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Dark Souls Guide Review

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Dark Souls Strategy Guide ReviewI love Dark Souls, and I have no idea why. The game is difficult to the point that controllers fly, fist-sized holes end up in walls, and my gamer pride bleeds from the beating it consistently receives at the cold and deadly grasp of this game. Yet like a good masochist, I return for more punishment only to beat an impassable enemy or inch forward after hours of hard fought battles. This is where I feel for the poor sucker, Carol Crowdy, who had to collect so much tasty data and put it into a glorious tome of knowledge for those of us who may need a little “help” along the way.

When you first crack the spine on this book, the guide tells you to prepare to die less and then asks how many times you did die before diving into this collection of tips. From here the guide is broken down into six sections of which the first two may seem like something you can skim over, but I’d argue they are quite possibly the most useful for anyone deciding to torture their thumbs in this dark world.

The first two sections are dedicated to game mechanics and the various enemies. You may think you can skim over the game mechanics portion, but I’d urge you to take some time and study this as it’ll make character planning and development much easier. Not only does this cover souls needed for leveling and hit point curves, but it also dives into how humanity works and is useful at certain times while still detailing the basics of battling and defending. There is great advice here, so don’t skip it.

Following the 101 of how to swing a sword and not die every two minutes is a lengthy section on enemies and bosses. Hit points, attack types, and clues on how to destroy the foe at hand are listed here. I found myself coming to this section after turning into a blood stain for the 10th time and then destroying the vile beast shortly there after. It does feel a bit out of place as you have to use the index at the back to hunt down whatever it is that is blocking your progression. However, it does make it easier to study thy foe.

After reading about enemies you get to the area walkthrough portion. A rudimentary map along with item and enemy locations are provided. Key strategies, such as falling off a ladder and pulling switches to move bookcases, are pointed out and clearly marked on the map. You will be flipping among this and the enemy section a lot so utilize the index as it will save you hours of flipping pages.

Sections four and five are dedicated to the vast amount of weapons and items scattered about the world. These end up being a nice complement to the first section as it provides a great aid for planning out your character. All sets and upgrade benefits are listed here. It is also very handy to know where to find specific magic items so you don’t accidentally kill the NPC that holds that one rare ring you wanted.

The last portion of the guide covers not only how to obtain the Achievements/Trophies in the game, but a thorough breakdown on the new covenant feature. A smattering of NPC data, maps, and weapon upgrades are included too. It is a nice way to finish the guide while still providing plenty of useful and pertinent info.

Sadly, it is not all greatness here. It takes some time to get used to how this guide flows. I found I had to read sections–like how to beat a boss–a few times to get the gist of what needed to be done. Also, due to updates to the game, some content in the guide is outdated. It does not make the guide less useful, but if something is not working from the printed text then jump online for more up-to-date info.

While I still died a lot, my controller thanks Future Press for all the hard work that went into this book. It made a game that gives the player with very little plenty of ground to stand on and the tools necessary to succeed in this grim and dark world. Do not buy Dark Souls without giving this guide some serious consideration.

SGR Rating: 4.5/5

Authors: Carol Crowdy
Published By: Future Press
Editions Available: Hardback
Acquired via Publisher

Uncharted 3 Strategy Guide Review

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Uncharted 3 Strategy Guide ReviewI admit that I’ve not been a fan of strategy guides that Piggyback Interactive has written in the past for various reasons. I won’t get into why here–because you should have read all of them in the past–as they have nothing to do with the Uncharted 3 strategy guide. What I mean to say is that the strategy guide for Uncharted 3 is the best guide I have ever seen from Piggyback Interactive. In fact, the guide is downright PERFECT.

Yes, you read that right. PERFECT.

To start with, the guide incorporates Piggyback’s usual art book design, but it’s done in a way that doesn’t impede upon using the guide. It’s so rare to find this in guides. Usually they are able to be artsy at the expense of being a guide, or they just choose certain pages to be artsy with that are free of guide content. The Uncharted 3 strategy guide is designed to appear as if the pages were something out of Drake’s own journal, but they don’t come off as cluttered as the last strategy guide did.

Uncharted 3 Strategy GuideThe walkthroughs are clearly laid out, and all collectibles are both mentioned in the walkthroughs and separated from them. In other words, the walkthroughs mention the collectibles, but the guide to find them are in separate call-out boxes on the page. The guide does the same for the platforming “puzzles,” which I greatly appreciated, because sometimes I had trouble discerning where I needed to jump and climb, especially while getting chased.

In case you are wondering just how well the collectible portions of the walkthroughs are, I’ll just say this: I found all 101 collectibles in my FIRST playthrough. That’s a miracle, people. I was able to do the same with Gears of War 3, but there weren’t 101 of anything there–except for maybe enemies to kill at one time.

The Uncharted 3 strategy guide also contains fabulous tips for Trophy hunters. One of the back appendices lists every Trophy, and where applicable, it describes the best places to attempt the Trophy acquisition. For example, for the RPG Trophy, the guide suggests replaying a particular scene in the desert a couple of times for easy acquisition. Every guide should do this, and I develop a soft spot for a guide every time I find one that does instead of simply explaining what the Trophy is. I can see what it is when I turn on my PS3, thanks.

Uncharted 3 Strategy GuideI also really, really enjoyed the game developer commentary that was strewn throughout the book. It was fun learning about the origins of the names of the Trophies, where developers got inspiration for certain scenes, or what their overall goal was with depicting a certain moment this way or that. Little extra touches like these really make the book come together and feel like it’s more than just a strategy guide, and therefore, worth the money.

Well done, Piggyback Interactive and Prima Games. The Uncharted 3 strategy guide is definitely one of the best strategy guides I have ever come across. I look forward to seeing future strategy guides from these companies being just as polished, if not as perfect.

SGR Rating: 5/5

Author: James Price
Publisher: Piggyback Interactive
Editions available: Paperback and Collector’s Edition
Acquired via Distributor (Prima Games)

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Guide Review

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Skyward Sword strategy guide reviewHere we are, 25 years later and Link is still spelunking through various dungeons in a quest to save a princes who cannot manage to keep from getting herself kidnapped. It seems that no matter how many times we have to save this stolen royalty, Nintendo always seems to make a game that is entertaining, familiar, and enjoyable. Unfortunately while Skyward Sword brings its A- game to the table, the Skyward Sword strategy guide from Prima Games appears to have brought its B game. However, all is not lost on this guide.

The guide starts players off with a nice breakdown on basic game mechanics, items and their corresponding locations. From there Prima gives a brief biography of the main characters before finishing the section off with a small map of The Sky world and a chart breaking down where to find the Goddess Cubes tucked away throughout guide. Overall this is a nice start and the details of the items is very helpful.

The main walkthrough is where things seem to sidestep into a mishmash of good and evil. Each major area and temple are broken into their own sections with the step-by-step instructions flowing in the same manner you would likely travel about the world in the quest to save Zelda. Each of these sections begins with a rudimentary map and any heart containers/goddess cube displayed. The maps could be a bit more detailed, but they work well enough.

There is monster information mingling with my walkthrough information

Things start to deteriorate when it comes to how monsters are listed along with tips and strategies. First, there is no beastiary listing every monster in the game, but rather the monsters receive little blurbs tucked away throughout the book. I did find this to not only be distracting in the flow, but a game like this does benefit from all the monsters being broken down in a section all their own. Next are the tips and strategies given. I found these to either be exceptionally helpful or completely useless, if not almost game breaking. If you plan on using this guide verbatim then do take warning that you have a 50/50 chance of these aiding you in your quest or making simple tasks unnecessarily hard.

The last part of the guide details the various side quests, of which there are not a lot of in the game, item upgrades and where to find upgrade materials, and a collection of maps. I found the upgrade portion to be valuable as it not only details the items you need, but it also tells you what the result is and where to pickup hard-to-find materials. It is a small section, but one that I used plenty.

The last issue I have with the guide, of which I received the Collector’s Edition, is the unnerving sound of pages tearing as you flip them due to the gold leaf applied to the edges. It is almost as if a soda full of sugar had spilled on the pages prior to shipping. The guide was just fine, but it is still not a sound you want to hear with every page turn.

Now, where the guide shines is in the artwork, included cloth map (Collector’s Edition only), and the way it does not provide spoilers. This is one guide that I really enjoyed the included artwork. There are a lot of assets plucked from the game, but the hand drawn pieces are just amazing and fit extremely well with the overall look of the game. The blue and gold cover, and the problematic gold leaf coated pages, is simple yet elegant. It is also enjoyable to have a guide give you direction without desiccating major plot-lines.

This guide does an okay job of helping you through the game, but keep the internet close by as there are fan guides that do an excellent job of guiding you through the game. It is hard to recommend this at its current cost, however. If you must have the book then go for it, otherwise wait for it to drop in price before splurging.

Swanky cloth map!

SGR Rating: 3/5

Authors: Alicia Ashby
Published By: Prima Games
Editions Available: Paperback, Collector’s Edition
Acquired via Publisher

Modern Warfare 3 Strategy Guide Review

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Modern Warfare 3 Strategy Guide reviewIt is time to strap up once again in something a little more modern when I review the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Limited Edition guide! Gather the intel I have collected through experiencing the game with the guide to see if you need it to stop the invasion.

This new outing in the Call of Duty franchise packs a lot of new game modes and gear. This guide will help catch you up to speed on the new weapons, gadgets, and how the new perk system works. This was good for me since before the game came out I avoided reading anything about it to help keep it fresh so I was out of the loop when it came to the assault, support, and other ‘Strike Packages’ that help you earn rewards for killstreaks and taking out enemy support. This was a plus to me as it was really well written and the art surrounding the information looks great.

Just like any other Call of Duty, this one of course has Intel to collect for trophies/achievements. I found the guide very easy to follow for finding all of them during the campaign. Some guides make you feel a little lost as to where the item actually is but this shows a picture as well as a good description.

Staying with the trophy/achievement subject, the guide also tells you about them and how exactly to get them in the best way. This is a huge plus from me as everyone knows I love my trophies! The less I have to look online to find info on attaining a trophy the better.

The multiplayer has also changed some this year with the added Survival mode. This has you taking on waves of enemies across every multiplayer level. Their’s maps and tips on how to go about equipping yourself each round and maximizing your money. The Special Ops missions are also detailed here and they have to be the hardest ones yet. Way harder than MW2 in my opinion and luckily this guide has tips for those as well. I have not made my way through all of them yet but I am a little over halfway and this guide has helped me get a lot further than I would have with these blood pressure inducing difficult missions!

Modern Warfare 3 Strategy GuideOne thing I notice about every Call of Duty guide I have gotten so far they seem to be the most detailed when it comes to the multiplayer. Every weapon has a recoil profile laid out and various information on the weapons and equipment help you build a class that’s top notch. I always like reading these just to know the ins and outs of each weapon. There is also a section detailing the challenges and how to complete them as well. These are great as most of them net you tons of XP and a neat Emblem or Title sometimes both!

Just like the Black Ops Limited Edition guide, this one comes with that cool map stand I called during the Black Ops guide review the “Shelf of Help” is ready to be deployed and help you dominate the competition as you learn all of the twists and turns of the maps. These levels seem more loose almost like a maze at some points so it is nice to know of the spots you are open at.

Overall I have to say that BradyGames has done it again with this guide. It feels like an encyclopedia almost with all of the information it contains. The ONLY thing I would want more of is some nice concept art. The pages are really well designed and the aesthetic of the whole book is great but some nice art at the end would have been cool. I definitely recommend this to anyone who is a Call of Duty freak and likes to read about guns…even of the virtual kind. I used the guide to beat campaign on Veteran and I have referenced it up until I got to the first prestige option on multiplayer.

I have to give this guide 5 Prestige Tokens Out Of 5.

SGR Rating: 5/5

Authors: Michael Owen, Phillip Marcus, Jason Fox, Arthur Davis, and Michael Fry
Published By: BradyGames
Editions Available: Paperback, Limited Edition
Acquired via Publisher

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Strategy Guide Review

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Halo Combat Evolved Strategy Guide ReviewWhat would a holiday release season be without a visit from everyone’s favorite Spartan?  Ten years ago the original Halo: Combat Evolved helped introduce the masses to Microsoft’s Xbox.  A decade later 343 Industries has returned to the hallowed ground, looking to shine new light into the launch title that helped teach an entire generation to appreciate first person shooters on a console.  On a more personal note, the original Halo was also the first video game guide that I ever purchased.  Granted, I no longer actually own it, which actually saddens me as a Halo aficionado.  So when I was extended the opportunity to review the Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary guide, it was no-brainer that I would jump at the chance.

Looking back, it is amazing how far guides have come.  This is why it was even more thrilling that the guide for Anniversary edition is a perfect example of how to construct a piece of instructional literature.  First off, the book itself is separated into three main sections: Campaign, Firefight and Multiplayer.  Luckily before the campaign even kicks in there are thirty five pages dedicated to the back story of the universe, as well as detailed descriptions of every character, vehicle and weapon that will be encountered.  Along with helping to place all of the key players within the Halo Universe, it also contains meticulous analysis of how to approach encounters with each enemy.

Now aided by the back knowledge of the world, the campaign walkthrough is divided into numerous easily digestible chunks.  Each section header contains very useful information such as what types of enemies will be encountered, recommended weapons, a difficulty rating from one to five, and an overview of what successful strategies will aid the player.  This is then a jumping off point for a much more thorough description of what lies ahead, complete with corresponding maps and screenshots.

Every description is well written and in many cases provides the player with multiple suggestions of how to approach an encounter.  If there was one aspect to Halo that worked in the favor of the authors it was the game’s explicitly scripted combat structure.  For this very reason, pretty much every time, the text on page will result in success.  To top it all off, for those that are achievement hunters, areas that contain special achievements based off of the players actions are highlighted, allowing everyone to snag what would otherwise be obscure gamerscore points.

Among the special callout paragraphs within the campaign are special “Spoils of War” and “Avoiding the Fight” pieces.  Don’t worry, the “Spoils” are not spoilers at all, in fact they are actually sections that break down where to find hidden health packs, overshields, and performance perks.  As for “Avoiding the Fight” it is just as the name implies–ways to avoid whole sets of encounters.  Though it should be noted that many times these strategies are far more risky and depending upon the difficulty level that is being played, could have a far lower success rate than sticking to the script.

For those who have completed the campaign the next logical step would be to jump into the fray of Firefight.  Fans of the Halo franchise should be more than a little familiar with the popular horde based gameplay; but for the uninitiated, the guide has your back.  Everything from the layout of the heads up display, effective loadout construction, and strategies for surviving against wave after wave of incumbent shotgun fodder are laid out right off the bat.  Once players have the concepts down there is a breakdown of the seven different variations as well as what opposition will be contained in each different wave.

Though all of this information is nicely constructed and easy to use, the breakdown of each individual map is where the Firefight guide is worth its weight in gold.  Recommended weapon loadouts and critical weaponry caches are laid out on an overhead map of each stage.  This is followed up in more detail within the text, consisting of several different strategies for putting the Alamo to shame, round after round.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last ten years, what set the original Combat Evolved apart from the competition was its amazing multiplayer suite.  Let’s just say that some things will never change, because multiplayer is still a core part of what makes the franchise great.  Much like the other two segments to the book, before delving into each map, the entirety of the multiplayer experience is spelled out to the nth degree.  Heck, there is even a callout that is dedicated to how to effectively use voice chat to a player’s advantage!  Of course this is all depending upon being able to get in a word edgewise amongst the hordes of homophobic and racist tweeners.

Reading the tactics portion of the multiplayer guide is something that shouldn’t be scoffed at, even for veterans.  Because of Anniversary Edition‘s multiplayer component being pulled from Halo: Reach, the core concepts explored here can be applied far beyond the walls of this single game.  Methods to effectively play defense, snipe and use power-ups should be required reading for anyone stepping into a matchmaking hopper.

The guide goes as far as to break down each weapon and vehicle over again, accounting for the fact that there are new additions to the arsenal, not contained in the single player.  Plus, for those items that make a repeat appearance, it addresses that the balance can feel drastically different between the two modes and describes how to effectively compensate.  All of these are critical bits of data that when combined with a little skill, could prove to be the difference between victory and defeat.

Armed with everything that one could ever want to know about multiplayer, this area is followed up with top down views of every retro map, containing the base spawn locations of every weapon and power-up.  These maps are shown several different times, highlighting the different spawning locations and strategies, depending upon the mode being played.  Calling these walkthroughs exhaustive wouldn’t be doing them justice, because there is virtually nothing that is left out.  There is no player that would be too experienced to not be able to come away without learning something new.

As another welcome addition, the guide goes on to also goes on to delve into the maps and DLC that were a part of Halo: Reach as well.  Was it necessary for this to be added to the guide to make it a must purchase?  No.  Is it an amazing show of fan service that should be applauded?  Absolutely!  BradyGames has gone above and beyond to make this the most definitive multiplayer companion ever, and succeeded brilliantly.

While the guide goes above and beyond the call of duty (no pun intended), in many respects there was one small area nestled at the end of the book that sticks in the craw a bit.  Labeled as a “Spoilers” section, this area contains the whereabouts of all of the hidden skulls and terminals scattered throughout the campaign.  The main issues are that first of all this doesn’t actually contain any spoilers, and second of all it is completely separate from the actual walkthrough.  If players are not on the ball, they could be forced to replay the entire campaign again in search of these objects.  Those who actually know better and chose pursue everything to completion in one playthrough are forced to flip back and forth between the front and back of the book in order to glean the full experience.  This greatly tarnishes the readability of the walkthrough from cover to cover.

Despite containing one rather drastic flaw, each section of the Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary guide could stand on its own as a singular retail product.  The attention to detail, depth of knowledge, solid strategic advice and amazing artwork help to define this book as being well worthy of carrying the Halo name.  This is a must-own for every Master Chief fan.

SGR Rating: 4.5/5

Authors: Thom Denick, Michael Lummis, Ben Pease, Jim Morey, Kenny Sims, Doug Walsh, Philip Marcus, Rich Hunsinger, and Sea Snipers
Publisher: BradyGames
Editions available: Paperback
Acquired via Publisher

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