5 comments about Kingdom Hearts Official Strategy Guide.

1. Really great guide! Again, I would be lost without it! Took me forever to beat because my disc went bad. So I borrowed a friend's. ^_^ It's not a hard game.... Just takes a little getting used to.



2. Everything is written and shown in an orderly fashion. It doesn't leave you confused. It leads you step to step through the game.



3. My nephew is really happy to receive this book. There was one part in the game that he could not work out so I found this book on amazon and I brought it for him. He can now fine the answers to the hard parts that are in the game.



4. Product was very good and it was in the condition they said it was in.



5. This guide really helped me out in the game as well. I wouldn't have beat it without it. I'm glad I bought it. Now I've played through it once and play it for many years to come.

No comments about World of the Warcraft Atlas: Wrath of the Lich King (Brady Games - World of Warcraft).

5 comments about What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. Second Edition: Revised and Updated Edition.

1. Not sure why the author who does make some good points, couldn't find a way to express those without trying to sound important. The writing style got between his message (which was interesting) and his delivery. I finished it, got some value, but in comparison to other authors, this was a letdown.



2. Great book and delightful read. If you are a teacher or work in education to help direct new initiatives with technology and learning, you should read this.



3. First of all, this book is not written as a general public book, it is written much more in the vein of a college graduate's analysis. Heavy discussion of the effects of video games on the semiotic domain underpin the analysis. That being said, this book is a good analysis of the effects of video games on those that play them.
   
   If you want a general public analysis of the effects of entertainment (and video games) on people, check out Steven Johnson's "Everything Bad is Good For You." This book is a deeper analysis of part of Steven Johnson's book, so it might be best as a follow-up purchase.
   
   My biggest complaint about James Paul Gee's book is more with the copy editor and publisher. There are so many poorly written or incorrectly written sentences that should have been caught and corrected. It really affects the perceptions about the book's research.



4. I'd always sort of believed the "video games are a waste of time" thing just because I'd heard it so much. This book is good but I couldn't understand all the technical stuff but I think I got the just of it. I actually had to write a persuasive essay on the HSPA (High School Profficiancy Assessment) agreeing or disagreeing with the hypothetical decision of some kind of governmental authority (I forget which one, congress maybe?) to ban all noneducational video games. I'd read the first few pages of the book and it helped. Now I regret ever believing that waste of time stuff.



5. Gee's background in linguistics and current interests in education inform this discussion of video games, as he clearly outlines over thirty good learning principles that teachers can glean from the practice of gaming and apply to their classrooms. Gee's book should be commended for its detailed analysis of particular games--too often, theorists discussing games tend to shy away from minute description of their own interactions with games and go straight for lessons learned or abstract ideas garnered from gameplay. Gee also has a talent for talking openly and humorously about his development from non-gaming baby boomer to avid but still sometimes inept gamer.
   
   If you're already convinced that video games are cultural objects worthy of study, Gee will only confirm your opinion. However, if you look at the book's title and can't contain a derisive snort, give Gee a chance. According to Gee, good video games (and yes, not all video games are good) model active, participatory, and embodied learning, a kind of learning often scarce in traditional school curricula. Good games demonstrate the effectiveness of pattern recognition over rule-based or rote learning, and they encourage players to reflect at a meta level not only about their own identity but also their practices, often via the formation of affinity groups both within and outside of the game world. At their best, gamers become producers, creatively "modding" their own gaming experiences and sharing information with others who take play seriously.

5 comments about The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon--The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World.

1. Very Sad I wasted the money on this book.
   
   It has some good factual material and seems to be complete...but comparing against other video game history books...this one is dry.
   
   Very few black and white pictures...
   
   This book will put you to sleep...sorry just not happy with this one.



2. Having been playing games since 1989, when I was four years old, I feel like video game history is a part of my own personal history. I picked this book up to satisfy my nostalgic needs, but I do have a few problems with it that left me wanting more. First off, I want to say that this book is a quick and easy read, and it is incredibly informative about the history of console and arcade games, ranging from the origins of company histories, to the Atari, all the way to the Playstation 2. I learned a lot of interesting little tidbits of information packed away in video game history that I've never even heard working at a game store for the last year.
   
   Now on to my problems with the book...the biggest one is that I've been more into computer games than consoles since Doom came out in 1993, and this book is severely lacking in any PC Gaming storyline. The book does talk about DOOM revolutionizing the 3d graphics in computer games, and details a little bit about "Doom clones" such as Duke 3D and Quake, then says nothing about PC games for the rest of the book. What the heck! As if Age of Empires, Warcraft, Diablo, Everquest, Ultima Online, or any other '90s computer game wasn't as important as the countless Mario and Sonic sequels!
   
   Another problem with the book: It's seven years old! A lot has happened since then. Update, please!
   
   All in all, this book is a must-have for anyone that grew up on Mario and Sonic. The book focuses more on the successes and failures of the companies involved (Atari, Activision, Nintendo, Sega, etc.) than the evolution of gameplay, but not so much that it loses the average sitting-in-front-of-the-TV gamer. I just wish out of 624 pages the author could've dedicated more to PC games, and that an update would come out soon.



3. I think this book should be renamed to "The Ultimate History of ME!" cause it pretty much tells the story of my life growing up with consoles and trips to the arcade.
   
   It's a wealth of knowledge, the most concise history of video games you'll find out there - and best of all it's a fun, exciting read. The size can be a bit intimidating, but any fans of video games will fly right through this.
   
   Highly recommended for any former video game addicts from the 80's like myself!



4. great reading I would have given this 5 stars but there were hardly any pics of any of the retro game machines ,and I think more could have been written about atari I mean it was the company that started it all.
   It kind of seemed geared more to nintendo in my opinion with chapter after chapter devoted to them .but all in all a good read .



5. TUHOVG is a long and intriguing book that covers the earliest interactive computer experiments and progresses pseudo-chronologically through each major movement up to the start of the new millennium. The account provided for the early years of gaming is particularly detailed and well crafted while the details on gaming history post-80's lacks the same luster. Kent's "History" is more a history of the business decisions and financial climates under which the gaming industry thrived and suffered and much less an account of the particular games, game designers, and technological breakthroughs that marked the milestones in the progression of the art form. Ultimately, Kent provides the reader with a wealth of research and interviews, warranting the 4-star rating given by this reviewer. While Kent steers clear of pandering to the hardcore gamer crowd in this volume, he also proves to lack deep or unique insights into the nature of the Video Game form.

1 comments about Madden NFL 09: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides).

1. so here is my review if your a madden fan and know the game then this is the best chance for you to understand the plays and prevent your opposite team from scoring. With this guide you can learn all offense and defense plays,, not to mention learn all the tricks to causing fumbles and catching interceptions. If your a huge madden fan and don't really know the entire play book this is the book for you.Learn all the skills and build your team to be the best..

2 comments about Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness Official Strategy Guide (Bradygames Strategy Guides).

1. -animal guide
   -crop guide
   -recipe guide
   -Bachelor and Bachelorette Guide
   -heart event guide
   
   all in one!! BUY IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!



2. This guide book is all you need for a great start on Sunny Island! It's got everything from maps, character profiles, crop guides, price lists, animals guides, and much, much more!! Definately worth it!

5 comments about World of Warcraft Dungeon Companion.

1. If you're semi-new to the game and never ran the dungeons listed in this guide, then this will come in very handy. Most of us old-school WoW players know the info provided, but not all of it. I'm an Alliance player but when I created a Horde character this guide helped loads with instance quest info and such. And I still use it when trying to remember the pattern for the ST statues on my alts. ^_^;;
   
   Good Features:
   - Instance maps.
   - Very detailed walkthoughs and strategies for each instance.
   - General info about all instances such as level, location, types of mobs within, etc. so you're always prepared.
   - Details about every quest associated with the dungeon. This includes chain quests. (I want to express how awesome this part is... It tells you the quest givers, where to find them, the level requirement, description on what to do to complete the quest, and where to turn it in. Even lists rewards.)
   - Pictures of the instance. Hey, pictures are always good!
   
   Bad Points:
   - The loot table needs work. It's horribly organized and laid out.
   - The suggested "group make ups" and tips are off. Most of it is oppinionated and incorrect. (Other than the general "Need a tank, healer, CC, DPS" parts.... which are "duh")
   - You could get all this info on thottbot or other sites for free. =P (However I personally like to have a solid book full of info to read when I'm off the comp or whatever. But that's just me.)
   
   So yeah, go ahead and pick it up. Even if you're like me and don't really "need" it, or you use thottbot... it's still a nice guide for the price and you can take it with you wherever. If nothing else it's an interesting read.



2. A seemingly good idea in concept, an unbelievably bad idea in reality.
   These guides suffer from a few issues, that ultimately make them a bad purchase.
   
   (1.) Obviously a printed guide for an online game, won't be up-to-date, but these guides are hopelessly out of date. This fact alone makes these guides a complete and total waste of money. If you really want a guide, buy the .PDF version from Brady's website or ask Amazon to carry the .PDF version. The .PDF version is updated periodically throughout the year.
   
   (2.) Due to the nature of all the games being released at any given time, there are lots of guides to write. Understandably they must be pressed for time. But these guides seem to have be so rushed that there are typos, incorrect information and missing information. Mistakes like these can make the guide unusable at times.
   
   (3.) Any guide will likely be used by newer players. They will need to find information quickly and easily. Whoever setup these guides doe not understand information design or the essential needs of a new player. Even if you skip reason 1 and 2, when you actually use the guide, you will likely be frustrated many times.
   
   For they quickest way to find WoW info and answer your questions bookmark wowwiki.com, wowhead.com and thottbot.com



3. For many WoW players, one of their first group activities is the dungeon adventure. Therefore, this book isn't just good in showing you how to defeat the big boss and what great loot is there, it also gives you hints on how to interact with the other players. And let's face it, the screen loading hints only tell you so much! With this guide, there is a lot of info on what each class can do and how best to be part of a team, so that you don't anger the other players by accident or on purpose. After all, WoW is first and foremost a multiplayer game, and the dungeon adventure is the biggest element of the mutliplayer interactivity (other than PVP).
   
   This book can use an update, but even in this state, it's still very useful today. Highly recommended for a novice WoW player.



4. There is no doubt you have spent your money in the right place if you buy this book. Wanna run dungeons one time, with all the quests in your log, buy this book and its made simple.



5. This reference work may have been more helpful when it first came out, but now it lags behind the actual content that it is attempting to reveal. The work covers all of the instances from the original game (before any patches) and does so in alphabetical order as opposed to a more-helpful level-of-instance organization. On its own merits, it provides a sound basic understanding of the instances level 1-60 players may encounter. In addition, it also goes into the single and chain quests for each faction that are part of each dungeon--especially helpful if you want to go after Onyxia, for example, which involves the longest chain in the pre-BC game.
   
   The work does suffer from several problems, though. Blizzard has released numerous patches and updates since the book's publication, rendering much of the content obsolete. The typeface and layout of the book tend to be quite wearying on the eyes, so spending a lot of time reading it in one sitting is not advisable. Finally, Brady seems to have cut the budget for proofreading, as there are numerous spelling and typographical errors in the work. This last point may seem trivial, but if WoW had as many mistakes in it as this book has, gamers would have run away from it in frustration long ago.
   
   While this work is still helpful in several aspects, its age (in computer gaming terms, anyway) prevents it from being an end-all, be-all for the WoW gamer. The reader should use it for a general overview of what a dungeon is all about, but then should use the constantly-updated resources online to give the specifics as to how to run each dungeon and to keep up with all the modifications that Blizzard has made since this work's publication.

5 comments about Pokemon Diamond & Pearl (Prima Official Game Guide).

1. The only benefit of using this guide is that it's portable. It is vague and the page order doesn't exactly follow story order. The guide doesn't give any pokedex info, which IMO is the most important part of the game. Instead it focuses on general aspects of the storyline, contests, battling, and other parts of the game that are explained IN THE GAME.
   
   There is no reason to buy this book, instead, buy the second volume/pokedex of the guide. If you get stuck in these games, instead of wasting your money on this vague and confusing guide, go to Google and search for "Pokemon Diamond Walkthrough"



2. The good thing about this guide is that it tells you what to do. It also has tons of stuff in the back of the book like contests and where to find all items, HMs and TMs. I would never have beat the game without this guide. The bad things are that the pokemon trainers and their pokemon are not listed and the order of events are way too confusing. Many are out of order and some events should be listed toward the end of the book, such as "Unfinished Business". Overall: OK



3. Ok, I bought this guide and while it does tell you where to go and how to do things it is kind of hard to understand because you go back and forth between the towns in some parts of the game. It makes it really confusing use it when they are all put in sequence of town when you arent really doing anything in that town until later and then later it doesnt show up you have to look back and figure out where you need to go from there.
   
   The other main reason I bought this book was because it said that it had a full pokedex. I loved the good old days when a pokedex ment you knew the pokemons evolution levels and what level they would gain a new move. It would tell you what TMs that pokemon could learn and all that. This guide is not for you if that is what you are looking for! It basically just showes the pokemon and what page # to find them on. And that doesnt help either because it doesnt really tell you much about them on those pages either.
   
   So in my opinion this guide is somewhat usable but very confusing and doesnt give the right information. I would try nintendo power guides instead.



4. This guide is bad and lacks much information in the maps, they should've made it as good as the nintendo power version or not at all. I give it two stars because it told me where to go at one point where i was really stuck.
   
   Buy the NP version



5. I bought this game with the hope that they had done away with some of the overly childish and frankly lame additions that were included in the emerald and ruby versions i.e. the pokemon contests for instance. They should have stuck with what they had going good with gold and silver. those games simply added to the strategies possible and made battling monsters that much more exciting. These games are getting further and further away from what they were originally, Battling cool looking monsters and becoming the strongest trainer the world has ever seen. Now it's all about dressing up your pokemon(seriously!) and taking them for walks in a park(couldn't make this up) and baking(baking....yeah that's what I thought too...) they have added in a lot of pokemon that are about as intimidating as a newborn kitten. I feel like less of a man for playing this. Granted there are some cool additions, like the underground were you can go hunt for burried treasure and find fossils and stones and acient plates ect. as well as a couple of cool mythical pokemon. But overall, unless you wish you could dress up your pokemon or bake some poffins with your friends on wifi than I would suggest that this game isn't for you

5 comments about Official Final Fantasy VII Strategy Guide, Playstation Version.

1. really helps with the game when you get lost or if you want to find the hidden things.



2. My husband had this book with his game and used it alot. However...he forgot to put it up and our 2 yr old son got ahold of it and he had to get a new one!



3. This guide is great, it covers everything in the entire game. It even arrived 2 days earlier than expected!! Definitely worth the money.



4. Finally playing out FFVII to learn the original story. This walkthrough is a helpful guide through the complex world of Midgar, Shinra, Cloud and party, Chocobos and monsters. Loads of technical info help equip Materia and items, weapons and accessories properly.
   The relatively low resolution of the Playstation game is a difficulty present generation gamers need help with (like me). It is sometimes hard to tell just what is going on when the charachters look like they are Lego people shooting pixels.
   At times I found the walkthrough maps dense, too dark, and filled with letters and numbers not easy to relate to a legend.
   The sequence of your wanderings is essential for a coherent story. This walkthrough pays close attention to this need and has allowed me to experience the memorable encounters and hi-res scenes recently recreated in Advent Children so well.
   This walkthrough is already dog-eared and worn though I'm barely halfway through. I'm sure it will have served me well to the 'Final' boss.



5. I bought this guide first of all as a Final Fantasy series fan and in second place to get all my game could provide. I just find the guide pretty complete, I got to know some summons I never watched before. Overall is a very useful resource if you have the game or just to have an item of FF series to collect.

5 comments about World of Warcraft Master Guide, Second Edition (World of Warcraft).

1. If you are looking for information or maps on Outlands - this is not the book for you. Burning Crusades was introduced well over a year ago and this book has not even a hint. If you have Master Guide one - stick with it for the lower levels - it at least has decent maps. If you don't have either then look it up on Thottbot - cheaper and more up to date.



2. My husband who doesn't read, reads this book daily. It really helps with the WOW game. If you play this game you will love this book.



3. The book had really great tips but the quest data and items need to be updated, the book wasnt really layed out very well, as every other wow book, but its the information that counts and it is helpful



4. Do not waste your money. I bought this guide thinking it would give me some good information on how to get things done. ie quests, leveling, gold accumulation. However it is merely a compendium of WOW not much better than the manual included with the game. There us much better information available at various internet sites that you can get for free.



5. I didn't find this book to be formatted in a useful way. There was no logic to the layout, and as a newbie to the game, I found it difficult to find the information I needed. I gave it two stars because I was at least able to use some of the maps.