1 comments about Maya for Games: Modeling and Texturing Techniques with Maya and Mudbox.

1. I've gone through all the Autodesk books on Maya and while they were pretty good, that's all they were - pretty good. They just give a grand tour of every single feature of Maya and about half of them are of questionable use for someone aiming to learn about making game assets with Maya.
   
   I say making game assets because the author covers not only modeling in polygon mode with some unique methods that I found make things much easier, but he also extensively covers ways to UV map and special Mudbox and Maya tricks that are going to cut down on my production time dramatically. He also covers baking occlusion maps into textures and other texturing tricks that make it much easier to create good textures without spending countless hours handpainting textures.
   
   In addition, he has lots of practical advice. For example, while many books offer suggestions for customizing GUI, most of them seem questionable or esoteric to me - not the sort of things that are going to help most people and more preference than anything else. I found that the GUI customization tips alone almost justify picking up the book, though.
   
   Overall, the biggest thing to recommend this book is simply that it will save you time. Everything is laid out in an efficient and easy to read way and likewise, it lends itself to an easy and efficient workflow that yields better results than any other techniques I've learned.
   
   The only thing lacking is covering animation and rigging much (beyond the scope of the book) and the mudbox version used is the previous version with no 3D painting. That was a dissapointment because I really would have loved to see some 3D texturing tips as well, but the uses he made of mudbox were very surprising in their effectiveness and creativity; it's obvious he is a truly top notch artist, but unlike many of the other authors out there he's able to get across to you how to get results yourself and get them quickly.

1 comments about Dark Sector Official Strategy Guide (Brady Games) (Brady Games) (Official Strategy Guides (Bradygames)).

1. As far as most Bradygames guides go, this one is pretty standard fair. It has a nice layout with interesting photos. The walkthrough contains a lot of helpful details. All of that text does require that the photos be a bit small, but they are pretty clear. There are nice descriptions of all of the characters. The info on the multiplayer is pretty short, but there are only two multiplayer options, so you do the math. There is a lot of information about Hayden's abilities, boss battle strategy, and back story. It's a pretty good companion piece to a pretty good game.

5 comments about Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Official Strategy Guide.

1. Metal Gear Solid 3 is an incredible game no matter how you play it. But go through it without some help and you're bound to miss something. This guide is almost perfect in everyway possible. But there are some troubling things that keep this guide down a little.
   
   First of all, this tome is jampacked with tons of helpful tips. Everything you need in the opening pages to know about the game is there. The guide details on all the basics of CQC. From the basics to the advanced tactics. You'll be a master of CQC. The guide also spends a lot of time detailing everything about the food.
   
   The food section tells you if you can use it on enemies or not and how. They also tell you how it taste and whether its worth eating or not. The cure section tells you all you need to cure wounds and how to do it.
   
   The walkthrough is very well written. Each section has a detailed set of maps, the location of every guard and the location of every item. It's very well written too, with EXCELLENT boss strategies that help out really well. Each portion of the walkthrough is broken down by area rather than objective. This is great in the sense that it's more organized. The walkthrough is actually done really well with great tactics. This is easily one of the most well written walkthroughs I've ever read.
   
   The Easter Eggs and secrets are really cool. They go into detail on some of the better ones and talk about the bonuses and such. The secrets chapter is also done well. Alongside that, the Snake vs. Monkeys is also done really well. Each strategy to take on the monkeys helps you get excellent times and even first place assuming you take them in the recommended orders.
   
   Then there's the stuff after the meat of the game. The interviews are spectacular and help you learn more than anything about the production of the game and the MGS series. After that there's an excerpt from the Konami Comic Book of Metal Gear Solid. This is an incredible comic. It may actually make you want to by the series.
   
   But the guide isn't without a few faults. For one, the walkthrough is only written for Normal mode. There are areas where there are more guards and such and the guide doesn't talk about that. What's the difference between playing the game on Normal and Extreme? You'd be surprised how many hardcore MGS fans just jump to Hard Mode without ever touching the lower difficulty levels.
   
   The guide also mentions that there are "secret" frequencies to call but they never tell you what the frequency is! They mention that you have to interrogate a guard in order to get it. But they still don't detail what the frequency is or what it does...
   
   Then there's the biggy (and the reason five stars was an impossible feet), there are several easter eggs and secrets missing! They don't mention that you can get the EZ Gun on other difficulty levels nor do they mention anything of the infinity face paint. Not only that but they never mention how it is you're supposed to come across certain ranks. All the ranks are listed but how do I get say... the "FOX" ranking? The guide doesn't detail it.
   
   It really is a good guide, almost perfect. But the small tidbits (and the one rather large rat) are annoying at times. I wish it was a bit more detailed on some of the secrets and gave more insight for the different difficulty levels.
   
   Either way though, this is the perfect MGS3 companion. You shouldn't have any trouble getting through the game without it. It'll help you conquer the game and even master it at some point. But be warned that this guide is only good for its walkthrough and not much else.



2. Bradygames brings us this strategy guide for Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater for the Playstation 2. This is a fairly large paperback edition and is filled with details about the game and color screenshots from the game. The most important thing to note about this guide is that it only covers the walkthrough of the game on the "Normal" difficulty setting. While the maps would be the same on "Easy" or "Hard", the number of enemies and their locations would change on the more challenging difficulties. The location of certain items may also change, but this guide does not cover any other difficulty but "Normal". Since I played through the game on "Normal" mode, I can speak for how helpful it was for that difficulty.
   
   The first thing to note is that this guide is packed with information. The guide begins by covering all of the items, weapons, camouflage, and different fighting techniques. Everything is listed at the start of the guide. This is very nice, but I didn't find myself flipping back to check out the techniques or items. I just used whatever basic moves that I could remember and worked my way through the game and took whatever came my way.
   
   The real reason to buy a guide, however, is the walkthrough of the game. Before every section of the game, this guide includes a map of the area and small diagrams of where the enemies are and what sort of patrol pattern that they walk. This is helpful, but not nearly as much as it was in the guide for Metal Gear Solid 2. The problem here is simply that instead of being inside a building the entire game, the player is mostly outside in a forest or swamp. So, while the guards may walk a particular pattern it was difficult to determine just where you are on the map. What the map truly helped with was to give a general idea of where the enemies are, how many, and a general idea of where the items are. The text walkthrough (with some screenshots) is where the true value of this guide is. The text is clear in where you are, where you are going, and what you have to face. I've been playing video games for at least fifteen years, but Metal Gear Solid 3 is a challenging game without a walkthrough. The boss strategies are also quite helpful and helped me to beat them (as well as helped me defeat a couple of bosses with only the tranquilizer dart).
   
   There is also a section which covers little "Easter Eggs", like hidden posters and figurines which reference previous Metal Gear games. It isn't terribly important, but it does add a little extra flavor. There is also a walkthrough of the Snake Vs Monkey mini-game (which I didn't bother playing).
   
   Without this guide I would have missed many items (I have no doubt about that), been spotted by guards more often than I was (which was often), been killed many more times than I was (very few times), and spent quite a bit more time than the 24 hours that it took me to conquer the game. While this guide could have been more clear and helpful with maps and enemy locations, it was invaluable in getting me through this game. The guide is probably not essential to get the player through this game, but I have to say that it helps a lot.
   
   -Joe Sherry



3. Sorry but this guide is good for the getting through the storyline-After that its nearly useless! The book doesn't tell you all the secrets! or what happens if you kill all the toy frogs!



4. maps are a bit confusing. Picture illistration are small and not very clear. the control pictures in the illistations are also hard to see.



5. I purchased the Essential Collection, and, I must say, it is also excellent. This guide has a detailed walkthrough, bonus section, items and weapons listing. The boss strategy is also excellent, along with the food listing, and it completely explains how to cure every wound or sickness. I highly recommend it.

5 comments about Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).

1. The Prima guides for all of the previous Tomb Raider games have been spot on and extremely helpful for those times you when your in a tight spot and don't know how to get out of it. The guide for AOD however is plain misleading. I chucked mine aside and decided to wing it on my own. Apparently the guide was written way before the game was finished, so some things just don't add up, somethings don't even appear in the game and some things are completely missing. I hate to say this but don't waste your money. If you're really stuck, you're much better off hitting the various tomb raider BB's on the web. Much more helpful!



2. Tombraider is an awesome game, i would highly recommend this book. There are several puzzles, secrets etc..that without this book you would not be able to find.



3. This guide is good most of the time but there are parts of it that are totally wrong. Lots of time it'll tell you to kill the guard and collect his gun. Only there is no gun there. This is either a problem with the game or with the book. There are so many bugs with the game it is hard to tell. Anyway, both the game and the book are terrible. Eidos should be embarrassed.



4. I'm on the 26th level, and this book got me through the last 25 levels. I'm so happy that Prima came out with this book. It tells where all the items you need are, it tells where all the secrets are, etc. It even gives detail on what you're supposed to do on both Lara and Kurtis's missions. It was very helpful to me, so it should be helpful to you!!!



5. A week after Tomb Raider: The Angel Of Darkness came out, i bought my PS2. Along with the console and the game i bought Prima's *official* Strategy Guide. Upon starting to play, the first few levels are simple so there really isn't a use for the book until a level like Louivre Storm Drains and some of the levels following it. The guide helped me easily through some tough levels, but others like Louivre Galleries, i had serious problems. In the galleries, the guide instructed me to shimmy over four trip wires (2 of which were moving), i later came to find out this was IMPOSSIBLE. You instead must do a running jump over the wires from one of the display cases. Another problem surfaced in the Hall Of Seasons level. In that level i spent an hour trying to figure out why the door in the basement wouldn't open, i came to find out that you had to place 4 crystals by the entrance door (this wasn't mentioned in the guide). The guide caused me hours of frustration, making gameplay very uncomfortable. However, i'm giving this "official" guide 2 stars because it helped me through some levels in the game. The reason, i later found out, for these glitches in the book, were because Prima made this guide for the Sep. 02 release of AoD, they never updated it after the delays. This guide, in my opinion, isn't worth the almost twenty bucks i paid for it, the only thing i got out of this guide that was enjoyable was the full poster inside.

5 comments about Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria Official Strategy Guide.

1. I have to start by saying that I really don't think this is a "poor" guide, per se, but it's definitely not one of Bradygames' better ones. I've noticed a distinct pattern in Bradygames' guides - they tend to alternate in quality, with one being great and the next being useless. The guide for Dragon Quest VIII wasn't good, for example, but the guide for Xenosaga: Episode 3 was great. Unfortunately, the pattern continues here, as this guide for Valkyrie Profile: Silmeria is mediocre, an overall disappointment.
   
   While the guide provides maps - not the best quality, but at least they're there - it really provides little in the way of a walkthrough or strategy, save a few comments peppered here and there. While locations that you visit are clearly laid out in the recommended order, a thorough, detailed walkthrough with directed suggestions/hints is absent. Often, the strategy for a particular location (many of which are extremely complex) is limited to a paragraph of general tips with little specific information.
   
   But hey, at least there's *some* walkthrough, right? Unfortunately, the guide falters elsewhere as well. When it comes to recruiting einherjars, the guide will point out when you get them, but fails to suggest when to release them or what equipment to give them at that time to maximize the stat-boosting items you receive afterwards. The guide is equally inept at suggesting equipment to purchase, or in recommending which of countless rune-word-based skills you should attempt to learn at what time.
   
   While I don't expect to have my hand held every step of the way, my take on it is this: if I'm going to pay $15-20 for a book that tells me how to play the game to maximize rewards, find all of the hidden goodies, and get the best ending, then I expect the guide to publish that information. Without it, it's little more than an incomplete reference - an atlas with maps, pretty pictures, and not much else.
   
   While no guide can ever be totally comprehensive, it can easily provide more information than this one does. The walkthrough, while passable, is still incomplete; other tips, tricks, and pointers are almost absent. Not as bad as some of the guides I've seen, true, but this one isn't worth the cover price either.
   
   And Bradygames, please start holding all of your guides to the same standard instead of letting short, incomplete ones like this one slip through the cracks. Bottom line: skip this one and use a walkthrough or FAQ you find online. Save your money for the (hopefully better) guide to FFXII.



2. I have to agree with the other reviewer in that this is a mediocre book at best. It is extremely brief in its approach, especially for a game as complex as this one. You basically just get a map of the dungeon and a few tidbits on item locations. They don't go over what enemy parts you should break for runes/items, they don't tell you how to manipulate the sealstones, there isn't anything on releasing einherjars, etc.
   
   Save your money and wait for someone to write a good guide online..



3. This guide is great but there is a little problem:
   The most of important items writing on the book has different name in the game. This is the only disadvantage that i considered. The remaining of this guide is great, at least for me. THE GAME is THE BEST!!!



4. The guide book contains great figures of characters, including their profiles. If the book had a way to get those tricky treasure, it would be better.



5. Bradygames nous a habitué a beaucoup mieux...
   Le cheminement est pour ainsi dire inexistant, les cartes sont trop petites et illisibles et les tableaux récapitulatifs des objets ne sont pas illustrés ce qui les rend particulièrepment indigestes.
   Je m'attendais à un guide qui me permettrait de traverser le Seraphic Gate sans trop de problème mais la seule information que l'on vous donnera sur ce donjon, c'est le nom des boss et leurs caractéristiques : les puzzles sont totalement ignorés !
   Un point positif (tout de même) : Les énigmes du jeu sont bien expliquées.
   
   Conclusion : n'achetez pas ce guide, les FAQ du net sont autrement plus complètes et précises.
   Conclusion : Don't buy this book, FAQ on the Net are much better

5 comments about Official Fallout 2: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game : Strategies & Secrets.

1. This strategy guide is perfect. It has everything a Fallout player needs. It has descriptions of weapons, armour, non-player characters (NPC's) and more! And the maps are extermly helpful. Some may say it will spoil the game but that's not true, the guide offers you help if your stuck or want a piece of info. You don't have to read the whole guide if you think that will spoil everything. I myself read the whole guide and I think it didn't spoil the game at all. Actually, I think it made the game even more interesting! So for all the Fallout players this is recommended but of course many will want to try beating the game without help but that is nearly impossible because every Fallout player needs help every once in a while.

   - Vitali Gusatinsky




2. The first fallout strategy was better. The walktrhough is especially weak and it misses a lot of the fun parts of the game. If you want a good strategy guide on this 5 star game, just search the web for the no mutants allowed web site. To the book's credit though, it does have a nice listing of the items and weapons, although some of the items and weapons are missing.



3. Although I found that many facts were explained along with some great support I thought that the general layout was awful. I also believe that like some others it was missing some vital information that would have brought more life to the game for those that are incapable of finding things on there own (that inclueds me so dont take offence :) ) My suggestions are not to waist your money and look up the stuff on the web. There are a few great walkthroughs out there!



4. If you have never played the game, then play it before you buy the book. You will be disappointed if you try to follow the hints in here. For the rest of us who are die-hard fans, this makes for some good reading, but because it came out before the numerous updates, the info in here is not the most accurate. The maps, however, are the biggest thing in its favor, you get to see the entire cities in one view. buy the book only if you are a hard-core fan, otherwise you won't enjoy it quite as much, there are better walkthroughs on the web.



5. You can use one of the many walk-throughs available online. Just do a search. They work just fine. You really shouldn't pay so much for a guide - they are never worth more that $14.95!

No comments about Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon Official Strategy Guide (Brady Games).

No comments about Viking: Battle for Asgard Official Strategy Guide (Bradygames Official Strategy Guides) (Bradygames Official Strategy Guides).

1 comments about The Everything Movie Crosswords Book: 150 A-list Puzzles That Film Fanatics Will Love (The Everything).

1. Not what I expected. The actual puzzles did not have much to do with the title.

5 comments about Pokemon Ranger: Strategy Guide [The Official Pokeman Strategy Guide] Nintendo.

1. My youngest daughter, who is 12, loves Pokemon! My son used to like them years ago, and he is almost 17! I feel like we get to "recycle" some of the Pokemon cards and other things that he has!
   A happy customer



2. The Guide arrived quickly and helped me get through some tricky areas. Thanks.



3. My 9 year old son has a number of the Prima Game Guides, including this one and loves to get them for all of his games. He has found that it makes the games more interesting as he finds "clues" to do new things that he was not aware of in the game (apparently there are secrets in most games that you just might never see unless you know the way to get to them). He also spots easy-to-understand help on screens that he was having difficulty with so that he does not get frustrated and stop playing the game. He and his friends all use the books, so I DEFINITELY recommend them for your favorite gamer.
   BONUS- They can spend quite a bit of time reading over them to get the most from their games, and reading, no matter what the source, is always a great thing. Though he hates to read the directions that come with the games (he says they are not worth the time and do not have any helpful information anyway...and he is right) he ENJOYS reading these and sharing tips with his buddies.



4. The guide is very helpful aven though some of you might not need it. But to find some of those hard to get secrets you might just want to give this book a chance.



5. If you're really having trouble with the Ranger game, this is worth your time. Otherwise, I wouldn't really recommend it. The maps are probably the best feature, since I tend to get turned around in the caves and forests you have to navigate through. The "Pokemon Browser" at the back helps when you're at a loss as to which pokemon you need to get past, say, a huge boulder or a fence.
   The big downer about this guide is that they dont say anything about the special manaphy mission! You can get that online if you search for it.
   
   Ultimately, other than what I listed as features, this guide is rather useless. Try to find a website that has a guide, instead.