Video Game Documents
(right) Yuri Sakazaki from The King of Fighters and The Art of Fighting by SNK
I like video games, but I don't play them too often. At arcades, you're more likely to find me playing the pinball machines. When it comes to video gaming, I'm a watcher, and I've been watching people play for years now--from Southern Hills Golfland to Lotte World to RPU, to The Broadway, The Library, and Sunnyvale Golfland. I'm the guy who just stands there a little off to the side, never putting a quarter in, but always enjoying the show. I especially like to watch fighting games, not only for the action, but for the strategy, the colorful characters, and the rich storylines. Oftentimes, I know the story of a game better than the people playing it.
There is a good deal written about fighting games in the form of game FAQs, fanfic, and other weird stuff like the Dream Tournament. Here are some documents I've collected over the years for your reading pleasure if you're at all interested in game storylines or video gaming in general:
Historicum Tekkenicus The entire history of Tekken. I read this out loud (in dramatic fashion) to my friends during Fall '97, and it took several hours to finish, leaving me hoarse, but it was a blast!Tekken Psychology 101 How to mess with your opponent's mind.
The things we learn from video games (humor)
King of Fighters '95 endings by Ping Lin, former CJAS president and Cornell arcade dweller.
Samurai Shodown 2 FAQ An excellently written FAQ for an excellent game.
Samurai Shodown 2 character histories and the real people they were based on.
90's Zelda rap / dance video A wacky commercial from Japan
Their Finest Hour A print ad for one of my favorite games
SNK brochures 1996 Remembering the greatness of Neo-Geo