecedented essay which deals with all these subjects and dive into the singular development process of each game. The book also offers an in-depth analysis of the games, their music, their game design, and proposes an unique reflexion about art.

Every passionate gamer knows about the Resident Evil saga. Born in 1996, the series count at least 10 major episodes mainly inspired by the work of George A. Romero. The games take place in the United States infested with zombies. The first episode was so terrifying that it inspired the birth of a new genre: the survival-horror games. As in every Third Editions' book, a video game saga is analyzed and decrypted. More than 200 pages to know everything about Resident Evil the behind-the-scenes development, the gameplay, the story, the universe. Go back to the heart of this great saga, dive into the mysteries of Raccoon City to meet the heroes who fought the evil corporation Umbrella. The figure of the undead never ceases to fascinate.

The story of Final Fantasy VIII is singular, complex; it blends sorcery and time travels. The book The Legend of Final Fantasy VIII unravels some grey areas of the game and discusses many theories, to lead the reader to a full understanding of its scenario. The book also dives into the game's development, its gameplay, its influences, and focuses on the part it played in the japanese role-playing game industry.Both a testimony of love and a base of many reflections, the book sometimes goes beyond the video game sphere. It aspires to figure out what makes Final Fantasy VIII such a unique, bold and well crafted RPG. When its named is pronounced, some players may look up at the sky, a smile on their face: is it just a good memory, or the nostalgia for a golden age?

Thanks to the unexpected success of the game NieR: Automata, which sold more than two million of copies since its release in February 2017, Taro Yoko confirmed his position as a video game auteur, and the entire world is now aware of his talent.The book The Strange work of Taro Yoko: From Drakengard to NieR: Automata covers every aspects of the games created by Taro Yoko: their development process, their story, their game design, their music, and of course their profound and philosophical themes. The icing on the cake: Taro Yoko himself wrote the foreword.

This second volume dedicated to the Soulsborne series pursues the study of these games, their cryptic stories, their aesthetic and their design philosophy. Bloodborne and Dark Souls III are as different as they are complementary. What they tell us of the studio From Software, the creator Hidetaka Miyazaki's approach and the video game industry is enriching. While the authors thought they exhausted the topic in the first volume, these two additional games provided food for new thoughts. This book deals with the development process, the analysis of the stories and their themes, and the music of each game. The last chapter, for its part, goes beyond this scope to study the series with a transversal approach, from the visual influences and marketing choices to the evolutions of the games.

Dragon Quest is an historical japanese role playing game series. It is so well-knowned and cherished that a memorial was built in the city of Sumoto, birthplace of the series' legendary creator, Yuji Horii. But Dragon Quest is more than a simple J-RPG. Journalist for twenty years, the author Daniel Andreyev invites you to discover the series through a new angle, as a major cultural phenomenon which influenced many Japaneses across generations. With the guidance of his own knowledge of the japanese culture and the video game industry, Daniel Andreyev wrote an unique and personal analysis of the Dragon Quest series.