3 comments about Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - Prima Essential Guide.

1. This is a must have if your a fan of the battlefield series . Very detailed and it is 240 pages long .



2. Small compact size, by far the smallest strategy guide I've came across, though this is not a bad thing. Deeply describes all weapons pro's and con's which is the main reason I purchased it. Gives you collectable weapon locations and campaign mission tips. But if your looking for more, you might want to rethink. Cool if you like the game and just want to have it though..



3. The guide is nice and compact with excellent descriptions of the weapons and the different kits you can unlock and what you can do with them. It offers advice on types of load outs and has a pretty good walk through for the campaign, but the only gripe i have about it, is that the images and maps are small and hard to see especially for multiplayer map lay outs and campaign maps for the hidden weapons. I'd recommend only if you're in serious need of a guide otherwise wait until its cheaper though 10.xx is pretty good. They should have made it like the regular guide. I'd guess the writer did not have too much to say about the game to make the guide into a regular format. If the maps had been full size and detailed i would recommend it to anyone (as it would be useful for multiplayer use).
   Bottom line- get it if you really want a guide to accompany the game. don't buy it if you're looking for detailed maps.

5 comments about Dragon Age: Origins: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides).

1. Since the sequence of this game is so dinamic, this guide is a must have in order to avoid clumsy reactions to the characters dialogues, which can lead you to a harder game. As an example, you can lose your one and only healer character very early in the game if you just make a simple comment on the Circle of Magi, but with this guide you can see that coming, as a consequence you can have a hard time without a healer in your party.



2. I have owned several guides by this company. First Morrowind, then Oblivion, and then Fallout 3.
   This is on the same level of helpfulness and clarity that I have come to expect from Prima Guides.
   I definitely recommend this book.



3. I read some of the criticisms and thought they were unfair when I got the guide. It does what it's supposed to and I found it very helpful in terms of configuring my character and levelling up my party. The downside for me was that the walkthroughs are not that detailed, but more importantly I found the equipment tables of little use. For example, they show where you can buy or find particular items (eg the awesome Marjolaine's Recurve), but not what these items are worth or what their attributes are - so there is no indication of whether these items are worth the effort of finding them.
   Overall, an ok guide for the money, but I would have paid more for a more complete "companion" guide.



4. Well worth the price -- Good Guide -- Game was very confusing without this guide. Recommend you purchase this guide if you have or purchase the game.



5. Over all, I have to say I'm impressed. I don't use the guide much as a walk through. I more or less use it for strategy suggestions when it comes to designing my characters. It's well organized and very detailed. Much of the information in the guide can be found online, but I personally find it nice to have it all at my fingertips in book form. I've never needed it to get "unstuck." But you never know!
   
   Things you may find useful:
   
   * Suggestions at maximizing your characters class
   * "How to" sections for inter-character romances
   * Detailed maps in case you get lost
   * Lists of treasures available in a given area for those who don't want to miss a single item.

5 comments about New Super Mario Bros (Wii): Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides).

1. I have only gotten through world 1 but so far the book really helped me in world 1.



2. This is an informative book for any super mario bros. game lover. The price is good as it sells at gamestop for the retail price.



3. Helpful material for going through the various levels. My son and daughter will use the book for a reference as they go about the game. It also helps parents figure out the game.



4. I bought this for my 10 year old son. I am trying to find things that interest him to add to his education. He uses this as a reference and it is helping him with his schoolwork. The principles of using a reference are the same. Of course he tries to find everything first, but some of the star coins are very obscure. This guide helps you find them, but not necessarily exactly what tactic to use to get it. I like that.



5. Some of the reviews are about how great the game itself is - and it is great. However this guide is disappointing.
   
   I have always loved the Prima strategy books, but this one doesn't live up to their usual standards.
   
   The game level maps are quite small and not easy to detect where you are. Also, they reference locations by number (at point 5, drop down into the space for instance) but there are also letters on the maps that don't have a corresponding explanation.
   
   Also, the book is light on tips and actual strategies. I can understand not explaining every detail, but for the really tough parts, it would be nice to have a "hint box" that could be used if you get stuck.
   
   The best feature is the location of the gold star coins.

5 comments about World of Warcraft: Stormrage.

1. I dunno what the first review's problem is, the book has plenty of plot development, and as for characters from other novels...they're not in this book because they wouldn't fit into the storyline at all. They're not in the book because they don't belong in it :P one of the big problems might be that the book picks up a lot of plot lines from quest chains in World of Warcraft that people might not have done or even known about, like the Scepter of the Shifting Sands quest chain, the first few Brood quests out in Silithus where you learn Fandral's history, the quest to turn in the Nightmare Engulfed Object, etc.
   
   I agree that Knaak probably could have done better with it, but it's not terrible. At least there's not much of Rhonin in this one, lol



2. The author spend a great deal researching NPCs and locations of the World of Warcraft game. Something that's very welcome.
   
   World of Warcraft: Stormrage is the story you have been waiting for the past five years. Malfurion has been lost to Azeroth unable to wake up, trapped within the Emerald Dream. A vision from Elune, warns Tyrande Whisperwind a dire news. Malfurion's body is dying.
   
   Broll Bearmantle and Tyrande set journey toward Ashenvale's Bough Shadow with the impossible mission to rescue Malfurion from the Emerald Nightmare's grasp. While WoW players know the Old gods are behind the Nightmare, which is spreading throughout the Emerald Dream, it's unknown who is serving them to make it happen.
   
   The author sets in motion a series of plots that converge into a single outcome: the return of Malfurion Stormrage to Azeroth; but the price is too high. Allies and foes most fight alongside once more, against an evil who seeks to claim Azeroth for the Old gods. Who said it's gonna be that easy? Malfurion and Tyrande must fight for their lives ... together.
   
   It's a thriller that's gonna keep you in suspense. The way for the upcoming Cataclysm draws nigh. Beware of your worst nightmares.



3. I'm usually not a richard knaak fan. But i love wow and so i read all i can so that i'm up to date on the lore and can tell my guildees that aren't as in the know what's going on in the world. This book was great. Usually knaak is all action with little heart. But not this time. I was invested from page one and, despite all the adventure ride, found it to be a love story about two of my favorite characters in the lore - malfurion and tyrande.
   
   If you're not a knaak fan but love wow, give this one a shot.



4. If this were not a tie in for Warcraft I don't think anyone would have published it. The only fun bits are the references to in game events, names, and places. All of the original content is terrible. The writing is bad, characters are uninteresting, and the plot drags on for twice as long as it should.
   
   If names were changed and references to warcraft were removed, I think most people would not give Stormrage a second glance. As it is the book is hiding behind plotpoints people have been waiting a long time for and will probably sell decently. Let me save you guys some money and spoil it for you. Xavius is the Nightmare Lord, but there's something worse pulling his strings that the book doesn't do more than hint at. Malfurion is back, Staghelm is now completely insane, and Teldrassil is both healed and blessed. There you go, all the important bits of Stormrage in two sentences.



5. As someone who has played wow for some time, I have been very interested in the whole "Emerald Nightmare" storyline and I think Malfurion is the best character in the wow universe, so I was very eager to see how the story would turn out. When I heard Knaak was writing this, I was a little apprehensive as I am not fond of his writing, but due to my eagerness to see how the storyline would conclude, I bought the book anyway.
   
   I had several issues with the book. The first is that Knaak makes constant references to the "War of the Ancients" series he wrote. Not only this but he also manages to link many of the main plot points in the book to his own previous stories, which annoyed me, as I think the current lore in wow is far superior to what Knaak seems to write. Whilst reading it, I got the impression that he was twisting the established ingame lore to suit himself.
   
   I will not write any major spoilers for the book, but I can tell you I was very disappointed to hear what the cause of the nightmare was, so don't expect anything amazing. I am also sure that the cause of the nightmare which Knaak wrote, was probably not what Blizzard originally had in mind when they began the ingame storyline a few years ago, since it just seems like a typical Knaak story addition.
   The characters are ok, but he adds unnecessary ones whilst notably not including Cenarius who was supposed to be in the emerald dream helping Malfurion fight the nightmare (in game text states this, check on wowwiki).
   
   Knaak does seemed to have done research on things such as ingame locations and characters, but this does not make up for the fact that he really was not suited for writing this story.
   Overall, if like me you are a fan of the emerald dream storyline, you will likely see the many flaws which I did and I can say I was very disappointed with this book. I would only suggest to buy it if you feel you must know the resolution to the emerald nightmare storyline.

No comments about Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver The Official Pokemon Kanto Guide National Pokedex: Official Strategy Guide.

No comments about God of War III Signature Series Strategy Guide (Signature Series Guide).

No comments about Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening: Prima Official Game Guide.

5 comments about God of War III Limited Edition Strategy Guide.

1. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RN8CX009WUDO0 Prior to getting this book, I've already started on God of War III. If you've already played bits of the game, you'll realise it's not a very complicated a game. Even without a walkthrough, clearing the game should be no problem.
   
   Having said that, the walkthrough is still there if you need it, clear and complete. If you don't want any spoilers from the walkthrough, you can just use the maps provided without reading the walkthrough. Each map has all the collectible items listed, including treasures of the gods (some gods like to throw their stuff everywhere). Interspersed with the walkthrough are interesting stories on the mythology and characters, although they left me a bit confused with the supposedly real world mythologies because of some discrepancies.
   
   The usefulness of this guide is more on the information on the weapons, collectible items, challenges and trophies. They have everything listed. Button combinations for all the weapons and their powers are listed, which helped me saved a bit of time on trial and error (sometimes I miss reading instructions on screen). After you finish the game, you'll unlock the Challenges of Olympus with all its challenges and trophies. If you really can't figure out how to beat those challenges, then this the guide for you.
   
   This limited edition includes additional pages of concept art which is really cool. I wish the creators would come out with a proper art book though. There's also a printed lithograph provided, only one out of the four designs are included. Why not all four?
   
   The negative part is the paper quality, which is soft and flimsy, like those in mass produced magazines. It's not one would like to see used in a limited edition guide.
   
   Overall, this is a very decent guide for the epic game. Recommended to gamers who just can't get enough of the game and don't want to miss anything.
   
   4.5 stars out of 5



2. just so everyone knows this review is basically for amazon customer service not really for the book. I placed the order back on the 13th of march for 23.09 and waited patiently for it to ship i even received the game way before the book shipped and yesterday 3/17 the book was priced at 20.09 it was priced that way for the past few days so i figured ok i will receive the lowest price as it shows on the page when you pre order it so my item was listed as shippped today 3/18 and i was charged 23.09 because amazon decided to raise the price on the friggin day it was shipped. i called customer service and they told me that because they don't see the price that they cant adjust it and that there was no such thing as the lowest price guarantee so i canceled my order and am going to my local gamestop to buy it yes it may cost more and yes i made a fuss for 3.00 but to me its more about keeping your word and honoring what you post on your website.
   
   My review for the book itself its a great book if your a collector comes with 1 of 4 awesome art of kratos definitely a must buy if your a hardcore fan.



3. My item shipped and I was charged 20.99. When I originally placed the preorder on 3/24/2010 it was 23.99 not sure what happended with your order but they honored the 20.99 for me either way its still alot cheaper than 34.99 at gamestop thats why I came here.



4. This is a review of the quality of the guide, not the content.
   
   From a quick thumb-through of the guide it feels very rushed. This guide is not up to the quality of other recent collector's edition guides, such as Bioshock 2 or Final Fantasy XIII. The paper is low-weight and the screenshots used in the walkthrough are blurry. They also give you an art print, but only one out of 4. Since no one in their right mind would buy the guide 4 times, this seems very cheap on Brady's part. For the price I got it for from Amazon it's OK, but I would have been very upset had I paid $35 for this guide in the store. Therefore my 3-star review is assuming you're paying around $20 or less for it. If you're paying retail price, subtract another star.



5. God of War III Limited Edition Strategy Guide is compiled with colorful pages detailing almost all aspects of the game. Some of the negatives that I have found with this guide is that the quality of the pages found in the book are not high quality. I have had the guide for five days and the pages are starting to get "wrinkled" and worn. I have a Resident Evil 4 strategy guide (which imao is the best guide for any video game). The RE4 strategy guide came with high quality paper and extremely detailed maps for the entire game. Now, for the price of a GoW III LESG, one would expect to have a high quality book. Especially when the book comes with a hardcover (which is nice).
   
   Another issue I had with the book is that when I was reading on how to prevail when playing Challenge of Olympus, I was shocked to find out that the publishers left out Challenge of Olympus #4 (El Matador-Ole). I had to view a video online just to find out how to defeat this challenge. When trying to defeat bosses or enemies, the icon indication detailing what button to press has been scraped for this strategy guide. In GoW Collections strategy guide, I was given the icon symbols to assist me in completing Challenge of gods/Titans and other aspects of Gow I & II.
   
   The difference between the standard strategy guide and the limited edition is the 48 page artbook found in the LE version. Other than that, you might as well stick with the standard edition if you are not big on artwork. Overall, the creators of this "limited edition" strategy guide should've done a more quality job in paper production and detail description/analysis.

5 comments about Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver: The Official Pokemon Johto Guide & Johto Pokedex: Official Strategy Guide.

1. This guide book is amazing! It walks you through each map in the Johto League (Not Kanto). It shows you where all the hidden items and TMs are, where all the Pokemons you can catch in the Johto region are, etc. It literally shows you step by step if you ever get stuck in the Johto part of the game. With information this detailed, I am definitely getting the Kanto walkthrough book of this game when it comes out.
   
   I highly recommend this book to Pokemon lovers. If you are the kind of person who gets lost in the game easily, this is for you! 5/5



2. This guide is full of useful information about the games Pokemon HeartGold / SoulSilver. It is part one of the two guides that are going to be released for this game, the second being s national pokedex that will also be dealing with the Kanto section of the game. I am finding it quite useful... Now that I dug out my magnifying glass. This is why I am giving it four stars and not five.
   
   I realize that not everyone in the world has vision issues, but while the main text is readable, the side bars and many of the charts (which arguably contain some of the most valueable information, such as move-sets that are listed in the Johto-dex) are written in a font that is less like newspaper print and more like the writing on a medivine bottle. I realize that with how big this guide is -- and therefore with how much info it is full of -- that making the print in areas larger would have made it heavier. Its just a pain having to cart a magnifying glass around with this when the purpose of the guide was for use when I cannot get to my computer to research things. (and the fact that I can do this does make the situation a little more forgivable, but still... If I want to know if Chikorita gets a move at 18 that its next form doesn't while in the car I should not need to lug a magnifying glass around...)
   
   I do want to point out that I am actually relieved that they are doing this as a two guide set. Who knows how tiny the print might be had they been forced to combine this into one book? Or what information might have been omitted in order to preserve its practicality to be physically used? If you can read the print or can find something simple that will let you see it more clearly, this is a *very* well made book. The cover is shiny, the paper quality is fair, the text is written *clearly* -- my viewing issues are not caused by weird colours being put agaist each other. There are great drawings of various characters to introduce each chapter (a nice touch for fans or those who might be interested in drawing some of these people) and each pokemon gets a nice picture of each of its forms in the Johto-dex (yet again, nice for fans or those who like drawing Pokemon.)
   
   Overall, the Pokemon HeartGold / Soul Silver Guide to Johto is very well done with excellent production values. Provided that you are not put off by the print size and that you are aware that it is part one of a two part series of guides, the second of which will focus on the Kanto half of the game. I am quite pleased with my purchase, even if it is giving my magnifying glass a work out. :)



3. I bought this guide thinking that it would have everything I needed to complete this game. I like to really "complete" my games, and I needed a guide like this to find all the items, pokemon, etc. I am also comparing this guide to my old guide for Pokemon Gold & Silver, which was amazing at the time.
   
   This guide is TERRIBLE. It only includes the Johto part of the adventure, leaving about half of the game with no information. And any information it does give you is primitive at best. Oh sure, it'll show you where some items are, but it won't tell you what they consist of, making you go and get the item, even if it's something worthless. It will show you where trainers are, but won't give you any details about them or their pokemon. It will tell you where some Pokemon are, but doesn't give extra details like percentages of occurrence, so you won't know which pokemon are rare in a given area.
   
   This guide feels very empty, and about half of the book is devoted to a lame Pokedex. All it shows you is the moves learned while leveling up, not TM moves or egg moves... This guide feels like a little kid wrote it. And for the price I paid, I was expecting a lot more information about the game itself. At this rate, I feel like I'd be better off with the old G & S game guide from the 90's than this. There is very little value for your money here.



4. People should be aware that this guide only covers the Johto region. Thats why this guide is titled "Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver: The Official Pokemon JOHTO Guide & JOHTO Pokedex". I can understand how its a little misleading in making people think it would cover the Kanto region as well but when you look at it, the guide covers what it says it covers. But now, onto the guide...
   
   This guide has everything you need to know about the game. It takes you step by step on what you need to do to progress in the Johto region of the game. It has detailed maps of all the cities, routes, and caves as well as any items like potions, tm's, berries, etc. that are along the way. It also includes a complete move list, item list, and Johto pokedex. The only complaint I have about this guide is that it doesnt tell you which pokemon the random field trainers use, it only lists the gym leaders or any bosses's pokemon. Its a small detail and in no way does it make this a bad guide. And besides, Amazon is selling this at $11 along with part 2 for $13, so when you look at it your buying an excellent 2 part guide for $25. I would rather pay that than get ripped off at Gamestop and buy both parts for like $40. So all in all. This is a well put guide that gets the job done.



5. An awful guide. First of all, the guide only covers the Johto region and mentions nothing of the Kanto region. That includes no mention of where to find and catch pokemon in the Kanto region. The guide is very poorly laid out. Instead of listing events in chronological order, events in the game are listed by region. As you play the game, you'll find yourself constantly flipping back and forth in order to find instructions for the next event. For people like me who use these guides as more of a reference for when you are stuck, this makes things very difficult to find. It has a decent pokedex, but I've seen online pokedexes that have more in depth stat descriptions. Don't waste your money.

5 comments about Final Fantasy XIII: The Complete Official Guide.

1. This strategy guide is easily the best I have ever owned and at a very good price (while they lasted). The limited edition is sold out, so I suppose this review will have limited use. I'm sure the guide will be sold used though. I'd like to preference his review by saying I bought this guide to use, not to be a collector's item.
   
   First of all the guide is hardcover which really helps it look good and will help it survive the test of time very well. Paperback guides always have a problem of pages separating from the binding and the covers getting bent out of shape after repeated use.
   
   Every limited edition of this guide includes its number out of the 210,000 printed on the inside cover.
   
   Another feature is the quality of the paper, it is far thicker paper than you'll get in a paper back edition. The possible downside of this for some people will be this guide is thicker than the paperback, which also makes it heavier. I find this to be a positive personally and not a negative, but your views may be different.
   
   Lastly, the limited edition contains a few extra pages in the back as a story synopsis. It's a nice touch, but the words themselves are not something you would miss since you can get a story synopsis in the game itself. However, each of the extra pages also contains additional art images which make it worth it in my opinion.
   
   As for content itself, it's identical to the regular paper back edition (minus the story synopsis). I have found the content to be very good and very informative. I have not come across the numerous typos and errors that I've seen in BradyGame guides which is a nice improvement. The maps are nicely laid out and treasure locations and contents are clearly marked, long with save locations and points of interest.
   
   People complain that the game is 100% linear and you only have to press the up button. Well, yes you could do that, but you'd miss out on a lot of treasure which the guide nicely points out.
   
   Boss strategies do the job they're supposed to do. I've had a little trouble following a couple of them, but that could also be due to user error. I would have liked to see strategies that would get you a five star rating, but several give me zero to two star ratings following their advice. The bottom line is though that the star rating means nothing in boss fights, aside from the amount of time it takes to kill the boss, so a safer and surer way to win is probably best. These can be quite long in FFXIII and if something goes wrong at the end of a boss fight (I'm looking at you Chapter 9 boss) you'll find yourself looking at another 15 minute boss fight.
   
   Overall I'm very happy with this guide and it far exceeded my expectations. This is easily a 5 out of 5 stars for me. If you were unsure about "Piggyback" as opposed to BradyGames I can assure you this guide is far better in both physical quality and content quality.



2. Great guide. I wish I would have bought the paperback version. It's almost impossible to keep the page open when playing with the hardcover version.



3. Not too many spoiler in the walkthrough. Quite accurate info.
   
   Sturdy binding.



4. Final Fantasy XIII is a great game, and there are some subtleties that this game helps to iron out. Some of the boss fights are a little more complicated than you'd expect, and after trying a few times, it's nice to have a guide to point you in the right direction. There are also several tables, charts and diagrams that spell out who's good at what job, and how the weapons benefit. This guide isn't necessary to have, but it does add to the over all experience. Recommended.



5. First off the book itself is made of great quality, very durable hard-covers and pages are thick. About everything you'll need to know is covered in the guide if not everything, I'll know once I beat FFXIII! One thing that I wonder is if this will ever be worth much? I bought it for just under $19 and now I see listings starting at almost twice that, time will tell.