1 comments about Babylon 5: The Galactic Guide (Babylon 5 RPG).

1. I ordered this, thinking it was a guide to the series in the same vein as guides for Star Trek or Star Wars. I discovered that it is a guide to a Babylon 5 role-playing game in which I have no interest. It's still informative and entertaining, but not as much so as I was expecting.

2 comments about The 100 Greatest American Films: A Quiz Book.

1. Despite the fact that I don't fully approve of the american film institute's choices for the 100 greatest american films, I am a huge fan of a great deal of these films: sunset boulevard, taxi driver, the wizard of oz, gone with the wind, citizen kane, et al. As a film buff and amateur film historian, I felt I knew a great deal about these projects and their histories. Yet, to my amazement, Mr. Raush's book consistently brought new facts to light. While I'm not really much of a fan of quiz books, I liked this book immensely. In fact, the title is kind of misleading since its really more of film history book than anything else. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it an able companion to Roger Ebert's The Great Films book. I would heartily recommend either of these books to anyone interested in movies and movie makers.



2. Those are the words I would use to describe this little gem of a book. I received this as a birthday gift (along with a DVD of the Criterion Edition Seven Samurai, I might add). At first, I just kind of went, 'Oh, a quiz book.' Boy, was I wrong. I had a blast reading this. More than anything, the book is informative. I had fun answering the questions I knew ('What is Rosebud?' Duh.), but the ones I didn't know turned out to be a treasure-trove of information on these movies. Really, really fun book. Two thumbs up!

No comments about Pokemon Colosseum Limited Edition Stategy Guide.

No comments about Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter Link (Game Boy Advance Version) (Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter Link (Game Boy Ssytem is not included), Game Boy Advance Wireless Link Device (Game Boy Advance System sold seperately)).

2 comments about Need for Speed: Carbon (Prima Official Game Guide).

1. These days, the hype of racing games and how to win at them is in many forms. With the success of Need For Speed and the last edition, Most Wanted, a new edition had to come around with the latest Need For Speed game, Carbon. This strategy guide highlights the latest edition for the consoles, PS2 and the upcoming PS3, PC, Gamecube, the highly-anticipated Nintendo Wii and the Xbox 360, and shows in detail each of the tracks and all the highlights for each of the sleek automobiles. This guide does a much better job at highlighting the depths of the game in each course than Need For Speed: Most Wanted did. The only downside is that if you've purchased Need For Speed: Carbon Own The City for the PSP, Game Boy Advance or the Nintendo DS, the strategy guide isn't going to help you. If you own the thrils of this game for your video game system, you'll definitely want this guide.
   
   Price: B 1/2+
   
   Maps: B
   
   Convience: B-
   
   Overall: B 1/2-



2. Very clear and helpful in terms of information related to the game itself, description of cars, tracks, characters and goals.
   In my point of view it could benefit of some more tips to go through the challenges that the game offers.
   
   Other than that. it is a great guide.

2 comments about The Art of Darkwatch.

1. This Book is an AMAZING Resource for any Artist or Designer looking for that elusive "Concept Art Sketch Look"... their are SO MANY Sketches in the book, of Both Character & More... This Book is Not only a MUST HAVE FOR YOUR reference collection, a smorgasbord for the Visual SENSES !!! definite 5 star *****



2. I've continued to enjoy books of film and video game conceptual art and, upon finding out that a book of art from Darkwatch had come out, I had to check it out. While I wasn't expecially a fan of the game itself, I loved the concept behind it (cowboys fighting zombies and vampires in a gothic-style version of the old west? Neat!) as well as the look on the game. And The Art of Darkwatch does not disappoint. Taking us from the early days of the game when it was going to be a kooky, light-hearted romp and the characters were styled to match, to the dark and brooding (and downright creepy) version that made it to a PS2 near you, The Art of Darkwatch shows you character designs, designs for equipment, vehicles, monsters and locales in rich detail and vibrant, frightening color. Fans of video games, conceptual art, or horror/fantasy art would do well to pick up this volume.

5 comments about Tomb Raider I and II (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).

1. it's the best!!??!



2. Excellent walk-thru. It is difficult to keep the book opened without laying something on top of it to hold it open. I loved the book, but am now missing several pages, due to my poor treatment of it. :0)



3. For those of you who have played the games I & II you may miss a few things without this guide. Some may think it is cheating but I think it just teaches you to be more observant. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys this game. I know I do.



4. This is one of those publications with two books stuck together--one book goes to the half way point, flip it over and you've got another book. If you're a Lara fan, you'll like the paper doll pages in the middle. Even if you couldn't care less about the doll part of it, there are still some good graphics of the game's heroine. Both Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider II are great games, but you really need a guide if you don't want to miss anything. This is a good one. The walk-throughs are composed of color screen shots and a description of what to do at that point. They didn't leave anything out that I could see. For the Tomb Raider 1 half...if you prefer a guide that doesn't tell you every little detail, get Tomb Raider Game Secrets by Nick Roberts. I got both books and don't regret it. I used Roberts when stuck, but went to Ward when a little more help was needed. Roberts includes info about the game's background (a nice interview with the programmers), but his walk-through is not quite as detailed as Ward's. Ward provides fewer frills outside of the walk-through.



5. I think this is a good book. I read through it and there is only one place where I needed help. Other than that, I would recommend this book to who ever wants to get through the game with a high score.

5 comments about Designing Your Second Life.

1. Not a how-to (which the author does state), but it does have some how-to-ish sections. There are many misleading opinions, errors of fact, or editorial gaffes:
   
   p. 10: "So using the Search feature in-world is tremendously flexible, scalable, and responsive to whatever updates or other changes might happen to SL at large."
   
   p. 15: "512 sq/m [sic] (the smallest possible parcel)"
   
   p. 16: "Second Life is three hundred and sixty degrees different."
   
   Screen shots are very dark.
   
   Some sections only make sense if you already know what's going on.



2. After having spent some time on Second Life (SL) I found that I needed somebody to explain to me "how" SL really works. I wasn't interested in a "how-to" guide, SL web site already covers that.
   I was looking for information on what's the best way to customize my avatar, and yes I'm getting new hair and new clothes this week (thanks to this book)! I liked the suggestion of paying attention to what's written on my (and others) profile as the first place to go when meeting new people.
   The most interesting information I found was around social etiquette, what it means to be "friend" with somebody and when you want to do that. Lots of details that it would have taken me way too much time to find on my own.
   
   Overall it's an easy book to read (a couple days) and well organized. I enjoyed some of the images, I actually ended up going back to SL and looking for some of those places.



3. This is a useful book ONLY if you are terribly new to Second Life. I've only been in SL for 3 months and knew everything in the first half of the book. I learned a few things in the second half, but "designing" implies more than what this book offers. It sounded like a book for those who wanted to go beyond editing appearance, but it's not. It only briefly touches on more advanced concepts. If you need beginner's information, try A Beginner's Guide to Second Life or Second Life: the offical guide for a decent tour book.



4. THIS IS NOT A HOW-TO BOOK! But a how-to book was what I wanted so I was very disappointed. This book is mostly full of opinions and advice on how not to look like a n00b. The Official Guide book is much better written and explains pretty thoroughly how to use the interfaces and also addresses things like social rules and cultures. I was really annoyed by the authors silly and redundant manner of speaking.... It's just lame and very expensive. Resist the urge to buy this book.



5. Unfortunately this book suffers the same problems as do so many Second Life "tutorials" -- it is written as a beginner's guide rather than a resource for non-newbies. Therefore it re-hashes all the basic subjects that have been dealt with in other places and offer little that is actually new.
   
   If you are completely new to SL, you might want to buy this book. Or the Official Guide, or any of several others. But only buy one of them -- otherwise the information you're paying for is redundant.

No comments about Awesome Sega Genesis Secrets (Gaming Mastery Series).

4 comments about Mechwarrior: Dark Age #12: Hunters of the Deep(A BattleTech Novel) (Mechwarrior).

1. At best this book is an awkward read with numerous typos and some name transpositions. What kills it are the countless inconsistant pieces of story and illogical plot functions. The story is summarized here: Two rival Sea Fox ov-khans conflict with each other and the unappealing protagonist ov-khan wins at the end. (He is so unappealing that his aid and friend for years treacherously abandons him at the end of the book to side with the apparently more appealing Antagonist who of course promptly loses) Almost a sidenote is that House Marik launches an invasion of the Republic and fails (In the book this part of the story takes up less space than my review).
   
   Unless you want to read some hundred odd pages about meaningless Clan Sea Fox politics and their leaders acting like dishonorable Spheroids (while thinking about how Clanly they are), then don't waste your time reading this book.
   
   The Clans are becoming less and less Clanly. Without the plentiful Quiaffs and Affs these Clanners would be difficult to distinguish as such since their conduct is very unClanny. Kerensky would not be proud.



2. Randall Bills is the BattleTech God who keeps the Classic BT world together. He's written and edited countless tech manuals and resource guides that all us BT fans love. Unfortunately, all that skill and knowledge doesn't translate well into his story telling. From what I understand this is Randall's first novel, ever. And it painfully shows. I didn't make it past the first three pages of the Prolog before putting this book down. The hard to follow conversations and rough descriptions made the prolog very tough to follow. Essentially, this book needed more attention and assistance from the rest of the writing staff than it got. Too bad really because I really respect Randall Bill's other works. Unfortunately I think he needs to spend more time perfecting his story telling before releasing another book. If he wasn't already part of the BattleTech and Mechwarrior Dark Age communities he would never have gotten this first book published without a lot more spit and polish.



3. I have read numerous sci-fi novels and all of the current mechwarrior novels. This one is not an easy read or an intriguing story. As the other reviewers noted, the typographical errors and the name transpositions are distracting. In addition, Mechwarrior and Battletech novels usually feature the behemoth machines that give the series its name, but this novel falls short in this regard. In addition, the novel doesn't advance the plot of the the series overall. I am 140 odd pages into the novel and that is as far as I will get. This is only a good purchase if you feel the need to complete a set of novels; it is not a worthwhile read.



4. Many Battletech fans have yet to embrace the new Mechwarrior Dark Age series, and - unfortunately - Randall N. Bills' Hunters of the Deep isn't going to help matters in this regard. Bills is something of an expert when it comes to Battletech technology and hardware, which makes it all the more disappointing that there is so little actual Mechwarrior action in this novel. Most Battletech fans want battle action, and plenty of it. Hunters of the Deep consists predominantly of politics inside Clan Sea Fox, and there's really not much of a tie-in with events taking place throughout the Dark Age universe as a whole. There is talk of an invasion of the Republic by House Marik, but that invasion is given exceedingly short shrift in these pages. To put it mildly, I found the politics of this novel somewhat confusing. Worst of all, there is really no one to admire in this story; indeed, I wasn't even sure who I should be pulling for until I got about halfway through the book. You basically have two ovKhans of Clan Sea Fox pitted against one another; one, ovKhan Sha Clarke, seeks to break away his Spina Khanate from Clan Sea Fox, a most un-clan-like thing to do, while the other, ovKhan Petr Kalasa, is a weak leader with a history of loss and defeat at the hands of Sha. Petr's only saving grace is his loyalty to Clan Sea Fox, but I couldn't help but wonder throughout the novel how such a tainted, rash leader who allows his primary aide to endlessly bait him for his past failures has managed to hold on to his position for so long.
   
   Clan Sea Fox should be an interesting clan, for its members spend almost all of their time on naval vessels, wandering from one world to another making trade deals by negotiation and/or intimidation. As space naval men, though, they spend comparatively little time inside 'Mechs practicing or waging battle. As such, they are not exactly experts at battle maneuvers or strategy - Petr certainly isn't. His rashness has allowed Sha to best him more than once in the past, and there's no reason to think that things will change when his current negotiations with the merchants of Adhafera are disrupted by Sha's own bid for trade rights with the planet (for such disputes are generally settled with a duel between ovKhans). Sha is up to something, though, and Petr finds the most unusual of information sources in a female assassin named Snow. Their clandestine meetings become exceedingly tiresome because they always consist of little more than bizarre flirting sessions, made all the more unbearable by the frequent descriptions of Snow's exceeding ugliness of features and perpetual filthy, smelly state. Still, Snow, who seems to be linked to the Republic in some way and certainly knows more about Sha's plans than Petr's intelligence agents even suspect, makes it possible for Petr to try and protect Clan Sea Fox (and the Khan) from Sha's traitorous power play.
   
   Bliss has the annoying habit of starting at the end and working backward when it comes to describing important events - such as the one-on-one duel between Sha and Petr in the Rituals of Combat surrounding a Trial of Bloodright. Sometimes, I found little explanation of any kind for certain major happenings. In the end, I can't help but feel that Hunters of the Deep represents the Mechwarrior Dark Age series at its least appealing, as it seems to specialize in the very things many classic Battletech fans like least about the new series.