The Video Game Library Newsletter - Vol. #002
Big Boxes, Bayou Brawls and Blue Bomber Books aplenty! Plus, a blast from the 32-Bit Past with special guest, Darren Hupke!
Welcome back to The Video Game Library Newsletter! The response to Vol. #001 has been incredible—thank you all so much for the support, kind words, and thoughtful emails. So glad you’re finding these valuable!
Really proud of this week’s issue! Lot’s of fun variety and exciting news.
First off, in this week’s Behind the Shelves, we explored a cornucopia of brand new announcements and big releases. This is a huge week, and it’ll give you a good snapshot of how much we need to keep up with on a week-to-week basis.
In News & Highlights, we recap a week full of announcements: a new Read-Only Memory book (that I’m personally incredibly excited for), cookbook reveals, tons of comic releases, and a few fun dives into Elden Ring and Final Fantasy IX lore.
From the Archives uncovers a backwater retro comic you may have missed from the late 80’s, while this week’s Featured Review spotlights the inspirational memoir of Mevlüt Dinç, “Life Is a Game”.
And finally in our Community Interview, we chat with Darren Hupke, creator of 32-Bit Library and Retro Game Zine, about his process, passion, and PlayStation-era love.
Let’s jump in!
📚 Behind the Shelves
While last week was all about tackling the backlog, this week’s work in The Video Game Library spotlighted a ton of new announcements and upcoming releases.
We started off by continuing our journey through the Videojuegos Legendarios series, cataloguing a few before arriving at Skyrim: The Precursor to Modern Open Worlds. This led us down a rabbit hole uncovering two more titles by Adrián Suárez we were missing—Secrets of Hyrule and Secrets of the Shadow Realm, the latter of which just launched on April 2nd.
With “New Releases” now in mind, we started to dig - and found a lot! While I’m not a fan of uploading “Temporary Covers,” getting the word out sometimes takes priority. Some of the most exciting new additions—despite their placeholder art—include:
On the academic front, our volunteer Tommy continued to crush it—surfacing a handful of new Game Studies and Game Dev titles from Routledge and CRC Press. Meanwhile, volunteer Taylor has been a powerhouse in our comics and manga sections, expanding both the Angels of Death series and our ongoing coverage of Animal Crossing: Deserted Island Diary and Minecraft.
We also took a deep dive into Udon Entertainment’s Street Fighter Masters comics. The newly announced Sheng Long issue led us to catalog eight more entries in the series—each with multiple variants (naturally). It’s always a bit of a rabbit hole with Udon’s beautiful but elusive cover art, so expect a few more backfill updates as we track down the stragglers.
Beyond the cataloguing chaos, we added 2026 as a filterable publication year on the site (yes, it’s coming fast!), and quietly introduced a Weekly Newsletter widget in the bottom-right corner. It’s still in testing, but we’re hoping it brings more eyes to this little labor of love.
That’s it for this week’s behind-the-scenes recap! I’d love to know what you’d like to see more of in these updates—and does our chaotic process line up with what you imagined? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
📰 News & Highlights
Another week with a ton of news from all corners of the globe. A lot of reveals you might have caught above, but here’s the official list for you!
Perhaps my personal favourite announcement from this week was by Read-Only Memory. Videogame Box Works: Hock Wah Yeo is a tribute to Hock Wah Yeo’s iconic, ingeniously designed game packaging from 1988–1997. This is an expanded edition to an ultra-limited print in 2021 celebrating a golden age of physical game art.
In celebration of the game’s 25th Anniversary, Square Enix Books has released the gorgeously illustrated Final Fantasy IX Picture Book: Vivi and Grandpa on the Day of Departure, a prequel to the events of the game! It’s scheduled to be released on July 2nd.
The upcoming book Playing With History: Pixels, Polygons, and the Past is preparing to launch its Kickstarter campaign. This first volume explores how real-world history—from WWII to medieval times—is represented in video games, spanning AAA titles to indie gems.
Pre-orders went live this week for Tomb Raider Colossal Collection Volume 1, set to release on July 1, 2025. This massive hardcover gathers issues #1–#24 and #26–#34 of the Top Cow Tomb Raider comic series (1999–2003), following Lara Croft in globe-trotting adventures packed with danger, betrayal, and ancient secrets.
Also up for pre-order with Dark Horse Comics is Assassin's Creed Mirage: A Soar of Eagles #2, releasing May 7, 2025. The issue sees Fuladh and Roshan return to a homeland under siege. To save their people, they’ll face a deadly new threat in this official Assassin’s Creed tale created with Ubisoft.
And a little extra something for all the Assassin’s Creed fans out there - Mana Books has just published Assassin’s Creed: Forgotten Temple #3 this week, continuing the story of Captain Edward James Kenway following the events of Black Flag.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Direct was filled with fun announcements. One of those was Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion, which shortly after got a Limited Edition announcement, complete with The Art of Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion. Not much is known yet, but I’m never gonna complain about bundled art books!
Speaking of bundled art books - the Story of Seasons: Grand Bazaar Premium Edition just got revealed this week complete with a 115+ page cozy art book! Yes please! It’s set to release at the end of August.
The 3rd entry in the Five Nights at Freddy’s Interactive Novel series, “Escape the Pizzaplex” hit store shelves on April 1st. Can you escape? Or will it be game over before dawn? …I really gotta give this series a try.
Secrets of the Shadow Realm: Beyond Elden Ring – Shadow of the Erdtree by Adrián Suárez Mouriño released this week. A follow-up to The Secrets of the Lands Between, this Spanish volume offers a deep dive into the lore of Elden Ring’s expansion, exploring Miquella’s path, Messmer’s mystery, and the truths buried in the Shadow Realm. A must-read for Tarnished seeking deeper understanding.
On the topic of Spanish books, publisher Héroes De Papel has just announced MegaHistory: Mega Man’s Journey Through The Generations. This book sets out to explore the blue bomber’s evolution across 60+ games and 40 years of video game history.
The new Mega Man Timelines series announced by Udon Entertainment earlier this year has had its first issue go on sale this week. These will be 5 connected 1-shot comics spanning 5 different eras of Mega Man releasing each month between now and September. This one of course featuring the original blue bomber.
And in more exciting news from Udon Entertainment, they’ve partnered with Archie and have just announced Mega Man Adventures, a series of hardcover collections of the classic Mega Man comics in all their glory. Plus, each volume is set to have a brand-new short story set in the classic universe.
And finally from Udon Entertainment, the newest entry in the Street Fighter Masters comic one-shots - this time featuring legendary world warrior Sheng Long. No release date set quite yet, but the cover has been revealed.
Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza In Hawaii was released back on Feb. 21, 2025. Now, 6 weeks later, Famitsu has published the Complete Strategy Guide, packed with comprehensive walkthroughs, techniques, side quests and everything you’ll need to master the game.
The Rise of the Roguelite: Inside a Gaming Phenomenon released this week, offering a deep dive into the evolution, design, and cultural impact of the roguelite sub-genre. A must-read for game studies students, researchers, and designers alike.
Did I miss something cool? Want to see this layed out differently?
Drop it in the comments or swing by our Discord to share it with the community. Let’s keep this celebration of game-inspired books going strong!
💡 Recommended Read of the Week
Life Is A Game: The Inspirational Success Story of a Legendary Video Game Developer by Mevlüt Dinç
(Hayat Bir Oyun: Efsane oyun yazarının ilham veren yaşam ve başarı öyküsü!
Last Ninja 2 and First Samurai. That was the extent of my knowledge when it came to Mev Dinc's work. For me, Mev and Vivid Image were never household names. Perhaps it was different across the pond, where he spent the first half of his career (in the UK), but here in Canada, it was a different story.
I picked up this book with the desire to learn more, and oh boy did I learn! Written as an autobiography, Life Is A Game covers everything from Mev's childhood in Turkey, right up to the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. It hits all the major highlights, and moves from one interesting story to the next at a really good pace. Gerry the Germ, Enduro, Last Ninja 2, Hammerfist, First Samurai, Second Samurai, Street Racer, S.C.A.R.S.; it even touches on some of the cancelled projects during Sony's purchase of Psygnosis or Eidos' move to cancel PS1 game development. I really enjoyed these parts.
The first and final quarter of the book speak more to Mev's life, his upbringing and subsequent return to Turkey. And while he's led a very interesting life, and clearly has a lot of love for his friends and family, I found myself wanting to dive right back into his behind-the-scenes tales of the familiar games he worked on. The final few chapters are packed with Online Football Manager, I Can Football, I Can Football 2; and some Turkey-exclusive releases like İstanbul Kıyamet Vakti and Süpercan. All inspiring works, and incredibly important on the global stage, but for me, the familiar touchstones weren't there, and I felt it lost a bit of steam.
Overall, it's a really insightful and inspiring read, and I strongly recommend it to anyone.
You can find details about Life Is A Game here
💾 From the Archives
Each week, I’ll dive deep into the shelves of The Video Game Library to spotlight a hidden gem or forgotten series — with the hope of surprising you with something new, unexpected, or long overlooked. This week, I wanted to share…
…one for all my Bayou Buddies out there!
Originally published between 1989 and 1990, The Adventures of Bayou Billy was a short-lived but memorable five-issue comic series from Archie Comics, adapting Konami's NES title. Written by Rich Margopoulos and illustrated by a young Amanda Conner (in one of her earliest comics gigs), the series followed ex-Delta Force soldier Bayou Billy and his crew as they battled New Orleans crime boss “Big Daddy” Gordon and his gang of colorful, over-the-top villains.
I never owned this game, but definitely remember renting it a few times during my pre-Game Genie years. Unlike the NES game’s simple rescue plot, the comic expanded Billy’s world with a full supporting cast, including fellow ex-soldiers Broadside, Sureshot, and Tracker, along with a stronger, more active version of Annabel Lee, no longer just a damsel in distress. The tone was pure late-80s fun — packed with banter, bayou brawls, and explosive action — leaning fully into comic book camp.
While it never grew beyond its five-issue run, The Adventures of Bayou Billy has since become a cult favorite for fans of retro gaming and comic book oddities. Its mix of swampy action, wild characters, and early Amanda Conner art make it a fun and often-overlooked piece of video game literature history.
You can find the whole series catalogued right here with links to read for yourselves!
✨ Community Interview
For this week's interview, I caught up with Darren Hupke, the writer and creator behind the 32 Bit Library series, Retro Game Zine, and Pixels and Polygons.
Darren has carved out a special niche in the world of video game literature, blending nostalgia, research, and community into every project he works on. We talked about how his love for the PlayStation era led to the creation of 32 Bit Library, the joys (and challenges) of making zines, and the surprising way these projects have built connections with retro gaming fans around the world.
Excited to share this one with you!
For those who may not know, could you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your journey into writing and creating video game literature?
Hello! I am Darren Hupke, I am a writer, publisher, and podcaster. I own Pixels and Polygons LLC, where I do all my stuff. I worked in a comic shop for years and eventually started writing and self-publishing comics, which was fun but can be difficult as you and your collaborators need to have the same enthusiasm and interest to finish a project together. After I left the comic shop, I have always been a lifelong video game fan; I decided to try and pivot my interest in writing comics into writing about the games I love, as it was solving a problem of needing collaborators, and it was something I could start solo. It has all snowballed from there, and now I have a few 32 Bit Library books covering various chunks of the PlayStation library and my monthly Retro Game Zine.
I absolutely love your works, and it’s clearly been big success with retro gaming fans. What originally inspired you to start this uniquely 32-Bit project?
The PlayStation was the first console I saw in magazines that I read about, and I made my own decision to want to buy it. It wasn’t gifted to me like the NES or Genesis was in our house. Because of that, I have a love and deep nostalgia for it, so in thinking about where to start with my creative process, I wanted to start with a small and contained project. So I carved out all of Capcom’s titles released on the PlayStation, started digging in and doing research, playing the games again to capture screenshots, and took it one game at a time until I was done.
Most compendiums tend to focus on releases alphabetically or chronologically, so it was a welcomed surprise to see your volumes instead focus on the companies; Capcom, Namco, Konami. How do you decide which game companies or genres to include? What’s your selection process like?
It all starts with my enjoyment of it. If I am not having fun doing it, then I shouldn’t be doing it. I am selfishly making these books for me, and that is my goal. What book would I want on my shelf if I didn’t write it, and how can I try and do that? After finding the sweet spot of 40-50 games in each volume, I just try to find some synergy there to meet that number.
What does your typical research and writing process look like when it comes to covering these 40-50 games in each volume? How much time do you usually spend gathering material and putting it all together?
The research and prep work is the longest part of it all. I have my boring and organized numbers document with a master list of all the games, publishers, developers, info, etc., and I get the list of what’ll be in the current book together. Then I get a pages file going with a page for each game initially, and I start flipping through old magazines and find reviews and coverage that I screenshot and add to the file for each game. I will also look for interviews or post-release commentary about the games from that time for some extra intel.
Lately, this process happens constantly as I work and pivot to finishing an issue of Retro Game Zine, running a Kickstarter campaign, prepping for a convention or appearance, or working my full-time day job.
You mentioned Retro Game Zine. How did that project come about, and how does it differ from working on the 32 Bit Library books?
Retro Game Zine was supposed to be a small project with a simple focus, as a palette cleanser in between big book projects. This was inspired by a bunch of great game-focused zines out there, like what Forgotten Worlds is doing or DVLSBLSH. I didn’t want to over-produce it or over-design it; I wanted to stay true to the punk zine idea I had… Once it started coming together, and once I started to connect with folks to add more content and have contributors, it’s become a bit more work, but it’s fun!
My process for Retro Game Zine is similar to my 32 Bit Library prep work, but it also has some different flavor as I like to have a historical article that is a decent length, as well as a personal article, again at a decent length. My 32 Bit Library entries are around 500-600 words, whereas I have written 1600 words on why The Spirits Within isn’t truly a failure of Sakaguchi’s or why the “YouTube-era” is wrong about its opinion on Mystic Quest. It flexes different creative writing muscles.
Do you find that these zine-style publications give you more creative freedom compared to more structured book projects?
Yes? I can be weird, take an odd angle, or look at something backwards. I can not worry about it being too different, as it’s a 32-page zine, and it’ll be replaced in a month for a new issue. It’s different and surprising.
Your books definitely evoke a sense of community around retro gaming. Was building that sense of community through your writing an intentional goal from the start?
This answer is also “yes” with a question mark. These all started for the same selfish reason as something I wanted to do for myself, but that was only how they began. As I continue, I am meeting people, connecting with others, and making friends along the way, and I am just some random guy. I don’t want to say it is “imposter syndrome,” but I really don’t know that I belong with some of these other rad folks doing things like I am. I think collaborating takes some heat off of me from an anxiety standpoint, but also, I have worked with people who have shared they aren’t “writers” but want to share their thoughts and stories, and maybe this is something they never had the chance to do before. I feel like I am only doing this because I am just ignoring all signs that say “stop” and getting it done. So, if I can remove a barrier for someone else and also help create and be a part of a shared retro gaming community, I am going to do that ten times out of ten.
Well, speaking of doing rad things, you've also dabbled in the podcasting world with Pixels and Polygons. What role has that played in your overall creative output, and has it influenced your writing in any way?
I like video games. I like connecting with people. When I am at a convention and selling my books, the fun part isn’t repeating my pitch over and over again; the fun part is when someone says, “You cover Azure Dreams in here?! I love that game!” And then I have a 20-minute conversation with them about why that game was so rad. The podcast was also something I wanted to do because the idea I had was to make a short conversational podcast where my guest answers just a single question or prompt. It is a podcast you listen to between other podcasts, and I figured if I keep the goal simple, producing it shouldn’t be stressful, so why not? Again, now I have met a bunch of interesting people I consider friends from doing this (shout out to Flashback 64 and my Illuminati crew), and they help me stay motivated, engaged, and having fun.
Glad to hear you’re finding those connections. What’s surprised you most about the reception to your work and the growing interest in this kind of media?
I have done Kickstarters for all my gaming books and zines, and I have no idea why I have such a rad group of people who have backed everything I create. It’s that creeping self-doubt where I don’t know if what I am doing is any good, then I get some comment about how awesome the last book was or seeing the same names of backers continuing to come back. I know what I am doing is already a niche thing in a niche hobby, but I am seeing many more people doing it these days, and it's an extension of the conversation of preservation and trying to keep the memories and history of these games we love alive. I am happy to be a small part of that. Again, the friends I have made along the way keep me going. I have mentioned doing conventions, but being able to have a table next to Brian from Retro Game Books makes the days fly by!
What advice would you give to someone who wants to get started creating their own video game zine or book series?
My advice is to ask questions. Ask for help. Ask for that dream contributor or interview. If you run into an obstacle, that is all it is, so find a way around it, but do not stop. Do you want to know how you’ll complete your goal? By finishing it. Do you want to know how you will fail? By quitting. I have my DMs open to chat with anyone who wants to try something creative, and if I have any way to encourage or support, ask me. There are a lot of folks who will do the same. Have fun.
Inspiring words! Is there anything you’re currently working on that readers should be keeping an eye out for?
Nothing secret. 32 Bit Library Volume 5 is taking a look at 50 games that were re-released as Greatest Hits for this next book. This is my angle to cover some games that wouldn’t fit in their own book because of a smaller publisher or whatever other reason. Retro Game Zine is monthly, so that continues on. The summer will be covering Breath of Fire IV, Blue Stinger, and Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. I want to do some future issues on Blaster Master, PaRappa the Rapper, Snatcher, Harvest Moon, Thrasher Skate and Destroy, and a bunch of other random games I love from my younger years.
Lots of great stuff on the horizon! Where can people best follow your work, get your books, or connect with you online?
Bluesky is the only social media I use, and I am there as @darrenhupke.bsy.social and @pixelsandpolygons.net. I have my online shop at pixelsandpolygons.net and patreon.com/darrenhupke/shop for my digital goods. You can find everything I do through my Link Tree - linktr.ee/darrenhupke.
Thanks for your time, Darren!
🙏 And THANK YOU for Reading
I hope at least one thing in this week’s issue made you say, “Wait, that exists!?”
Also, if you spotted a cool release I missed, have suggestions for the next deep dive, or just want to geek out about game books, I’d love to hear from you. Drop a comment, hop into our Discord community, or reply directly to this newsletter.
And if you’re enjoying these weekly recaps, consider sharing them with a fellow reader or supporting the project through a paid subscription. Every bit helps keep this massive archive growing and glowing.
Until next week — happy reading,
Dean (Founder, The Video Game Library)