January Update! Beat 'Em Up Vol 1, Retro Game Zine + more!

Hello everyone, happy new year!

I want to share a few things with you all to kick off a busy start to 2025 for Pixels and Polygons. First up, Beat ‘Em Up Vol 1 is getting ready to go to print. This book I have been working on covers the complete history of the Final Fight franchise from the 1989 arcade original up to 2006 and the release of Final Fight Streetwise. I have fully finished my parts of the book (which is about 95%+ of the content), as well as all the visuals, layouts, and design work. I am waiting on some content from Audi Sorlie, who is providing some stories about the series’ music and audio, as well as a final logo/title that I commissioned (though I am quite proud of the temporary one I made, I do have to say).

If this book sounds interesting to you, you can sign up to be notified for the Kickstarter here on the pre-launch page:

Following up on that book, I officially released Retro Game Zine Issue 001. I have limited physical copies available on my site, pixelsandpolygons.net, for $10. I also offer them digitally through my Patreon shop for $3 (click here).

Issue 001 focuses on the classic PC game It Came from the Desert! This 5.5 " x 8.5", 30-page zine is printed on 80lb recycled paper in full color and has a 100lb soft-touch laminated cover stock. I first played this game on an MS-DOS computer in the early 90s. Whether you are already a fan of the game or have never heard of it, I hope you'll learn something cool and enjoy it.

Once the dust settles from these announcements, I will begin working on Issue 003 of Retro Game Zine (focused on Final Fantasy XI) and then outline the list of games I will include in my next 32-bit Library book. The next volume will be one focused on multiple publishers, this time focusing on games from the “Greatest Hits” line of re-releases. I have a complete list of the games over on my Patreon page, and I am looking for suggestions on the 50 I should include for this new volume. What would you want to see included? Leave a comment on this post here, and let me know!