5 comments about Armored Core: Project : Phantasma The Official Survival Guide.

1. ASCII made one helluva tough game, but rest assured that this book will get you through it's toughest spots with minimal consequences. Inside is not a mere listing of the missions. Instead, as all books of this type should have, are comprehensive mission STRATEGIES that are clearly written, and which make references to clear, full-color screenshots so you'll know exactly what is being talked about. Steps are provided to learn how to battle defensively and to make use of all your limited resources. Accurate directions lead you to find many a hidden gadget in the missions, and believe me, you'll need 'em! You'll also be able to carefully plan ahead when it comes to customizing your AC with the easy-to-read charts that compare price and functionality, based on your preferences. Basically, if it's in the game, it's in the book--the author really knows what he's talking about (so you don't get the feeling like you do with other books that he wrote his strategies based on magazine screenshots and playing for a few minutes...). As the name suggests, this guide will help an Armored Core player survive. All I would've liked to see done a little differently would've been the last section--the mission walkthrough of the first game. Some of the later missions were left out, and since the second game is really an add-on to the first (and the first one was never covered in detail in any publication) it would have seemed more complete with extra details, or none at all. But the book still gets five stars, as it was primarily written for the sequel. Great job. You won't be disappointed or jipped with this.



2. I'm kind of a Armored Core nut so when this book came out on Amazon.com I had to get it. The book is well writter and concise. I did not have to swim through an ocean of pictures to get the info I needed. I also found the author's AC suggestions well suited to the mission's tasks. (When I buy a $70 game I want to be able to beat it!!) With that in mind I really enjoyed the bonus Armored Core 1 chapter, it's small, But it does the job! As I stated before, I good book for a good game I look forward to reading another book by the author in the future.



3. At first glance, the book looks kind of thin, but inside is awealth of screen shots and information. The book includes a walk-thruof all 17 missions, a guide to the arena, an almost complete listing of all of the parts found in Project Phantasma, and a bonus mini-guide for the original Armored Core. There are also some cool pictures of some of the ACs from the intro sequences.

   The first section contains an overview. One minor note is that the author recommends a controller with a turbo button. I find this to be wholly wrong.

   The bottom line is that this strategy guide is well worth the $12.95. I have some minor nit-picks and "wishes", but the material that's in the guide is well done. Play Armored Core: Project Phantasma. Get the Guide. Have fun! END




4. Even with its small size this book is loaded with content. It is divided into three main sections, which cover the central missions, the arena mode, and the parts shop.

   At first glance, the missions section may seem like it skimps on the details in order to give you only the simplest of walkthroughs. But this is deceiving as there really isn't that much more one can say about the missions. Sure, they COULD have given you a strategy for beating each and every enemy you meet, but the fact is you'd spend more effort reading about how to defeat them than it would actually take to do it. As it is, the book gives you the lowdown on what your objectives are and a walkthrough that highlights the important sections without bogging you down with a lot of text. Maps are provided for the stages that require them, and the color photos provide you with visual representations of what is being described. It's also nice to have the mission briefings and E-Mail debriefings written down for easy reference.

   The arena mode section is also short and to the point, but still provides you with enough hints to help destroy the tougher A.C.s. The section starts out with a concise list of basic tips for fighting in the arena and continues by listing all 49 of the opponents you will face. Included in every description is a copy of the information provided by the game (for easy reference), a complete listing of all the parts each A.C. is comprised of and a short, one paragraph strategy for defeating them. If defeating a certain enemy nets you a special part, that is listed as well. By having each enemy A.C.'s parts listed, not only can you anticipate how your enemy will behave in a battle, but you can also use them as blueprints for building a similar machine of your own. The author even encourages this by telling you how to build his personal favorite A.C.

   Finally, we have the parts shop section. This is probably the most useful section in the book, since the format makes the process of comparing parts much easier than using the game itself. Every part is listed under its respective catagory and is charted so that every detail and statistic is neatly arranged into rows and columns. But what I really like is the fact there aren't any fancy fonts or blazing backgrounds being used. Many other companies like to put graphical flair over user friendliness when making their strategy guides, but this one seems to understand that less is more and image is nothing.

   User friendliness seems to be a major theme in this book. Not only is it easy to find the information you need, but there are various bonus sections that push the guide above and beyond what would normally be expected. These include a mission flow chart, a codes section, and last but not least, an entire unauthorized chapter that revisits each and every mission of the original Armored Core.

   But as good as this guide is, there are still a few mistakes to be found. The Arms and Arm Weapons in the parts shop section were put under the wrong catagories, certain parts were omitted altogether, the reward for defeating Roach isn't listed, etc.

   I would've also liked to have seen the parts from the original Armored Core listed in the shop section, since they can be transferred into the Project Phantasma universe via a memory card. It was frustrating not having a "complete" listing of all the parts I could use to build my machine. The unauthorized section should've also included the locations of ALL the hidden A.C. parts rather than just some of them. However, such omissions are understandable as the focus of the guide was intended to be on AC:PP, and not on its predecessor.

   Overall, though, these are minor errors in an otherwise well written and well organized strategy guide. I would recommend this not only to the introductory A.C. player as an informative walkthrough, but also to the veteran as a handy reference guide. Gook work!




5. Some of the information is good (like the section on the first Armored Core which details how to find those hidden AC parts, if a bit sketchy), some questionable (use missiles against somebody in the arena and you end up dead), and some of it is dead out wrong (in the arena oppoonents section the writer frequently misnames the weapon, getting confused when it comes to the difference between a Gatling gun, the quadruple-rifle machine gun, and the chain gun).

   I'd finished Project Phantasma before I got my hands on the book, so Keith Kolmos' points on that game weren't so much useful as novel to me. He didn't seem to nail the best ways to complete certain missions. For example, if you use the 3000-shot "Finger" machine gun on Phantasma, or one of the dual cannons on the arm, or even the 50- or 70-shot rockets with a heavily armored machine, you wouldn't need any luck at all. Why he doesn't make mention of two of the most powerful weapons ("Finger" machine gun and LS-99 Moonlight, which you get in the "Kill Struggle Leader" mission in the first Armored Core) of the game is baffling.

   I enjoy this book, but didn't use it much except when it came to the first Armored Core and finding the hidden AC parts of which I'd only found two until reading the book. Interesting, but not essential.

1 comments about Sacrifice Official Strategy Guide.

1. Brady Games is the king of published strategy guides. Sacrifce is a stunning realtime strategy game and the strategy guide makes the game more inciteful. There are illustrations and easy to read and follow text. As you get more comfortable with the game, you can use your own different strategies. The cheats you can get online, but the actual placement and generation of creatures is unique to the strategy guide. It also lists awesome creature combos, in depth use and descriptions of spells and creatures. If you are having trouble progressing in the game, buy the Brady Strategy guide, it's cheaper than in the stores!

1 comments about Eternal Ring Official Strategy Guide.

1. First of all, think about if you should get this game. If you want to and do not mind the aged graphics amd you bought this game, then this is probably the best guide you can get for this game. With details on how to defeat every single boss and how rings work, you should have no problem beating this game.

4 comments about Pokemon Trading Card Game (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).

1. best book for card players

   I was The first to review this book By jerem




2. I have many words about this book (and the awsome game) So if u have time to read get this book at least that is what my friends are saying.....



3. I hate i



4. The best book on how yo play the game. It also teels you what is in the booaster pakes for the normal cards and jungle cards.

No comments about Wing Commander III: The Ultimate Strategy Guide (Prima's Secrets of the Games).

5 comments about Speed, Speed, and Nothing but Speed: The New Bible for True Speed Handicappers (1).

1. Under the advice of an incredibly close friend I wrote this book under a "pen name". My friend brought it to my attention that I may start to lose "credibility" by writing so many books (this was my 5th horse handicapping book), over the past 8 months. Now, for that reason and because of a few initial "typo's" (which have since been corrected), I'm only giving myself a 4 Star rating. Instead, I'm going to leave a lengthy excerpt. And, I'll just let decide for yourself, on whether or not you might get some use from my book. Currently, Amazon has lowered the price of "Three-N- One" (my personal favorite of the horse handicapping books that I've written), to the extremely low price of 27.00, which is down from the 39.95 original sale price. That particular book consists of "The Tuttle Way", The Tuttle Way II", and a novella (as an ode to my deceased Father) called "Trainer". It's over 328 total pages of pure horsemanship and wagering education rolled into one meaty book.
   
   By the way, I'm ALWAYS available to answer ANY questions @ (jjtuttle131@yahoo.com), and I have that address in ALL of my books. I'm NOT a professional writer. I'm just a guy with CP who happens to have a lifetime's worth of knowledge under my proverbial hat. I'm simply trying to help people win more often, that is my sole "Agenda", for that is of my nature. I'm an Aquarian, and we're ALWAYS looking out for others.
   
   
   Now onto that excerpt that I promised.....
   
   
   
   "[Bet you've never heard of this before?]
   
   
   It's called "Progression and "Regression rates and it works like this....
   
   
   
   [Progression]
   
   The most-commonly run distance race in North America, is the six-furlong sprint race. A six-furlong sprint consists of 6/8ths or 3/4ths of a mile. This means, that the final 1/8 of a six-furlong race (otherwise known as the "Stretch Call") is 17% of the race.
   At seven-furlongs it would equate to approximately 14%, and at a flat mile it would equal 12.5%.
   
   If a horse were to improve their position within that final eighth by 2 lengths (in a six-furlong race), that would equal a progression rate of 34% (17x2=34). Now, imagine that you were looking over a horse's PP's, and you saw a consistent pattern emerge of this horse always "progressing". Wouldn't you feel a bit more confident in betting on such a horse? The answer to that question is a resounding "YES"!
   
   On Friday May 30th 2008, I recently wagered on a horse in the 3rd @ Hollywood Park (by the name of True Suggestion), who won like breaking sticks and paid a very generous 11-1.
   In this particular race only two horses had positive progression rates.
   
   The #2 horse True Suggestion and the #1 horse: Vegas Runner. True Suggestion had a score of (+79) and Vegas Runner was a (+42). Below is how I derived True Suggestion's number.
   True Suggestion's pattern of "Progression or "Regression" read as follows: +55, +33, -21, +18, and +18. Then, I simply added all of those numbers together (which went on to equal +103). I then proceeded to add the 103+55 (the 55 being this horse's last outing), which equaled +158 and divided it by two, which gave me the derived number of (+79).
   
   
   The real beauty behind this numbers system is in the fact that all of the percentages are constant.
   
   
   And, irrespective of whether a horse has recently raced over the turf course instead of the dirt, it has absolutely no barring over these derived rates.
   
   
   [Regression]
   
   Naturally, if a horse is showing a consistent pattern of "Regression", then one can make the assumption; that something may be wrong with that particular horse."
   
   
   Signed,
   Joseph J Tuttle



2. A friend of mine just let me see his copy of this book, and I've just purchased a copy for myself. What a phenomenally intelligent man this Mr. Rates is! I've already purchased most of the books by the Author Joseph J Tuttle, and his books are good, but they're NOTHING AS IN DEPTH AS THIS!!!!!! WHAT AN AMAZING SPEED RATING SYSTEM THIS MAN HAS COME UP WITH! I'm soooooooooooooooooooooo BLOWN AWAY!!!! He also talks about the Beyer Speed Figs being on an average of (AT LEAST) 12% INACCURATE! If you enjoy reading about horse handicapping theory as much as me, then THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU, FOR SURE! A HUGE 5STARS FROM ME ON THIS BOOK. BEST BOOK ON SPEED HANDICAPPING I'VE EVER LAID EYES ON!!!!!
   
   
   I'm out!
   
   J.R.



3. A friend of mine just let me see his copy of this book, and I've just purchased a copy for myself. What a phenomenally intelligent man this Mr. Rates is! I've already purchased most of the books by the Author Joseph J Tuttle, and his books are good, but they're NOTHING AS IN DEPTH AS THIS!!!!!! WHAT AN AMAZING SPEED RATING SYSTEM THIS MAN HAS COME UP WITH! I'm soooooooooooooooooooooo BLOWN AWAY!!!! He also talks about the Beyer Speed Figs being on an average of (AT LEAST) 12% INACCURATE! If you enjoy reading about horse handicapping theory as much as me, then THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU, FOR SURE! A HUGE 5STARS FROM ME ON THIS BOOK. BEST BOOK ON SPEED HANDICAPPING I'VE EVER LAID EYES ON!!!!!
   This author is really Joseph J. Tuttle, and as per usual (with his standard M/O of only writing around 100+ page booklets) he is leaving me wanting more. His writing style is a bit like a punch in the face! He's simply telling us (his readers) exactly how he sees things. That, I do appreciate. He recently wrote a book called "Eight-N-One: The complete works (pseudonyms included) by Joseph J. Tuttle". I think that book is probably the best value out of all of his books, and not solely based on the price. I've purchased almost all of his booklets and I've had great results. But, I truly believe that if he were to placate his readership, just a tad; he'd sell a lot more of his books. He's is honestly borderline arrogant in his writing mannerisms. In closing out this review, I must say that his accessibility is by far his greatest asset. How many times have you had an I-M conversation with Andrew Beyer, or Dave Litfin? Or better still an actual phone conversation? He's great in that regard. He always puts his email address in his books. And, I think he actually likes people such as myself that constantly bombard him with questions. That's his best trait!!!
   
   
   p.s. To R. Malloy and Rod Allison,(Men that wrote poor reviews of "Speed, Speed, and Nothing but Speed)
   
   
   I had a sweet score today (Aug. 30th 2008) on a 5-1 shot in the 1st @ Toga, because of Joseph J. Tuttle's progression/regression system. 200 to win, and a 20 dollar double wheel. Since buying his first book....."The Ultimate Guide to Beating Baseball", I'm up well over 9k in about 4 or 5 months! This has been the best stretch of gambling on horses or games, in my entire young life.
   
   
   I GO BY RESULTS AND SO SHOULD ALL OF YOU! THE MAN IN A WORD, IS SIMPLY A "WINNER"! Now, so am I.
   
   
   
   I'm out!
   
   J.R.



4. Just recently downloaded this book, and I think I'm going to have to read it again. The only reason I bought this book in the first place, was due to the fact that this author mentions Joseph Tuttle, a man that I've become quite the fan of. I personally (especially for a woman), consider myself a little bit more analytically inclined than most, and I still thought it was a little complicated. Highly intriguing, highly informative, but I certainly see myself having to read this once more to fully grasp all of this information.
   
   p.s. Considering this book is less than 80 pages long, it really does pack a punch! Had I not felt a little overwhelmed by the material it would have certainly have gotten 5 stars.



5. I found Mr. Tuttle's book fascinating with a different approach to speed handicapping. It really comes down to being disciplined and also having the ability to realize when your methods may not be working that day and being able to capitalize on what is working. Sometimes you need to shift gears. I think recognizing daily trends is half the battle for long term winning along with using sound principles. What makes this book great is that Mr. Tuttle goes to the extra step of allowing you to contact him via e-mail or in some cases by phone, especially when you have questions or when you want to know more about his methods. Communicating with him made me understand the book so much better and made me realize how much he knows about horse racing. I would recommend this book for the person who finds their systems and odds have been diluted due to the public "catching on". Even Andrew Beyer stated (in the book Longshots 2) the nature of handicapping is changing and will change due to so much data, software, on-line wagering available these days. New methods must be developed out of necessity in order to keep up with the constant bombardment of new angles that constantly changes the landscape of horse handicapping, wagering and odds. This seems like that kind of book in regard to new and fresh methods. I especially especially enjoyed the chapter about "regression" and "progression" theory analysis. Good luck.

5 comments about Dark Age of Camelot: The Atlas.

1. The DAoC atlas is a clear, informative guide to all the zones in the three realms of the original Camelot world (SI expansion not included). Unlike the Prima strategy guide for the game, or the SI guide, it is well-organised and easy to find things in. Each zone has a topo map and a map with major monsters listed on it, as well as information about loot drops and suggestions for hunting. You will want it on your desk!



2. The only reason this gets 2 stars is because its a little better than the first version but not by much. Maps are terrible, char guides are bad, inconsistent and wrong, online information is easier to find and use. Mob info is sparse and usless, drop info is just a print out. Sorry I want this to be a good book but its not. If you are totally new to the game you may feel that this is a good companion to your gaming however if you have any char > lvl 40 its kinna useless.



3. OK, i'll be first to admit that it's handy to have the book around while i'm playing. having said that, prima really should've done their homework before putting out this "new and revised" edition. Or at least put out free addendums on the net somewhere! If you buy the book, remember that websites like the herald exist that are far more up to date and accurate than this book could ever be. Spell line info especially. DO NOT rely on this book for planning your character spec!!!



4. What is wrong with u guys! Its an ON-LINE GAME! Your supposed to make mistakes and get strong the hard way! Thats what makes it FUN! I could understand you using a strategy guide to beat an Xbox RPG, but not on-line. It takes all the fun out of it! But hey, if your too much of a wimp to make some mistakes on the game, than buy. You'll get strong, but you'll never have true power.



5. I was actually one of the people that helped put this book together. I must say that I was a bit dissapointed with the finished product when compared to what we envisioned. The monster listing and loot listings are very handy though, especially when you are trying to level up, but with the curse of deadlines and having to ship to the printer, many things got left out.
   
   Also, since DAoC is a persistent world, there are always updates to the content. When the book came out, it was an adequate resource, but now it is sadly out of date. However, I have high hopes for the Catacombs guide. Give that a look!

No comments about Azurik: Rise of Perathia: Prima's Official Strategy Guide.

2 comments about Hexen 2 Authorized Guide (Official Strategy Guides).

1. Hexen 2 is probably the best game as of this day. It combines beautiful 128-bit graphics with strategy & action that only Raven software and its staff can create. Doom had worse graphics and was quite boring since there was no decisions you had to make (you were simply supposed to shoot everybody). Raven software was very creative in making this game (for example no other 3-D game ever had their boss grow in size so realistically and the archers in this game are by no means stupid--they will quickly dodge your attacks). The strategy guide for this game explains almost everything. The illustrations allow you to imagine the creatures and places better. Since Hexen 2 came out I have never seen as better game. And there probably won't be (at least until Raven software creates a new game in the Hexen series.



2. what is this helpp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2 comments about The Alfred Hitchcock Triviography and Quiz Book.

1. This book is worth it for the list of his cameos alone, but there are sixty-five other quizzes that are just as entertaining and illuminating. I can totally see someone going out and renting "Lifeboat" or any of his other movies just to answer the always challenging and sometimes thought-provoking trivia questions. Round up your movie nerd friends and have a ball. This may be more fun than the Kevin Bacon game.



2. This book has good Hitchcock trivia. However, it is quite restrictive in scope as it deals only with Hitchcock. For readers who are interested in other subjects too, I would recommend the book "Quizzing"