To be this good takes ages

Those of you that like retro gaming will no doubt have already heard of the site Hardcore Gaming 101. Run by a team of super-knowledgeable and keen gaming enthusiasts, HG101 is bursting with content relating to vintage games and franchises.

The site was founded by Kurt Kalata, who is the driving force behind Sega Arcade Classics Volume 1 - a publication which celebrates the history of the company that was once Nintendo's biggest rival. As the title suggests, this 168 page tome is focused on Sega's vibrant coin-op lineage, and includes features on Outrun, After Burner, Alex Kidd, Shinobi, Wonder Boy and Fantasy Zone.

Each title is analysed in-depth, and coverage is given to the multiple domestic conversions and sequels which also appeared. You also get plenty of cool screenshots and artwork, and there's even an exclusive interview with Ryuichi Nishizawa, one of the founders of Westone and a key figure in the development of the Wonder Boy series. The term "exhaustive" doesn't quite cover it.

Even the cover is gorgeous - it's a unique piece of art by Jonathan "Persona" Kim, Senior Animator on the video game Skullgirls and previously an animator on the Scott Pilgrim game.

You can pick up this neat publication for $25 / £15.99 (for the colour version) or $9.99 / £6.99 (for the black and white edition). If you consider yourself to be too futuristic to even consider old-fashioned papyrus, then a PDF edition is available for just $4.99.

You can order Sega Arcade Classics Volume 1 from the HG101 website, and we recommend that you do - it's a fantastic book and we hope to see more volumes in the future.