1 comments about Maximo Vs Army of Zin: Official Strategy Guide.

1. Maximo vs. Army of Zin is a tough game to master so you might need a leg up. Unfortunately BradyGAMES doesn't quite give you the boost you need all the time and while you can find everything, you'll have a heck of a time trying to find it using this walkthrough.

   The guide begins with character bios and a short introduction. Then it goes into the "Knight School" section which will teach you everything you need to know about the game including the differences in difficulty levels. It gives you all the combos for all the weapons and prices for new combos and such which is good.

   But beyond that the walkthrough is the problem. It'll get you through the game but the way its composed and presented doesn't always work. They begin with a 3D level map pin-pointing out items, telling you how many enemies, secret chests and innocents are in a level. But then the walkthrough begins with its text and thats when you notice a few things. For one, this walkthrough paces very slowly, focusing on some things that have no meaning in the walkthrough.

   Second, there are a lack of screenshots in this guide. Some things it tries to explain but then there's no screenshot to illustrate what the author is trying to say. At least the walkthrough is well written in the aspect that the author is talking to you and not babying you.

   The guide WILL help you master the game 100% but you have to be willing to work at a level slowly. The guide points out optional chests and tells you what's inside. When it comes to innocents, however, the guide is helpful but slow. If you are going to use this guide its one of those games where if you need some help you have to pause it... if you don't an innocent might be killed.

   If you need the leg up this is a great guide to buy. It'll even tell you what the point to mastering all those levels are and the guide has no spoilers so it isn't bad. But the lack of screenshots and slow moving detail in the walkthrough make it so that you spend more time reading the walkthrough than playing the actual game.

No comments about Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Raven Shield (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).

5 comments about Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).

1. This book was wrote when Star Wars Galaxies was in Beta still and even after Beta some things were changed. Profession's have changed such as the Bounty Hunter Profession as in terms of requisites. New items have been added (Especially in the terms of Chef) along with other new schematics (Speeders, Droids, Poison and Disease Resist Packs etc) and then there is the Jedi that are not even mentioned due to the fact that in Beta not one person unlocked the Jedi Profession and the fact the game's in a stage where a slew of revamps are about to be introduced.
   
   If you need a source that can be at your fingertips it may be better now to find a website instead of the book or seek advice from those that have previously tried that profession and made there way through the ranks. My recomendation for the beginner is to NOT buy this book due to the book being dated.



2. A few months ago I just got SWG JLS along with the "Official Game Guide" from Prima and Its now useless because of the so-called CU or combat upgrade. I want a total refund from Sony for the Guide $19.99 the SWG $29.99 JTS $19.99 and my 60 day pre-paid Game Card 29.99. THIS is not the game I payed for.
   
   It's the only game I know were Healers are not allowed to heal.
   
   This Book Makes a great Paperweight



3. This guide was useful when the game came out about 2 years ago. The game has changed so much. Its a completely different game now. Very little of the information is useful.



4. SOE ruined SWG with the CU and the subscription numbers don't lie. hopefully some other company will get the franchise in the future and won't make a total mess of it like SOE did.



5. I have played Star Wars: Galaxies for 782 days according to the /getvet command. I have purchased all of the expansions out to date. I was considering creating a second account. As of 11-17-05 my account is cancelled. The New Game, also known as the Starter Kit, is the third version of SWG and it is riddled with bugs and incomplete. It is a far inferior product to its previous versions as well. The NG was released after being kept secret for an unknown period of time and allowing players only a two week notice of it being published. Even less time was devoted to it being tested by sources outside of SOE. Trials of Obi Wan and the NG were released in such a manner as to call into question SOE's and LA's ethics. As represented by the employees who post to the forums SOE and LA are uncarring, glib, and/or vastly out of touch with the player community.
   
   Most of these are not new complaints. However, with the release of the NG these problems have escalted to such a degree that the game is no longer playable. While some are content to merely switch games I am not. Simply changing the direction of the flow of money to SOE and LA will not get their attention. I am boycotting all products created by Sony Online Entertainment and Lucas Arts. I encourage others to do the same.
   
   I do not think my actions alone with effect SOE or LA one iota. In fact, I doubt anything will change their policies. The fan base for Star Wars and other properties is sufficiently numerous to mitigate any discontent portion. While some have predicted that the NG will cause the collapse of SWG I believe otherwise. It will lose many current players but those will be replaced by SOE's and LA's new target market. SOE and LA will later use the negative comments and future subscriptions numbers to prove that they were right all along and to dismiss anyone who opposes them as being knee jerk reactionaries who are against change just because they don't like change. Because most likely the next expansion will also bring a new version of SWG as SOE and LA attempt to copy whichever game is doing better then.

5 comments about Syphon Filter (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).

1. This book does its job perfectly-and then some. Shows you everything you might have missed and points you in the right direction for all those tough levels! Much better than OPM's walkthru.



2. A very nice stratergy it shows all levels and very detailed a great stratergy-get it



3. Syphon Filter. Is a tough game that needs a tough book. The guide tells ya' everything you need to know about the game and how to whoop some terrorist ***. All in all what would ya' do with out it?



4. You have been warned! Prima simply can not publish a good strategy guide. I have been sorely, sorely disappointed by every single Prima guide I have ever bought or read. Everything in their books you can find on the Internet for free! I can not believe that Prima is allowed to stay in business. Isn't doing what they do some sort of crime? Shouldn't the Federal government intervene? People, people, people, do not reward such lazy, money-hungry, marketing-driven hackery.



5. yes, although you can find on the internet most of the information in this book, the organization and pictures really help out in a tight spot.

   I've seen way too many FAQ's with atrocious grammar and run-on sentences that span two pages per game level! But then again, if you're tight on cash you can skip this book.

No comments about Driver: Parallel Lines (Prima Official Game Guide).

4 comments about Start Your Engines: Developing Driving and Racing Games.

1. You've bought the right book if you are interested in learning how to design and program driving or racing games. Author Jim Parker has done an outstanding job of putting together a book for anyone who wants to learn how driving and racing games are put together.
   
   Parker begins by introducing you to the basic features of driving and racing games. Next, the author looks at the architectural components of driving and racing games--the graphics system that presents the virtual universe, the audio system, the user interface, the scheduler, and the artificial intelligence system. Then, he focuses on the basic graphics techniques you'll need to master so that you can create driving and racing games. The author continues by developing a 3D version of Gopher-it. In addition, the author next deals with collision detection because of its importance. He also shows you how to incorporate intelligent opponents. The author next begins the trek into the unknown world of computer audio. Next, the author explores another option for using vehicles in games--a practice called generating--ambient traffic. Then, he guides you through the physics that are needed for driving and racing games. The author then explores the use of continuos time by using the GLUT interface. Next, he shows you how many different types of cameras can be used in a game to improve play. Then, he focuses on the basic techniques of creating terrains. The author continues by designing a Manic Mars Racer game. He next codes and implements the Manic Mars Racer game. Finally, he presents a complete driving game in C++ that uses DirectX, that was developed by some of his students.
   
   With the preceding in mind, the author has done an excellent job of writing a book that provides you with hands-on programming that shows you how to build and customize driving and racing games. At the end of the day, you'll find that taking a detailed look at a driving game in this book really teaches you all about games.



2. There is nothing to offer from this book. The codes which you have to spend hours to download from the author website are so buggy and slow. This book is simply one of those that should not have been published.



3. I have to agree with the first poster. This is not a good book.
   
   It might have some useful information for complete beginners, but the quality of the code is quite simply bad and extremely amateurish.
   
   Peter



4. As an avid hobby game programmer I bought this book in the hope of finding detailed descriptions of some concepts and ideas that go into development of racing games.
   
   Reading through the description and even index of the book, I was excited about the topics that were covered in the book. I actually went as far as having the book overnighted as I was in the middle of development of a game and was at the point where I needed to refine thing such as AI, (pathfinding, collision avoidance, overtaking, etc.) and implement more realism in areas of map-model or model-model collision response, for example. I was hoping this book would shed some light on some techniques used in the field to implement items such as these efficiently.
   
   The book also has a section on generating terrains, which I hoped would teach me some new ideas for creating game maps / tracks.
   
   Unfortunately, I was disappointed at each turn. Reading through the chapter title and then the contents, left me disappointed at first, but eventually almost astonished, that the author could claim that the chapter teaches what the chapter title seems to imply. I was left with a feeling that the author introduces each concept to an absolute beginner, but never graduates into more advanced discussions that the advanced or even intermediate developer will be interested in.
   
   I was vaguely interested in the short section on waypoints (pathfinding) but I had already implemented a more visually appealing method in my game based on the same principles, without this prior knowledge.
   
   If you have any experience whatsoever in developing racing games, you will probably not find much content in this book that you couldn't figure out for yourself, or that is readily available elsewhere (for free).
   
   I am bitterly disappointed and I don't recommend it.

1 comments about Tony Hawk's(tm) Underground 2 Official Strategy Guide (Take Your Game Further).

1. it was a good book and it helped me do stuff.

1 comments about Awesome Super Nintendo Secrets Three (Gaming Mastery Series).

1. It was so cool,I used the whole book.Its the best guide to use!

4 comments about Quest for Glory: The Authorized Strategy Guide.

1. It has most of the important information needed to beat the games. However, it doesn't have good game-aids such as maps or point lists.



2. One of the best Strategy Guide books out there, the fantasty story only makes it better. Definatly a book for the Quest for Glory enthusiast. The only drawback is the lack of maps, but it is still great! I give it 4 1/2 stars.



3. This is the hint book to the greatest series of games ever, the Quest For Glory series from Sierra On-Line. Each section has a story perspective, to let your know how your character would feel fro experience to experience. Then, for games 1-3, there is a more traditional walkthrough.

   However, there is no maps, and no guide telling you what you must do to get various game points. The fact that there is no traditional walkthrough of QFG4 is glaring. Worst of all, there is no mentions of the infamous bugs in the games and how to avoid or overcome them. There are worst guidebooks, but you can not be faulted for feeling that this book is lacking.




4. This book rocks, it makes the game interesting... well more interesting.

5 comments about Return To White Plume Mountain.

1. At first thought, the original WPM would seem to be a poor candidate for a "modernized" sequel. Contemporary players would probably laugh at Lawrence Schick's 1980 classic as an archaic dungeon crawl full of over-complicated traps and large, deadly monsters that sit in tiny rooms with nothing better to do than wait for a group of PCs to come along and (hopefully) provide some much needed feed. Which, of course, is exactly what WPM was, but it was loads of fun nonetheless. Revisiting WPM and injecting a more logical and realistic story framework without destroying the familiar aspects of the original is a daunting task, but the Silver Anniversary edition succeeds beyond any expectation.

   RTWPM starts by detailing many of the mysterious NPCs and strange locales that were only hinted at in the original. Thingizzard and her potions, the cursed ruins of Castle Mukos, the Great Swamp and the dracolich Dragotha finally get their due and Keraptis' infamous Indoctrination Center plays a central role in the scenario. While these details are entertaining in their own right, the strength of RTWPM is a central plot device involving "sentient magic" that is not only consistent with the events of the original WPM scenario, but is exceedingly clever in its own right. It wouldn't do to reveal the secrets of the story here, but the execution is a brilliant example of how to create a subtlety challenging and wildly novel situation for the PCs without violating the spirit of the D&D game, using heavy-handed DM tactics or requiring a substantial rework of any existing campaign standards. The NPCs are wonderfully sketched and run the gamut from sturdy locals to deranged gnomes and rebellious efreet. Hardened veterans and green novices alike will be entertained by ample doses of humor, danger and drama that culminate with a surprise ending.

   Flaws are few and minor in nature. The map are pleasing to the eye but have been printed on the inside front and back covers which means that the DM cannot refer to the map and text at the same time, but must flip back and forth. One area (the old inverted ziggurat) has a monster that should have been encountered and destroyed by the existing denizens long before the PCs come on the scene and the answer to the feasibility of feeding and keeping happy a large number of creatures in a relatively small number of caves doesn't seem entirely adequate.

   While the nostalgic aspects may be lost on the half-dozen or so players who didn't play the original version in their youth, RTWPM will definitely entertain all comers in high fashion. Although WPM was originally set in Greyhawk, there really isn't any setting specific material here and the scenario can easily be dropped into any campaign world. Best of all, RTWPM is a veritable bargain combining a relatively low price with enough high-quality material sufficient to keep the average group of players busy for several sessions. RTWPM deserves the highest recommendation.




2. On the long, bitter-sweet journey through life, can you ever go back home? Sadly, no. But you can plop down and stay at some really cool motels, replete with cable, mints, and mini-fridges, on your wayward jaunt into the unknown. Such is my mundane, quasi-philosophical revelation after DM'ing this adventure. No, it's not quite as profound as the "Belarius maturity conundrum," but hey, it's enough for a few weekends' worth of glorious casual play. Which is all we really need sometimes! Old-timers (*hack, cough*) on the Greyhawk scene will probably be most enthusiastic about the adventure's detailed "world" trappings, more so than with the actual plot. Remember Erol Otus' cryptic, enchanting pictorial map of the Mountain's environs, in the original S2? Now, we actually get to meet Thingizzard (and find out why her potions are something to be wary of!), hack our way through the Twisted Thickets, and perhaps even fall into the beguiling clutches of Dragotha. But, once the adventurers venture into the shadows of a cave known to hundreds of thousands as the Wizard's Mouth, everything changes. And that's where both the problem and the beauty lie. Anyone looking for a mere re-tread of the original spectacle of Lawrence Shick's magnum opus is bound to be disappointed. It's a new age. Now, monsters need food, logical housing, a reason to live, and a reason to die. (I guess Belarius wasn't the only one psychologically scarred 20 years ago.) Dungeons need architecture. And adventures need a conclusion, answers to questions, and yes, sadly, a plot. If you can detach yourself from the nostalgia of the original, and appreciate this work as an entirely separate entity, you'll be absolutely thrilled with the sheer ingenuity of Bruce Cordell's story. I can virtually guarantee that no veteran AD&D'er will be able to figure out what's going on until they're well in over their heads. Keraptis' ancient experiments, it seems, have left quite a magical legacy; a new, mutated form of meta-magic, nearly sentient, has evolved in the dungeons below White Plume Mountain, with horrifying (and extremely amusing) repercussions. As the adventurers enter, several power-mad warlords are fighting desperately to control Keraptis' dreaded Indoctrination Center, and the notorious weapons of the first White Plume module are being used as the primary symbols of power and destruction. (I'm being intentionally vague here, because if you haven't read it, get this module! You're in for a treat.) A few of the encounters are misplaced, or over-powered - Mossmutter, a corrupted great wyrm, may well wipe out all but the most experienced adventurers in an eyeblink, and Killjoy the efreeti is more of a cardboard cutout than a true, deep-thinking nemesis. But these are merely trivial concerns - the adventure is a joy to run (and experience!), the full-color maps of the dungeons are gorgeous, and veteran players will get a serious overdose of nostalgia as they slog through the original level and witness the cataclysmic changes two decades of chaos and mayhem have wrought. New players may be overwhelmed by the colossal challenges and Byzantine intrigues awaiting them on the Indoctrination Level, but nevertheless, a great time will be had by all - and hey, if you have to lose a character, what could be cooler than having his soul schlorped into Blackrazor? Minor reservations aside (which are fixable anyway with an hour's worth of fine-tuning), Return to White Plume Mountain is easily the 2nd-best adventure of 1999. (Only Return to the Keep on the Borderlands is better.)



3. In my opinion, Return to White Plume Mountain is one of the very best adventure modules out there! It features a very clever central plot, realistic encounters, logical combat situations, and several opportunities to roleplay and interact with the dungeon's inhabitants.

   This supplement provides very clear and detailed histories for both Keraptis and White Plume Mountain. The plot is unique, realistic, and intriguing. The effects of roleplaying and of interacting with the non-player characters is outlined. In addition, the dungeon crawl itself is not linear at all, allowing the players to roam at will. And the maps look great!

   Although a lot of information is presented, the module can easily be altered or customized. There is no setting specific material, so White Plume Mountain can easily be inserted into any ongoing campaign. However, no addition work is needed to fully enjoy this adventure.

   I have run this module with 3 separate groups of players, experiencing 3 very different, yet wonderfully memorable, adventures. Do yourself a favor, purchase Return to White Plume Mountain - it is worth every penny!




4. The original S2 was one of the more clever and interesting A&D modules I ever read. Most of the others were just an excuse for hack and slash and grab the booty.

   The original adventure encompassed more thinking and even a little negotiation which was uncommon in 1st edition AD&D.

   So, that's why I'm happy to see a revision to the old module into a book form. This new edition has some very interesting twists and a big moral dilemma at the end which I thoroughly appreciate. It also has a method in it that potentially will ruin the lives of foolish PCs so DMs may want to be careful in playing this one out if their players aren't the thinking or cautious types.

   Overall, there's a lot more room for negotiations in this series. I like that as I'm trying to push more roleplaying in my players. Moreover, the storyline is set up with four warring factions; all evil but I plan to change that to a few neutrals since the PCs in my campaign are all good and would never negotiate alliances with evil groups.

   This game is great for an adventuring group from 7-10. I would add that they should be interested in thinking out possible traps and tricks and also be adequate (or better) at negotiations. The weapons may unbalance the game so make them either super evil, which means good PCs must destroy them, or have them destroyed at the climax (will make sense when you read it). Lastly, you may want to give the different warlords more allies as the module gave them a skeleton crew of thugs.




5. This is easily one of the best adventures for D&D that I've ever seen. It's very imaginative, well-written, and has plenty of information for DMs. It's got just enough story backing up the hack-n-slash to keep players interested, and the final encounter is monumental. It's great fun to play for both DM and PCs.