A Strategy Guide for your Strategy Guides
This week we talk about those little ritual type things we do before diving into a game. I am a bit spastic about my preparations when it comes to gaming all day.
*Editor’s note: Yes, yes he is.
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Last weekend I went to Texas to visit Keri. While I might say I did it to take some family photos for her, I really did it to have some drinks and hang out. It was a ton of fun to say the least! It also made me realize just how much I miss LAN parties, couch co-op, and just getting together with friend to play video games…in person…like in the same room!
When I arrived, we had to setup for a podcast. While we were podcasting, I was busy doing things such as playing Elite: Dangerous and Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls. Keri looked over and commented how pretty Elite: Dangerous was. She also got to see just how easy it was to make oodles of money in D3.
Where things really get fun is when I played Dragon Age: Origins. I hooked my laptop up to her television so we didn’t have to hunker down around a smaller laptop screen. As we sat on the inflated bed, she got to see just how deadly I am to the inhabitants of Ferelden. It was humorous to hear/see her reactions to various aspects of how different my experience was going versus hers.
Being in the same room and sharing the same experiences led to something unexpectedly handy. Keri was able to use the strategy guide and help me out. She was able to easily tell me if my chosen courses of murder were going to make my life worse, or if my killing spree was just another day in the life of Vlad the Heartless. This wouldn’t have been so easy had we not been in the same room and sharing this experience.
Things became even more interesting when her husband and another friend joined us. Suddenly there were jokes going around about how cool Vlad was. As I was a few drinks in, there was a bit more back seating going on, and that was totally cool. By the time I finished my quest, we all had some good laughs at the misfortunes of the peons of the land.
As Keri drove me to the airport, we talked about how it would be fun to live closer to one another so that we could both just play this game in the same room and compare our stories. It also made me realize just how much I miss having friends over to play video games. To talk smack at someone else’s failure. To be in awe after a friend brings down a difficult boss. To just share in the enjoyment that is exploring a virtual world together while sipping on an adult beverage and consuming junk food.
On this episode of the SGR Coffee Break, we discuss the use of video games as a form of medication. We get deep on this episode.
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Why must you be so addicting?
If you happen to listen to the SGR Coffee Break, then you know I am addicted to Elite: Dangerous. The addiction runs deep, and I have no intentions of fighting it or trying to rid myself of this disease. Over the weekend, I was chatting with a friend about it and started to realize just why this game is so fun for me.
Elite: Dangerous doesn’t have a story. It doesn’t hold your hand and point you where to go. You get some basic flight tutorials, and then the game releases you into the black and you decide what to do next. You make your own story. You decide how the game will play out during your stay. It is up to you to utilize the mechanics that the developers have put in place. It is this freedom that keeps me hooked.
This isn’t the first game to really do this, however. Minecraft is a game I still play and I still deeply love. It is much the same ordeal as well. You make your own story. You do what you want with the tools provided to you. Heck, even Demon’s Souls/Dark Souls/Dark Souls 2 are fairly open in such a way that you forge your story. Sure, the souls games do have a story, of sorts, but these games allow you to find it. It’s more of a stretch, but that same freedom to roam the virtual world and not be told what needs to be done at a specific point is what really makes that series so mind-numbingly fun for me.
Then we get to today. Here I am, playing the bejesus out of Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. Like so many games on this list, this game provides me some tools and a world, but it is up to me to make my story. Yeah, it can be a bit grindy to have to constantly go farm for materials, but I still do it and I have a lot of fun while doing it.
I understand that these types of games are not for everyone, yet I am so thankful that they exist. Dare I say, they are probably my favorite genre of games? There is just something about being able to talk to other players and realize everyone has had a different experience, a different story, and a different view of how best to play these games. Hmmm, I think I need to go kill a few monsters to farm some pelts now!
Dying Light is an interesting blend of shooter, scavenger, and parkour simulator. While the story was rather bland, the game itself was a friggin’ good time. Sadly, that good time didn’t translate to the Dying Light strategy guide from Prima Games. Usually I tackle my guide reviews in a section-by-section format, but I want to try something new. So I’m just going to write what I thought was bad and good from this guide.
Unfortunately, the part where most readers will spend their time is in the walkthrough and side quest portions of this guide, and those are really rough. I found both of these to be littered with inaccuracies on how to tackle a specific quests. Either the strategy guide would tell me to go to the wrong place, or it would leave out vital tasks that needed doing before the quest could be completed. There were quite a few times when I’d have to go to Dr. Google and ask its advice, because the guide just left me hanging and questioning what the heck I needed to do/go next.
Gotta love the art!
Another point of contention comes in the form of the character development part. Outside of the experience and progression table, there isn’t anything here that is not already clearly shown within the game. It would have been nice to have some pointers on how to develop the character to make the earlier portions of the game a bit easier. Sure, I don’t have to follow those tips, but it would have been nice to see them included.
The biggest issue with this guide comes down to the collectible section. There is a map and a correlating picture for each item, but these don’t always match up with what is actually in the game. The map doesn’t mark all the collectibles accurately, which left me high and dry at times. When the map was right, there were times that the attached screenshot was incorrect. I don’t know if the author had already snagged the item before doing a screen capture, but it made this section feel very incomplete and disjointed.
What the collectible section really needed was tips on how to snag the more complicated items. Until you get the grappling hook, trying to parkour the terrain to get to some difficult place can be an exercise in frustration. Having some direction would have helped. It doesn’t make things better when I spend ten, or more, minutes getting to a place that was shown on the map to have a collectible, and yet I’m greeted with a big fat nothing.
Lastly, the multiplayer could use some love and attention. The guide has some basic maps and tips on how thing work when online. However, anyone wanting to learn more about being the monster will find absolutely nothing on the matter. There is just nothing of solid in this section, and for a game with so much that can be done with friends, this is not okay.
Yet, the strategy guide still has some redeeming qualities. When it comes to presentation, the book rocks it. The pages look like they are dingy and come from the game. The side navigation markers made it easy to get to specific areas without much of a hassle. The artwork, especially in the bestiary, is phenomenal.
I liked that the blueprints actually had info on where you obtain them and what they provide. Granted the map still suffers the same kinds of issues as the collectibles, but not nearly as bad. I used the blueprint section a lot more than I thought I would.
I like it when you scream!
When the guide nails a mission or challenge, it does so in such a solid manner. There is a hefty amount of reading, so be prepared to spend a few moments digesting a heaping portion of text. However, when all that text leads to a successful mission without any major hiccups, it’s a glorious time.
What I really dug about this guide comes in the last few pages. These contain all the Easter eggs, developer tips, and little quips on how to make the game a bit easier. It was fun to read that there was a Mario Bros. reference in the guide and then being able to find it in the game. It’s not exhaustive, but enough that I spent some time actually enjoying the world and getting a laugh between all the work of caving in zombie heads.
When it comes down to it, the Dying Light strategy guide is hard to recommend. There are times it nails down its job and provides concise and useful info. Sadly, the amount of misinformation, bad maps, and lack of thoroughness just drag this guide down and make it unreliable. This is one guide that it is best to skip and just save yourself the headache by using online resources.
Author: Michael Lummis
Publisher: Prima Games
Editions Available: Paperback
Acquired via Publisher