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Gamemaster Classified

Created by Matthew Taranto

An Insider's Guide to Nintendo's Coming of Age

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Almost done! Your questions answered, another goal hit, another way to chat!
about 3 years ago – Wed, Mar 10, 2021 at 05:18:56 PM

Hey everyone--lots to talk about so I'll get right to it!

First up, thank you so much to everyone who contributed to the LIVE Q&A on Saturday! Howard actually went through and diligently replied to every comment posted and you can find our full responses right here (DOCX format) or here (Pages format).

Next, if you had more general questions for me, Matthew, I am doing a Reddit Ask Me Anything right now! So feel free to stop by.

Lastly, we're in the final stretch! And while we nailed the Collector's Corner goal, we'd love to be able to hit that Lost in Translation Stretch Goal...so tell your pals online and off about the book! The final days of KS campaigns can be as crazy as the first couple, meaning we can still make great progress.

Thanks,

-Matthew

Join us Saturday for a LIVE Q&A!
about 3 years ago – Thu, Mar 04, 2021 at 07:35:59 PM

Hi everyone—it's the last week of the Kickstarter and Howard and I greatly appreciate your continued support! As part of this campaign, we’ll be doing a live Q&A video this weekend on the BitFinity YouTube channel! That’s right, we’ll be answering your questions as you submit them over the course of a jam-packed hour of Nintendo talk.

Be sure to tune into the BitFinity YouTube channel at Saturday, March 6th at 8 PM Eastern Time (7 Central, 6 Mountain, 5 Pacific) to be part of the fun.

-Matthew

Level 4 Cleared! Next goals on the way...
about 3 years ago – Tue, Feb 23, 2021 at 02:55:04 PM

Thanks to your continued efforts, our Insider Insights section of the book will now be a reality! 

Howard is now off and running, reaching out to his extensive list of former Nintendo chums to secure their thoughts on life at Nintendo, memorable moments, and brief stories related to their differing roles and perspectives on Nintendo and the games.

The book is starting to get pretty beefy at this point (it's looking like it'll be much closer to 200 pages now instead of the original 150)...but we can go further!

Bam, two more goals!


Level 5: "COLLECTOR'S CORNER" - 80k

As a kid whose room was decked out in Mario wall decals, Matthew can attest to the fact that Nintendo merchandise was everywhere even in the NES days. This section--which will collaborate with collectors of Nintendo merch--will highlight the wild, weird and wonderful paraphernalia that were being produced. Expect everything from goofy cereals to photos of original art and high-value items!


Level 6: "LOST IN TRANSLATION" - 100k

EarthBound. Advance Wars. Fire Emblem. Just a few of the beloved game series that got their start on the Famicom...yet didn't reach the West until much later! This additional section of the book will be focused on these and other imports as Howard and Matthew reflect on the decisions to not bring them to the NES. As Matthew is quite the EarthBound fan in particular, he's sure to have a few things to say...!


Thanks again for your concentrated efforts! We'll be back soon with more inside looks at the book.


-Matthew

Book Spotlight: The Summary Pages
about 3 years ago – Tue, Feb 16, 2021 at 07:28:18 PM

Week 2 of the campaign is underway, and we're kicking things off with a closer look at how each chapter begins!

As you'd expect, the Summary is a snapshot of the most relevant news of the year at a glance. This two-page spread sets the stage for things to come with original art in the banner that conveys numerous game releases, Howard's initial thoughts on the year, the most notable Nintendo developments... 

...and other cool highlights of the year! From new technology to memorable releases to pop culture shifts, the Summary pages are a little glimpse through time! Like much of the book, these are largely written from Howard's perspective unless otherwise noted, so you'll get the Gamemaster's thoughts on a wide variety of subjects.

We've got some cool things planned for the next few weeks, including ways for you guys to interact with us a bit more, so stay tuned!

-Matthew

Let's talk Stretch Goals...
about 3 years ago – Fri, Feb 12, 2021 at 07:11:49 PM

This project has gone so quickly that our initial Stretch Goals could hardly keep up! No worries now--the "ladder" image is ready and we've got quite a few extremely cool things in store for anyone excited about the old days.

Level 1 CLEARED: "BOOK FUNDED!" - 23k

In just over seven hours, we hit our funding goal, and because of you, GAMEMASTER CLASSIFIED will be a reality! But we're just getting started. Let's see how many cool extra features we can reach by going above and beyond the initial goal...

Level 2 CLEARED: "TOP 30!" - 30k

A classic section in Nintendo Power's original run, the Top 30 gave NES fans the lowdown on what was most popular. Now that this level has been cleared, both Howard and Matthew will each talk up their own favorite 30 games on the system and why. Which ones stood out from the crowd to Howard, or provided the happiest memories for Matthew? Your favorite has probably made the cut!

Level 3 CLEARED: "POWER UP!" - 45k

GAMEMASTER CLASSIFIED gets its Varia Suit! With this Stretch Goal, we can beef up the book even further to ensure extra durability and a nicer presentation. That means 1) heavier, high-quality paper, 2+3) new full-page art on the inside cover and the inside back cover, and 4) stronger, sewn book binding to ensure the pages don't slip out like your favorite walkthroughs of old did!

Level 4: "INSIDER INSIGHTS" - 60k

Howard hasn't forgotten his old friends at NOA. Wouldn't it be cool to get their perspective on the decade as well? Enter "Insider Insights," a brand new section of the book that will feature some of the old guard talking about what it was like working for the Big N. This book is starting to turn into quite the reunion...!


That's all that's listed for now, but rest assured there plenty of cool things to come even beyond what's hidden up there, so let's see how far we can go!


-Matthew