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  • Console Wars

  • Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle That Defined a Generation
  • Written by: Blake J. Harris
  • Narrated by: Fred Berman
  • Length: 20 hrs and 41 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (131 ratings)

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Console Wars cover art

Console Wars

Written by: Blake J. Harris
Narrated by: Fred Berman
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Publisher's Summary

A mesmerizing, behind-the-scenes business thriller that chronicles how Sega, a small, scrappy gaming company led by an unlikely visionary and a team of rebels, took on the juggernaut Nintendo and revolutionized the video-game industry.

In 1990, Nintendo had a virtual monopoly on the video-game industry. Sega, on the other hand, was just a faltering arcade company with big aspirations and even bigger personalities. But all that would change with the arrival of Tom Kalinske, a former Mattel executive who knew nothing about video games and everything about fighting uphill battles. His unconventional tactics, combined with the blood, sweat, and bold ideas of his renegade employees, completely transformed Sega and led to a ruthless, David-and-Goliath showdown with Nintendo. Little did he realize that Sega's success would create many new enemies and, most important, make Nintendo stronger than ever.

The battle was vicious, relentless, and highly profitable, eventually sparking a global corporate war that would be fought on several fronts: from living rooms and school yards to boardrooms and Congress. It was a once-in-a-lifetime, no-holds-barred conflict that pitted brother against brother, kid against adult, Sonic against Mario, and the United States against Japan.

Based on more than 200 interviews with former Sega and Nintendo employees, Console Wars is the tale of how Tom Kalinske miraculously turned an industry punch line into a market leader. Blake J. Harris brings into focus the warriors, the strategies, and the battles and explores how they transformed popular culture forever. Ultimately, Console Wars is the story of how a humble family man, with an extraordinary imagination and a gift for turning problems into competitive advantages, inspired a team of underdogs to slay a giant and, as a result, give birth to a $60 billion industry.

©2014 Blake J. Harris (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about Console Wars

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic!

Absolutely loved it. Narrator performs voices for each main person. Written based on facts but presented in a way that keeps it exciting and driven. #Audible1

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

A book that cant find its tone

I made it about 10% or so through this book. What I expected was a 20 hour version of the "gaming historian". What I got was a book that in some places felt like it was telling a story about characters written just for the book, and other places felt like a narrative about what transpired. In the end it felt like a boring mess. Topping it off is the discount Martin Sheen narrator who is fine at first, but soon I found him grating the more I listened. Especially when he was trying to portray other characters in the book. I would say, listen to the sample. Then listen to it 2 or 3 more times and if you still think it is for you, go for it.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Crazy story!

Incredible but true story of the cultural phenomenon about the console wars of the 90’s: Sega vs Nintendo and the introduction of Sony into the mix. Surprisingly very well told and entertaining story; highly recommend the documentary based on the book as well! Narrator is capable enough. Not a standout, but gets the job done. Some of his characters are a bit annoying tbh lol. But overall great story!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent narration excellent writing

I find myself registering to this one. Very well written and the story is fascinating.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Cringe worthy

I appreciate the subject matter but the writing is painful. The canned dialogue could be miss taken for grade school level if not for the padding and sanctimonious prose. As for the subject itself, I doubt Tom kilenske’s own mother could have written more praise than what is on offer from the author, and narrators attempt at faux Japanese and Icelandic accents is cringey at best.

20 hours could have easily been presented in 5. Very challenging to finish if you appreciate writing that goes above canned cliches and corny dialog where everyone has a too cute by half cleverness of an 80s made for tv script.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Vivid and captivating

Love the scene based style of story telling. It was like watching a movie. Narrator was also stellar with different voices for each character.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great insight into a pivotal time in game history

I'm a big gamer but also find the business behind gaming fascinating. Even if you're someone who isn't into the business nuances of the industry, this is a fascinating look back at one of the most pivotal moments in the industry's maturation. It shows how some brilliant and determined businesspeople took what was something too small to even be an underdog and turn it into a force to be reckoned with.

It also showcases how the well known tropes of Japanese business management arrogance and xenophobia can turn a thriving company sour overnight. If you're like me and was wondering how SEGA managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory after the Genesis, this does a great job at explaining why.

While the primary focus of the story is of SEGA's journey, it also does chronicle parts of Nintendo's and even Sony's. The insights it provides into the minds of those who ran these companies gives one a new appreciation of just how challenging a business video games always was.

Fred Berman does a supreme job at reading, so much that I went looking for other books he read on Audible and wishlisted a couple. He's quickly become one of my favourite readers on the service. Even if he does chronically mispronounce some commonly used words in the book, such as Yamauchi and Mario.

This is a great listen if you're into the business of video games or just nostalgic for them in general.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Maybe I just don't like fun.

There's a compelling story here, but the author's and narrator's contributions are often to that story's detriment.

Maybe it will work for you, but relating 30-year-old scenarios as though every conversation and movement and thought and feeling of the subjects was contemporaneously transcribed in minute detail doesn't work for me. It's as though the author wanted to write a screenplay with characters, not a book about actual people.

Too many attempts to punch up the writing to make it more dynamic and "fun" came across as painfully purple prose or just fell flat. The narrator, to his credit or not, leans into this voice rather than shying away from it. Despite the compelling story buried within, I found I could listen no more than an hour at a time before my ears rang painfully from the writer's words of ham being pounded home by the narrator's relentless hammer of cheese.

Finally, if it might bother you, you should know that the narrator does a number of... "stereotypical" accents for Japanese individuals throughout. At one point, the text describes an individual as speaking in nearly perfect, uninflected English (I'm paraphrasing from memory), immediately followed by the narrator delivering that person's dialogue in one of those accents. I didn't stop listening, but I cringed quite a lot and just wished he'd stop doing it. (He didn't.)

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great view

Great story of gaming history love relearning it . The narrator did a great job .

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good, not Great

Good book, not great. The author tends to repeat information often, which I found annoying. I'd also like to know how the subjects if the book felt about their portrayals.

Narration was great though! I loved how the narrator used a different voice for the characters. It made it much easier to follow, and also made some people more sympathetic than they might have come across.

Would recommend a listen but just remember the actual conversations are probably more fiction than truth.

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