Bitmap books have rapidly become the go-to publisher for books about retro gaming and the newest release, I’m Too Young To Die: The Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters 1992–2002, continues that trend. First Person Shooters have a long history in gaming but a lot of that history has not been known to many people or has simply fallen between the cracks. I’m Too Young To Die: The Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters 1992–2002 manages to not only take the genre and catalogue so many of its great games but also explore why the genre is so beloved, the roots and influences and what goes into making a great FPS.
From the very beginning, the book’s introduction by John Romero talks about the origins of the genre and how id Software’s Wolfenstein 3D was descended from Maze games, especially Pac-Man, hence the shoutout level in that game. The book does not jump directly into the year 1992, however, but instead first talks about the games that led up to that point and what goes into making a game in this genre. This includes looking at games such as Ultima Underworld, among other RPGs, as well as the earliest games in the genre including some that beat id to the punch such as Bethesda’s first Terminator game, which was an open-world FPS before Wolfenstein 3D, but the tech was not yet at the point where such a game could be done well.
In between chapters discussing individual years and the games released in them, I’m Too Young To Die: The Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters 1992–2002, also has interviews with multiple developers who contributed to the genre, such as Ken Silverman, creator of the Build Engine that powered classics such as Duke Nukem 3D and Blood, John Romero and Warren Spector among others, and each interview provides much insight into how their games were made. While the years 1992 to 2002 are the main focus, as with the chapters discussing what came before Wolfenstein, there is also a chapter focusing briefly on the games that would follow in later years. It is just that the ten-year period that is the focus of I’m Too Young To Die: The Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters 1992–2002, is considered the golden age of FPS games and when the most important entries were made. This is when games such as Dark Forces, a Star Wars take on Doom, and later sequels that mixed in RPG elements and force powers as well came to be, showing just how much variety the genre truly had.
No single year stands out above others, even as the games started getting more and more advanced, but the context provided for each year is excellent and gives us a closer look at the impact the genre was having. For instance, I’m Too Young To Die: The Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters 1992–2002 talks about how the genre was able to rise due to the fast advancements happening in technology, but also the effect this had on other genres. For instance, the book touches on how the rise of the First-Person Shooter coincided with the decline of the Adventure Game genre that had dominated the computer market for a time, and the reasons why it happened.
What was especially interesting to read in I’m Too Young To Die: The Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters 1992–2002 was the discussion of how RPGs were tied to the genre. This is beyond talking about games like Ultima Underworld, but rather how FPS titles like Strife and Deus Ex would blend the genres in interesting ways. There is also an interesting discussion of Bethesda’s game Terminator: Future Shock, a game that predated Quake in using mouse and keyboard controls, and the way it essentially plays like a prototype of what would later become Fallout 3 from the same developer, which would further blend RPG gameplay with FPS gameplay.
The sheer amount of titles discussed in I’m Too Young To Die: The Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters 1992–2002 is staggering and while there are classics like Blood mentioned within, we also have some very obscure titles like Bram Stoker’s Dracula that get a highlight as well. Many of these games were made using the Wolfenstein 3D and Doom engines, and the book makes clear how much of a game-changer (no pun intended) the various iterations of the Quake and Unreal engines were. While many of these games are hard to find now, either for licensing reasons or just a lack of availability, many of these titles are available on modern storefronts on PC and console and so the book provides a great resource for what games to spend time playing for reference.
As for the actual book itself, Bitmap Books continues to do an amazing job in its packing, with the book being packaged in multiple layers to keep it secure, and with foam edges around the corners to prevent any damage. The book is shaped a bit more like a wide art book, but that helps show off the full-page screenshots to a much greater degree. Lastly, the quality of the material used to print and bind I’m Too Young To Die: The Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters 1992–2002 is of the highest quality and shows a large amount of care and polish Bitmap Books puts into the products.
I’m Too Young To Die: The Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters 1992–2002 is a must-have for any fan of First-Person Shooters who want to know more about the genre and its history. While a book like Go Straight: The Ultimate Guide to Side-Scrolling Beat-’Em-Ups tries to cover as many games as possible in each year, I’m Too Young To Die: The Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters 1992–2002 focuses on covering the most notable games, and the genre itself, its nomenclature and the people who made it work. There is also a great index in the book for you to find each game by name with the page number it is mentioned on, while also having a separate index for each of the interviews contained within, all of which are very much worth reading.
For the price point, it’s hard to argue that I’m Too Young To Die: The Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters 1992–2002 is anything but an outstanding offering that is a must-own volume in any gaming fan’s personal library. The coverage and detail are amazing, the information is fascinating, the photos are excellent and the design of the book itself is nothing short of magnificent. And on top of everything else, Bitmap also provides a full PDF of the book itself so you can also use it as a digital reference (albeit with a limited number of downloads allowed). I’m Too Young To Die: The Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters 1992–2002 is an easy book to recommend because it is not just for hardcore fans, but also those interested in gaming history, and an essential reference guide for those wanting to learn more about the genre.
This review is based on a physical copy of I’m Too Young To Die: The Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters 1992–2002 provided by Bitmap Books. The book is available to buy here, so don’t hesitate to check it out because it is absolutely worth your time. Most photos are directly from the book and have been cropped.