LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars IGN Strategy Guide Review

May 27, 2011 By Keri Honea 4 Comments

I actually had a hard time scoring IGN’s LEGO Star Wars III online strategy guide, because it does so many things so very, very well but it has a glaring mistake that I can’t ignore. But I’ll get to that in a minute.

Like most online strategy guides, IGN’s guide is set up for those who are looking for quick answers. For example, if you’re stuck in one area or can’t find a particular minikit, you can find your answer in a matter of 2-3 clicks. The top of every page of the guide has a handy, clickable table of contents, so jumping from walkthroughs to Trophies is a snap.

As for the walkthroughs themselves, they are a perfect balance of text and screenshots. The pages themselves are long, but that’s because the writer was kind enough to put a single chapter on each page. There is no bleed over of chapters, so users won’t have to click back and forth in order to find what they are looking for with each chapter. The links at the top that allow for a quick jump over to the Minikits guide is also extremely helpful, although users should be aware that there is a disclaimer on the main Minikits page that says it’s best to use the Minkits portion for Freeplay Mode only.

When it comes to walkthroughs, minikit hunts, and quick answers to gameplay questions, IGN’s LEGO Star Wars III strategy guide definitely has you covered. Unfortunately, there is one element that is missing from the walkthrough/collectible standpoint: the Hub. All of the game’s Red Bricks are scattered across the Hub ships, and none of these Red Bricks have been mapped out in the guide. Granted, the Red Bricks aren’t vastly important to the overall story or gameplay–although they really help when it comes to getting your True Jedi status–but collectible fanatics and completionists will not find any assistance for obtaining Red Bricks here.

The lack of Red Bricks, though, was not the guide’s biggest problem. As I mentioned earlier, the guide does have a horrific mistake, and that lies in its separate 3DS guide. If you’ve frequented IGN’s guide section before, then you know that where possible, they include links to the other console guides. In this case, the guide was mainly for the Xbox 360, but links to guides for the PSP, Wii, PC, PS3, and 3DS were also included. Apparently the guide writer had no idea that the game is 100% different for the DS/3DS version, because the 3DS guide was exactly like the other guides.

So tough break, DS/3DS owners. You’ll have to find your assistance elsewhere, otherwise you’re going to be confused in a hurry.

For those who have a console version of the game, then this guide will definitely help you work through trouble patches and find all of the minikits. If nothing else, the screenshots give a clear point of reference for what to do next, thereby drastically reducing lookup time and time away from playing the game. If only it included the Red Bricks and either omitted a reference to a DS guide or created a true separate DS guide, it would have easily gotten a perfect score.

SGR Rating: 3/5

Author: Anthony Gerhart
Publisher: IGN
Editions Available: Online and PDF download
Acquired Free Online

LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars mini-review

May 26, 2011 By Keri Honea Leave a Comment

I originally bought LEGO Star Wars III for the 3DS, as it was one of the titles that spurred me into finally taking that steep plunge–one I don’t regret, I might add. I picked up the strategy guide as well, and while I was trying to review it, I was thoroughly confused because nothing the guide had was what I was doing. The guide started on Geonosis, near the end of Attack of the Clones, but my game started on an episode from The Clone Wars. I kept flipping through the guide to try to understand what the issue was, and that is when I found that there was a completely separate version for the DS. The guide for said version was near the back of the guide.

So of course, as the thorough strategy guide reviewer that I am, I purchased the Xbox 360 version of the game so I could review the guide in its entirety. What I was not expecting, however, was how different these two games really were.

Both games take place during the same Clone Wars episodes from Cartoon Network, but they each focus on different parts of the stories. They occasionally do overlap, but the gameplay mechanics are so different and the cut scenes are so different that you may not really notice at all unless you played them simultaneously like I did.

The biggest difference between the games other than the stories and the length–there is considerably more to do in the console version, and that includes extra content outside the longer main storyline–are the gameplay features each version focuses on. The console version focused more on real-time strategy sequences, where you had to plan how to take over droid bases, destroy everything in them, and build your own fortresses and weapons so you could overtake other bases. With these RTS elements, the game had an overall serious feel to it and hardly any of the humor we’ve come to expect from LEGO games. All the humor was saved up for the cut scenes, which was a little disappointing to me.

Now the DS version was almost the complete opposite. Within the first five minutes, I was already cracking up at the droids’ and Clone troopers’ antics. In addition, so many things you had to were just so off the wall and crazy–like playing a shoot-the-ducks carnival game with a tank–you couldn’t help but smile and snicker. Instead of RTS sequences, the DS version sported more mini-games that utilized the touchscreen, and they were all brilliantly executed. My absolute favorite mini-game that I keep yammering on to everyone who will listen involves the R2-D2 mini-game. Whenever you use an R2 unit to hack into something, a mini-game opens up that requires you to match set blocks by using your stylus to rotate a circle of blocks to line up the required match. As a result, you spin the hack port in much the same way as a R2 unit does. The faster you do it, the more studs you win. But that wasn’t why this mini-game was my favorite; it was the music. The mini-game’s music consists of the famous Imperial March theme that we’re all familiar with, but it has a Mission Impossible spin on it.

I’m very glad that I played both games, but when it comes to recommendations, I’m going to have to throw my support at the DS version 100%. There isn’t as much to do in this game, but it is more of your typical, wacky gameplay that one would expect from LEGO games.

Portal 2 Strategy Guide Review

May 25, 2011 By Keri Honea Leave a Comment

Part of the fun of playing games in the Portal franchise is trying to figure out all of these insane puzzles yourself, as it really is VERY rewarding to do so. At times that reward feels like you’re an idiot for making things really hard on yourself, but it’s still immensely satisfying no matter what the aftertaste is. However, patience runs thin for many of us, so for those puzzles that do make you pull your hair out because you have no idea where to go or how to get to a certain point, Future Press’s Portal 2 Strategy Guide is your life line for keeping you away from Cave Johnson’s insanity.

One thing I really appreciated were the warnings/suggestions at the beginning of the single-player and co-op chapters, where it strongly urged players to only use the guide when they were stuck. I can’t recall any guide saying that, not even the original Portal strategy guide. Granted, the reason why people buy a strategy guide is for assistance, but it’s nice that the writers asked users to try to work out the puzzles on your own, because really, you won’t get the beauty of the game without trying on your own.

Thankfully, the rest of the Portal 2 strategy guide is great and doesn’t hide behind this suggestion to mask any deficiencies. The guide is divided by campaign, chapter, and then chamber. The start of every chamber has a clear map–multiple maps if the level has multiple areas–with marked orange and blue portal placements. Each placement is numbered to correspond with the numbered paragraphs in the walkthrough. So if you just look at the guide whenever you have a quick question, it’s extremely easy to find what you need within seconds.

And if you just don’t understand how to implement their advice, you can use the little QR codes at the top of every chamber. Register your strategy guide online at Future Press, and then you can type in the QR code and watch a short clip of how to solve the puzzle. Just be prepared to perform a hefty face palm after you watch the videos.

In addition to the maps, the strategy guide does include various screenshots with the walkthroughs to help point out where you should place your gels or your portals. The maps do a fairly great job of depicting portal, light bridge, and funnel placements, but they don’t show where to place the gels. I find this to be a good thing, because otherwise the maps would be a mess of blue and orange. Instead, the screenshots depict a mess of blue and orange, but at least there, it’s easier to decipher and that’s what you’re going to be seeing anyway.

Within the walkthrough paragraphs, there are also callout boxes–marked with a nifty Aperture Science logo–for speed tips, hidden Achievements/Trophies, warnings, etc. I most likely wouldn’t have racked up half of the random Achievements without these callout boxes, because I never would have thought to head to certain areas or do certain completely random things. I was too busy laughing at all of the dialogue or trying to figure out how to make a jump without dying.

Of course, in true Future Press fashion, there is more to the guide than help with the single-player and co-op campaigns. There is an artwork section, explanations of the Portal universe, interviews with the devs in the Collector’s Edition, AND a speed run guide for the first Portal game. I personally didn’t try out the speed runs because as I stated earlier, I didn’t enjoy the first game. However, I did watch the movie clips, and I can attest that these guys definitely know what they are doing. I watched most of them with my lower jaw in my lap.

However, my personal favorite feature of the Collector’s Edition guide is the two woven bookmarks included: one is orange and one is blue.

To make a long story short, the Portal 2 strategy guide is flawless and offers everything anyone could want to get the most out of both Portal games and the Portal universe.

SGR Rating: 5/5

Authors and Publisher: Future Press
Editions Available: Paperback and Collector’s Edition
Acquired via Publisher

LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars Strategy Guide Review

May 18, 2011 By Keri Honea Leave a Comment

When it comes to LEGO games, everyone knows that it’s not very difficult to get through each level. When you’re stuck, you just break enough stuff until the solution appears. One can burn through any of the games in less than 10 hours with that method. However, everyone also knows that the main point to the LEGO games is to complete them to 100%, which means obtaining all the studs for “True ____” status, finding all the pieces to whatever you’re supposed to build, snagging gold bricks, and locating (and buying!) all of the red bricks. Here is where one may need the guide, because oftentimes, it’s just not that obvious where you can find all of these delightful collectibles. It is this standard that the strategy guide for LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars has been held against, and the guide fulfills this monumental task very well.

The opening page for each mission starts with maps that pinpoint locations of the various Minikits, locations of items needed to reveal a Minikit, and locations of the highly coveted purple studs. While these maps are quite important, the most useful portion of the opening pages is the chart that lists all of the Minikits in every mission, where they can be found, and if they can be obtained in Story Mode or Freeplay. Just below the chart is the stud requirement for the True Jedi status. For the DS guide portion–yes, they are two separate games–the stud requirements for both Story Mode and Freeplay are listed.

Unfortunately though, it is with these charts and maps that the guide lost half a point in the rating. In a few places, the True Jedi requirements were incorrect. For example, the Epilogue is listed as having a 20,000 stud requirement, when in reality, it’s 250,000 studs. In addition, the map to the right is supposed to mark 10 rocks the player has to break in order to summon a Minikit. There is no number 10 on the map; however, I have to wonder if this is the fault of the guide writers or the game, because after roaming every inch of the area, I couldn’t find this 10th rock. As LEGO games are known for their glitches, it’s possible that this rock doesn’t exist.

Everything else in the guide, though, is flawless. The page layout makes it very easy to follow along with the story sequence, locate Minikits, and locate Red Bricks. With each callout for the Minikits, it’s clearly labeled as whether the Minikits can be found in the Story or in Freeplay so you won’t have to waste your time trying to search for them in areas you won’t be able to reach. If you need to purchase a certain character to obtain the Minikit, the player is forewarned. There are also separate callouts on the page for words of caution, notes, and tips for obtaining True Jedi status.

To make things even easier to find, there are colored tabs on the right pages (as shown to the right) to mark exactly where each mission is in the guide, for both console and DS versions of the game.

The console version of LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars has an extensive Hub world, and I know I never would have found the second Hub that opens up more missions without this guide. Why? Because I never once would have thought about flying a ship OUT of the Hub world. I was surprised to even find that the Hub world was mentioned at all in the guide; that’s how much I wouldn’t have thought about exploring outside of the Hub. Everything in the Hub is obvious enough, right? Apparently not in this game.

So despite the minor flaws mentioned above, I cannot recommend this guide enough. For anyone who wants to complete the game 100%, the LEGO Star Wars III: Clone Wars strategy guide is practically a necessity.

SGR Rating: 4.5/5

Authors: Stephen Stratton and Nick von Esmarch
Publishers: Primagames
Editions Available: Paperback
Acquired by Publisher

The 3rd Birthday Mini-Review

May 11, 2011 By Keri Honea Leave a Comment

Believe it or not, I actually wrote my official game review of The 3rd Birthday awhile ago, so at least I’m not slacking on all levels. Just don’t ask me how Portal 2 is coming, okay?

But back to The 3rd Birthday, this game captivated my attention at last year’s E3. Granted, all I saw were cut scenes (as is Square Enix’s forte), but they greatly impressed me how crisp and beautiful they were for a PSP game. I knew nothing about the Parasite Eve series, but I really wanted to try this game.

Unfortunately, also in Square Enix style, the game itself did not live up to the gorgeous cut scenes. From my review over at GamesAreEvil.com:

Aya Brea is back, still not wearing anything that could be considered armor, and shooting away. That, along with a few returning characters, are the only similarities the game has to its predecessors. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it incorporates a really unique and fun combat system, and it’s always nice to try something new in a series of games. Unfortunately though, an incredibly weak story and unlikeable characters ruin any momentum this game might have generated….

In addition to the unique gameplay, The 3rd Birthday has something else that one would expect from Square Enix: beautiful cut scenes. Square Enix rarely disappoints on that front, and this game is no exception. I mentioned earlier that that blood geysers are outrageous, but in cut scenes, they are downright beautiful. Everything is so breathtaking and crisp, that it’s hard to believe that this game is on the PSP and not on a major console.

If everything else was as well done as the scenery, the gameplay, and the cut scenes, then we might have had a Game of the Year contender. The plot, though, is its biggest adversary.

I depend on great stories to carry me through, and sadly enough, The 3rd Birthday did it until the very, very end. Once the big secret was revealed, I was left with nothing but disappointment. I’m very glad I played it, but I can’t recommend it to many of my friends. If you like lots of collectibles, high replayability, tons of unlockables, and dressing girls in very little clothing, then this game will be straight up your alley.