Yesteryear has been a record-breaker for many videogame series and gaming hardware, both in sales and production. Now, Guinness World Records, the authority that keeps record of the maximum, the minimum and all that is extraordinary, has released the fourth edition featuring video game records, facts and figures, the Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer’s Edition.
Said to be the ultimate ‘Video Game Bible’, the newest installment is one of the most comprehensive collection of gaming records. While Farmville becomes the ‘Most Popular Facebook Game’ with full-page spreads, Call of Duty and World of Warcraft also bag titles across their own respective platforms. Newly added are MAG as ‘Most Online Players in a Console First Person Shooter’, allowing 256 players on a single game, and Angry Birds as the ‘Top Paid-For Apple App Store Game’.
A spotlight feature in this year’s edition is said to be the ‘Top 50 video game characters of all-time’, with an obvious winner, Mario. This was calculated according to votes dropped in by thousands of Guinness World Records readers. As per the ranking, The Legend of Zelda’s Link follows the plumber while Halo’s genetically engineered super soldier Master Chief ensued behind them on the list.
“It’s been another great year for gaming, with incredible records broken, set, and created by players from all walks of life,” says Gaz Deaves, Guinness World Records Gaming Editor. “Gaming has become a hugely important part of popular culture and this year’s Gamer’s Edition will amaze and entertain everyone from the ultra casual to the ultra competitive.”
Where 9-year-old Ryota Wada attained the distinction of becoming the ‘Youngest Person to Achieve a Perfect Score on Dance Dance Revolution’, the 85-year-old John bagged the prestigious title of ‘Most Perfect Scores Achieved on Wii Sports Bowling’. With 5,400 different Mario-themed products, Mitsugu Kikai sits at record-holding throne of the ‘Largest Collection of Super Mario Memorabilia’. Annie Leung is highlighted in the record-book achieving 789,349 points which is the ‘Highest Score on Guitar Hero III for a female’.
Readers can glimpse through the special ‘Critical Hit’ spreads exclusive to record-breaking franchises including Halo, Wii Sports, Fallout, Legend of Zelda and Civilization among others. Dedicated spaces are assigned to features on professional gaming leagues, the iPad Revolution, Indie Gaming along with best-selling platforms and the rest. Players can also test their knowledge in ‘Classic Quotes Quiz’ questions which are located below every page in the magazine.
The Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer’s Edition is now available for an indicative retail value of 14.99 USD (approx. Rs. 685).