Beast Mode

[DarkTone | 988]

Anyone here a fan of Monster Compendiums, or beastiaries? Earliest I remember (I think) was from devil may cry. Thought it was cool to see every enemy the game throws at you. Currently playing god of war and the one in that is decent. 

Do you have a favourite?

[Webhead123 | 687]

I've always loved monster/alien bestiaries, not just strictly in video game form but in print as well. I actually still have a copy of Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials, which is a collection of details and illustrations of dozens of alien creatures across various science fiction stories. I've also played my share of D&D and other table top RPGs and always loved collecting and browsing the various Monster Manuals, etc.

But I also love when a video game gives the player an encyclopedia of enemies to browse. Even just how old NES games like the Zelda and Metroid series used to give you a list of monsters with brief descriptions. In more recent memory, I remember really digging both Doom (2016) and Doom Eternal for all the extra stuff they would pack in the encyclopedia, including the ability to look at full, rotate-and-zoomable renders of the enemies. Great stuff.

[guitarzombie | 927]

Does Super Mario Bros 2 ending count?  I loved it in SotN and all the other Metroidvania games that have it.  

[sp1nz | 615]

Love that shit, whether it's in a menu, credits or in print. I loved animal info books as a kid and I saw some horror monster compilation books in a local library; collections of characters / monsters with pictures, lore, stats or whatever is just the bomb. My favorite gaming related bestiary has to be this one:

https://dragon-quest.org/wiki/Dragon_Quest_25th_Anniversary_Encyclopedia_Of_Monsters

Edited May 31, 2022 by sp1nz

[DefaultGen | 5,432]

Just show me the names of all the monsters during the credits please so I can say "Who would call it that??"

[T-Pac | 7,587]

Trading cards were the coolest form of "monster compendiums".

-CasualCart

[360collector | 289]

I enjoy looking at that stuff. I bought this book https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/diablo3/22882128/book-of-adria-a-diablo-beastiary-now-available

[Tabonga | 2,336]

On 5/27/2022 at 11:22 PM, Webhead123 said:

I've always loved monster/alien bestiaries, not just strictly in video game form but in print as well. I actually still have a copy of Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials, which is a collection of details and illustrations of dozens of alien creatures across various science fiction stories. 

There was a companion book to that one:

https://www.amazon.com/Barlowes-Guide-Fantasy-Douglas-Barlowe/dp/0061052388

Here is another one I have that I really like:

https://www.amazon.com/Wanted-Criminals-Intergalactic-Security-Full-Color/dp/055301224X

This is a really neat one - it has gotten terribly pricey but it was published under a different title which is a lot lot cheaper (which is in this video):

 

Edited June 14, 2022 by Tabonga

[Koopa64 | 51]

This probably doesn’t count, but I always liked how EarthBound and EarthBound Beginnings had a cast of characters at the end. 
 

I say they don’t count because the cast of characters excludes monsters. 

[Lynda Monica | 350]

There aren't too many games I play that have them, but most recently I enjoyed how Kirby and the Rainbow Curse did it.

The collectables in the main stages are actually worth collecting, since they give you unique remixes of old Kirby songs you can listen to, and figurines of characters from the game. The figurines of enemies tend to have really silly descriptions.

Edited June 23, 2022 by Lynda Monica

[G-type | 2,521]

Someone brought this on the school bus which my first time hearing about D&D

[DoctorEncore | 3,691]

I always loved the bestiaries for the old JRPGs. Usually you could only find them in strategy guides, but I loved looking through them and finding items/equipment to grind for. It was always cool to get a stronger item before you could buy it.

[NostalgicMachine | 246]

Yes absolutely!