Console Wars Book Review - Gaming Historian

In the 1990s, a small team of underdogs went to battle against Nintendo. That team was Sega. And they didn't stand a chance. At least, that's how it seemed.

But despite the incredible odds against them, they were... Actually pretty successful. They were aggressive. They ran attack ads.

They took risks. And they differentiated themselves from Nintendo in some pretty critical ways. Where Mario was cute and kid-friendly, Sonic had a bit of an edge. Where Nintendo was tough with retailers, Sega was eager and accommodating.

And when Nintendo shied
away from blood and gore, Sega gave gamers exactly what they wanted. Sega's rise from relative obscurity
into Nintendo's greatest rival is captured in an intense,
incredibly well-researched book by Blake J. Harris called "Console Wars." And I gotta tell ya: I really liked this book. It's more than 500 pages of
fascinating industry history.

According to the jacket cover, Blake Harris interviewed more than 200 former
Sega and Nintendo employees for this book. And it shows. Although you can find information about
the battle between Sega and Nintendo in other books and websites, "Console Wars" weaves it together like a novel and includes some anecdotes and details that
I haven't come across in previous research. For example, there's some great
behind-the-scenes information about the 1993 Super Mario Bros.

Movie. Did you know Nintendo actually turned
down Dustin Hoffman AND Tom Hanks for the role of Mario? According to the book, Nintendo was worried that
Tom Hanks didn't have the "it" factor to carry a major film. We see how that turned out, though. The book also highlights the tension
between Sega of America and Sega of Japan, and shows how the two groups failed to
work as one unit with a common goal.

This manifested itself in some significant ways and was a major reason for
their downfall in the console wars. I have a lot of good things to say about this book, but if I had to pick just one, it would be that I really liked the way
Blake Harris chose to tell the story. It essentially follows the career of Tom Kalinske, who took over Sega of America in 1990. When he began his career at Sega, Tom knew next to nothing about video games.

But he did know how to inspire people. And he understood the importance
of making products that are "cool." Over the course of the book, you really come to respect and root for Tom. Even if you grew up a Nintendo fan, you may find yourself rooting for Sega. You can't help it.

The book reads like an underdog tale, and follows Sega through
some major twists and turns. From the birth of Sonic the Hedgehog to the government scrutiny that
eventually led to the formation of the ESRB. "Console Wars" had to be
incredibly tough to put together. In his author's note, Blake Harris does a good job acknowledging
that his book is a narrative account based on a lot of research, meaning he had to recreate many of the scenes and most of the dialogue.

Writing dialogue that sounds natural is a huge challenge, and unfortunately, it's a weak point in this book. Some of the dialogue is just... Cheesy. Distractingly cheesy.

For example, in a scene between
Sega's Tom Kalinske and Al Nilsen, Tom asks Al to play Super Mario
World over the weekend. Al responds by saying: This also comes up in other sections of the book, where the descriptions get a little over-the-top. Such as this one: There are also a few minor passages
that I think could have been left out. For example, there's almost an
entire chapter dedicated to a skit that Nintendo executives performed at
the 1994 Consumer Electronics Show.

I think the only thing worse than sitting
through a skit performed by executives is reading about it. Minor issues aside, this is a really good book. It has a few cheesy moments but it
contains some really impressive research. And the story is surprisingly fast-paced.

If you want to learn more about the
battle between Sega and Nintendo, I highly recommend "Console Wars." That's all for this episode of Gaming Historian. Thanks for watching. Funding for Gaming Historian is
provided in part by supporters on Patreon. Thank you.

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