2 comments about The Video Game Explosion: A History from PONG to PlayStation and Beyond.

1. If you're like me and you are looking for a book that provides a comprehensive, authoritative history of video games...keep looking. This is not it.
   
   Starting on page 10, where the chapter's author (and editor of the book) Mark J. P. Wolf cites Defender as an example of a vector arcade game, I found myself stumbling upon inaccurate information sprinkled throughout the book.
   
   Because there are a number of different authors, the chapters tend to vary rather drastically in quality. Some chapters, like Chapter 14 (The Rise of the Home Computer by Bob Rehak) are well-written and very interesting. Another contributor is noted video game historian Leonard Herman (whose own "Phoenix: The Fall and Rise of Video Games" is a far superior book on the subject of video game history). Herman's space must have been limited by the publisher or the editor in this case. For example, his chapter profiling Atari, the most prominent company in early video game history, is a mere three pages long and covers the formative years of the company, the 11 years when Atari was at the height of its success(1972-1983), in only three short paragraphs!
   
   Unfortunately, the well-written and informative chapters are in the minority here. For example, Wolf's chapter profiling the adventure game genre somehow manages to mention neither Infocom (developer of the most popular text adventures ever published on home computer systems) nor World of Warcraft--the online multiplayer adventure game played by millions around the world and considered by most to be the peak of modern adventure game development.
   
   In addition to glaring omissions like these, the research behind the book is extremely spotty. It is obvious to anyone who is familiar with the subject that the information in arcade game chapters is primarily drawn from the Killer List of Video Games [...], an informational site that lists thousands of arcade games. The game names are peppered through these chapters in shotgun fashion, with often questionable release dates but little elaboration on the nature of the games themselves. There is also an obvious unwillingness throughout the book to follow up on games whose histories are hazy (read: not fully documented on KLOV)--in numerous cases game titles, which were probably just culled from a list of a company's games on KLOV, are mentioned but then said to have "possibly never been released." Video games haven't exsisted nearly as long as most other forms of entertainment, so the people who made them are still around for the most part. While you might not be able to ask a 17th century writer if he had ever released some rumored manuscript, one CAN contact video game manufacturers/designers/programmers from the 80s and ask them whether a game was ever released. (I know...I've done it myself. Video game developers are very approachable and, for the most part, easy to find.)
   
   Anyway...the bottom line is that you should save your hard-earned money. If this book had been well researched and consistently well written, I would wholeheartedly endorse dropping $[...] on it. As is, you can pay a fraction of that for Leonard Herman's book or Steve Kent's "The Ultimate History of Video Games" and learn a whole lot more about video game history.



2. I thought Wolf's book had a lot of interesting historical information and useful product information. Being a mom of four school-aged kids, this was important to me. We thought the in-depth information about how games were and are actually made was especially intriguing. I really liked the specific information on the Nintendo and PlayStation games and thought the information on the online role-playing games was truly informative. The layout of the book (detailed table of contents and index) allows a reader to easily find the subject of video games he or she is looking for. The endnotes section contains numerous useful Web site locations to find certain types of games or information on games. This book is a good source of a lot of information in one convenient place.

No comments about Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time.

5 comments about Dino Crisis (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).

1. Don't buy this book. it is the worst strategy guide you will ever see!



2. It had the answers, but was not easy to follow. Getting all the endings were very difficult to follow. Average strategy guide.



3. prima hasnt let me down yet. i dont use strategy guides much(every 9th game or so), but when i do i use prima. they r great help in the "impossible" situations. go prima!



4. Book is sweet as, with everything that you could possibly want to kno about the game in it. buy it and dont play without it and if you dont have the game, then get off your arse and get it fattys.......its a killer of a game and way better than resident evil



5. I have never used a guide before. This one is easy to read. It gave so much and I was very impressed. Great pictures and maps. It doesn't take a genious to follow this one. Prima is the BEST!

1 comments about Valhalla Knights: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides).

1. This guide won't replace the instruction manual that comes with the game, but it is just as important. I got rather confused at first, playing without the guide. Once I got the guide, quests made a lot more sense.

2 comments about Fable: The Lost Chapters (Prima Official Game Guide).

1. Fable can easily be played without a guide but this book will help you flesh out the story and find all the bits and pieces much more easily. The ability to see all of the available hair styles, tattos, weapons, armor etc is very nice.
   
   I especially liked the weapon section so I could figure out exactly which of the uber weapons to look for. Not to mention finding all of the keys I had missed for all of those yummy treasure chests scattered around the world.
   
   Since the guide covers both the PC and console game, there were a couple of spots that evidently were not PC related and it was just a tad confusing a time or two. Like, huh?
   
   Play it through once without the guide if you don't want to spoil the surprises and use the guide after that. But what the heck.
   
   Walkthroughs were complete but it is not necessary to do everything in the exact order given. Do what you are in the mood to do and use the guide to check if you missed something fun.
   
   Well written and very informative. Buy it if you can.



2. I got this guide after having purchased the original guide and used it to great effect with the original game. Unfortunately, this guide isn't as much of a re-write as it is a re-release. There are a number of details missing and a number of errors made in the weapons and armor section (no mention of the Sword of Aeons only doing 240 damage in the book). Overall, the book is still pretty good, but nowhere near as accurate as the original was to the original game. Buy it if you're having trouble doing the easy, tedious tasks (finding keys and getting through demon doors) but don't expect a whole lot of accuracy or detail in the newer sections.

1 comments about Zelda: Wind Waker Player's Guide.

1. I give this Nintendo guide 4 stars only because it doesn't have an overworld fold-out map, which is customary to Zelda literature. ;)
   
   Anyhow, the guide is not completely clear or specific in a couple of locations and people always say: "The devil is in the details".
   Some details are not spelled out thoroughly and left me guessing a bit to find the solution to gameplay.
   Although I have experienced this same confusion in the past with other name brand guides as well ... It happens.
   
   What I do like about this guide is that it does include all pertinent info and screenshots to progress and master the game. It gives you all you need to enjoy the game, but doesn't spoil the adventure of it at the same time.
   I bought mine 12/12/06 for 20 bucks at a local gamers depot.
   
   How it compares to the Prima or Brady guide I have no idea, since I haven't seen their versions.
   Although having bought Prima guides in the past, I was happy with the info they had in them, but it seems they typically spoil more clues than an alzheimers patient playing Clue?.
   
   The thing that turned me away from the other two guides is the Ocarina of Time filler pages ... If I wanted a good OoT guide I would just buy one.
   I would rather have added pages filled with more spreads on the applicable game at hand: Wind Waker, but that's just me. ;)
   
   If I was to do over, I would buy this guide again.
   I can't give it 5 stars because I don't know how it compares to the other two guides available?
   Although I probably should since it meets all my criteria for a guide ... well, besides the lack of an overworld map. ;)

3 comments about Super Mario Bros. 3: Super Mario Advance 4 (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).

1. The book is good.Though the game is pretty easy to understand.The book does not go to the limit as expected.It's good for first time players.You can learn many useful tricks and tricks from it.The guide does not explain every part in great deal.For experienced gamer-Ignore it.



2. While there is no real reason ot buy a guide to Super Mario Brothers 3, it certainly could help some gamers and while this wouldn't be my first choice, it is still a great guide!

   First, I was impressed with all the tricks and tips this guide gave me. It is a pretty easy game to understand so these basic tips aren't really needed, especially for Mario veterans such as myself.

   The walkthrough is nice but this is actually where the guide falls short. If you want a good walkthrough I actually suggest the far superior Nintendo Power guide. This guide doesn't have any maps of the 80+ levels and so it won't help you find everything in a level. Some info is missing from the walkthrough but it'll still get you through the game.

   Aside from that there is the Classic Mario Bros. strategy which you actually shouldn't need, since I'm sure that many of us have been playing that since the first Mario Advance game.

   Overall the guide is pretty good if you need a leg up or some help, but if you're looking to master the game, the Nintendo Power guide would actually be a lot better to get.




3. Sometimes, when I look at these strategy guides, they often don't have enough of the feeling into each of the levels, that there not shown in full focus within a map. That comes with Prima, and their strategy guide for Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Brothers 3, for the Game Boy Advance. The unfortunate disadvantage with this game guide, is that the maps really aren't detailed enough to showcase pitfalls, puzzles and problems to pass the time by. Another disadvantage is that if you have an earlier guide that Nintendo made, whether it was the very first Super Mario 3 guide from the 80's for the original NES game system, or the guide that reflects with the Super NES collection, Super Mario All-Stars than this really isn't a suggested purchase for the Mushroom Kingdom. I really suggest you get the one Nintendo made for Super Mario 3 for the Game Boy Advance, instead of this one. The maps are much more detailed there.

5 comments about From Sun Tzu to Xbox: War and Video Games.

1. I had bought this book in the hopes that it would explore some of the fascinating and complex links in out society between war and games, espically in video games. I was greatly disappointed in the content of this book. Mr. Halter seems to imply throughout the book that the "Video Game Generation" simply will not amount to much due to time spent during the formative years playing vidoe games. He touches little on the complex social networks that have arisen on the internet and over such services as XBOX live, and merely seems to repeat his belife that the United States Army is manipulating an entire generation through it's sponsorship of a video game. In more than a few instances in this book, he seems to imply the tech savy youth of today are bound for failure due to their passion for and lifelong interaction with, video games. This book ends up being more like a manifesto against video games than it does an objective analysis of conflict and it's presence in our society through the guise of video games. I do not recomend it as either an assessment of the video game generation, nor of the interactions and connections between society and conflict. In fact, I don't reccomend it at all.



2. This is a clear-headed and fascinating account of the many complex links between war and video games, some of which I knew something about (America's Army for example) and others I'd never heard about (like the Institute for Creative Technology at the USC, where the Army develops videogames for training). Halter approaches the subject matter with a wry but even-handed manner, and he makes clear that he's an avid game player himself, unlike many political journalists who have taken on similar subjects. He begins in ancient civilizations, runs us through the ways games were used in Victorian times for strategy, and reveals how military needs funded the early hacker culture where video games were invented. About half the book is about the post-9/11 era, however, and the part I knew least about is his final chapter dealing with games about war made by activists and artists. All in all it is a thoroughly entertaining read, and a sharp analysis of the way in which the experience of real war and conflict have seeped into our popular culture for reasons that aren't always obvious.



3. As a professional in the Modeling and Simulation field I see this book as a great analysis of the mistaken belief that because you can play video games you can fight a war and take on complex social problems. Video games are made for entertainment to satisfy the need for humans to play. If you put the psychology of real human beings into video games, you will not have fun game. Mr. Halter's book give great insight into the problems that have to be overcome to create a "realistic" environment for the training of future soldiers, and what we have so far are not even close. The day we can have a kid walk from the video arcade to a M1 Abrams tank and fight effectively we will have reached our goal. . .but, is that where we want to be?



4. I picked up Halter's book almost by accident. Although I'm a military historian and wargamer I've never been interested in the video game genre. I was just about to put the book back on the shelf when I realized the book isn't really about video games per se but about how computer wargames have been shaped by war and how computer wargames fit into our culture.
   
   Halter argues that from the beginning of the computer age, when primarily military money was used to fund computer research and development, to the present there has been an almost symbiotic relationship between computer games and war. One, in turn, fed the other as experience in war led to more realistic computer games which allowed computer wargames (or simulations, if you prefer) to increase the realism of training. At the same time the knowledge created by the military-industrial complex (to which Halter adds academia) spilled into the entertainment industry. This in turn developed more realistic animation and interactive capabilities that went back into the military's training simulation programs.
   
   The book is easy to read, as you'd expect from a journalist, and certainly causes you to think a bit differently about the development of the computer and the entertainment industry as it relates to wargames. The only (small) issues I had was that its focus on the military aspect of computer R&D does not allow a consideration of NASA's impact on computer development. The other issue was that, as a journalist and not an academic, it is not well foot-noted or sourced so you can't go to the sources to verify or validate the information he uses to support his argument.
   
   Having said that, Halter certainly presents an interesting and thought-provoking argument and commentary on the relationship between society and the military as it's connected via computer wargames. I wouldn't want to use it as a source for an academic paper, but it certainly presents a thesis that makes for interesting reading.



5. Mr. Halter's richly informative and highly entertaining exploration of the complex relationship between war and gaming technology sucks you in and doesn't let go until the very last page. War buffs and game enthusiasts alike will find themselves engrossed in this book, but even those of us who approach it with far more limited knowledge will be delighted by the journey into the workings of our own country's war machine.

5 comments about Silent Hill 4: The Room Official Strategy Guide (Signature).

1. I recieved the item, quickly and well packaged...The item was in overgood condition as claimed by the description...I was very satisfied...thanks again



2. I found this guide to be very helpfull. I was stuck on several parts, and this guide helped me through. If you need help with this game, get this guide!



3. You must have this book if you wish to do this game like any Silent Hill or Resindet Evil Game you have to have the book or you will be LOST



4. Recieved my purchase really quickly and with no problems. would buy from this person again.



5. Goes into deep detail on the game. So very very worth it. Tells you all about the hidden things in the game. worth it if your a collector or need help in the game.

3 comments about Mega Man? Battle Network 5 Official Strategy Guide (Official Strategy Guides (Bradygames)).

1. Every single strategy guide for this game has been unbeleivably helpful in helping me complete the game with full satisfaction. This game lists every single chip, all the souls, maps to the roads of the 'net, and much more. This guide is most needed in getting the full satisfaction from the game.



2. I dont need it beacuse i can just look at the FAQS at gamespot or gameFAQS its the same thing exept it doesnt have pictures but i still bought it ^_^ its really good i like the pictures and stuff and it tells you stuff about both . for ppl that dont want to spend money look at FAQS. i used the FAQS for only a little until magnetman beacuse i dont like to get online much .



3. I found this book to be really helpful and the delivery speed was great