1 comments about Metal Gear Solid?: The Twin Snakes Official Strategy Guide (Bradygames Take Your Games Further).

1. When it comes to some guides, BradyGAMES doesn't slouch. If you look at guides like their Final Fantasy X guide and their Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, you know they make some good guides, trying to please the customer. Sometimes, however, they DO slouch, and when they do, it isn't pretty. Unfortunately, since the coming of their Signature Series, they've slouched a lot. Unless a guide is a part of the Signature Series, you're risking a lot by buying it. Sadly, this guide is not a Signature Series guide so you know they didn't take it seriously.
   
   It seems as though the staff assumes that people who buy this guide have already played the original Metal Gear Solid on PSX. It's chalk full of spoilers! They even mention this on the first page. They also encourage you to use the guide only when you're stuck.
   
   It is kind of cool that the first few pages of the guide tell you all the differences between the original version and this one, but that seems to be there to take up space. The game basics is also grand, but I wish they'd tell us the differences between game modes. The walkthrough, for those of you who don't know how a BradyGAMES MGS guide works, is written based on the "Normal" difficulty setting.
   
   The walkthrough is where you get the biggest mix. I can't figure out if the author thought the people playing the game were retarded or not. In one spot the text even reads "Switch to First Person View, hold down the A button to raise the SOCOM Pistol.." as if we don't know the A Button fires a weapon (and if you don't know that, you're playing the wrong game). The walkthrough is also sluggish, especially in the beginning. It picks up, perhaps a little too much. The boss strategies are not all that helpful for example, they don't mention that when fighting the M1 Tank or Metal Gear REX, you can use Chaff Grenades to jam the radar.
   
   The walkthrough did have its good points though. The maps are VERY detailed and pin-point out items. They also show guard patrol routes, although some are confusing (way too many arrows on some pages, the way they did the guard route in the MGS2 and MGS3 guide was much better). The screenshots were clear enough, and they did lead you through each area OK.
   
   However, I'd say the biggest problem with this guide is simple. Who would need it? Especially if you played through the original MGS on the PSX? The changes made to the game are so minimal (and they did a bit of tweaking to the game, such as for Psycho Mantis to do EVERYTHING he did on the PSX version you have to play on EXTREME) that you should already know everything about it.
   
   It's also sad that for all the secrets you have to go fishing through the walkthrough. I was also disappointed that, as usual, BradyGAMES wouldn't get to the point. They take time to explain every cutscene to you. For the love of God, I'm playing the game, and watching the cutscene, why does the guide have to explain it to me? Does the author really think I'm that dense that I can't watch a simple cutscene?
   
   They did have a dog tags list, and they did have a list for all the spirits. Sadly, they didn't bother to explain game rankings, and they even ruin the ending for those who have yet to play through MGS for the first time.
   
   My advice is this, unless you collect strategy guides, leave this one on the shelf. The game, for one thing, is so simple to figure out that you really shouldn't need it. Also, if you've already played the original on PSX, you'd be wasting your money by buying it anyway. Leave this one on the shelf, unless you're a collector of strategy guides or MGS accessories.

No comments about Maya Feature Creature Creations (Graphics Series).

No comments about Golden Axe: Beast Rider Official Strategy Guide.

5 comments about Mechwarrior #4:: Initiation to War (Mechwarrior, #4).

1. This book is a nice read for those who are looking for nasty mech fights. This isn't all about war and death though, it also tells about how a man loses his love and gains her back again, only to have her nearly taken from him again. I wont spoil any more though, just get the book!



2. I am not a person who reads books alot, but when I started the Mechwarrior Series, I was enjoying every word. This book is no exception. The storyline is straight and to the point. The romance is, as always, a twisting relevance to the plot line. The best parts, are of course, the drama of leading up to the fights, and the fights themselves.

   Currently on Chapter 26, of a 39 chapter book. I am up late, having to work in the morning, but can not put it down!
   If you want to look into the mechwarrior series, start with this!




3. The main concepts of war are completelt outdated, with the author's most modern ideas belonging to the 2nd WW, at best, and at worst to the middle ages. Plus you don't feel like you are in the 31st century at all. You'll rather feel somewhere in the 20'th century. It is clear that the autor hasn't got the slightest clue as how the future will look like, so he just "converted" some ideias (battlemechs=tanks, Mechwarrior=knights, planets=countries, etc). The result is...well, just not convincing.
   Some parts of the story makes me doubt if the autor knows the first thig about human nature: Kelly has a harder time dealing with the memory of a man he killed acidentally (apparently it was no-one's fault - wow!) than the death of two of his best friends. Furthermore the ease with witch he sleeps with another woman while his loved one is MIA baffled me.
   That said, this book is a nice, distracting, sometimes (not often) gripping read. Altough i didn't like it too much, the fact is it is not all that easy to put down. The descriptions of the fights were interesting and well described and the fact that the main character leads a (very) light lance of mechs, makes each encounter a tough one.
   Overall, barely worth it.



4. Charrette, Robert N. Initiation To War. New York, New York: New American Library 2001.279 pages.
   Robert Charrette's Initiation To War is a Si-fi action thriller based in the year,3061, in witch many planets have been colonized. Human mow wage war against each other in two or more story tall war machines called Mechs. The main character of this story is Tybalt Kelly. Tybalt faces many unique challenges on his way to save his country, the Country Shu. The neighboring country is ready for war on the planet of Epsilon E. Kelly (is what he is like to be called) becomes a Mech pilot.
   The fight for the countries very survival has began. Kelly will learn that begin that war costs mare then just a leg.



5. This was the first book i picked up of many mechwarrior books i have read to this day.
   I really enjoyed this one and read it more than once, i really enjoyed the dark, gritty chaos that happens in this book... i need to look and see if they have a sequel to what happens to the character in this book
   all in all its a good book out of the battle tech series, and is a good book to start off on if you want to start to series

5 comments about The Fugitive Game: Online with Kevin Mitnick.

1. Face it, whether you're a white hat or a black hat - hacking is hacking. Alas, the term "ethical hacker" is merely a way for those breaking the law to rationalize their behavior. Littman did a great job of exposing this great debate in the book. In the field of information security, Mitnick is known to all of us as the king of social engineering. Let's be completely honest (even Mitnick and Littman exposed this in the book)... Kevin is not good at hacking but rather at exploiting the human factor. That is - humans are the weakest link in this whole information security thing - not the systems themselves. You want to design a secure system? - educate your users, administrators, managers and executives on how to be wise and vigilant and adhere to a sound security policy.
   
   Thank you to Mr. Littman for showing us the many sides of Mitnick's life. I look forward to reading about Poulsen next in "The Watchman".



2. This is the best book I read about Kevin Mitnick's exploits, time on the run, and eventual arrest. It reads like a thriller, is true to it's subject material, and is informative too. If you want to know the story behind one of the country's most noted computer hackers, this is the book to read. (Until of course he publishes his memoirs :-)).



3. Well, maybe it's because I always wanted to live the new economy revolution that happened there in that time and I always wanted to be "connected" even if I was too young and my parents could not understand my point. I'm a bit "obsessed" by this story and not just because there's still something to be clarified, but because the scenario and the period where these events are based mean something in the Internet history. I've red the books, the documents, the reports, the old post messages and nearly everything that is available on the net, and I can say that definitely this book add something more to all of that. I like the author's perspective as well because he wants to understand what's really behind. Of course, as the author's himself said, the book is based mainly on dialogues and interviews with all the people involved in the story, but at the end I hoped there was the chance to extract more details about who really attacked Shimo and why Kevin was handling Shimo's files. I got the feeling that all the phone calls reported were at the end too dispersive and distant from the real secrets of the story. But I believe the author did that to point out what was really behind Kevin's way of behaving, and what really was his point of view, and the book is really successfull in that. Probably what left me a bit disappointed is that I hoped at the very end the author could ask Kevin something more to get more light on all the story after his capture, but probably just my expectations were too high.



4. I saw the movie "Track Down" with Skeet Ulrich and that intrigued me enough to want to read this book.
   
   I really enjoyed this book and found it very informative and fair to the subjects, since it is a true story.
   
   highly recommend if you are interested in computers and those that hack, just from the vicarious thrill, as well as how to protect yourself online!



5. The same author wrote "The Watchman" which is about Kevin Poulsen. I loved that book and this book.
   
   It's good to read a more reliable story on Mitnick than what came from garbage that John Markoff wrote. You actually get to hear the stories the way Mitnick explains them. He trusted Littman (the author) enough during his hiding time to call him and talk to him for hours at a time and explain what he's done, what he didn't do and his life on the run. You also get to see snippets of how corrupt John Markoff sounds during this entire thing and I don't think Littman even meant to do that.
   
   I do like "The Watchman" a bit better... at times reading the long conversations between Mitnick and Littman can get a bit repetitive or boring... However, most of the time it's very interesting.
   
   I'd suggest reading "The Watchman" first and then reading this book, as you'll notice a whole bunch of tie-in's from the characters in that book and how they relate to Mitnick. I found that fascinating how everyone was linked in one way or another...

5 comments about Visual Basic Game Programming with DirectX (The Premier Press Game Development Series).

1. This book is in fact a good reference, but I hit snags trying to run the sample code. I have Visual Studio .NET and I love it, and thought that this book would be a good starting point for game programming. And it was until I hit the first program "ChunkyPixels" I put the code into the VB.NET IDE and it would not compile. The examples are all writen in VB 6.0 and has no compatibility with VB.NET. So, in conclusion, if you want a good reference and do not have VB.NET, buy this book, but if you have VB.NET you are, as am I, out of luck
   
   PS IF anyone knows of any websites that would have updated code samples, I would be happy to hear where! :)



2. This book was written about the time VB .Net was coming out and the author even mentions that he considered writing some of the code in .Net. I bought the book, realizing it was dated, thinking that it would be a good learning experience to convert the examples to VB .Net. Of course, it's proving to be very frustrating.
   
   This is a good book and well written and if you are determined to stick with VB6 and want to learn game programming. However, if you're moving on to .Net I would suggest looking for a different title. (If you find a good one let me know.)
   
   I really wish they would publish a new edition with re-written examples. That would be ideal.



3. First of all I'd like to say that this book is really good because it is step by step in its foundation. It explains how to set up the programs it discusses. What I had problems with were that I understood the code from a template kind of perspective but did not understand exactly what each line of code was doing without a substantial background in Visual Basic 6. I jumped right into learning the game aspects instead of building a solid understanding of the concepts of the language of visual basic 6. Even though I was lacking certain pieces of the puzzle Mr. Harbour did a pretty decent job of explaining things even a novice like myself could grasp. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested but get the foundation in Visual Basic 6.0 first. This book is alot better than some of the books I've read before which stick code snippets throughout but have no semblance of order as to where they fit in. This is a must read!!!! It covers all aspects of creating a game and even gives multiplayer capability. All n all I give this a three thumbs up!!!



4. This book, came out when the original xbox came out. So the information and code are a little dated. Personally, I think they need to come out with a visual basic@net version of the book.
   
   However, I am giving this book a 3, because it has some good ideas. You'll get an idea of the things you can do. One thing I especially like is the multiplayer game in the example section.



5. I am a programming insrructor and I new alot about the basics of Visual Basic but not much on the graphic and Direct X side of the house. This book has shown me alot of tricks and I haven't finished it yet.

2 comments about Jak 3 : Piggyback's The Official Guide.

1. this guide is awesome i bought it 3 weeks ago it tell you exact info on every mission were to find all 600 precurser orbs and were the orbs on the mini missions orbs are the drawings are awesome!!!!!! they even show how jak would look like in jak 2 with his new powers this guide is so good there is no more words for it but awesome get this game guide now!! it helpful too



2. In this day and age, a guide as detailed as this is fairly hard to come by. Guides, recently have been lacking in the areas where they need the most strength. They need walkthroughs and basics with detailed screenshots and maps. Every now and then you really do get that decent strategy guide (like say... the BradyGAMES Kingdom Hearts Guide), but often you don't (like the Tales of Symphonia guide--see my review).
   
   Thank goodness that across seas there is Piggyback Interactive. They don't release too many guides in America, but when they do you're glad to have 'em! Nothing but the best information straight from the pros, with crystal-clear high rez screenshots and some of the most alarmingly detailed maps you could find! For their Jak 3 guide, they've more than outdone themselves.
   
   The guide opens up with a little talk about characters (and you'll see little blurbs pop up with Daxter "commenting" on these characters and whatnot), giving you some background information on them.
   
   We then break into the near 30 page game basics section. There has never been a strategy guide that has been so useful and helpful in getting you acquainted with the game. From telling you the basic controls to getting you able to use the vast set of weapons in Jak 2. There are also advanced tips for advanced gamers, and that's one of the things that Piggyback is useful for. The expert AND the beginner will get a use out of this guide!
   
   After the gamebasics you'll jump into the 100 page walkthrough! That's right, 100 pages of in-depth strategy, high rez screenshots and detailed maps. These maps aren't just handrawn maps either. They come STRAIGHT from the developers so you KNOW they're detailed! Beautifully rendered for your convenience and clearly marked with notes that will show you what to do. Think of how Nintendo Power writes their guides with the A B C. This guide is 1 2 3, and it works in divine ways. This makes the guide more organized several times over! No more reading the entire walkthrough just to find out what to do. And what's better? They actually tell you which screenshot you should look at! For example: If you can't understand what's in the text they'll have in nice little parenthasis (See Fig. 1). Now look at screenshot 1 and you'll know exactly what they're talking about! Never has a guide been so clear and concise.
   
   The strategies detailed are not just from developers, but also from experts. If you've seen any other piggyback guide (which for most of you will have been Halo 2, unless you import) you know they love to play through an area hundreds of times until they find the best route possible! It is no different here, and they're willing to share those secrets with you! And if you think that's boss, check out those boss strategies. More than just two paragraphs, they take up the entire page and leave no stone unturned.
   
   Following the walkthrough is an enemies list that will tell you all you need to know about them including how fast they are, how big and how many hit points they've got! Plus, insane secret beat down tactics!
   
   Speaking of secrets... this guide is chalk full of them. With over 25 pages worth of secrets, what have you to lose? Want to find all the Precursor Orbs? You'll do it with this guide. How about all those nifty bonus challenges? Revealed! How about the precursor alphabet? It's in here too! Not one secret left out, and not stone left unturned!
   
   Following all those secrets is the making of Jak 3. And not just the making of Jak 3, but the making of the entire Jak series starting with its cold roots back in the early days with "Jak and Daxter". You'll get so much info out of the developers themselves. Incredible!
   
   And lastly is the index. Yes, there is an index, and trust me, you'll WANT this thing! How many times are you tired of searching through the guides enemy list or you can't remember where to find that secret? Well, instead of fishing through those sections skimming every page... why not just head to the index? If every strategy guide had an index, page flipping would be less of a hazard (and the paper cut ratio might go down, even!).
   
   And if those maps are confusing, there is a fold-out legend so that you no longer will have to constantly flip to a legend. Just fold it out and set your guide down and you're all set to go!
   
   So when is a strategy guide actually worth the outrageous price tag? When you actually get everything from it. Friends, this isn't just a strategy guide, it's an ENCYCLOPEDIA! Is this worth shelling out the money for? YES! Totally worth it!
   
   So strap yourself into Jak 3 and use this as your navigation tool. No stone left unturned, no secret left out. Everything you need for Jak 3 is right here!

5 comments about The Art of World of Warcraft.

1. I've always been impressed with the artwork with Warcraft, so books like these are always a treat. Although this one didn't have as much artwork as the first artbook the released "the Art of Warcraft", it still made an impact.



2. Actually I had bought the first concept book from blizzard and loved it. And when I found that it was available through amazon I was relieved becuase it was part of limited edition package. But anyhow the delievery was quick and I am pleased with the art. Alot to look at and get inspired from.



3. The book I got was in excellent condition, and when I looked through it. Wow! I was blown away. It's extraordinary. Such and incredible piece of art! There is so much to learn from the artists in it, and it'll be such a great inspiration. One of the best books I have ever bought!



4. This book is a fantastic display of artwork. Anyone who enjoys conceptual artwork will enjoy this book. The hardback cover makes it a nice collectors item. The book itself has sketch work, as well as full color renderings, and everything in between. The amount of detail is amazing. The artists at Blizzard definately know their stuff, and it clearly shows in this book. A great gift for any fan of Warcraft or conceptual artwork in general.



5. I personally am a HUGE fan of video game art books. This book has over 200 pages of wonderful artwork. It exceeded all of my expectations. It has everything from in-game graphics, to rough sketches of weapons. Some images even have some amusing notes from the artists. Again, a most for any collection. Makes a great coffee table book.

5 comments about Shadow Hearts: From the New World (Prima Official Game Guide).

1. Here we go! This strat guide was better than I thought it would be its one of the biggest guides I have ever seen {beside Radiata Stories}. I also would like to say that the walkthough portion of the guide is about as detailed as you can get. It explains just about every item locale on the map like ring fragments, stellars, accessories, and where key npc's are. The item lists, weapons, and equipment are all listed in detail, also gives you in depth ways on dealing with all the boss fights. The best part of the guide is the sidequest parts I don't think I have ever seen a more detailed sidequest index in my gaming life[except for the pifight portion]. There is a few minor flaws in this guide to make it a five, but a strat guide is to help you if you get stuck not to hold your hand and powder your bottom! What I am saying is if you are a gamer {RPG} then you should play the game without the guide first and then use the guide to see what you may have missed. In ending I would like to say I do reccomend this book Prima did a great job, unlike the job bradygames did on SH2!



2. This guide was extremely helpful in its layout, and is very informative. All the shadow heart games are worth buying IMHO, but this game goes farther then the first 2 in sidequests. Honestly, i like buying the guides, because reading them gives me an insight into what went into making the game. This guide wont disappoint.



3. The title says it all. I have tried to get this product three times from three sources and each time it ends up back ordered and eventually not available at all. I would love to review it because I have actually read it :(



4. This is a simple, businesslike guide that does an excellent job of giving you what you need to get every enjoyment out of the game. Prima seems tospecialize in this time of guide - printed nicely, clear maps and diagrams but without the extreme glitz of less useful guides that spend too much effort being souvenirs.
   
   From The New World in an interesting change of pace from the first games in this series. There are a lot of interesting side details, thand Prima makes sure you know about them. These guides get hard to track down after the game has been out for a while, but if you can find one consider getting it as a good companion while you are saving the world.



5. Just like an Prima guide, this one is a good addition.
   
   Prima have their feet on the ground and their hand's in the dirt, this guide is no exception, you actually get the feeling they really played this game.

5 comments about Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984: A Complete Reference Guide.

1. This is a GREAT book. If you played and/or liked those wonderful video game systems and game cartridges from that era, GET THIS BOOK! Yes, the price is steep but you get so much! First, it's a hardback book with quality binding for repeated readings and "thumbing through." Second, there is a LOT of info in this book about the systems and the individual games. I had been thinking about buying some of the rare (and expensive) games but after reading the author's description of them, I discovered that some of them weren't what I expected and would have been a waste of money for me. So getting this book not only told me a lot about these great classic games systems and games, but also saved me money!



2. I would like to say, before I get into the review, that I thoroughly enjoy books like this, and have enjoyed flipping through this one. With it's flaws it's still an enjoyable book, and if you'd like to relive some of the early days of gaming, you can much worse than picking this one up.
   
   That said, what I feel brings this book down so much is that it's very much biased in the descriptions of the games. It is an impressive undertaking to describe every game that was available for platforms between 1972 and 1984, and the descriptions of them is nice and appreciated. But with the book looking very much like a textbook and having the phrase "A Complete Reference Guide" written on the front, the last thing I want in the descriptions (remember that I'm talking about the descriptions of the games specifically) is the bias of "this game is mundane" or "this is one of the best." If they had been broken up into core data on the game and an editorial, somewhat akin to the Digital Press Guide, it would have been more worth reading. Be sure to take all of the writing with a grain of salt.
   
   It's the bulk of the content that keeps the score as high as I've given it, and the presentation is very beautifully done. Having met and spoken to Brett Weiss I know the publisher is one that also put out text books for schools, and that explains the clean presentation, along with the clean black-and-white pictures strewn throughout the chapters being placed perfectly among the outlines for each game. Honestly though, I would have liked more description of the games other than just the content; it seems almost rushed in the way the publisher/developer-type info is pasted at the top of each blurb.
   
   It's a decent product, an interesting read, and a beautiful-looking book... I just wish the content was a bit less biased and cut to the core of what each game was about, maybe more background info... but I can dream, and if he decides to work on a more up-to-date game-describing collection he'll take criticism to heart, making his project even better.



3. This tome seems to have been written with my video game tastes and interest in mind. I don't care too much what has gone on in the video game world after 1984, except for games that have been released for the systems covered in this book. If you love the classics like I do, check this out...I haven't seen a better book than this one. Each system is covered reasonably extensively with reviews of all the original games released. I would of liked the author's take on homebrews as well....but at least he includes a list in the appendix of what has been released for the various systems. I enjoy the editorial content; I get a feel for what his likes and dislikes are and then judge the game accordingly. Of course, I agree more than disagree with the majority of reviews of the games I have played. It was delightful to read about systems and their respective games that I don't own as well. Plus, I enjoy browsing through the glossary provided. This book is a labor of love, and I recommend it to everybody who is fond of the "Golden Age" of home video gaming.



4. I recently received my copy of Classic Home Video Games. GREAT JOB!
   
   After purchasing several expensive pinball books that ended up being more along the
   lines of a family photo album, e.g., "Here's me with Wayne Neyens", "Here's
   another picture of me with Wayne Neyens", "Here's a picture of my kid with
   Wayne Neyens"...this book was a welcome addition to my library. This book is
   highly professional and, as such, extremely useful. The caliber of this book
   is along the lines of legal reference books. Frankly, I never expected to
   see this degree of organization and editorial discipline in this particular
   arena.
   
   This contribution to the chronicling of the classic video games will be
   priceless to collectors for generations to come. This book is the benchmark and
   basically defines the niche.
   
   Please be aware that this is a serious reference work. It is not a "coffee table" picture book. Also, as with any type of review, there is a certain amount of subjectivity involved, however, the author provides useful, relatively unbiased information considering there were undoubtedly page limits that had to be adhered to.
   
   I have a large library of collectible-type books spanning an eclectic variety of subjects, and this is one of the best such books that I have. If you look upon yourself as a video game collector or enthusiast, this is a MUST HAVE.



5. Before I start nitpicking, let me begin by saying that this book is great. As far as other reviewers feel about Weiss's personal opinions about games, I WELCOME them. The author would be performing a disservice by not warning collectors about duds before we unload a hefty amount of cash on them.
   
   Now let's talk about room for improvement. For the price, and the type of book (hardbound compendium), I expected something with more keepsake quality. The pages are thin, and all of the photos are in black and white, which in my opinion deters from what the pictures are trying to convey.
   
   While this book is thorough in describing each game for each system, the essays on the systems themselves are all rather short, 1-2 pages. A longer passage, including more hardware specs, history, and even company politics at the time would have been great.
   
   But at the end of the day, it's a welcome addition to my library. As part of a dying breed, I love being able to walk over to my bookshelf to look up a game, rather than having to google it. Great job, Brett. Perhaps a 2nd edition will knock it out of the park.