Hurt Me Plenty: The Ultimate Guide to First Person Shooters 2003-2010 [Rich's REVIEW + Unboxing Video] 📖💥 @bitmap_books #Retrogaming

Hurt Me Plenty: The Ultimate Guide to First-Person Shooters 2003–2010 is the mahoosive 464-page hardcover book follow up to I'm Too Young To Die that explores the evolution of first-person shooters from the years 2003 to 2010. 

I’m Too Young To Die covered FPS games from 1992 to 2002 so it's cool how the new book just picks up the baton from where ITYTD left off. The book features almost 220 FPS games including Call of Duty, DOOM 3, Half-Life 2, BioShock, Crysis, Borderlands, Fallout 3, Left 4 Dead, and Halo 2, alongside some lesser-known titles and experimental shooters.

The book also includes some cool interview chapters with FPS industry legends like Ken Levine (BioShock), Minh Le (Counter-Strike), Tim Willits (DOOM 3), and Jeep Barnett (Portal, Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress 2). The book also explores and discusses FPS trends, such as the rise of multiplayer-only shooters, the impact of digital game distribution, and the shift from WWII settings to modern warfare.

Once again as with all Bitmap Books the book is designed with highest quality printing at the forefront along with the use of special Pantone ink, and an illustrated cover by Ian Pestridge that is Spot varnished and accompanied by a dust jacket highlighting key FPS genre elements against a stunning matte background. As always the book is a must-have for retro gamers and FPS fans.

👇WATCH RICH'S UNBOXING VIDEO HERE 👇

Once you get stuck into the book Stuart Maine  explores several key themes in the evolution of FPS games such as:

Technological Advancements – The book highlights the graphical and gameplay innovations that reshaped shooters during this period, including advanced physics engines, destructible environments, and more immersive AI.

Narrative Evolution – FPS games increasingly moved beyond simple action-driven gameplay, incorporating deeper storytelling and emotional weight, as seen in titles like BioShock and Half-Life 2.

Multiplayer & Online Play – The rise of online connectivity led to the dominance of multiplayer shooters, from Counter-Strike and Call of Duty to new cooperative experiences like Left 4 Dead.

Genre Experimentation – Developers pushed the boundaries of what an FPS could be, blending RPG elements (Fallout 3), survival horror (DOOM 3), and open-world mechanics (Far Cry).

Shifts in Setting & Style – The era witnessed a transition from classic WWII shooters to modern warfare, sci-fi, and dystopian themes, reflecting cultural shifts in gaming preferences.

Choosing the period from 2003 to 2010 to focus on for this second instalment is a great move as the period saw major technological leaps in first-person shooters and it shaped the genre into what we know today. 

The book lets us take a look at Graphics & Physics Engines with the introduction of advanced physics engines like Havok and PhysX which allowed for realistic object interactions, destructible environments, and dynamic animations. Games like Half-Life 2 showcased ragdoll physics, making enemy movements and deaths more lifelike.

It also touches how Lighting & Rendering Improvements in titles such as DOOM 3 and Crysis pushed the boundaries of real-time lighting, shadow mapping, and high-dynamic-range (HDR) rendering, which led to being able to create even more immersive worlds.

The book as a whole is a wonderfully in depth deep dive into the FPS landscape from this moment in time  and goes on to touch on AI & Enemy Behaviour and how AI became more sophisticated, with enemies reacting dynamically to player actions. It focuses on titles like FEAR where it introduced advanced enemy AI, where foes would flank, take cover, and communicate.

One of my fave parts of the book is how it covers Weapon & Environmental Interactivity where games like Crysis introduced customizable weapons, while Half-Life 2’s legendary Gravity Gun allowed players to manipulate objects in creative ways.

As with all the Bitmap Books you are advised to read with a device close by so that you can note down those e games you are interested and might want to play after reading the book. It's also handy to nip over to YouTube so that you can watch some gameplay videos to get a feel for some of the amazing array of FPS games covered in the book.

If you've been a returning visitor to Games Freezer you will know that we unashamedly in love with Bitmap Books and the stable of  amazing books that they have in their repertoire. Again this is another amazing addition to the line-up and a worthy successor to I'm Too Young To Die which Britt reviewed back in March 2023 .

If you liked the first book then you will love follow up and if you want to read this in isolation then trust me you will not be disappointed with HURT ME PLENTY.

👇Go Here And Buy It NOW 👇

👉 https://www.bitmapbooks.com/products/hurt-me-plenty-the-ultimate-guide-to-first-person-shooters-2003-2010