1 comments about .hack//G.U., Vol. 1//Rebirth - BradyGames Official Strategy Guide.

1. For those of you familiar with the .hack line of games this is a great first installation for the .hack//G.U. series of games. I almost can't wait for the next!
   
   The story is about a game called The World, which is an MMORPG (*Massive Multiplayer Online Roll-Playing Game for those who don't know*). Haseo the "Terror of Death" is what is known as a PKK (*Player Killer-Killer*) and is after another player named Tri-Edge. When Tri-Edge kills players in The World, those players fall into comas in the real world. Haseo is after Tri-Edge because Shino, a player whom Haseo greatly respected, was killed by Tri-Edge.
   
   The graphics are top notch, the different areas that you go and visit are all beautiful.
   
   The story is really good. If you would like to know the story in the 8 months after the very opening of the game, you should purchase the series .hack//Roots which will start being released in late March/early April 2007!
   
   The combat is impressive and not turn-based, you can run around the battle area and attack or defend as you please.
   
   I recommend this as a great buy!

1 comments about Mario Party 2 Official Strategy Guide (VIDEO GAME BOOKS).

1. Mario Party 2 is obviously the sequel to Mario Party where you and up to 3 other characters compete in a board game loaded with mini games and fierce, intense competition. This is really fun to play without the guide, but the guide tells everything. It shows the behaviors of all the computer-controlled characters, all the secrets for the six adventure boards, and thoroughly explains accurate strategies for all 56 mini games. Although, it doesn't have anything extra. Most of the mini game strategies won't be realized right away so get this to show all your friends who's boss.

5 comments about Street Fighter? Anniversary Collection Official Strategy Guide (Bradygames Take Your Games Further).

1. The guide had great visuals and easy instructions on executing the moves/strategies of the characters. However, it worked far better with the Street Fighter 3rd Strike characters than the classic Street Figher characters.



2. The Street Fighter Anniversary Collection Official Startegy Guide is a very good, it goes well with the game. Very well actually. There is alot of useful information is this guide about both of the games present in The Street Fighter Anniversary Collection. The guide list every character present in both Hyper Street Fighter and Street Fighter 3 Third Strike, plus it also lists every move in each mode in Hyper Street Fighter for each character and it also lists every move for each character in Third Strike with a brief description of each move and frame data of each move. It also lists some strategys for each character and bad match ups for each character. And as an extra treat it comes with the Third Strike soundtrack. This is definitly worth reading. FINAL ATOMIC BUSTER!!



3. I got the guide in the mail today. Just upon flipping through it quickly, it is definetly a good guide. So before I criticize it at all: If you want to learn to play SF3: Third Strike, this is a great guide, and is the best way, [...]so it's worth it without a doubt.
   
   Anyway, so when you actually use the guide, and try to use it to get better with a character, you may run into some problems. First off, there are definetly some mistakes. From looking at the Oro page, some of the descriptions don't match the actual move, as in just a typo, printing error..but still could confuse a newbie.
   
   Also, the thing that REALLY annoys me about the guide is how it labels each move of a character. For an example of what I mean, everyone knows Ryu's special moves: Hadou-Ken, Shoryuken, and the whirlwind kick. But have you ever heard of...Sakotsu Wari? Me neither. But apparently, Sakotsu Wari is F+MP, Ryu's overhead punch. Now, that would be fine, but it is definetly NOT fine when the guide says to use Sakotsu Wari when the opponent is crouching, and I have no idea WTF Sakotsu Wari is, so I have to flip back to the moves index, only to find out that I would have understood them 100% if they had just said F+MP, which they said previously in the guide anyway. That applies to all of the characters.
   
   My last beef is the so called "matchups". It seems for most characters, the matchups are total bull****. For example, Q's good matchup is...Twelve? Uh, okay. Twelve sucks. Everyone's good against Twelve. Let's look at Twelve matchups. Twelve's good matchup is...CHUN-LI? I don't think so. I think most scrub Chun-Li's would beat the [...] out of any Twelve. But the guide's reason for this is that Chun-Li has no standard anti-air...uh..so what? He's frickin Twelve. He sucks.
   
   ANYWAY, those aside, this is a really awesome guide. What surprised me is that it even goes into advanced tactics like Makoto's Kara-Karakusa/her Abare Tosanami combos. With that said, some combos and tactics are noticeably missing, like Makoto's 100% stun combo, Kara-Oroshi/Fukiage, etc., but that's alright.
   
   Overall, I'd say this is something that people who want to get into 3rd Strike should pick up, because it has up-to-date tactics, and most of the combos and info you're going to need when you want to learn a character, and an easy-to-read and easy-to-find page for each one. Plus, it comes with the 3rd Strike soundtrack. That alone is worth the 10 (LESS!) dollars that this'll cost you.



4. It's really simple: if you own and actively play 3rd Strike, and have any will or drive to be a competitive player, then you really should own this. Frame data, matchup information -- all the good stuff that you should want and should expect to see in a GOOD fighting game strategy guide is included here. This is not your old-school, garbage Mortal Kombat guide that you bought on a whim while browsing the bookstore: this is real information provided by real, top competitive USA players of the game. Do yourself a favor and pick this up.



5. Didn't tell me much that i didn't already know. It's not a bad reference though.

2 comments about Brute Force (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).

1. With Brute Force only being released on tuesday (28th) this brute force strategy guide puts you through all the levels. I do recommend that to get a nice handfo the game only use the book as a reference, yuo wont take advantage of the games super engine and teamwork controls. This game is awsome, so get this awsome strategy guide, yet its not differnet than any other strategy guide? well whatever,



2. I was rather disappointed in this strategy guide. There were numerous places where the book was just no help at all, particularly on the final level. Now, to be fair, some of this is due to repetitive level design on the part of the game's makers. Still, there were too many instances of the guide saying, more or less, "Now go over a hill and find the thing and blow it up." Every hill looks the same! Which one?!

No comments about Shaman King: Legacy of Spirits, Soaring Hawk and Sprinting Wolf (Prima Official Game Guide).

5 comments about Brigandine: Prima's Official Strategy Guide.

1. I thought this book gave you all you needed to execute a winning strategy and beat the game. If you brought brigandine, you should get this. Those boys should do some more books as they obviously know what they are talking about, the character data and monster info was great for quick reference!



2. useless utterly useless



3. This guide gave me all the info i needed to adopt winning tactics. There has been a huge amount of thought put into this publication and i cannot fault it.



4. Prima, normally a trustworthy company when it comes to strategy guides, really failed to get the job done with its guide for Brigandine on the Playstation.

   Prima's guide basically tells readers about each country's starting knights and monsters, something any player could discover himself simply by selection each castle at the beginning of the game and writing down what he sees. The strategy fails to mention any of the characters who join the armies through quests or parts of the story. I got the feeling that the writer of this guide never played Brigandine; it seems, instead, that he just asked a friend for a basic description of the game and printed that information along with some pictures in order to sell a useless strategy guide.

   Any player who really wants hints about Brigandine should search online for an FAQ or walkthrough.




5. Alex, you have helped me emmensley. I dont know how i would have got through this without you!

   i wish i could meet you cos you are great!

   xxxx

2 comments about Heroes of Might & Magic IV (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).

1. This guide came bundled with a package set of HoMM III and IV. The most useful information it has are the tables, which are the same as what's in the manual. However, in the bundle, the manual was electronic, so it was nice to have a hard copy. Other than that, close to useless.



2. if you need this guide to be successful at the game, you might consider playing another game.

5 comments about Totally Unauthorized Banjo & Kazooie Strategy Guide.

1. Who the hell is Piccolo? And why is there a giant instead of Gruntilda? I have got 99 Jiggys and 886 notes and even though I don't need this book, I can tell it's poor.If you want a Banjo-Kazooie playguide, buy the Prima Official Banjo-Kazooie Playguide.



2. This guide gives you all the secrets in a easy to use format. The story at the beginning is different from that of the game, but I clearly remember Rare posting a similar story on its website. The story obviously changed at the last second. This isn't Brady's fault. Why do you read a strategy guide for a story anyway???? You read it for secrets and tips, and this unauthorized guide delives them all very nicely. I don't know why everyone is so worked up? They must not play games.



3. Picclo??? Who is that? Banjo's girlfreind? A giant? This book has completly gotten this game mixed up with some other game, (although whatever the game is, it sounds stupid...) but it doesn't have anything corect! I haven't ordered it or anything, but I was going to buy it ayt Wal-Mart, because I love the un-official because usually they have more codes and secrets... but as soon as this came out, I went to get it, but I always read the story and look through the book, everything is mixed up! Take it from me, I have the game, 1 day, I went to see if they would tell me how to get this one jiggy, I did everything they said, but this giude is completly screwy! Trust me, whenever I have even peeked in it for help, it didn't! I have the official one, and that makes so much more sense, I know it cost more, but at least you wouldn't spend your money on crap! And it is only $3 more, that is not much! Thanks for your time whoever reads this! P.S. I have all 100 jiggies and all 900 notes And Mumbo's pictures to the next game kick butt! So many new morphs... (remember how if you morph one creature enough Mumbo will finally say he will change into T-Rex then he said he was saving it for next game? He did not lie... but the cost of the Mumbo tokens... welll.. I don't want to blow your eyes out so I won't tell you...) so many new things to do in the worlds... It looks so AWESOME!! Remember, when Banjo-Tooie comes out, GET IT!! P.P.S. If you buy a strategy giude, you might want to buy the OFFICIAL...



4. This was a great book it helped me with things I could not figure out with other stategy guides. I think it is very cool.



5. And if you want to know... the main thing you need to get in the next game Banjo-Tooie, (supposedly to be released in Feb. from many web pages I've heard) will involve some very weird big eggs (about the size of Bango!!!!) with Question marks on it.

5 comments about Ensemble Studios Official Strategies & Secrets to Microsoft's Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings.

1. I haven't read Prima's guide, but I have been very pleased with this one. It focuses on multiplayer which is what I like, and it offers a good amount of detailed tips that will help you become very competitive on the zone. The poster could have been better and some color photos would have been nice, but I bought the book to become a better AOK player and it has definitely helped me acomplish that.



2. The book is well-written, but is pretty weak in the multiplayer/online content section. I'd like to see a book written by real online gaming experts. But it has a lot of great single-player tips.



3. I love Aok and play both rm and dm multiplayer. As a hardcore fan and as someone who has a zone rating of 1750 and has played many other games not rated the guide isnt very useful. If you are a beginner its pretty good and if you like the campaigns it is good it also has some basic rules and concepts. One thing I hated is that it has no strategies for deathmatch games. I love dm and it is fast moving and has tons of battles the book has no strats and i guess you just have to learn the hard way to win like i did. I wish there was a multiplayer book with advanced strategies but oh well.



4. Having played AOK for about a year (mainly against the computer - some online) I thought I was an OK player. I had strategies that worked for me most of the time and I could generally hold my own against any civilization up through the moderate level of difficulty.

   With this book, I learned three strategy tips the in the first several chapters that immediately made the game more enjoyable and my efforts much more effective against the bad guys.

   There are tips sprinkled throughout the book from players who don't work for Ensemble Studios but who are very successful players. These tips were generally helpful as well, and gave some insight into some unorthodox strategies at times.

   Shortcuts and hot keys are emphasized and highlighted throughout the chapters. This guide will definitely have you practicing the use of hot keys more than ever (if you don't already).

   There is considerable information related to multi-player games as well, such as how to complement your partner and how to know what opposing forces can lend each other in terms of help. I am not sure what the "hard-core" multiplayer readers who rated this book poorly are looking for, but it gave me great insight into being a better team player.

   The book does not go into the minute detail of what steps you should takein what order, in every game and every scenario. Certain AOK websites have taken this process to the level of art, and maybe that is what some people are looking for. The book does, however, provide insight into Ensemble's mindset in designing the game and also gives the average-above average player a great boost in terms of knowledge.

   If you want to be sure that you are employing as many time-saving tips and shortcuts as you can, and you want to hear what tactics are employed by outstanding players, buy this book. If you are a highly rated Zone player, or can smoke the computer on the Hard difficulty level or above, you probably do not need this guide anyway.




5. I'm revising my review, because after playing the game for awhile, I realized the advice I poo-pooed actually comes in handy. HOT KEYS ARE ESSENTIAL. This is probably the most critical piece of advice I overlooked, a piece which this book covers well. There are also good tactics for each culture. I recommend this book. For context, my original review appears below:

   I was disappointed with the "secrets" contained in this book. I'm only a beginner and it didn't really tell me anything I didn't know or couldn't figure out for myself. Some of the lame advice included "use hotkeys," "listen for the audio clues," and "use combined arms." Section on Diplomacy was weak and it didn't really mention how to handle a game against several computer opponents which always tend to gang up on you. Scenario section looked quite helpful if you play the scenarios, but I don't. I would recommend this book for raw beginners, but not anyone above that.

1 comments about Mechwarrior: Dark Age #7: Temptation and War (A Battletech Novel) (Mechwarrior: Dark Age).

1. Through a mistake, this is actually a review of Coleman's earlier novel in the same series, entitled A CALL TO ARMS.
   
   --------------------
   
   I have just finished rereading this novel, having purchased it several years ago and enjoyed it then.
   
   Comparing it to several other of the Battlemech novels, I find it "a cut above."
   
   Coleman does very well with the blow-by-blow battle scenes. He seems to have some genuine knowledge of battlefield tactics and armored warfare that adds credibility.
   
   One welcome surprise in the novel were some excellent characters. The "mystery warrior," the beautiful Tassa Kay, is a delight. Raul, the protagonist, is better realized than in many of the Battletech books.
   
   The gist of the story is as follows: a "loser" has failed his mech trials and lost his place in the regiment. Along comes a "double invasion" of his planet -- first, by the Steel Wolves Clansmen and secondly, by an interloper mech group, the Swordsworn. Guns blaze, the situation gets hot . . . and the "loser" is now pressed into service by his old regiment as one of the very few experienced Mechwarriors available on-planet.
   
   Playing his cards "one hand at a time," so to speak, Raul finds himself drawn increasingly into the heart of the war. As some of Raul's commanding officers are killed, and as Raul receives some "battlefield promotions," he finds himself leading larger and larger military units, finally becoming a kind of post-facto battlefield commander. Raul is gutsy and not afraid to take chances,and he begins to turn the campaign towards victory.
   
   Last but not least, there are two romances with two beautiful women that complicate this poor guy's life.
   
   Great book for the plane -- keeps you turning pages. You will find better writing quality than is the case with many of these Battletech--Dark Age novels.