No comments about Mission Impossible: Operation Surma (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).

5 comments about Game Console Hacking: Having Fun While Voiding Your Warranty.

1. Have you got an old Atari 2600 sitting around that you don't know what to do with? Game Console Hacking will give you some interesting ideas on how to recycle those old gaming consoles.
   
   Chapter list: Tools of the Warranty-Voiding Trade; Case Modifications: Building an Atari 2600PC; The Xbox; PlayStation 2; Nintendo Game Boy Advance; Gamepark 32 (GP32); Nintendo NES; Atari 2600; Atari 5200; Atari 7800; Electrical Engineering Basics; Coding 101; Operating Systems; Index
   
   Although I'm not into gaming so much any more, my kids have had most of the more recent consoles at one time or another. And growing up, I had one of the Atari 2600. But after the latest and greatest comes out, the older gaming systems end up gathering dust. Game Console Hacking is an interesting book on things you can do to breathe new life into the old classics. This book is heavy on altering hardware components, so you need to be comfortable with a screwdriver and a soldiering iron. But even if you're not as experienced in that area as you'd like, the book has an abundance of photos to show exactly what you should be doing at any given point in the process. At the end of each chapter, there's also a section on homebrew game development as well as additional resources on the Web for that particular console. So even if you're not wanting to hack your hardware, you will be able to find information to push your gaming fun even further.
   
   For me, my favorite hack was using an Atari 2600 console to contain a full-blown PC. I thought that was just too cool. I could imagine showing up at a user group meeting to do some software demo with an Atari 2600 under my arm, and blowing people away when I boot it up as a regular PC. I don't know that I'll get around to doing it, but it's an intriguing idea.



2. OK, I'm a little biased because I wrote the book, but Game Console Hacking (GCH) intends to be a fun, educational, and interesting guide to modifying video game consoles and accessories to do things they weren't originally intended to do. The book covers a wide range of systems, from the classic/retro Atari 2600 to the teenaged Nintendo NES to the modern Xbox and PlayStation 2 (other systems include the Game Boy Advance, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, and Gamepark GP32). The projects range from simple to complex, some requiring hardware/electronics skills and other requiring nothing but your video game system. The book guides you through a number of step-by-step projects with copious amounts of pictures and contains chapters on the tools required for the warranty voiding trade and a basic introduction to electronics. GCH was written as a follow-up to Hardware Hacking: Have Fun While Voiding Your Warranty, which was a more general look at modifying various consumer electronics. GCH specifically targets video game systems, as the name implies, and combines the best aspects of hardware hacking and modifications into a single book. I recommend the book to anyone with a curiousity about modifying their video game systems and wondering what actually goes on "under the hood".



3. I just received this book days ago and I have read it cover to cover, of course I haven't been able to do all the hacks since it means cracking open many of my systems, but I was especially excited about the Atari 2600 stuff, since I am more into old programming and hacking. This book is one of a kind and I am glad people are starting to write books and develop products that show people how the hardware works as well as the software. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to experiment with hacking their consoles, also the book is fascinating as a general read. And if you liked this definitely check out "Hackers" by levy, "supercade" by burnham, "once upon Atari" DVD and definitely check out the XGAMESTATION retro game system at www.xgamestation.com if you want to build some oldschool game hardware.



4. This is a fascinating, over-sized book that is filled with major hacks for various of today's video game consoles, including the Xbox, PlayStation 2, Nintendo NES, along with the Atari and Gamepark 32. The material assumes some degree of comfort with electronics and electrical engineering, although you do not of course have to be an electrical engineer to perform the hacks. You will need to be comfortable with working with integrated circuits, electrical assembly, soldering wires, and dis-assembling electronic devices. Of course, you will also need to be comfortable with possibly ruining beyond repair the discussed device, if you fail to successfully complete the described hacks.
   
   This is a highly specialized book that specifically targets a unique audience, namely those confident in their skills and abilities to follow the excellent hacking instructions and step-by-step "how to hack" photographs that are replete throughout this important book.



5. Ever wanted to create an Atari 2600 PC? What about moding your Xbox? How about replacing the screen on your Game Boy? This book will show you how to do all of these things and more. All you need (aside from a couple of basic tools) is a strong stomach and an iron resolve to void your warranty. In fact, having no fear is 90% of the work.
   
   This book provides step-by-step instructions for a number of various "hacking" projects on a variety of consoles. The majority of the hacks in this book deal with "retro" or "classic" systems, like the Atari series (2600, 5200, or 7800) as well as the Nintendo NES system. Some of these hacks update these systems to work on modern televisions (like the addition of S-video to the 2600), but most are just for fun (like creating a left-hand Atari controller).
   
   The hacks for modern consoles are also quite interesting, but most are concerned with the installation of a mod chip. There is some interesting discussion about installing Linux on a Game Boy or Xbox. The authors discuss how to boot a PS2 from a memory card, and other interesting items. However, while these sections are very useful and quite interesting, there's nothing quite like dissecting an obsolete video game system.
   
   This book even has an appendix dedicated to teaching the basics of electrical engineering. There is also a great list of distributors for obsolete or hard-to-find components. In fact, the appendix is so good that it alone makes this book worthwhile.
   
   If you're ever going to take apart some electronic system, I would first suggest getting a book by these guys. If that electronic system happens to be some game console, then this is the book for you. These guys know what they're doing-they're the best.

5 comments about Forza Motorsport 2 (Prima Official Game Guide).

1. UPDATE TO THIS REVIEW
   
   There is another review giving this book FIVE STARS.
   
   The poster's name is "B.D.Anthony".
   
   The book was authored by a "Brad Anthony".
   
   This is the only product on Amazon that "B.D.Anthony" has authored.
   
   Coincidence?
   
   END OF UPDATE
   
   -----------------------------------------------------
   
   Given the delays in bringing Forza 2 to market, you'd think they could get this one right, but no.
   
   Most of this book is reference material that rightly belongs in appendices, but they chose to insert it in many pieces into the middle of the text. This makes it very hard to find the reading material.
   
   So that could have been solved by a good index. There is NO index. What about a Table of Contents? Yes there is one, but it is very brief and EVERY page number reference is incorrect. Yes, every single one.
   
   Early in the book, page 4, you are referred to the Multiplayer Chapter. There is NO Multiplayer Chapter. So there is no coverage of Online Exhibition races, Quickmatch, Custom Match, Create Match or Online Career races.
   
   Very few words are devoted to multi-screen, certainly nothing that could provide guidance in setting up multiple screens. And there are two glaring errors, one implying that the only number of screens supported is three, and another claims there is a "replay view" which is just not true.
   
   Often the "why" is not explained, such as why would you hire a driver to drive for you if he/she takes 100% of the prize money?
   
   The sequence of the material is somewhat random and they even take topics and split them. Pit strategy is covered on pages 20 and 187. And that coverage doesn't even explain how long a pit stop may take or how to even initiate a pit stop.
   
   My recommendations are:-
   
   1. Have low expectations
   2. Be prepared to use a lot of Post-It tabs to mark useful things you find
   3. Be very, very patient when trying to find information
   4. Do NOT assume "it must be here somewhere" - it probably isn't



2. The logistics involved in writing a book like this while a game is still under development are quite challenging; rarely do authors and their editorial teams see any appreciation for that fact.
   
   This guide is a must for fans that want the extra edge in the game, from very specific tuning tips to unprecedented track detail to all the car stats you need when making pre-race comparisons to your competition, even in-depth racing theory to improve your on-track performance.
   
   It's a massive tome of racing reference and how-to material jam packed into 240 pages - twice the size of most guides! If you want an edge over your competition, both online and off, you need the info inside these covers!



3. This is a good resource, lot's of pictures and good detail. It's great for the beginner, but not too detailed on the tuning, setups and really specific information. It gives the basics and you have to build on that. That said, at the Amazon price, it's a worthwhile purchase.



4. its ok, but all info you can get from game itself doesn't describe tuning or have any andvanced tips, more for someone who would rather read than play game



5. This game is, overall, great. Customization of the cars visuals, possibilities are endless. You even get information about the manufacurers of the vehicle. The car list is way more than the first Forza. However, there is still a problem with the available cars. Example, they have at least six or seven EVO series mitsubishi, But I have seen no VR-4. They have several skyline GT-R's But no GTS-t, and no ceferio. Despite this, I still say it is a five star game. The realistic car reaction and thought that went into this game reflects in the final product. So I say give it 5...

1 comments about Codes & Cheats Winter 2007 Edition: Over 16,000 Secret Codes (Prima Official Game Guide).

1. There certainly are a lot of codes in this book - but I couldn't find any new codes that I had not already seen on the internet. The book is cheap enough - but I wouldn't buy another code book again - not a single secret I could see!

5 comments about Say Anything: The Movie Quote Game That Takes You Back to the '80s One Line at a Time.

1. have a few drinks with the few friends you are still talking to from the 80's. open the book and say anything. what a hoot!

   and ps, it's not war and peace -- it's a trivia book! cut it a break. i loved it!




2. This book is tremendously funny. I love Peter Thomas and Frank's candid approach towards the uninspiring decade that we know as the eighties. This book helped me get through a couple of tough years upstate at Elmira State Penitentiary. Since, I've been released, I've gained a new perspective on life and have Peter Thomas and Frank to thank. You good men have made a better man out of me through levity and humor. At first, the days were long and dreary but when my C.O. lent me that book, the days became brighter. I needed to keep it!

   THANKS AGAIN! You will always be in my thoughts!




3. I had so much fun reading this book that I got a hernia! Peter Thomas and Frank present their wizadry in such a way that one could never mistake them for proprietors. They suckle the "teets" of the 80's cow until only powdered milk would resolve their finance. Undeniably, the highlight of this book is when Peter Thomas takes his shot at the musty moguls known as the "Lompom Twins"! Boy, did I laugh!



4. These incouragable fellows have done it again! An exceptional representaion of this impish decade is presented in a masterful manner by Peter Thomas and Frank. My temples almost imploded due to laughter when I read Peter Thomas' justification of the "Lompom Twins". I also almost seared myself after reading the "Ode to Russ" and all its colossal wisdom. No human could expand on this phenomenon as well as Peter Thomas and Frank. Kudos my green friends! Keep up the great work.



5. This is like the ultimate party book. My brothers quote movies constantly. I mean constantly! They each got a copy for Christmas. I came on to buy a couple more copies and it's out of stock. Ugh! This is a great book.

No comments about Mechwarrior 2 - Mercenaries: The Official Strategy Guide (Secrets of the Games).

5 comments about 1000 Game Heroes (Midi).

1. What can I say? This book is a pure piece of coffee table eye candy. In no way is this book to be construed as an all inclusive history of gaming heroes/characters. Take it for what it is, a visual cross section of games, some of it's characters, and a few lines about it to boot. While I'm personally disappointed that Tenchu isn't represented here, I can only hope that Taschen (a visual publisher if there ever was one) will crank out another volume in the near future. Until then, relax and turn the page.



2. If you were to go through the waste bins of all the game magazines--or go to an E3 convention and pick up a CD-ROM press kit from each publisher in attendance--you, too, could publish 1000 Game Heroes. It's literally little more than a collection of printouts of existing sketches, renders, and screenshots, vaguely compiled by genre (the airplane shooter Crimson Skies and abstract character-based strategy game Pikmin share nothing in common, but they're both filed under "Strange Heroes"). Each game gets one quick summary paragraph, and there are some short essays by famous game developers (Shigeru Miyamoto, Peter Molyneux), but they're not enough to save the project.

   Mostly what this book lacks is context--now that we see the pretty pictures, why are they here? What do they say about game design, or character design? What was the artist's intent? You'll never know, and the result is a feeling that these pieces were included because that's what Nintendo and Sony sent the author on CD. If you've been following video games for a while (and why would you be interested in this book otherwise?), you will quickly realize that you've seen this all before, on the covers and in the pages of game magazines like PC Gamer and GamePro. 1000 Game Heroes is 600+ pages of shallow recycling.

   Yes, it's printed on pretty paper and what few words appear do come in three languages (English, French, and German). The good points end there. Without any context, 1000 Game Heroes lacks true value--and as regurgitated content repurposed by a third party without fresh insight, it certainly isn't worth the asking price.




3. If you're looking for a gorgeous coffee table book to page though, 1000 Game Heroes might fit the bill if you enjoy games at all!

   This massive tome has over 600 pages of glossy images and information on games from Ghost Recon to Tomb Raider, Ecco to Virtua Cop to Dungeon Siege. Most of the games featured are newer ones, and the graphics they choose to highlight are truly spectacular.

   Each title lists its platform, release date, developer and editor. A paragraph about each game is given in English, French and German. This means that you don't get a huge amount of depth for each game. But the book is already 600 pages long. If they had in depth information on each game, it would have turned into 2,000 pages and would have cost over $100. Instead, there's just enough about the game for you to see if you're interested in it, at which point you simply go to the web and learn everything you could possibly hope to know about it.

   The organization of the book is a bit strange. You have "Kings of Action" which includes Metal Gear Solid. You have "Legends of Video Games" which puts Diablo next to Rayman? Then you have Sexy Heroes full of slinky women, and Strange Heroes which holds the wonderful female hero in Syberia.

   Still, many of these games are blasts from the past, and it's fun to look through screenshots of Diablo and Dungeon Siege and remember the hours and hours we spent playing these games. I do warn that some of the graphics involve sexily clad (or topless) female characters, as one might expect from an industry that at least until recently pushed primarily towards teenage boys as its target audience.

   Highly recommended for any gamer!




4. Most of these reviewers are being anal genre dorks. This isn't intended to be a deep-seated essay on or analysis of video games. It's just a collection of pretty pictures and I don't think it makes any claims to be anything else. It's by Taschen for god's sake - who buys their books for the text? It's kind of thrown together, there is some lack of continuity in the categories, and there are one or two bad reproductions, but you're basically getting a decent sourcebook. Yeah, you could have the same or better by compiling yourself from various gaming mags, etc., but this is at least more convenient. The price IS too high though, and I've never seen it on sale. But if you just want to get a more-or-less comprehensive notion of the visual elements of gaming culture as it stands at present, flipping through this book for an hour should provide you with that.



5. I purchased this book after browsing through it in a bookstore one day, so I knew full well that it is a visual-encyclopedia-of-a-cofee-table book, and not the information rich dictionary some of the reviewers were after - all I can say to you is do your research before purchasing the book, and review it on its merits, not on what you expected.
   
   This is a great book, with a comprehensive overview of game characters from many games. As others have mentioned, many key games and game heroes are missing, but then the authors don't attest to covering every game ever. The imagery is mostly touched-up rendered art of the individual characters. There are some screenshots, and some design sketches, but overall it contains rendered, posed models.
   
   I would suggest this book to anyone looking for a visually splendid book to grace their office, waiting area or coffee table. My only niggle is that many of the shots are too rendered (case in point-front cover) and not as close to their actual in-game representation as they could be.

5 comments about Resident Evil 2: Prima's Official Strategy Guide.

1. just what i said, this is not as extencive as the other nad more expencive, but if you know the game ok, it is a good reference guide, but to people that plan on using it for the whole game shouldnt get this



2. The Evil has returned and the book has come to save the day it brings everything, maps, files, walkthroughs,a nd codes it's a gamers dream pick this up whenever you get the game because you'll need it.



3. This or anygame now a days is really hard to beat. If you buy a book like this strickly for the perpose of walking through the game, the you've wasted money on the game. However if you by it to simply help you through the impossable areas then you bought wizely and got your money out of the book, and game.



4. It is a great book to read and has alot of helpful information included in the book. If you are at a tough spot in the game chances are this book could really help you out.



5. When I first bought resident evil 2, I thought that the game was going to be to hard and that I would need a guide book to tell me everything. I couldn't have been more wrong. I beat the game 4 times before I finally got the guide book and when I did get the guide, it was useless. It tells you all the basic things that a guide book should tell you, the characters (just Leon and Clare, but not the other characters that you will meet during your journey) weapons, enemies, and the walkthroughs. That's it. It dosen't tell you where to get the weapons and it dosen't give you enough information on the a and b walkthroughs, it dosen't even have pictures for the a and b walkthroughs (except one or two!). Don't get me wrong, this guide book wasn't that bad. I just think that the publisher could have done a lot more. One more thing, it gives away the ending completely.

5 comments about Yu-Gi-Oh! Rule Book (Prima's Official Strategy Guide).

1. I found this book complete and very helpfull



2. Okay, I bought this book, hoping to glean some clue as how to play this trading card game. My daughter wanted to collect the cards, and I figured if she was going to collect them, she should know how to play the game.
   One reviewer said you could just get the instructions by buying a starter deck. Yes, you do get instructions in the starter deck, but if you have no idea how to play the game, that will not be of any help at all. I read those rules several time and a big question mark floated above my head each time.
   We had never seen a 'duel' take place and basically knew nothing about this card game. We needed help.
   The book arrived and I eagerly read it, at least most of it. Some of the book explained card combos that you could use in a duel, but that was still too advanced for me. I just want to learn the basics first, before I learn ways to be tricky. It did elaborate much more on the rules and how the game is to be played, more so than the little instructions booklet in the starter deck did. I have to say the concept of the game was much more understood after reading through the rules in this book just once. Because of the wide variety of cards available (monsters, spells, traps), it is very difficult to fully understand the game by just reading the rules. Playing it over and over and studying the cards and their powers is the key to becoming a good player.
   The book gives you an example of how an actual duel might go. There are 9 pages devoted to it, where you are basically a fly on a wall reading the dialogue from a duel taking place and what happens between the 2 players. The two players say what card they are playing and why they chose that card. Such as playing a monster card on an attack or using a spell card or a trap card. It was an easy example to follow and made it clear what happens when it is your turn. The instruction booklet in the starter deck never really made that clear to me. That was probably the most useful part of the book to me at this point.
   Other parts of the book explain various cards to you, the ones with the strongest attacks, the strongest defenses, the best spells, the best traps. IT explains when those cards would be best utilized and a stategy for playing them. There are also 18 sample decks described. One is the Burning Deck. This one says to forget monster and trap cards, but focus on dealing direct damage to your opponents life points. It then lists the cards you would want for a deck like that.
   The end of the book has a large question and answer section for beginner and advanced players, along with a question/answer section about using monster, spell and trap cards. Such as "Can I use 'Trap Hole' on a face down Monster in the defense position??? Answer, No.
   So, overall, if you know next to nothing about this game, this book can help out, but it won't be the solve all, I can see that now. The amount of cards available in the game and all the different effects they have make it impossible to learn this game by just reading a book. Still, if you have noone to show you the game and can't figure out the instruction booklet, then there isn't any other option but to read these expanded rules. Something similar might be on the internet, but I could only find the standard rules printed there. I'm not a big 5 star giver, but this book gave me what I expected of it, a better understanding of the game. I wasn't foolish enough to think this would be the answer to all my Yu-Gi-Oh questions, but now I feel like I have a clue!



3. This is a superb book for the Yu-Gi-Oh beginner. If you are familiar with the "for dummies" series, this would make a great addition to it (which is a compliment!). There is a ton of information available, and it is all good. The simulted duel, which lasts several pages, is great. That alone will get you headed in the right direction. Great book.



4. This guide just really isn't worth buying. Anyone who likes Yu-Gi-Oh and wants to learn the rules can just read the instruction manual that comes in a starter deck. It covers everything you need to know. I mean, yeah I'm sure the guide covers maybe a few things that aren't in the manual, thats why I gave it a 2 and not a 1. But those things are only really useful to know if you are some sort of crazy fanatic who spends thousands of dollars on cards. My advice: buy a starter deck, read the booklet a few times and you'll understand the game fine. Also, Magic is better than Yu-Gi-Oh! Ha-Ha! I said it!



5. The ruling in this book on quickplay magic cards is incorrect. They can be played at ANY time during your turn, not just in main and in battle, for your information. This is not acceptable in an "official" guide. These rulings come from konami of japan via pojo.com. These rulings hsould be reliable.

No comments about Geist (Prima Official Game Guide).