The Video Game Library Newsletter - Vol. #019

The LONGEST Newsletter yet! A sarcastic amount of Video Game Book announcements, lots of community collaborations, and an awesome interview with the VGMuseum!

Aug 03, 2025

Welcome back to The Video Game Library Newsletter!

Really excited to share this week’s volume with all of you. It’s packed with some really fun and exciting pieces that I’ve been wanting to share since starting the project. For weekly readers, you’ll know that I’ve been on the road almost non-stop throughout July, and have only just been getting some (much-needed) downtime. And man does it feel good! Have definitely been feeling the love since getting back with lots of time to interact and connect with this amazing community.

A huge thank‑you to all of you who stuck with me through the past month’s last‑minute Sunday morning send‑outs. If you’ve been enjoying all the sweat (and tears) that go into these weekly digests, I’d be grateful if you considered supporting at the Paid tier, as it helps keep this project growing and comes with some extra content just for you.

In 📰 News & Highlights, we’ve got cookbooks and comics and collector’s editions aplenty. A huge week for both France and Japan as well. You’ll definitely want to skim the highlights below.

In 📚 Behind the Shelves, I share news of my appearance on one of my favourite podcasts - IndieQuest - as well as some heartwarming support from CRC Press, give thanks to Udon’s Matt Moylan, and reveal a surprise bargain-bin find that’s now proudly on our shelves. I also keep you posted on the latest round of frustrations (and hopeful fixes) with Wix.

In 💡 Recommended Read of the Week, I spotlight The CRPG Book from Felipe Pepe and Bitmap Books - an incredible 700‑page love letter to computer role‑playing games that belongs on every gamer’s shelf.

In 💾 From the Archives, we travel to Tokyo for a look at the My Famicase Exhibition, where artists create labels for fictional Famicom games, and the beautiful catalogs that preserve them.

And in ✨ Community Interview, I chat with Rey Esteban - founder of VGMuseum.com - about his latest NES Endings Compendium, his passion for preserving gaming’s finales, and what’s next after the NES era.

It’s a packed issue, so let’s jump in 👇

📰 News & Highlights

Another massive week in the world of Video Game Literature, with an awesome mix of releases and announcements for fans of all genres. Clear off some shelf space for these:

This week’s book news kicks off with the release of Eat the Borderlands: One Loader Bot's Culinary Tour Through Pandora and Beyond! fresh from Insight Editions. Equal parts cookbook and chaotic tour through Gearbox’s wild sci-fi universe, it’s packed with recipes, character cameos, and all the attitude you’d expect from a Borderlands tie-in.
Over at Dark Horse, they’ve just announced Tomb Raider Colossal Collection Volume 3, which will continue collecting Lara Croft’s comic adventures in one massive hardcover. Mark your calendars for a release in April 2026. And remember, Volume 2 is slated for next month!
For English manga readers, Blue Archive: Comic Anthology Volume 1 has landed, bringing the popular mobile RPG’s quirky cast to life in a series of comedic short stories.
Limited Run Games has had a busy week on the book front. Pre-orders have opened for The Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection, a premium bundle that includes Mortal Kombat: Kronicles of the Realm, a hardcover art and lore book exploring the series’ brutal history.
They’ve also announced Operation Night Strikers Assault Edition, which will include a Fanbook. Details are scarce for now, but it’s one to watch for collectors.
Looking ahead, The Art of REANIMAL will be included in the game’s Collector’s Edition when it launches in 2026, offering fans a deep dive into the worldbuilding and design of this colorful title.
From Titan Books comes another surprise listing: Life is Strange: Welcome to Caledon University by Chris Farnell. While details are still limited, this new prose entry promises to expand the narrative universe of the acclaimed adventure series.
I missed this one last week but couldn’t let it slip by: Historiographies of Game Studies: What It Has Been, What It Could Be from Punctum Books has released, featuring contributions from an incredible lineup of scholars. A must-have for anyone interested in the academic side of games.
Author Eddie Robson has revealed he’s penned the latest edition of the Level Up gaming yearbook. Level Up 2026 is due out in September, promising another snapshot of the year in gaming.
From Third Editions, two notable releases this week: Inside: Inside (and a sneak peak of the upcoming Legend of Dragoon book) is part of their new promotional mini-book series, given as a bonus to customers for every five books purchased directly from their store. It’s a clever and collectible way to reward loyal readers.
Meanwhile, Explorer Hollow Knight: Le Renouveau du Metroidvania offers a deep dive into Team Cherry’s masterpiece, exploring its design, themes, and place in the genre’s revival.
Pix’n Love has finally unveiled more details about L’art de Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. So glad to see Marine Macq behind this one as well. An undoubtedly stunning 300-page celebration of Sandfall Interactive’s 2025 hit.
Ynnis Éditions announced Hommage aux Sims: De l'origine du sandbox à la consécration de la saga, a tribute to the iconic life sim series.
Japanese publishing news brings us Atelier Yumia: Official Visual Collection (ユミアのアトリエ ~~追憶の錬金術士と幻創の地~~ 公式ビジュアルコレクション), a lavish art book for fans of the alchemy-themed RPG series.
In addition, Atlus has announced Persona 3 Reload Official Design Works, set for a November 13, 2025 release in Japan - offering fans a definitive look at the visual evolution of this beloved remake.
And finally from Japan, the Kirby Manga Mania Best Selection (星のカービィ　デデデでプププなものがたり　傑作選　ワハハ編) released this week. It collects classic and new manga tales by Hirokazu Hikawa.

Did I miss something cool? Want to see this laid 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!

📚 Behind the Shelves

Every week, I take you behind the scenes of The Video Game Library. From surprising discoveries to cataloging challenges, there’s always something new as we dig deeper into this ever-expanding archive of game-related literature.

Let’s kick things off with a really exciting opportunity I had this week. I’ve probably mentioned it in the Newsletters before, but one of my favourite podcasts is IndieQuest. This week, I was invited on as a guest to chat about some of our favourite indie games. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I honestly think it’s the definitive podcast for celebrating the incredible world of indie games. I’d be so grateful if you could show them some love - and maybe give this episode a listen while you’re at it!

Now, it might surprise some, but even with all the effort we put into highlighting the incredible publishers behind the books in the Video Game Library, it’s often a challenge to have meaningful conversations with many of them. That’s why I want to take a moment in this Newsletter to give a heartfelt thank-you to CRC Press. Not only did they take the time to reach out with a kind and thoughtful email, but they also went (way) above and beyond by creating a full calendar of upcoming Video Game–related releases (complete with details) for us.

No doubt an incredibly busy publisher, and yet they still made the effort to support our work in such a tangible and meaningful way. This meant the world to me. I can only hope that more publishers will follow their wonderful example.

While we’re on the topic of being thankful, I also want to give a shout-out to Udon Entertainment’s Matt Moylan. About a year ago, he was kind enough to share some detailed photos of his impressive shelves filled with Udon books. It’s taken a while to get around to completing them all, but as of this week, we’ve finished cataloguing every book that he had in that crazy collection (as of a year ago). Will be reaching out to you again soon for an update, Matt! In the meantime, here’s just a small handful of the incredible books coming out of that publisher.

And speaking of Udon, I also wanted to share a fun little addition to our shelves. While wandering the mall over the weekend, I spotted a small stack of manga in the bargain bin at a local EB Games. Most had nothing to do with video games, but tucked among them was a Disgaea 3 volume; clearance‑priced at just $4. It was an easy pick-up, and now it’s one more manga proudly joining our collection.

The cover of the Disgaea 3 School of Devils manga #2

Lastly, the frustrations with Wix roll on… BUT, thanks to some helpful feedback from last week’s Newsletter, I’m encouraged to keep sharing. So, at the risk of ending things off on a bit of a downer, I’ll continue to document the trials and tribulations I’m facing with the platform. Hopefully, it not only raises awareness but also sparks advice from those far more fluent in the art of web‑mastery than I.

The latest challenge has been an update the rolled out on Tuesday. You’ll now notice that all, previously aligned buttons on the site, are now slightly offset. This occurs a few seconds after each page loads. After some failed chats and escalations, they responded with a final verdict: “Although this is not ideal, it is expected behavior”.

While selfish, my hope is that the change has impacted larger sites than ours, and elicits some better action for Wix to take. For now, I’ll ask you to please forgive the sloppy layout.

This, as usual, is only a small sample of all the things that have been happening behind the scenes, so take a peek at the site to see everything that’s been added since last week! And while you’re at it, drop your thoughts in the comments below. Your feedback helps shape how we deliver these looks behind the curtain.

💡 Recommended Read of the Week

The CRPG Book: A Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games

Felipe Pepe

The CRPG Book from Bitmap Books might just be my favourite title they’ve ever published - and honestly, it ranks among my favourite books in the entire collection. It’s a behemoth celebration of the computer role-playing genre, bursting from cover-to-cover with history, gorgeous screenshots, and heartfelt retrospectives from an incredible roster of contributors.

Let’s look at some numbers to put into perspective just how impressive this book is. Nearly 700 pages. Covering more than 400 games. Designed with over 2,000 screenshots. With insight from 167 volunteers. And the best metric of all…100% of the author’s profits (£34,387 as of Jan. 2024) donated to a Brazilian NGO that helps youth in poor areas get better education and employment.

Admittedly, I don’t have a deep personal history with CRPGs. Growing up, my computer was a potato. A 2GB Packard Bell PC running Windows ‘95 that stuck around long after it should have. But that’s the beautify of this book: you don’t need to have been there for every release to appreciate it. Felipe Pepe, the mastermind behind the project, has crafted not only a definitive guide to decades of CRPG history, but one that’s welcoming to newcomers while still packed with depth for genre veterans. The passion bleeds through in every section, and the care taken in both writing and design makes this a book I can lose myself in for hours.

On a personal note, Felipe has been incredibly supportive of The Video Game Library project, which makes me appreciate this book even more. It’s always inspiring to see an author so committed to sharing game history while also uplifting others who are working to preserve it.

Whether you’re a lifelong RPG fan or just carry fond memories of those late-night dial-up sessions in Diablo’s multiplayer, The CRPG Book is an essential (and hefty) addition to your bookshelf. Just make sure the shelf is sturdy enough to hold it.

You can find details about The CRPG Book: A Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games here. And better yet, you can download the latest version, entirely for FREE, right 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…

…a series of annual catalogues celebrating a world of fake Famicom carts.

The My Famicase Exhibition is an annual art show at METEOR, a small gallery in Tokyo, where artists from across the globe design labels for fictional Famicom games. Started in 2005 with just a handful of local contributors, it has grown into an international showcase of over 250 designs each year, submitted from more than 30 countries.

In 2018, METEOR began publishing official yearly catalogs (図録) to document the exhibition. These softcover books, typically around 150 pages, reproduce every label in full color at near life-size, alongside the game’s title and artist name. The result is a complete visual archive of each year’s entries - from nostalgic homages and clever genre parodies to surreal, avant-garde concepts. With their limited print runs and high production quality, the catalogs quickly became sought-after collectibles.

Special releases have also appeared, such as the 20th Anniversary Zine in 2025. This 20-page booklet celebrated two decades of the exhibition by showcasing standout designs from the years before the catalogs existed, along with photos from past shows. These publications are sold directly through METEOR’s gallery shop and online store.

More than just souvenirs, the books serve as a permanent record of a living art project. They preserve the creativity of hundreds of designers, offering anyone, whether they can visit Tokyo or not, a way to explore this imaginative fusion of retro gaming and graphic design.

📚 Want to check out some of these titles? We’ve catalogued them all right here at The Video Game Library.

✨ Community Interview

Back in Volume 17 of the newsletter, my Recommended Read of the Week was the NES Endings Compendium Vol. 2: 1990.

This week, I’m thrilled to share an interview with Rey Esteban, the mind behind VGMuseum.com and the NES Endings Compendium series. For over 25 years, Rey has been preserving the endings of classic video games. What began as a friendly rivalry in the NES era grew into a lifelong passion for capturing and archiving those final moments.

In this conversation, we dive into the origins of VGMuseum, the creative process behind the Compendium books, and why he believes endings, from cinematic finales to the most barebones “Congratulations” screens, are worth documenting.

We also look ahead at what might come after the NES volumes are complete, and why the era’s charm and creativity still resonate so deeply with players today.

Hope you enjoy!

For those new to your work: who is Rey Esteban, and what inspired you to start chronicling the endings of games?

I’ve been playing video games since the NES era, and for some reason, I’ve always been drawn to playing a game all the way through to the end. It might have started because I had a snotty neighbor who fancied himself a great player. I suppose beating games and writing them down on a list was my way of “proving” I was better than him. But there must be something deeper driving me, otherwise this hobby wouldn’t have lasted as long if there wasn’t.

In the late ’90s, once I got a computer and discovered ways to (ahem) play NES games on it, I realized I could take screenshots of the endings. That way everyone could see how these games ended, not just the few who persevered through the end.

I started submitting the screenshots to a popular Nintendo fan site of the era called World-of-Nintendo. The ending images became a hit (this was still years before YouTube existed), and I even got paid a bit for my contributions! This was during the “dot-com bubble,” when regular people were making real money from their own fan sites. But once the bubble burst, WoN’s updates became spotty, and I eventually moved on to the VGMuseum.com, where I’ve been regularly updating for over 25 years now.

So from there, how did the NES Endings Compendium project start?

During the 2010s, I watched Jeremy Parish and Kurt Kalata (from Hardcore Gaming 101) release video game books analyzing and exploring games’ development history and themes.

I knew no one was making any books about game endings, so I contacted Kurt to see if he was interesting in collaborating making one. He loved the idea, and I made a rough mockup with badly-written text of what a page could look like:

C:\Users\Rey\Desktop\book\1 old files\old 1985-89 copies-tests-beta\orginal mockup.png

However, nothing came of it. He was busy with his other projects and, since I don’t fancy myself as a writer, I wasn’t really interested in writing it myself.

Afterwards, there was an influx of books which focused more on the visual side of games and not necessarily on the writing aspect. And I thought “You can do that? You can release a book with full-page screenshots, minimal text and people will buy it?”

This kept the idea of an endings book running through my head for many years (what finally motivated me to start the project is answered in your next question).

So when the pandemic hit, I went to YouTube and spent a week watching Adobe Indesign tutorials and learned how to build and design pages. I modeled the design of the pages after my favorite gaming magazines from the 90s: Nintendo Power and EGM.

Initially, I was only going to cover endings that had regional differences or interesting trivia. As I kept building the pages, I thought that I just couldn’t leave out the Ninja Gaiden or Mega Man 2 endings just because they didn’t have regional differences. And I very well couldn’t leave out basic-but-classic endings like the ones from Super Mario Bros. or The Legend of Zelda. So I eventually just ended up covering every game.

I kept working on the book, improving every single day. I teamed up with Peter Fortini, who’s my editor/proofreader, and about a year later I had a finished product.

One of the coolest additions is the “Regional Corner.” What inspired that section, and were there any regional differences that completely surprised you?

This was one of the main motivations to finally start writing the book!

I knew that the Japanese version of The Adventures of Bayou Billy had 5 endings and I also knew that the Japanese and European versions of Contra had somewhat different endings. Every time I would mention that to people, they would be surprised. So I thought that maybe that’s what the book should focus on, since it’s something that really motivates me (not to mention that no one was making books about game endings, much less about its regional differences).

Another thing that motivated me was Castlevania’s staff roll. All of the names displayed during the credits are parodies of personalities from the classic Hollywood monster movie era. I thought it would be interesting to show readers the actual people all these names are parodying.

Volume 1 of your NES Compendium set a high bar, and in my opinion, Volume 2 somehow tops it. How did you approach this second installment differently?

Ah, thank you for the kind words. I honestly just did the exact same thing as Volume 1, the difference is… Well, in case it isn’t obvious, almost all the book’s backgrounds, borders, custom fonts, etc. are pulled straight from the games themselves (or, in some rare cases, the manuals). By 1990, games had better graphics and cutscenes, and thus, I had prettier assets to pull from to assemble the book and make it look even better. In short: the better a game looks, the better looking its page will be.

With tackling 1990, Volume 2 covers 167 North American games, 25 Japanese titles, and 2 from Europe. That must’ve been a huge undertaking. What does your process look like for playing, capturing, and analyzing so many endings?

Thankfully, since I’ve been playing for so long and have been capturing screenshots for a couple of decades now, I already had most of the screenshots and the experience of playing the games.

As for the writing process, if it’s a game I’ve played before, then I would read the manual and do a quick replay to familiarize myself with the story and see how everything comes together in regards of the ending. If I hadn’t played the game before, then I’m a bit more thorough and I investigate to see if there are multiple endings, alternate story beats, and any other interesting tidbits that might relate to the story and ending.

Writing does not come naturally to me, so I struggle a lot coming up with something worthy to say. If it’s a game I like and am familiar with, I’ll probably have something interesting to say. If not, then I tend to just describe the story and ending, while providing a few observations here and there so it doesn’t bore people to death. But my ultimate goal is to present each page with the most important aspects to allow readers to understand the game’s story and why it ended the way it did.

It’s actually been a lot of fun analyzing the games’ stories. I’ve been able to understand the plot of old games a lot better when you’re not being interrupted by hours of dying after getting your butt kicked by relentless enemies.

NES endings are all over the place: some are cinematic, others… not so much. What, in your opinion, makes a truly great NES ending?

I’m a sucker for pretty cutscenes, so those are always good, albeit rare. Also, an ending that shows what happened to the cast after the last battle is something I appreciate. That’s why the Ninja Gaiden and Star Tropics endings are so fantastic.

You include a fantastic 5-star rating system for each ending. Only six games earned a perfect score - without giving them away, can you share one that absolutely deserved that top mark?

Definitely Ninja Gaiden (the entire trilogy). The game revolutionized the way stories were told in games. Some developers tried to copy the formula, but in my opinion, no one did it better than Tecmo.

The “Pit of Sadness” is such a fun concept. How did that idea come about? Were you always planning on relegating the non-ending NES games to a single section?

Haha, that came about because when I announced the project in a forum, someone complained about me not covering games with “non-endings”. So I created that “sad” section to dump those types of games in.

Greg Melo’s artwork adds so much character to the book. How did that collaboration come about?

Yeah, Melo’s great! That was thanks to Jeremy Parish. He showed me some artwork Melo did for him and I loved it. Melo ended up doing the art for volume 1’s trading cards, and then when it was time for volume 2, he handled all of the art.

You included fan memories and even an interview with Ken Lobb. Why was it important to you to go beyond screenshots and incorporate these kinds of personal and historical perspectives?

Gaming magazines usually had a mail bag section, so I figured that a book so heavily influenced by them should also have a mail bag section. The people featured there were mostly Internet people I know or was in contact with at the time.

Ken Lobb’s interview came about because he’s the only developer I’m aware of that prominently featured his initials during game endings. Not only that, but he’s actually the reason why the games he localized even had multiple endings in the first place! So I thought he was very relevant for the book. Luckily, he’s a very friendly person and was more than happy to grant the interview.

VGMuseum.com has long been a go-to for classic game endings. How does the Compendium series build upon that work, and what does the printed format allow you to do that the website doesn’t?

I would say it’s more of a companion piece, to be honest.

I grew up reading 90s magazines and I’ve always loved their colorful and crazy design. The book allows me to display the endings as if you were reading a magazine of the era, with lots of screenshots, sprites, colors and more. It’s all something you could build in a website too, but it’s a lot more difficult and it’s just wouldn’t feel the same.

As someone who’s spent countless hours with these games, has documenting their endings changed the way you play retro games today?

Hmm, unfortunately it has kind of made me a bit jaded to be honest. I’ve played so much and seen so much, that I’m rarely impressed.

There’s a lot of love for the NES era right now, with books, podcasts, and retro collections booming. Why do you think this era continues to resonate with so many people, even decades later?

Most people that grew up with the NES are middle-aged now, with children of their own even, so we’re at the appropriate age to have those “remember when?” conversations. Nostalgia is a powerful feeling, and going back to the things you loved as a kid is a great way to feed that nostalgia fiend.

Once the NES Compendium series is complete, do you have your sights set on another console or project? Where would you love to take this concept next?

Yes, the Super NES.

I would also love to make a Game Boy series, but I don’t know if I’ll live long enough to make one and I don’t know if the amount of people interested in looking at mostly monochromatic images are enough to warrant the time and monetary investment.

Finally, where can readers follow your work, pick up a copy of the book, and stay updated on future volumes of the NES Endings Compendium?

Thank you for the opportunity of letting me ramble on about this project of mine. People can follow me on BlueSky, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

The hardcover version of NES Endings Compendium Volume 1 can be picked up on the Limited Run Games store and the paperback version on Amazon.

The hardcover version of the NES Endings Compendium Volume 2 can be picked up on Amazon and The Yetee.

Thanks for your time, Rey!

🙏 And THANK YOU for Reading

That’s a wrap for this week’s deep dive into all things video game literature. I hope you discovered something new, surprising, or just plain fun.

As always, your feedback helps shape this project - so don’t be shy! Drop a comment below, join the conversation on Discord, or just reply to this newsletter and share your thoughts.

And if you’re enjoying these weekly roundups, please consider supporting The Video Game Library with a paid subscription or forwarding this to a fellow fan. Every little bit helps us keep preserving and celebrating these incredible works - and the passionate people behind them.

Until next week — happy reading,
Dean (Founder, The Video Game Library)