1 comments about The Video Games Guide.

1. The Video Games Guide is a good ole' chunky guide to video games from 1962-2006. Tailor made for a longtime gamer like me.
   
   It is presented like a film guide but I'd say its more entertaining thanks to the screenshots and the enthusiastic writing style of the author.
   
   I've spent a good few hours dipping through it and still feel i've only just scratched the surface. It's one of those books that's so packed, whatever page you open it on you find a game you remember. When i'm at work I find myself thinking `I wonder if it's got Road Rash or what about Wing Commander?' and it hasn't disappointed me yet. So the video games guide, you get the full five stars from me.

5 comments about Building Extreme PCs: The Complete Guide to Modding and Custom PCs.

1. The book I ordered was in better than advertised condition. Shipment was very fast. Would order from again.



2. This is a very professionally done book on how to build your own computer. The pictures alone make it one of my favorite books. The detail is just right for anyone with some computer knowledge. The only knock is the fine print on the glossy photo pages can be a bit hard to read with tired eyes.



3. This book has some great pictures of some really amazing cases and mods, but not much in the way if information on how to actually do the modding.



4. Hello,
   
   In a nutshell: I was looking for a book to help build a high-end PC from the ground up. I ordered this book used. As others indicate above, if you like pretty pictures of exotic PCs, this book is for you. If you want specific pictures for how to build such a PC, avoid this book. There are no step by step photos that show how to assemble the Motherboard with components...where to put the chip (processor); how to hold the chip (and how not to hold the chip) as you place it on the Motherboard; how to apply thermal paste (Arctic); how to place a Zalman fan over the chip....Anyway, these are the important things one needs to know (+see) in order to assemble one of these high end computers.
   
   My advice: look elsewhere for a how to build book. However, if you want pretty pictures of what a fancy computer looks like, or flashy color photos of a nice motherboard, or a nice power supply...then this book is for the dreamer in you. Trust me though: look elsewhere for a book that will walk you through step by step - how to build a PC adding one part at a time.



5. Not much more than a lot of nice pictures of what other people have done. This book is not for learning how to build a computer, so if your thinking about getting it for that reason look elsewhere.

5 comments about Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse Official Strategy Guide (Signature).

1. I received the product in under a week after I ordered it. It was received in bubble wrap and is in very good condition; there weren't even any creases on the binding. I would not have expected to find a copy in a bookstore in this great a condition.



2. I'm not a big fan of stradegy guides. But I sure know what's a good one. This book has alot of tips and good boss stradegies, such as enemy data and HP, type weakness, break zones, etc. However, I feel uncomfortable with the layout of the maps and how the key works. It's a bit confusing. Especially with the location of the items and sometimes I wonder why the GS quests couldn't have been put at the end of each section instead of making me flip all the way back to the book. It's a hassle there because most, if not all new proceedings in the next stage, a couple of new GS campaigns are avalible and it's very annoying to always flip to the back of the book and wondering which GS route you have to do.
   
   Also, there are confusing instructions making it almost impossible to find out what they're trying to make you do. Those are just one of the two major things that irks me. (It's not that bad but it's still confusing if you skip the key.) All in all, it gets you through the game, has amazingly good heads-up on notes you should keep in mind, and it has a lovely fold out poster. But I think you can get through the game just fine without it, it's just that it gets you through puzzles quicker. I'm one of those people who really hates game puzzles.



3. The best guides the buy are by Brady Games...they are the most helpful when stuck in a game...they stend to include lots of picures unlike some of the other guides. The signature series look espicially sharp!



4. I love Xensaga. I just finished the first one and can't wait
   to start on this one. If you like the thinking games, then
   this is for you!



5. It's always helpful to have a strategy guide for when you get into a tight spot, or to find those elusive items :)

4 comments about The Video Game Theory Reader.

1. The Video Game Theory Reader begins not with a bold statement or manifesto for interpreting video games but in a far more grounded manner with a foreword from Warren Robinett who is widely regarded with having revolutionised gameplay in 1978 with his design for the Atari 2600 Adventure game. Robinett opens with an obvious but inescapable question about the acceptability of video games: 'It is hard to say what ranks lower on the artistic food chain than video games. Comic books? TV sit-coms? X-rated films? These ratlike vermin at the bottom scurry to avoid the thunderous footfalls of the towering behemoths of the art world.' (vii-viii). Robinett argues that most new art forms require an 'enabling technology'-cinema had the motion picture camera-and now video games have the affordable home PC (preceded somewhat by dedicated gaming systems like the Atari, which seem to have come full circle with new console Nintendo, Playstation and Microsoft's Xbox systems). With the technology firmly entrenched and a large body of work (the games) available for analysis, it's time for the critics and theorists to pay attention. As video games become increasingly complex and, more to the point, socially entrenched, the humble video game has become a worthy subject for critical analysis and a new cultural studies field is emerging. Moreover, the fact that in the US, UK and Australia video games sales outstrip the box office takings for first release films indicates that video games are playing an increasingly substantial role in our leisure hours and social interactions. While editors Mark J. P. Wolf and Bernard Perron may be overstating the case somewhat in claiming that 'the video game has recently become the hottest and most volatile field of study within new media theory' (1) , this collection certainly goes a long way to ensuring that video game analysis will have firm critical footholds.
   
   Wolf and Perron's excellent introduction goes a long way to illustrating that the field of video game study and theory does have both a lineage and its own proto-canon of important texts. As well as sketching the history of video game design and analysis, Wolf and Perron highlight four key elements of video games which distinguish them from the amorphous umbrella of new media: graphics, the changeable display almost always on a pixel-comprised screen; interface, the all-important connection between the game and player, which usually includes the graphics, but also speakers, microphones, keypads, joysticks, as well as onscreen elements such as sliders and menus; player activity, 'the heart of the video game experience' (15) and key to video game design; and algorithm, the program and procedures which must be to some extent unique for each different game.
   
   Walter Holland, Henry Jenkins and Kurt Squire's first chapter 'Theory by Design' looks at the feedback loop between design, play and theory in the realm of 'edutainment'-educationally oriented games-and uses four case studies to illustrate how designing games-to-teach involves utilising, critiquing and extending video game theory. Wolf's own article in the collection looks at the role of abstraction in video games. He traces abstraction from a technological necessity, due to the processing and graphics power of the earliest game devices, to an exploratory artistic potential for current games which almost all now tend toward representational techniques and the digital holy-grail of photorealism. Alison McMahan's 'Immersion, Engagement, and Presence' then looks at methods for analysing 3-D video games as opposed to their 2-D predecessors, focusing on degrees of presence and immersion in different games and game types, including a useful case study of Myst III: Exile. Miroslaw Filiciak's 'Hyperidentities: Postmodern Identity Patterns in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games' (MMORPGs) looks at the phenomena of MMORPGs where hundreds or thousands of game users participate in a shared virtual environment and argues that MMORPGs actualise postmodern ideas of self more so than any other medium. Filiciak's chapter, while ambitious, tends to get stuck in explicating various postmodern theories of self rather than the specifics of MMORPG gameplay, making this the weakest chapter of the collection. By contrast, Bob Rehak's 'Playing at Being: Psychoanalysis and the Avatar' intertwines a rich knowledge and appreciation for the historical spectrum of video games with an equally broad knowledge of psychoanalysis and film theory to produce a provocative chapter which explores how the video game avatar operates from a mediated mirror stage through to far more nuanced and subtle notions of identity. Torben Grodal's chapter 'Stories for Eye, Ear, and Muscles: Video Games, Media, and Embodied Experiences' starts from the premise that video games are primarily 'different realisations of real-life activities' (129) and makes the argument that the best critical tools for engaging with video games are thus drawn from cognitive psychology. Maintaining a focus on embodiment, Martti Lahti's 'As We Become Machines: Corporealised Pleasures in Video Games' examines the oft-touted idea that video games and cyberspace fetishise a 'meatless' disembodied view of subjectivity. In contrast, Lahti argues that the technologies of video games complicate corporeal responses in a number of ways, not so much erasing the body as reincorporating it in a cybernetic system which to some extent actually re-emphasises the material body for game players. Mia Consalvo's 'Hot Dates and Fairy-Tale Romances: Studying Sexuality in Video Games' also delineates how video games can complicate aspects of identity, but this chapter focuses specifically on sexuality. Consalvo conducts tight focused readings of Final Fantasy 9 and The Sims, exploring the ways sexuality is portrayed, the potential for non-heterosexual readings and activity, with the latter especially interesting in Consalvo's examination of the massively popular The Sims. Markku Eskelinen and Ragnhild Tronstad 'Video Games and Configurative Performances' add performative perspectives from theatre and drama studies, highlighting the role of pleasure in reading video games. Gonzalo Frasca's chapter 'Simulation versus Narrative: Introduction to Ludology' follows in which Frasca outlines ludology-the study of video games not anchored to analyses of narrative-and shows how useful Espen Aarseth's ideas of cybernetic texts are in studying video games as simulations rather than representations. The following two chapters by Bernard Perron and Chris Crawford both focus on interactivity and narrative, the former from a more theoretical viewpoint and the latter more technical. The final chapter, Patrick Grogan's 'Gametime: History, Narrative, and Temporality in Combat Flight Simulator 2' examines similarities between gametime, gameplay and recent feature films, such as Pearl Harbour, and concludes that gametime is inherently ergodic; temporality is dictated by the episodic experiences of the game itself.
   
   As this brief overview illustrates, the chapters in The Video Game Theory Reader range across a huge spectrum of academic disciplines, from new media studies to cognitive psychology to literary analysis and gender studies. Most of the articles are extremely well written, making firm arguments for the importance of analysing video games in contemporary society, and providing many theoretical tools with which future work can be performed. Video game analysis and ludology may be a newly emerging field, but The Video Game Theory Reader guarantees that it's a field which will have considerable theoretical groundings and provide important insight into contemporary popular culture.



2. This book is an introduction to a nascent field within new media studies: video game theory, or ludology. As such, many of the essays contained herein are trying to get a grasp on what constitutes video game studies, period. Some of the questions broached are as follows:
   
   What would constitute a formal analysis of a video game?
   What features do all video games share (what can we classify as a video game, anyhow?)
   Which approaches are best for the analysis of video games: semiotics, psychoanalysis, cinema studies, cognitive psychology?
   
   This volume takes a few baby steps towards answering those questions. Gonzalo Frasca, for instance, makes the important argument that even the simplest games cannot be considered in mere narratological terms, but must be considered as a simulation. He then uses Roger Caillois's terms paidia and ludus to establish a tentative typology of video games.
   
   Other essays, such as Mia Consalvo's essay on the Sims and Final Fantasy IX, are more shallow and contribute little beyond a superficial plot analysis and trite comments about how radical it is that a guy can have a girl avatar (and vice-versa) in a video game.
   
   I found Patrick Crogan's essay on Combat Flight Simulator 2 and Pearl Harbor (the movie) especially insightful, as it drew some fascinating connections between Manuel De Landa, Paul Virilio, and the simulation representational ethos (as opposed to narrative).
   
   In conclusion, this is a really hit-or-miss collection, which is perhaps to be expected considering how marginal video game studies currently is within the academy. Nevertheless, it contains some valuable contributions to this inchoate field between its covers, which will certainly help to legitimate game studies in the future.



3. The social impact of video games as a new media has been my focus this semester at the University of Minnesota and this book has been my bible.
   
   The articles are not only informative and thought-provoking, but very interesting. As a long-time gamer, this was an opportunity for me to look differently at a medium I thought was purely for entertainment and really see the far reaching effect that video games have not only our media and consumer culture, but also on the individual's psyche and perception of the world around him/her.
   
   If you're a researcher or just a gamer looking for a fresh perspective on this medium, you need to buy this book.



4. this is not light reading. There aren't any aliens to blast, cities to conquer, or my favorite, zombies to re-kill. Instead, this is fairly scholarly tome. It puts theories about why we really love blasting, conquering and re-killing. Not to be taken lightly but well worth the effort to read the science, psychology, marketing, and art behind our games.

5 comments about Breath of Fire III: Prima's Official Strategy Guide.

1. It didn't help me very much, but that may be coz I'm the best B of F-player ever known to humans..... So long buddies! "Tifa"



2. The Book Had Alot of Deatail on the Masters and Where to Find the Brood Stones. It Was so Helpful.



3. In the guide there was a great amount of mistakes. But even with them it still included all the necessary information.



4. THIS BOOK HELPS GREATLY IF YOUR HAVING A PROBLEM THIS BOOK WILL HELP YOU ON THE GAME! :)



5. I don`t know what to say? It is a good book. After all this book is only guide for this game.

2 comments about Shining Force EXA Official Strategy Guide (Brady Games Official Strategy Guides).

1. As has become usual for bradygames releases this is a guide to the main game only, with incomplete item and gear lists and advise that can lead you pretty far astray.
   
   There are no guides included for secret arts, gear reforging or item location. There are no maps of optional areas. There is no world map.
   
   Honestly just hit a faq's website for this one.



2. Was delevered earler then expected . was in great shape when it was opened. was as expected .

5 comments about Magic The Gathering Advanced Strategy Guide: For Advanced and Expert Magic Players.

1. I won't waste much typing on this review. The title says it all. With about 3 new Magic editions released since this book was published, don't waste a cent on this stinker (8th Edition due out in July 2003). It was great when first released, but thye need to get on the ball and write a new one.



2. I won't waste much typing on this review. The title says it all. With about 3 new Magic editions released since this book was published, don't waste a cent on this stinker (8th Edition due out in July 2003). It was great when first released, but thye need to get on the ball and write a new one.



3. This is one of the only real strategy guides for Magic that I could get my hands on when I was still starting out. Written by one of the great masters of the game, Tim Deopulos, the book gives instructions on the more advanced aspects of the game, including tournament formats, deck history, tips and tricks, and even bluffing advice. In my mind, it acts as mostly as an "advanced rulebook." However, it is now six years old. The game changed so much since Tempest was in Standard, which seems like ages to any Magic player now (Honestly, since when did you play Tempest Booster Draft?). This was even before the Sixth Edition rules upheaval, which tried to simplify the game not only for newcomers, but also for tournament players. Due to this large expansion of the games rules, this guide is now a relic of a forgotten time; when the Auratog deck was still considered a cool idea (I remind you that this is before Urza's Saga) and when Standard was still fresh out of infancy. So, in conclusion, it was a great buy way back when, but now it's just part of the discount section, along with the Homelands boosters and The Wheel of Time CCG.



4. When I was a serious tournament player I met Mark in Lincoln, Nebraska. Mark is a friendly, intelligent, and generous person. He's a great example of someone who found what he was meant to do in life. Mark is committed to the game and sharing his knowledge, which he demonstrated when I saw him in person. He also imparts his knowledge to fellow gamers in this well written book.
   
   Obviously, the book went out of date (in a sense) soon after it was published. However, it contains a treasure trove of knowledge for the serious player. Magic is about strategy first and tactics second. Of course the game will change as WOTC develops new cards and different rules. I particularly liked the rigorous way the book delineates how to create an effective tournament deck. Mark also gives great tips about how to analyze new cards (how will that ever go out of date?).
   
   I disagree with the foreward of the book - it states that anyone can become a great magic player with enough hard work. I've been around and I know that some people are naturally talented at Magic playing and will be better players than everyone else. However, using the book's advice will probably result in more wins for the committed student and player of Magic. econ



5. A very good book on Magic strategies, but keep in mind this book was made in 1998 when Stronghold first came out, so this information is a bit dated. Obviously this means that some of the strategies have long ago lost popularity, or have no bearing on the current set's strategies. Another problem, is that some of the individual card descriptions for the Stronghold set are wrong (ie Flowstone Hellion is not a flying creature!). But outside of that, Mark Justice is an excellent old-school Magic player and if you play with older cards, you should definately read through this book.

4 comments about Icewind Dale Official Strategies & Secrets.

1. I, much to my disgust, have used more than one or two hint books, and this one was an above average one. It had very detailed walk-through, but it's lacking a certain in-depth analysis into the side quests. It focuses on the linear story of the game instead of the much more challenging and entertaining side quests. It does, however, give a detailed description of artifacts and spells and the like and advice on how to use them. It's definitely helpful, and it will get you through the very linear story in a hurry. However, it does leave the side quests to the reader.



2. Icewind Dale will keep kids busy for a long time, and this guide is written at their level. Parents can use it to save themselves a good deal of grief when kids get stuck somewhere in the game. As a casual "tourist" player of these games, I like to be sure I've gotten EVERYTHING there is to get out of each level of play. This book did it without breaking my budget.



3. Although "Icewind Dale" comes complete with a 100+ page spiral bound book that explains everything from character stats to combat to spells, there are enough little side quests in the game that most players will need to turn somewhere for hints or help at some point.

   Strategy guides such as this one fill that role by providing detailed tables on, for example, magic items that you might encounter in the game, monster stats, and "walkthroughs" that tell you how to complete a level.

   Before you decide to buy this book, however, check out the free offerings on the Net. www.bgdungeon.com has an "Icewind Dale" section that provides you with lots of goodies, ranging from lists of magic items to walkthroughs to detailed maps of the levels. There are message boards where you can find solutions to particular problems, or get advice on dealing with monsters, or -- as will become necessary due to the numerous bugs in the game -- technical support.




4. This represents very good value. Walkthroughs are clear and very detailed. No overly cute asides or bad attempts at humor. NPC/monster descriptions are loaded with useful info. Extensive lists of magic items, etc. ... it's just all done very well.

   A special Bonus Star for bothering to spell words correctly and write as if English was their first language instead of their 41st -- way above the abysmal quality you get with most PC game hack jobs.

   Very nice job; don't hestitate to pick it up.

No comments about Alone in the Dark: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides).

5 comments about Game Development and Production (Wordware Game Developer's Library).

1. Eric Bethke gives us the actual battle-tested techniques his team uses to develop games. Most of his wisdom I completely agree with, and he makes some points that had not occurred to me that I will have to think long and hard about. His central, recurring "less is more" thesis is persuasively argued. He has confirmed my suspicion that we may have to rethink our plan for the current game we're working on. I recommend everybody in game development read this book and take it either as a springboard for developing their own methodology or as a sounding board on the quality of their methodology, if one is already in place.

   So why only four stars? I have the feeling that Erik isn't being completely honest with us. On my team chaos is the norm even though we scored an AA on Erik's "Game Project Survival Test." Erik makes his team sound like a smoothly running factory, and I have trouble believing it's due to those extra ten points his team is getting on the test. Give it up, Erik: either admit that business is chaos and let us reconcile ourselves to that cold truth, or tell us the deep dark secrets that makes your team work so well.

   Also, stuff is missing here: how do you hire great talent? How do you prevent your team from breaking the build on a regular basis without slowing them to a crawl? (That's the question that has been keeping me up nights.) How can you be productive if you're waiting until alpha to fix all your bugs? I bet Erik has some insight into these questions, but he didn't get it on the page.

   Still, don't let my nitpicking stop you from reading this book. I'm going to try to make everyone on my team read it. And I'll be eagerly awaiting a sequel.




2. This book provides a good start for someone who has yet to dive into the highly competitive world of entertainment design and software. It does seem to lean more towards 3D games and reflect on personal experiences; but over all is a good guide to game development. Experienced developers and designers will most likely have devised their own systems that work best for them, not to mention would already know about 75% of the material listed within.

   Once again, I would only really recommend this book to a beginner in game development. Experienced users may find some good information, but most likely can spend a lot less money finding it out on one of the hundreds of game development websites out there.




3. I found the book to have lots of good advice and insight. However, the information in it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. The company he was running has all bit folded. So I wouldn't suggest using this book as a "how-to" handbook.



4. I recently started a game development enterprise program at my school (Michigan Tech) and we had no clue where to start. This book is great if you feel like I did. I felt there was no way we were going to be able to pull this off in a resonable time. This book gives us the guidance we need. Although we may not take all the suggestions in the book, it still is great and helps you produce a great game. It includes detail on the many preproduction documents, outsourcing, and even a chapter on how to start a company. Well done, just what I had expected from the Wordware Game Developer's Library.



5. Seems like every idea in it is ripped off from other books. Don't buy it. It's a waste of money.