Reviews Archives

South Park: The Stick of Truth Strategy Guide Review

March 20, 2014 By Keri Honea 6 Comments

South Park: The Stick of Truth is essentially a really long movie or super long episode of the show, yet it has all of those gamey elements like collectibles, boss fights, and side quests. Not to mention, you don’t really see turn-based combat in the show that much either. When I first saw the game at SDCC in 2012, the combat elements looked to be slightly complicated (they really aren’t), so I silently prayed there would be a strategy guide to hold my hand through the process. It turns out that I really didn’t need the strategy guide for the combat, but for all of the collectibles and side quests the game had in store. The South Park: The Stick of Truth appeared to have everything I could want in a strategy guide, particularly since it was filled with South Park humor. However, it appears to be far more focused on being humorous than being helpful, which is kind of what strategy guides are for.

South Park: The Stick of Truth strategy guide

Check out the “info” on the Blue Office Building.

The strategy guide smacks you with the humor from the first page. I literally laughed out loud from opening the cover and seeing the table of contents, which lumped all of the appendices into the category of “Shit in the Back.” Some of the humor is subtle as well, hidden within a walkthrough paragraph or randomly mentioned in a call-out box.

No matter how much this strategy guide made me snicker or laugh out loud, the humor doesn’t make up for the fact that this is a poorly organized book that lacks a lot of important information.

The walkthrough section of the strategy guide is broken up into 3 parts: what you can find in each area, main quest walkthrough, and side quest walkthroughs. Usually when books break up sections into smaller pieces, these sub-categories are posted on the edge of the right page, which makes perusing through a strategy guide easier. With the South Park: The Stick of Truth strategy guide, these sub-categories will still tabbed as simply the main walkthrough section, so you couldn’t quickly flip through the book to find what you were looking for. Normally I wouldn’t care about something like that, but since I HAD to flip back and forth a lot due to the strategy guide’s next biggest problem, it grossly annoyed me.

The strategy guide walkthrough was abysmal in helping with collectibles. Sometimes the walkthrough told you where to pick up Chinpokomon or who to talk to to gain another Facebook friend in the main quest, but for anything off the beaten path, you had to consult the first part of the walkthrough section. With each area overview, all collectibles and how to get them are listed (although the info for friending Big Gay Al is incorrect). All collectibles need to be mentioned in the walkthrough somehow, whether it tells you to swing by Kyle’s house on your way to Stan’s house or something similar. And if you need a certain ability to pick up that collectible at a later time? It’s nice to mention that too.

No mention of the special Hall Monitor Achievement and how to get it.

Users are also out of luck if they want the main walkthrough to give them any sort of heads up on obtaining Achievements. Some Achievements are earned by wearing certain costumes to specific boss fights, which would be perfect for a little call-out box on the boss fight page. No such luck. The reader must look up these Achievements in the appendix first and either memorize them or bookmark them for later playthroughs.

But don’t count on the appendices to be rife with useful information either. The only really useful appendix is the Chinpokomon appendix, which lists all of the Chinpokomon and where as well as when they can be found. The appendices for the outfits and weapons, however, only list what each item is. Nowhere does it list where they can be found, which isn’t helpful for completionists. If you need to hunt down a particular outfit, your best bet is to try to search for it in the loot tables for each area, but not all are listed there either. I had to go online to find the Cheese outfit I missed, as this one isn’t mentioned in either the main quest or the area loot tables.

The lack of a friends list is the strategy guide’s worst transgression. The area section helped me pick up several friends that weren’t on the main or side quest paths, but there is no master list of all of the friends you can make in South Park and where to find them. If for nothing else, such a master list is vital for the “More Popular than John Lennon” Achievement, that I still did not earn after gaining 120 friends an online guide said I needed. Is it because I unfriended Al Gore in his side quest? The strategy guide should have given me a hint that if I want that Achievement, wait until post game to complete that quest. This could be a glitch in the game, but I have no idea, something that I should know as an owner of the strategy guide.

When it comes to the side quests and guidance with the main quest, the advice within the South Park: The Stick of Truth strategy guide is superb. I got turned around a few times in the alien spaceship and in the sewers, and the strategy guide was a great compass. The strategy guide also pointed me the right direction on the first try for finding and completing all of the side quests. I rarely wandered around aimlessly trying to find where I needed to go or if I could start a new side quest.

I get that the strategy guide for South Park: The Stick of Truth should be as funny as the game and the TV show, and I would have been a little disappointed if it didn’t implement some of the South Park schtick in the writing. But humor shouldn’t come before strategy and guidance, which kind of ruined the purpose for picking up a strategy guide. It’s definitely the funniest strategy guide I’ve ever owned, but it’s also one of the more useless strategy guides I’ve ever owned.

SGR Rating: 3.5/5

Author: Michael Searle
Publisher: Prima Games
Editions Available: Paperback
Acquired via Publisher

LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins Mini-Review

March 7, 2014 By Keri Honea 30 Comments

When I bought the Wii U, I bought LEGO City Undercover for my young son since he loves all things LEGO and loves playing my LEGO video games. I had little to no expectations for the game, and I was more than pleasantly surprised; I was floored by both how great the game is and how hilarious it is. After seeing that the 3DS had a prequel for the game, I was instantly intrigued. While Chase McCain’s backstory is certainly interesting and the game is fun, it’s not half as great as the first game. Yes, it suffers from prequelitis.

The Chase Begins‘ biggest flaw is how it copies the gameplay from the first game. As Chase goes through the first game, he has to learn several jobs to stay undercover, such as becoming a firefighter, an astronaut, and a construction worker. Chase learns the exact same occupations in The Chase Begins. If he already knew these jobs as the prequel suggests, why would he have to learn them all over again? I was hoping Chase would learn different jobs, or maybe it would introduce a completely different style of gameplay. Since it’s a prequel, why wouldn’t it?

As it’s a 3DS game, the dialogue is minimal at best. The best parts of LEGO City Undercover were the dialogue, so most of the humor is completely absent. When there is talking, it still has that zing, but there’s not enough to really label the game as funny as the first.

That said, none of this stopped me from completing the story and running around all of LEGO City to complete every single ridiculous mini-game and collectible. Some of that is from my sickness when it comes to completing LEGO games, and some of that is the fact I did have a bit of fun. However, I doubt I would have had fun with the game if I didn’t have LEGO City Undercover as a backdrop in my own database. Those who haven’t played the first game should overlook this one entirely.

A Link Between Worlds Mini-Review

February 21, 2014 By Keri Honea 5 Comments

I love The Legend of Zelda games at their core, yet I admit it’s a little sad that I haven’t finished very many. Thanks to either getting bored or rage quitting, finishing A Link Between Worlds brings my grand total to two. Since I’ve been told repeatedly that finishing Phantom Hourlgass doesn’t count, as that’s not a real Zelda game, does this one count? I want it to count, and not because I finished it; I want it to count because it’s the most fun Legend of Zelda game I’ve ever played.

A Link Between Worlds implemented two new ideas very well that eliminated most of the tedium I’ve found with past games. First, the ability to rent most of the items was one of the best ideas the creative team has ever had. One reason why I get so bored in Zelda games is the repetitive nature of the game. Go to a dungeon, find a weapon, use that weapon to get through the rest of the dungeon, use that weapon to defeat the dungeon boss, and go back all over the world to find uses for that weapon to obtain more collectibles. Rinse and repeat. Since you can rent almost all of the items from the beginning, the world of Hyrule is instantly open to hours of exploration. If you have enough rupees, only two abilities are barred from you after Ravio’s shop opens: 1) finding items buried in sand and 2) lifting very large boulders. It was so nice to not have to comb every acre of Hyrule and Lorule numerous times in the name of completion.

The second great new idea was Link’s ability to merge into walls as a living painting. Every Zelda game has its own gimmick, and this one was the most enjoyable one. It forced new ways of thinking for solving puzzles, being stealthy, fighting bosses, finding collectibles, and traversing through Hyrule and Lorule.

In an attempt to try to not spoil anything, the fact that the ending is not entirely about Ganon being the bad guy was a welcome surprise. Many probably thought it was predictable, but I never saw the ending the coming. It made me love the game even more.

When I finished Phantom Hourglass, all I felt was relief that I was done. With A Link Between Worlds, I was instantly sad it was over. No, I’m not sad enough to play it again on Hero mode, but I definitely could have played it for several more hours. Now I’m eager to give A Link to the Past another try.

A Link Between Worlds Strategy Guide Review

February 20, 2014 By Keri Honea 3 Comments

It’s honestly amazing how dumb The Legend of Zelda games make me feel. So many puzzles with so many variables; sometimes it’s a speed thing, sometimes you need a certain item, sometimes you have to do a certain dance, and sometimes you have to do all three. Sad as it may sound, strategy guides are my personal security blankets for The Legend of Zelda games. I will never have the patience to sort all of the shenanigans out in these games, and I’m always impressed with those who do. Since A Link Between Worlds introduces a completely new game mechanic, the ability to merge into walls, I knew I’d need the A Link Between Worlds strategy guide to hold my hand through a whole new world of puzzle solving. Thanks to the strategy guide, I saved Hyrule, defeated Ganon, and collected everything save for a few pieces of the heart that I could only earn performing annoying mini-games. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that the A Link Between Worlds strategy guide is the best The Legend of Zelda strategy guide out there.

Most Zelda games are fairly linear, yet they have massive amounts of exploration. It stays linear because players can’t explore Hyrule without obtaining certain items from the dungeons. A Link Between Worlds differs from the get-go here, as players can rent almost every item at the beginning. Collecting tons of rupees is also amazingly easy, so after running around smashing pots and trimming hedges for 30 minutes, you will have more than enough to rent everything.

When the guide says “strongly recommend,” YOU DO IT.

The strategy guide is laid out with exploration in mind first, dungeon-tackling later. After Link is able to merge with walls, the strategy guide puts off all dungeon plundering for a few hours in favor of getting everything Link can. This includes getting all the bottles possible, finding all possible pieces of the heart, exploring treasure caves, and finding all of the lost maiamais (that are possible) so Link can upgrade weapons. If you follow the strategy guide to the letter, Link will have 7 heart containers, 3 bottles, and 41 maiamais before he ventures to either the House of Gales or Tower of Hera.

In other words, by following the guide, dungeon bosses will never, NEVER be a problem. I have never cut through bosses with ease like I have with this game, and I know it’s not because the game is easier; it’s because I was so friggin’ prepared.

When Link travels to Lorule for the first time, the exploration first, dungeons later emphasis kicks in again. The strategy guide takes places all over Lorule to find every single dungeon and weather vane first. When you’re done exploring, most of the hard work is already done! When you’re ready to go to a certain dungeon, you just summon the witch’s broom to take you to that weather vane.

The A Link Between Worlds strategy guide also provides the most efficient order for completing the Lorule dungeons. The first dungeon on the agenda is the Thieves’ Hideout so that Link can get the Sand Rod, the one item he wasn’t able to rent. The next dungeon is the Desert Palace so Link can get the Titan’s Mitt and find the last baby maiamais. At that point, the only thing Link is missing is the rest of his heart containers; the strategy guide has Link well stocked and prepared for the last six dungeons.

As perfect as the strategy guide was as a whole, there were a few mistakes. A couple of the strategies they gave were actually impossible to complete. For example, when paving the way toward the weather vane in the Dark Palace, on page 171, the strategy guide tells players to avoid a soldier by taking the lower route and jumping down to a staircase. That lower route is blocked by a wall, so players have to face the soldier head on and perform a few stealth maneuvers to get down to that staircase. In the walkthrough for the Dark Palace, the room numbers are a little mixed up on page 231, which caused a bit of initial confusion. Thankfully the descriptions of what I needed to do were detailed enough I was able to figure out which room I really needed to be in.

I marked a total of 4 typos and misinformation, and none of them caused serious frustration. Considering how much goes into a Zelda game, I’m impressed there were only 4 mistakes.

I cannot recommend the A Link Between Worlds strategy guide enough. Stephen Stratton has written numerous The Legend of Zelda strategy guides, and he and Cory Van Grier should be immensely proud of this book. This strategy guide is the new bar for all The Legend of Zelda strategy guides.

SGR Rating: 5/5

Authors: Stephen Stratton and Cory Van Grier
Publisher: Prima Games
Editions Available: Hardcover and Paperback
Acquired via Publisher

Borderlands 2 Game of the Year Strategy Guide Review

February 14, 2014 By Chris Nitz 3 Comments

Oh Pandora, how I love you and yet how your inhabitants hate me so. Yup, it’s time to dive back into the world of Borderlands 2 thanks to the Game of the Year edition and its corresponding strategy guide from BradyGames. Thankfully, I have wanted to check out the new classes and see how they handle the madness that is CL4P-TP

If this is your first foray into the world of Pandora, spend some time with the basics and class portion of the strategy guide. There is so much info crammed into here that it will make life on this crazy world that much easier. Those who have already tread through the world once, the class portion gives some nice details on the two DLC characters that is worth a look.

Borderlands 2 GotY Strategy Guide Review 1

You make life so much easier!

Due to how much content is in the GotY edition, the main storyline receives its own section. In here, readers will find plenty of content on how to tackle the main objectives of the original story. Each mission starts with a small briefing on what needs doing, complete with rewards and a listing of optional missions. While working through this area, pay close attention to the subtle text under some of the screenshots as these captions tend to offer up small hints that can make life a heck of a lot easier in certain situations. The pages are also littered with information, which had me pausing the game a fair amount to read, digest, and formulate a plan. There were even times I’d just sit down, read a few pages, and then get into the game.

Following the main game are the DLC campaigns. These follow the same formula as the main walkthrough section, but the DLC badge on the left page and yellow highlighted edges help distinguish them.

Those who have a need for completing every task set before them will find the optional missions next. These are not nearly as detailed as the main and DLC sections, but I found them detailed enough that I could tackle them while working on other objectives. It does take a bit of page turning and planning to make trips into the wasteland efficient, but once I got into a groove, the planning became relatively painless.

Completing the strategy guide, we find the weapons, bestiary, and secrets areas. These are separated out by main game and then DLC, which makes navigating the encyclopedia of death dealing that much easier. In the secrets portion, there is a handy breakdown of all the combat, weapon, and general challenges. There are also pages of pictures with all the unlockable heads that players can use to customize their character looks.

I believe the item I appreciated the most was how easy it was to navigate this guide. With the bounty of information scattered about, the side color markings made it easy to quickly find the specific portions I was in need of. Further aiding in this Waldo hunt, the bottom of the DLC walkthrough clearly stated what DLC pack I was looking at.

The thing I love the most is that everything from typography, page coloring, and artwork all tie this book into the art style of the game. It just feels as if this is the manual that was not included with the game. Even items such as the developer quotes are in little Gearbox Software boxes, complete with company logo. The little touches like this might not be evident at first, but go a long way in building a cohesive experience.

Borderlands 2 GotY Strategy Guide Review 2

Oh, homie don’t play that!

While I love the bulk of the Borderlands 2 Game of the Year strategy guide, I have a few issues that really bug me. First off, the return of the confidential weapons. Why on earth would the authors/publisher deem it necessary to block out content from a guide that consumers pay money for? For those a bit lost, as was the case in the original Borderlands 2 strategy guide, in the weapons section, there are certain weapons that are “listed” but are blacked out with a classified banner. I can easily go to any fan website and find the information on this “classified” weapon, so why block these details?

The second gripe I have comes at the construction of the book. More specifically, the pages themselves. The paper stock almost feels like tissue paper, it is that fragile. Compared to the thicker, almost waxy coated, pages from the original Borderlands 2 strategy guide, this is a major downer. I was compelled to flip through the book while being conscious about how vigorously I was treating it. It seems like a minor thing, but with how pretty the guide is, it is something that drug down the experience.

I am satisfied with the quality , and quantity, of the content in this guide, granted the construction could use a bit of a second gander. I don’t hesitate in recommending this to fans of this series as it is a nice collector’s item. Just keep in mind that if you plan to hunt down every item, you’re still going to need access to your favorite fan site.