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Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon Strategy Guide Review

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Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon strategy guide reviewLuigi’s Mansion Dark Moon is unique for a Nintendo game, in so far as it maybe being the closest thing to a point-and-click adventure title that they’ve ever created. Point-and-click adventure games, though, involve discovery, puzzle solving, and finding secrets. Because of those gameplay elements, I haven’t always been the best at those types of games, so I can very much understand how much some gamers (maybe younger gamers in particular) may need a strategy guide for some assistance with a game of this kind. Prima has a Luigi’s Mansion Dark Moon strategy guide though, that will be able to direct gamers through every mission in the game with next to no problems.

Dark Moon isn’t a complex puzzle game or anything–after all, it is a game in a Nintendo franchise–and it seems to have been designed with quite a lot of accessibility in mind, so the game doesn’t have any real puzzles per se. However, that doesn’t mean that the game doesn’t have any occasional moments where it might not be completely clear as to what the player should do next. For those moments and finding just about every secret the game has to offer, Prima’s strategy guide is amazing. The guide doesn’t only point out what players should do, it also directs them on a route through each mission that involves accomplishing all of the various mission goals, discovering hidden gems, and finding Boos as easily as possible. If there are easier or more expedient routes through the game’s missions that involve doing everything possible in a single playthrough, I honestly can’t imagine them.

Gamers who may be having problems with combat will be greatly helped by the strategy guide as well, especially later in the game when the strongest ghosts begin to emerge. The guide goes into as much as detail as possible, letting players know when they’re most likely to encounter which ghosts and also how and when to engage them. The notifications on when group ghost captures may be possible can be especially useful, as group captures can slice combat times into a fraction of what they’d be if the player had pursued individual captures. Speaking of combat, I slightly disagree with the guide’s occasional advice to capture Greenies (the most harmless ghosts) last, as I had tended to have major capture attempts interrupted by them from time to time. However, I also found instances where that advice was correct as well.

The multiplayer section of the guide is designated to just a few pages, which is apropos, since the multiplayer in Luigi’s Mansion Dark Moon is very straightforward, with few significant variations. The guide’s advice is as helpful as it can be and offers as many tips as it can, which will certainly be a welcome heads-up to players jumping into multiplayer for the first time or first few times. However, the multiplayer is so easy to grasp that with any kind of regular play, players will quickly learn how mostly everything functions. The guide does cover as much of multiplayer as possible, though, and the advice on some elements that the player might not know how to address at first glance (curses, for one) is welcome.

The layout of Prima’s strategy guide is very easy to navigate, with good-sized screenshots to let players know where they’re supposed to be or what they’re supposed to be doing. Gems, Boos, and general cautionary advice are contained in medium-sized call-out boxes that flow well with the layout of the guide. Big text indicates when the guide’s directions are shifting focus (i.e. from “Find the Poltergust 5000” to “Find the Strobulb”), so the text just isn’t sprawling down the page with directions. The guide has a fun, colorful design and bits of concept art are integrated nicely throughout some of the pages, instead of being gathered into a section in the back of guide. The guide’s design matches the fun/tiny bit scary mood of the game with appropriate bright and dark colors (i.e. green, purple, black, blue, and red) as well.

The guide does have a few minor trouble spots, though. Despite being mostly comprehensive, the guide had an odd few moments where it didn’t mention treasure that was available. For instance, the guide doesn’t mention that a stack of cash sits at the top of the West Garden area of the Haunted Tower and is available for players to collect for at least three missions. Another instance is the drill in The Old Clockworks, which can be vacuumed for coins for at least one or two missions. A strange instance also came up where the guide lists a mini-game in the Roundhouse Brawl mission as being available in the door of the northeast corner of the Canyon Narrows, but I was unable to find it there. Mentioning these errors is certainly nitpicking at an otherwise near-perfect guide, but they stood out because of the guide’s generally very high level of accuracy.

Curiously, while the guide doesn’t list the criteria or any general guidelines for gaining three-star ranks (the maximum rank) on missions, it does mention the factors that weigh in on how they’re graded. I’m not sure if the ranking information was available, as I occasionally found that some missions that I thought I had performed badly on were graded better than I expected and vice versa. (Maybe the game uses some variables to generate the grade?) However, I did generally find that following the guide’s advice and going through missions at a somewhat moderate pace had generally rewarded me with a two-star ranking, sometimes three.

The Luigi’s Mansion Dark Moon strategy guide from Prima is absolutely worth picking up, especially for those who might need help. The guide really doesn’t leave any stone unturned for the most part and is as clear and direct as possible with its instructions. From missions to boss fights to combat, the guide is just fantastic at directing players towards the fastest and easiest paths in the game. Plus, the guide’s advice is simple and straightforward, making it accessible to a wide number of players across age groups. Prima’s guide is able to help any Luigi’s Mansion Dark Moon player accomplish just about everything they’ll need to in the game and anyone in need of help from the guide definitely will not regret buying one.

SGR Rating: 4.5/5

Author: Nick von Esmarch
Publisher: Prima Games
Editions Available: Paperback
Acquired via Publisher

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Strategy Guide Review

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Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Strategy Guide ReviewMetal Gear Rising: Revengeance marks a distinct gameplay departure from the MGS series. Instead of a stealth game, Raiden’s spin-off offers fast-paced stylish action similar to games such as Devil May Cry and Bayonetta. Gamers who are following Raiden from his roots in more traditional Metal Gear games to MGR:R may encounter some difficulties, especially with a game that has experience points so strongly tied to battle rankings. Piggyback’s Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance strategy guide, though, is a one-stop resource that should be able to help players get the best battle rankings and all of the Battle Points (MGR:R’s XP) that they need.

Two of MGR:R’s big gameplay focuses are Zandatsu (the game’s signature finishing maneuver in Blade Mode) and parrying (how attacks are countered). The strategy guide will let players know everything that they need to in regards to these mechanics, especially what enemies can be hit with a Zandatsu immediately or what damage qualifications are necessary to get one, what enemy attacks can or can’t be parried, and what signs players should look for to be ready to parry an attack. The information can be invaluable at times and can help players significantly increase their rank.

Speaking of increasing rank, the strategy guide’s advice for specific combat situations is focused on players gaining an S-Rank in every ranked battle. The guide also assists players with engaging in the right styles of combat, helping them learn effective techniques that can be used when facing enemies in future battles. Following the guide’s advice closely or even just keeping specific points of advice in mind can be the difference between a B rank and an A or S rank. Performing better in battle results in earning more Battle Points, which further results in players being able to give Raiden more upgrades and access more weapons. The guide even makes recommendations about what specific upgrades players should invest in before moving on to the next chapter, which are virtually spot-on. The level of accuracy for the guide even extends to item locations, as mostly everything is exactly where the guide says it is, with rare few exceptions.

The official guide also has a vast amount of data in it, from how the scoring system works, what parts of an enemy are strongest or weakest (down to color labeling representing the strongest and weakest areas), how much damage enemy attacks do, the stats for each weapon and sub-weapon, and more. For players who would eventually like to master MGR:R, the guide provides all of the relevant data necessary to assist them with their goal. Tables containing information on how a battle is graded (time, Zandatsus, kills, etc.) accompany every ranked battle and the guide also has No Damage and No Kills tables available when applicable. Finding information in the guide is very easy as well, as the pages have very clean layouts and call-out boxes are well implemented. The guide’s item discovery/level layout sections are separate from the battle sections, which may see gamers flipping pages back and forth a bit, but that’s ultimately a minor nitpick.

If the strategy guide has one downside, though, it’s that the S-Rank only strategies may be intimidating for some players to pull off, especially those players who are new to this style of game. The guide admits that pursuing S-ranks right away isn’t a good idea, saying that on a first playthrough, gamers should just play for fun and familiarize themselves with the game’s core techniques. While most of the guide’s advice can be used quite well for an initial playthrough, newcomers may struggle a bit trying to keep up and there are occasional sections that recommend equipment that players won’t have on their first-run playthrough or may not have unlocked yet. However, the guide’s advice also will immediately become much more clear and perhaps even more accessible on a second playthrough. (A second playthrough on MGR:R is easily accomplished with a game length of around ten hours or so, which can be shortened even further by skipping cut scenes.)

As for the Collector’s Edition value, MGR:R’s CE guide has a sixteen-page artwork section with comments from staff from Kojima Productions and Platinum Games who worked on the game. The section isn’t particularly a must-have, but it provides a nice look at some of the artwork that went into the game and may be a plus for players looking to pick up the great Yoji Shinkawa textured paper lithograph depicting Raiden that comes with the guide. The guide also has a nice hardcover with an image of Raiden on the front, split down the middle with an electrically charged blade. Fans less enthusiastic about Metal Gear may not enjoy the extras as much, but for the Shinkawa lithograph and the additions to the CE, the $10 difference in comparison to typical paperback guides will be worth it for hardcore fans of the franchise.

If someone is new to playing MGR:R and seeking advice or is looking for advice on how to get S-ranks in every battle in the game, the Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance strategy guide is absolutely worth picking up. The guide is packed with as many bits of essential information as imaginable to help players figure out how to defeat an enemy that they’re having difficulty with, get through boss battles with greater ease, get the best possible ranks in combat, and have an easier time playing the game all-around. Regardless of experience level with this type of game, the guide is more than capable of helping players beat or best MGR:R. Piggyback’s guide is simply a must-have for anyone who might be looking to pick one up for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

SGR Rating: 4.5/5

Publisher: Piggyback
Editions available: Hardcover Collector’s Edition
Acquired via Publisher

Ghost Recon Future Soldier Strategy Guide Review

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Ghost Recon Future Soldier Strategy Guide reviewGhost Recon Future Soldier is a different kind of game than some might used to be playing, featuring components of squad shooters, tactical shooters, and stealth action games. Gamers who are new to this blend of gameplay–especially those new to the Ghost Recon franchise–may find playing through GRFS a bit daunting at first. Luckily, for those gamers, Prima has created a pretty extensive strategy guide for the game that should be able to help them take down their heavily armed opposition. While not without a few trouble spots, gamers should be able to use this guide to find exactly whatever it is that they need to get through the game.

Prima’s GRFS guide excels in giving many great general and specific gameplay tips for the tactical squad shooter. Players might not initially realize what options they have to spot enemies, or how efficient their teammates are at taking orders and subsequently taking down enemy soldiers. The guide is also mostly spot-on at enemy counts and helping players to arrange “sync shots” to take down groups of soldiers. Even some of the most difficult missions in the game, including ones where there are no alerts allowed, are made at least a fair bit easier by the guide laying out what’s coming and what players can expect as they progress through the mission. The game’s tactical challenges are spelled out with the criteria to meet and fairly good advice as well–I was able to accomplish a few of them because of the guide’s suggestions.

However, every once in a great number of pages, the guide includes some puzzling advice. Not necessarily wrong advice per se, but advice that seemed a bit difficult to pull off or not the easiest way to proceed. For instance:

  • In the mission “Noble Tempest,” the guide advises that players take out four mercenaries playing soccer before taking out some other guards in the area, when an alert can be avoided with a careful series of sync shots used prior to taking out the soccer players.
  • The latter half of “Noble Tempest” has an alternate ending with a chopper battle that isn’t mentioned.
  • In “Gallant Thief,” the advice for taking out the guards stealthily before rescuing the prisoner was generally too vague. Plus, by being careful and patient (the process takes a while and possibly multiple restarts), a player can opt to forgo stealth and use a weapon to take out a number of guards in the area, freeing up the lift needed to evacuate the prisoner from the presence of guards nearly completely. The guide does mention that an SMG could be used in the area, though.
  • Finally, in “Shattered Mountain,” the guide advises to leave the guards standing behind the barn area in favor of going after a high value target first, when the guards can be carefully taken down with sync shots prior to engaging the target. If the player has taken out the guards behind the barn, then takes out the high value target and accidentally triggers an alert, they only have to deal with a select few enemies inside the barn.

Other than those instances, though, the guide’s advice for the single player campaign is mostly very useful and quite accurate.

The guide’s advice for multiplayer is overall very general and will be helpful to beginners, but won’t help with any specific trouble spots. The guide calls out noteworthy areas and marks all of the places on the maps in which objectives appear, which are very useful inclusions (especially the objectives locations), but does not really recommend any course of action for what to do when on offense or defense and encountering heavy resistance in a particular area. As for Guerrilla Mode, I was only able to test the infiltration run of each map, as the mode is built for four players and does not include a way to go through the mode with four random players–players can only play online with other friends who have the game. I only found one problem of note with one of the initial infiltration runs (the “Mansion” map), as the guide advises players to take out a soldier who spends plenty of time facing the player. By taking out the guards in a different order (taking out a patrol guard who stops next to a car, then taking out a guard patrolling the mansion’s front, then taking out the facing guard by coming up from behind him by vaulting from cover and finally the other two), the process was much easier, albeit lengthier.

The official GRFS game guide is a mostly accurate guide with a few trouble spots. Gamers who need the guide shouldn’t let the trouble spots mentioned bother them, as they are the rare few exceptions to an otherwise very useful guide that gives players plenty of important details about their enemies and their locations. The single-player campaign’s missions have some really tough spots to get through–which may be even tougher on higher difficulties–and in those instances, the guide really does offer some very good advice on how to get through as easily as possible. The multiplayer advice not going deeper is unfortunate, but again, having the locations of objectives alone provides a fairly decent advantage at times. Prima’s Official Game Guide for Ghost Recon Future Soldier may not be flawless, but it has more than enough vital information to warrant a purchase by anyone who thinks that they’d need it.

SGR Rating: 3.5/5

Authors: David Knight, Off Base Productions
Publisher: Prima Games
Editions Available: Paperback
Acquired via Publisher

Super Mario 3D Land Strategy Guide Review

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Super Mario 3D Land strategy guide reviewSuper Mario 3D Land is Nintendo’s newest Mario game and quite the killer app for their 3DS platform, fusing together classic 2D and 3D gameplay to form something newer and more different than previous installments in the Mario franchise. With SM3D Land, Nintendo has hidden a number of areas and objects throughout, which could be easily missed by even the most hardcore of gamers. Luckily, Prima Games has Mario fans covered with quite the comprehensive and easy to navigate guide that will help them find every secret that Nintendo’s latest classic platformer has to offer.

Prima’s SM3D Land guide, first of all, is tremendously easy to navigate. The guide has clear pages with easy to read text, easily noticeable callout boxes that don’t distract from the natural flow of the guide, and world names written on the edge of the guide’s pages to enable easy navigation to wherever gamers need to look in the guide. The guide has bright colors, but no color too bright or distracting for the player. The guide’s intro section shows all of the moves and enemies in SM3D Land and even has a page on how to navigate the guide, which is perfect for those gamers who may never have used a strategy guide before.

The Walkthrough section of the guide has a map with an overhead view of each level. The map is marked with the locations of power-ups, various items of interest, and the end goal flag locations. A legend on each and every map is present so that these noteworthy items can be noticed and found easily. The map is also marked with numerical “points” that correspond to identically numbered sections in the Walkthrough. The points are areas of interest, Star Coin locations, or trouble spots.

The guide’s advice in the Walkthrough is just about as spot-on as guide advice could possibly be. For the most part, the guide leaves very little to the imagination and explains in detail what players need to do in order to advance. Nearly every single area of each level is covered and what exceptionally little isn’t is easily able to be figured out by just playing through and using the map, although first time Mario gamers playing SM3D Land may need to pay close attention at times. For core gamers or gamers who know Mario well, the tiny bit not covered won’t be a problem in any way, but could prove to be a tiny bit troublesome to newer gamers who need more help.

Prima’s Super Mario 3D Land Premiere Edition Guide is a must-buy for any gamer who might need help with SM3D Land, from the gamer who may need help playing through the game to the Mario fan looking to uncover every secret. The guide has extremely reliable advice, is easy to navigate, and helps gamers find every hidden area and Star Coin that they could possibly need. Few guides are as useful and easy to navigate as this one and any gamer who’s purchased a copy of SM3D Land should consider buying a copy of this guide as well.

SGR RATING: 4.5/5

Batman: Arkham City Strategy Guide Review

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Batman Arkham City Strategy Guide ReviewBatman: Arkham City is the sequel to one of the greatest superhero games of all time, Batman: Arkham Asylum. Arkham City expands on everything that made Arkham Asylum great and adds an amazing open-world game environment to the mix. The Batman series under Rocksteady is known for its secrets and Metroidvania-esque exploration elements, so Arkham City requires a great guide with plenty of depth. BradyGames’ Batman: Arkham City strategy guide is that guide for the most part, but does have a few noteworthy trouble spots.

On one hand, the guide does cover plenty of content in Arkham City well. It gives a good walkthrough and most times offers great strategies on how to beat the game, offering advice that gamers of most any skill level can follow. The guide is also well designed and easy to navigate, with clear (as in, not cluttered) white pages and some really well designed call-out boxes. The combat sections have a nice degree of detail and provide some tips about combat in Arkham games that may otherwise take some gamers a bit of time and experience to uncover.

Something else the guide does well–and this is difficult to explain–is teach gamers how to think about approaching a section in Arkham City, maybe akin to a survival guide. The guide points out instances where Batman’s gadgets or a combat technique can be used. When the gamer recognizes that situation happening again, they’ll have learned that technique and know how to use it. Batman: Arkham City is a game that’s easy to learn and play but sort of difficult to master (because gadgets and techniques have straightforward uses and somewhat different instances of use for combat or Riddler Trophy collecting), so the guide gives gamers a kind of “skill arsenal” to use to their advantage.

The Riddler Trophies section is also quite good, providing precise solutions on how gamers can grab every single one in the game. Each map for the Trophies section matches the in-game map and is numbered, so that gamers can find where they are on the map and then find the number in the guide to get the Trophy–a vital tool for the 400 (or more for gamers who have the Catwoman DLC) Trophies in the game. Also, on the issue of collecting, the guide points out a number of objects that can be destroyed or collected for XP or count as Riddler Trophies that just aren’t made evident in the game itself.

On the other hand, though, the guide has a few shortcomings. Every once in a while, there’s an odd moment where it doesn’t explain itself well or is missing a tiny step. In one instance, for example, the guide said: “…grapple above the Joker’s group. For an easy victory, detonate the ceiling above the goons…” However, the guide does not mention that the Line Launcher must be used to get Batman in the correct area so that he can grapple up into the room and use the Explosive Gel there. The guide has a few of those moments throughout the main walkthrough, where the next step isn’t as clear as it could be or offers some really general advice on how to progress. Please note, though, that this problem wasn’t found with the boss fight sections at all.

The guide did have a different kind of trouble spot with one of the trickier areas in the Story mode, which requires careful use of the dive bomb technique. The guide provided advice that I couldn’t get to work for at least two of the sections. The repeated requests to dive had a tendency to leave Batman too low to complete the objectives. Often, getting Batman a solid dive at the beginning, followed by an upward glide and then gliding or diving downward only when necessary was the best overall technique (albeit with somewhat minor variations for particular instances) for this section in the game.

The guide also did not mention Catwoman’s final “loot” mission in the game or provide any advice on how to use Catwoman for the Riddler’s Revenge section at all, with the exception of medals and combo score tables for the Combat Challenge Rooms. Now, Catwoman is technically DLC and while the guide can’t be faulted for not listing techniques for Robin and Nightwing, her content is different because it’s offered free to every single person who purchases the game new. The Predator section says that much of the same advice offered for Batman can be used for other characters, which usually is not true for Catwoman. She has lower HP than Batman, completely different gadgets, and can’t instantly grapple up to gargoyles.

A note on the game’s story: the biography section in the front of the guide spoils every Batman character cameo in the game, major or minor, main mission or side mission. The final boss battle has a surprise cameo which is somewhat spoiled by the character’s inclusion in the main Biography section. The decision to include that particular cameo there is confusing, especially when the Biography information is listed again in call-out boxes in the Story mode and side mission sections.

The bonuses that come with the Limited Edition guide are nice, but not must-own for anyone except hardcore Batman fans. The guide has six nice lithographs and a pin-up poster with suggestive poses for Harley Quinn and Catwoman, but Quinn’s pose is the exact same as her lithograph pose. The guide has a sneak peak at the Arkham City graphic novel as well (the sneak peak may or may not be available in the regular edition), which is nice, but also not must-own. The two available covers to choose from, the hardcover for the guide, and great page quality are all bonuses that gamers picking up the guide may want to consider picking up the Limited Edition for, though.

The Batman: Arkham City strategy guide from BradyGames is a more than solid guide and a good purchase for gamers new to Arkham City or gamers trying to collect all 400 (or more) Riddler Trophies. Otherwise, because Batman: Arkham City is a fairly straightforward game, anyone who has beaten Arkham Asylum or isn’t having difficulty playing the game won’t really need the guide to progress. The guide provides gamers with some much-needed tips in some areas like Riddler Trophies and Batman’s Riddler’s Revenge mode, but without the need for that, anyone playing through the game won’t really need the guide for much.

SGR Rating: 3.5/5

Authors: Michael Lummis and Michael Owen
Publisher: BradyGames
Editions available: Signature Series and Limited Edition
Acquired via Publisher

 

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