Carbonox_Ratchet
16-05-10, 20:52
After the arrival of my copy of Okami Official Complete Works yesterday, I decided to do more digging in to the world of collector art books pertaining to video games. There are a few Capcom books around especially (which I aim to get more of soon), as part of the Official Completes Work brand.
The purpose of this thread however, is to see who else finds these books highly interesting and appealing.
Do you have any yourself? Note that this isn't limited to Capcom-related books but gaming art books in its entirety. Leave out the poor excuses for art books that you tend to get within Limited Edition games (that are like 5 pages thin).
Did you just buy one or two or are you a fully-fledged collector?
Do you plan on purchasing one or more at any given time?
For me, I only have the Okami Official Complete Works and it's a stunning piece of work, production and design-wise, as well as the content within. I was torn between it and the Mega Man Official Complete Works. However, the art of Okami appeals to me a lot more, though the Mega Man one is on my list.
I was also looking at the SF20: The Art of Street Fighter art book that's a rarity now (astonishing used price on Amazon and nowhere to be found on Play.com). It is however, available on the US book store website, Barnes and Noble, for standard RRP which is handy as I'll be in the US in August. I'll definitely rush for that.
I'm also going to jump on The Art of Resident Evil 5 that will be released in August. It's out of stock/print in Japan but will receive a western release this year so I'd recommend you pounce on that and pre-order as soon as possible if you want a copy. Amazon and Play.com all have pre-orders up for decent prices.
The ONE book that I would do anything (nearly) for is the Devil May Cry 4 Devil Materials Collection. I've seen some pictures and it looks simply amazing. Japanese-only release and full of all sorts of concept art and more. For a Devil May Cry fan such as myself, this book is a must-have. The only problem is finding a new copy somewhere for less-than-extortionate pricing. There's a used copy going on Amazon for around 40 or so quid but is from a German company seller (though it has decent user reviews). It's tempting but maybe some point in the future, unless I come across a better one.
I'd also be just as willing to do anything for the Onimusha Dawn of Dreams Official Complete Works. It's advertised in the Okami book but this one is NOWHERE to be found! D:
UDON's Art of Capcom is also another appealing book as it contains art from various Capcom's franchises. Unfortunately, this book is even more of a nightmare to obtain, with prices going for at least £100 or more. There's a second volume out this year though (no doubt with updated stuff), so I may just have to settle for that.
Other books I'm somewhat considering at a later date (though I'd have to be quick as these Capcom books go out of stock and print very quickly) are:
Darkstalkers Graphic File
Mega Man X Official Complete Works
Megaman Zero Official Complete Works
So uh, I guess you could say I'm a budding collector, heh. If there's an art treasure in the industry that appeals to me, it's definitely Capcom's back-catalogue.
I'd highly recommend you folks look in to some of these. The Official Complete Works brand is not just any ordinary art book brand, not by a long shot.
The purpose of this thread however, is to see who else finds these books highly interesting and appealing.
Do you have any yourself? Note that this isn't limited to Capcom-related books but gaming art books in its entirety. Leave out the poor excuses for art books that you tend to get within Limited Edition games (that are like 5 pages thin).
Did you just buy one or two or are you a fully-fledged collector?
Do you plan on purchasing one or more at any given time?
For me, I only have the Okami Official Complete Works and it's a stunning piece of work, production and design-wise, as well as the content within. I was torn between it and the Mega Man Official Complete Works. However, the art of Okami appeals to me a lot more, though the Mega Man one is on my list.
I was also looking at the SF20: The Art of Street Fighter art book that's a rarity now (astonishing used price on Amazon and nowhere to be found on Play.com). It is however, available on the US book store website, Barnes and Noble, for standard RRP which is handy as I'll be in the US in August. I'll definitely rush for that.
I'm also going to jump on The Art of Resident Evil 5 that will be released in August. It's out of stock/print in Japan but will receive a western release this year so I'd recommend you pounce on that and pre-order as soon as possible if you want a copy. Amazon and Play.com all have pre-orders up for decent prices.
The ONE book that I would do anything (nearly) for is the Devil May Cry 4 Devil Materials Collection. I've seen some pictures and it looks simply amazing. Japanese-only release and full of all sorts of concept art and more. For a Devil May Cry fan such as myself, this book is a must-have. The only problem is finding a new copy somewhere for less-than-extortionate pricing. There's a used copy going on Amazon for around 40 or so quid but is from a German company seller (though it has decent user reviews). It's tempting but maybe some point in the future, unless I come across a better one.
I'd also be just as willing to do anything for the Onimusha Dawn of Dreams Official Complete Works. It's advertised in the Okami book but this one is NOWHERE to be found! D:
UDON's Art of Capcom is also another appealing book as it contains art from various Capcom's franchises. Unfortunately, this book is even more of a nightmare to obtain, with prices going for at least £100 or more. There's a second volume out this year though (no doubt with updated stuff), so I may just have to settle for that.
Other books I'm somewhat considering at a later date (though I'd have to be quick as these Capcom books go out of stock and print very quickly) are:
Darkstalkers Graphic File
Mega Man X Official Complete Works
Megaman Zero Official Complete Works
So uh, I guess you could say I'm a budding collector, heh. If there's an art treasure in the industry that appeals to me, it's definitely Capcom's back-catalogue.
I'd highly recommend you folks look in to some of these. The Official Complete Works brand is not just any ordinary art book brand, not by a long shot.