4 comments about BloodRayne 2 Official Strategy Guide (Official Strategy Guides (Bradygames)).

1. Great game. I had a blast playing it. Especially using the cheat modes. I mean how can you not like a half naked vampire, with six sexy outfits and some badass weaponry.



2. This is a great game for gamers that like gory games and jokes that are only funny in the game. BloodRayne 2 is alot better than the first one but to understand the 2nd one you must get the first BloodRayne.



3. Strategy Guide arrived in excellent quality and condition. Strategy Guide arrived in a very timely fashion.



4. I was stuck and now with the help of Amazon.com I've put a stake in my troubles with the game!!

5 comments about Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).

1. It had a very good setup and allowed me to beat the game in three hours of nonstop play.



2. This book is cool.It helped me though the game perfectly.It shows every weapons detail like:how much damage it can inflict to people,the rate of fire,projectile speed,accuracy and cells per shot.It also tells about the force powers and ways to use them.The book lists the "bad guys" from every level.It shows maps for every multiplayer games even "Xbox Live" maps.It shows the maps for every level and its objectives.It shows the body parts of every custom character.It gives you hints on how to move to avoide shots.It also shows how to preform special moves.I highly recomend this guide for anyone who has this game.



3. This guide is okay, but [really not too good]. It has alot of mistakes. In the level Cult Investigation (Tanaab), it was very confusing to follow.



4. For a complete video game nerd like myself half the fun is figuring out how to win on your own. But this books helps you keep your own powers in operation while helping you out in constructive ways.



5. lays out all the tasks and secret areas clearly without walking through every room - doesn't ruin the discoveries in the game or the plot exploration - just gives you what you need - good maps

3 comments about Mercenaries (Prima Official Game Guide).

1. The strategies are well put together, but the collectibles section have some errors with the locations. Also, the pages don't stick to the spine of the book well. Overall, it seems like an OK book.



2. Very awesome merchandise. Amazon is very awesome to do business with, and i will certainly be doing business again with amazon.



3. AN EXCELLENT STRATEGY GUIDE FOR AN EXCELLENT GAME.TELLS YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW AND WELL WORTH PURCHASING FOR HELP WITH THIS EXCELLENT GAME.

1 comments about Nightbane World Book 2 Nightlands.

1. This series of Palladium books is the most interesting and thought provoking I have ever read. A must for any RPG'er of any genre if only for the read (which by itself is worth the dosh)

   A game that is more effective and realistic than any major system that I have ever seen and more consistant and is actually compatible between its differant 'in-house' systems while maintaining it's own indiviuality. Well, try it for yourself

3 comments about Master of Magic: The Official Strategy Guide (Secrets of the Games).

1. This is an excellent strategy guide! the master of magic strategy guide is an absolute must for the beginning player. It goes into battle tactics, Race comparisons, charts, and stratgies for winning! If you like MoM, you'll love this



2. Whether you are just discovering this game or have been playing it for years, this guide is a must-have. It contains information on all aspects of play--spells, skills, races, combat, urban planning, etc, and discusses computer-controlled elements such as treasures, random events, and monsters. The book does contain some debatable rankings and recommendations, but the wealth of helpful information overshadows these few flaws. The authors also did a fantastic job of considering various play styles and game settings when writing this book. This guide is an excellent resource that deserves a place by your computer!



3. I had forgotten about this book, but as we've reorganized the home office, I rediscovered it and the game. I think the book manages to capture and enhance the original spirit of the game which is saying quite a bit. I've played the game for hundreds (maybe thousands) of hours, but 75% of the book's insights are still new to me. Master of Magic can be won with many, many different strategies and styles of play (part of what makes it a great game). These authors have obviously looked at the game from every angle with every strategy and obviously pestered the good folks at the developer to get all kinds of detail about how the innards of the game actually work. This should be required reading for anyone looking to develop a turn based strategy game (computer and otherwise). If only the computer players in MoM weren't quite so dim at the end of the game, this book would be even more useful

4 comments about The "Christmas Carol" Trivia Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Every Version of the Dickens Classic.

1. i enjoyed reading this book as it shows a change in a mans heart. The book has a lot of humor in it and is understood by people of all ages you can read it time and time again and never get board. I like the way he sees things in a differend view after he had a visit from the three spirits.



2. If you're a Fan of Dickens Christmas Carol, like I am, you might enjoy this book.

   It has Chapters on Dickens, the story and it's creation and the many Film, T.V, and Cartoon versions. I don't agree with the author that the movie Scrooged is so avfull, I'm not saying it's a Great movie But I found it quite Funny actually.

   But apart from that this is a Fun Book to read around Christmas time when you have reeread Christmas Carol, watched all your Christmas Carol Videos, stuffed yourself full of Marsipan, Chocolate and Sherry and been visited by the Ghost of Christmas past.




3. What a fun book to read. I love 'A Christmas Carol,' and this book puts everything 'Carol' right at your fingertips. For the most part, I agree with much of what the author says, but I feel that 'An American Christmas Carol' and 'Scrooged' deserve higher ratings. I also prefer the George C. Scott version above all others.
   This book is broken down so the reader will not only be able to read about the many different film versions of a 'Carol' that have been released, but the cartoon, television, and even the original book version is reviewed as well. An example of what I learned is that I had no idea that there was a version starring Sir Seymour Hicks filmed back in 1935 until I read about it in this book. I then searched out and found a (rather poor, unfortunately) copy of THAT version. There is also a small biography of Mr. Dickens, so the reader will understand where many of his ideas for his novels came from.
   The writing style is quick, informative (LOTS of trivia and pictures throughout!), and upbeat.
   I don't know if this has been updated to include the Patrick Stewart version or not, as I purchased this book back in '97. I will definitely pick up a revised copy should one become available.
   A great bathroom book!



4. This very slender book is not a bad afternoon read, but ultimately it fails in what it attempts to do.
   The author himself comes off as pompous and disengaging, as his "trivia" book is little more than a brief collection of personal opinions of his favorite Christmas Carol versions. These thinly veiled reviews lack the calibre of even your local TV Guide synopses. The only real trivia examples here are in classroom style question-exercises included at the end of each chapter! While I have no problem with this, the author postures himself as the true expert on A Christmas Carol with no real exposition as to why said versions are his favorite! I am giving it three stars, though, as the subject matter remains enjoyable no matter how clumsily presented.
   Also worth noting- The recent Patrick Stewart version is omitted from this collection. Sacrilege!

5 comments about Devil May Cry Official Strategy Guide.

1. This guide is absolutely brilliant in ways that can't all be described! This guide is very detailed with some brilliant things to offer. Detailed maps, great walkthrough, and some bonus material make this DMC guide a must own.

   Anyway, the guide really seems to live up to my expectations. Detailed maps of EVERY AREA unlike some of the other guides, and they pin-point the location of items and blue orb fragment. Not to mention that the strategy is very good as well. The maps are colorful and very detailed.

   The walkthrough is well done giving you a brief details on bosses. For each boss they show you a suggested Life Gauge and a suggested Devil Trigger. Now thats something that I found really helpful in this guide.

   The guide covers all the secrets including how to lock hidden characters and game modes! The guide also features an art gallery and exclusive Interviews! Again, it doesn't hurt to read them!

   Overall, this is probably the best DMC guide out there. Much more detail and organization went into the walkthrough. Forget VERSUS BOOKS, this is your perfect guide to DMC!




2. Addressing the previous reviewer: Dan Birlew didn't even write the Xenogears guide, someone else named David Cassidy did. And why would you compare Mr. Birlew to Casey Lowe who writes guides for Pokemon? That's comparing apples to apples seeds. As for the maps, they were obviously not done by the author, just read the credits. Now for a more mature and observant review: This particular Devil May Cry guide is concise and thorough. It's written for an audience that is intelligent and sharp, a compliment to all gamers. The writing style does not talk down to the reader, as some guides tend to do. The slick design and stylized cover are done in such a way that it attracts gamers like me--adults with jobs and money to spend on toys. Overall, this guide is perfect for those gamers who do not fall into the "living in my parent's basement" stereotype. Kudos to BradyGames for targeting mature gamers with jobs!



3. Even I have to admit that Dan Birlew is getting much better. After that FFIX guide I thought this guy would be bad. Anyways, to start off. I've been a HUGE collector of video game guides (I may be 15 and have high expectations for a guide such as they do need to help me a give me a gaming experience in the process) and I know a good guide when I see it.

   This guide is defenitely good. Anyways, I read the other reviews, and Dan Birlew didn't do the Xenogears guide nor did David Cassady, it was Ronald Wartow, its right there on the fron cover. The maps are easy to read while I do admit they get tiresome every guide does. I know the maps aren't done by Dan Birlew but still they could use a little work. I look more at the detail in the walkthrough rather than how flashy the maps and screenshots are.

   The walkthrough helps you out a lot and doesn't give off any spoilers at all and gets right to the point. I like this guide because the walkthrough is put together organized and doesn't look like it was rushed to get out. Its 160 pages and the guide has extremely good detail to it. Unlike the Prima (only 90 pages) and VERSUS BOOKS (112 pages) this guide has a ton of info.

   I'd recomend this guide for anybody who likes strategy guides as much as I do.




4. Dan Birlew (better known to survival horror fans on the web as "President Evil") penned this easy-to-follow strategy guide.

   I'm one of those players who doesn't have great reflexes and normally gets sliced to ribbons playing a game like this. But thanks to Birlew's guide, I was able to survive some of the toughest bosses, bad reflexes and all. The book points out the bosses's strengths and weaknesses, how to attack them and how to avoid them, as every good game guide should.

   Oh, yeah, I did find one mistake in Birlew's guide: he states that you can't purchase untouchables (items that temporarily make you invincible). In fact, untouchables can be purchased at any time, though it'll cost you. Perhaps this was a change in the game that was implemented after Birlew's guide went to press.




5. The guide is a wonderful addition to the game. Adds a great deal to the fun of the game. Also adds backstory to the sometimes confusing game story. I read it once while doing the story and again after finishing the game the first time. A real treasure.

5 comments about Revolutionaries at Sony: The Making of the Sony Playstation and The Visionaries Who Conquered The World of Video Games.

1. This book is interesting, but it really feels like Sony-worship. It is great PR for Sony, but if you're looking for an objective view of the great videogame wars you won't find it here. What you will find is some good historical information about why Sony entered the videogame industry. The book largely centers on the Japanese side of Sony; it uses many examples which have been translated to English but discusses Japanese commercials, prices, etc, leaving me a bit confused until I realized the book had been translated from Japanese. Most of the information concerning Sony v Nintendo is accurate but presented in a "Sony can do no wrong" light which I found aggravating. The author takes every opportunity to represent Sony as revolutionizing the videogame industry, and declares Kutaragi the savior. If you read this book, just keep in mind that the author is extraordinarily biased toward Sony, and take all information presented in that light. Then you'll be able to separate the wheat from the chaff.



2. This book presents Ken Kutaragi as the genius who single-handedly created the successful Playstation. It is just not a realistic picture of how a business runs or how a product becomes a success. It needs to include more information about other people who contributed to the product and the cultural environment in which it originated.

   The translation from the Japanese also creates a style of grammar that is just not quite right to the English reader.

   Half-way through the book I decided that my time was more valuable than this book and I needed to move on to something more rewarding (and more entertaining).




3. Your virtually guranteed to walk away with 1 or 2 good ideas about how to develop and market products. This is like reading the play book for the New York Yankees. You won't find anything shocking, it's just a great story about how to break into a very competitve computer games market. You'll read how superior technology, relentless attention to detail and design, love for the customer, cost superiority and a vision to be the best in the world lead to great success. This is the closest thing the business world has to a royal straight flush! It's a quick read, so stop reading this and start reading this book.



4. Revolutionaries at Sony does a good job of detailing an insider's perspective of the rise of the Playstation. It gives a good account of how the platform came to be, and a thorough discussion of the hardware. Sony's business plans, particularly its marketing strategy is also detailed for the reader, and gives some insight into the marketing of the PS2.

   Unfortunately, the story of Ken Katarugi, the "hero" of the book (p. xi), reads more like "The Life and Times of Montgomery Burns, as told by Waylon Smithers" rather than even a semi-objective attempt at accurate history. Indeed, after reading Revolutionaries at Sony, I was left wondering what is this book exactly? A history? A fan book? By its cover, it's supposed to be a business case-study book. As a case study book, I'd expect a wider range of perspectives. Who heard of a case study of a business that quotes the senior executives almost exclusively? Where are the attempts to build alternative explanations, or refute alternative hypothesis. If it is a business case study, then I'd also expect to see a more thorough description of the business environment Nintendo's business model, which Asakura seems to have missed almost completely, is scantly mentioned. Given that Sheff's excellent history of Nintendo is now several years old, this oversite is more than a little disturbing.

   But, if you're looking for a good one sided (Officially sancioned) account of the rise of the PlayStation, and a few of the facts behind the Rise of the Playstation, then Revolutionaries at Sony will do.

   You can read the full review at Joystick101.org

   http://www.joystick101.org/?op=displaystory&sid=2000/12/23/19945/112




5. Revolutionaries at Sony is the authorized case history of how Sony came to enter and become a leader in the video game business in the 1990s. Many people despair about the potential for large companies to produce entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial results from within major corporations. Even more people would despair about that occurring with fast-changing technologies in the slow-moving, consensus-driven cultures of Japanese companies. The latest look at this general subject is found in the well-done book, The Innovator's Dilemma.

   This book is an important case history on the subject, because it both confirms and challenges many common beliefs about intrapreneurship (being an entrepreneur inside a company, a term coined by Gifford Pinchot).

   First, Japanese companies have a reputation for being not very innovative. The Sony entry into computer games is just the opposite, an important innovation based on a well-considered bet on advanced technology and how a market could be developed. In describing this case, the potential advantages of a large company because obvious in terms of creating access to and the ability to use more types of advanced technology.

   Second, the case history is especially noteworthy because the Sony team took the unusual perspective (but one that I subscribe to in The 2,000 Percent Solution and The Irresistible Growth Enterprise) that ordinary people can approach perfection routinely. And the Sony team did just that.

   Third, Ken Kutaragi, the key entrepreneur in the story, shows how being a contructive rebel can pay off. Shades of skunk works at Lockheed! He clearly must be familiar with the literature that suggests that you need to get the team away from everyone else, yet access top talent. He did this by the unusual approach of heading a joint venture between Sony corporate and Sony Music, a subsidiary. This allowed the venture to be both in and out of Sony, depending on what is needed. He was aggressive when Sony was wrong, and enthusistically supportive when Sony was right in its support.

   Fourth, this case is an excellent example of technological vision: Many of the key decisions were based on the expected development of future technology, but that technology was not yet available as the product was developed. If the technology had not become available later, Sony would have lost a fortune. Yet it made one instead. This is a wonderful example of anticipation.

   The summary of the key principles that created this success (over $7 billion in sales in its fourth year -- one of the greatest new business entries in history) near the end is worth putting on your wall.

   Anyone who wants to create fast growth should study this book. It provides many key lessons into the required leadership practices for technology-based businesses in the 21st century. I suspect it will become a classic in Japan. It should become one everywhere else as people seriously consider how to make giant companies dance nimbly with technology.

4 comments about Sonic Adventure 2: Prima's Official Strategy Guide.

1. I really liked this book.It follows the game of Sonic Adventure 2 very well.In the beginning, sonic is making his way down a down-hill slope, escaping some sort of military attack,and in the end,he has to do some more running escaping from a giant truck that takes up the entire road!!!!This book will keep you on the edge of your seat,folks!So, to all of you readers out there, this is a book you'll enjoy. Chow!!!



2. Very resourceful and complete. Detailed maps for each stages, hints, tips and boss explanations! Covers the Story, Characters, Controls, Hero Story, Dark Story and Last Story. Highly Recommended!! If you have Sonic Adventure 2 BUY THIS ITEM!



3. This guide is great helped me alot to find those things that I just couldn't seem to be able to find as well as with the chaos I like giudes to help me get te full experience from a game and this one did.



4. The SA2 Prima Guide is very helpful but is has a few mistakes in it. 1. Page 5 In the section Knuckles and Rouge Punch or Kick attack. They have a picture of Eggman instead of Knuckles. 2. Page 6 In the swimming section it shows Rouge using her treasure scope instead of swimming. 3. Page 39 For Mission 4 In Metal Harbor it says you have 5 minutes. This is not true you only have 2 minutes in the game.

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"