Video & Electronic Games Books - Page 4

SOULCALIBUR IV Limited Edition Guide (Official Strategy Guides (Bradygames))

BradyGames

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 2.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

What’s Within Your Soul?

The epic struggle between the holy sword Soul Calibur and its cursed counterpart, Soul Edge, comes full circle as the next chapter in the battle begins. Part of BradyGames’ Signature Series, this indispensible guide prepares you for deadly combat against formidable combatants from all over the world--and from a galaxy far, far away…

Exhaustive Character Content

Comprehensive profiles and combat analysis for all 34 fighters--26 standard and 5 bonus characters, plus Darth Vader, Yoda, and The Apprentice!

Complete Movelists

We provide all the moves for every character, and we show you the deadliest ways to use them!

Expert Fighting Tactics

Fully exploit Soul Crushes, Critical Finishes, and our devastating combos--gain the advantage at any range and in any situation!

Tower of Souls Coverage

Completion requirements and item awards for every floor of both Ascent and Descent modes!

That’s Not All!

Complete Achievement and Honor Award Lists, Full Weapon Coverage, Game Secrets and Unlockables, Including Bonus Costumes and Items, and Much More!

BradyGames’ SOULCALIBUR IV Limited Edition Fighter’s Guide also includes the soundtrack to SOULCALIBUR IV on CD!

Platform: PS3, Xbox 360

Genre: Fighting

This product is available for sale in North America and Europe.

The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon--The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World

Steven L. Kent

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 69 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Inside the Games You Grew Up with but Never Forgot
With all the whiz, bang, pop, and shimmer of a glowing arcade. The Ultimate History of Video Games reveals everything you ever wanted to know and more about the unforgettable games that changed the world, the visionaries who made them, and the fanatics who played them. From the arcade to television and from the PC to the handheld device, video games have entraced kids at heart for nearly 30 years. And author and gaming historian Steven L. Kent has been there to record the craze from the very beginning.
This engrossing book tells the incredible tale of how this backroom novelty transformed into a cultural phenomenon. Through meticulous research and personal interviews with hundreds of industry luminaries, you'll read firsthand accounts of how yesterday's games like Space Invaders, Centipede, and Pac-Man helped create an arcade culture that defined a generation, and how today's empires like Sony, Nintendo, and Electronic Arts have galvanized a multibillion-dollar industry and a new generation of games. Inside, you'll discover:
·The video game that saved Nintendo from bankruptcy
·The serendipitous story of Pac-Man's design
·The misstep that helped topple Atari's $2 billion-a-year empire
·The coin shortage caused by Space Invaders
·The fascinating reasons behind the rise, fall, and rebirth of Sega
·And much more!
Entertaining, addictive, and as mesmerizing as the games it chronicles, this book is a must-have for anyone who's ever touched a joystick.

Pokemon Diamond & Pearl (Prima Official Game Guide)

Prima Games

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Features:

• Includes an Large Exclusive Poster with Exclusive Pokémon art
• Full Walkthrough with Maps; Each Area of the New Sinnoh Region will be Comprehensively Covered so Players will be Able to Find all the New Pokémon
• Strategy Guide
• Also Features Hints and Collectible Art to Maximize Gameplay

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 34 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Useless 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The only benefit of using this guide is that it's portable. It is vague and the page order doesn't exactly follow story order. The guide doesn't give any pokedex info, which IMO is the most important part of the game. Instead it focuses on general aspects of the storyline, contests, battling, and other parts of the game that are explained IN THE GAME.

There is no reason to buy this book, instead, buy the second volume/pokedex of the guide. If you get stuck in these games, instead of wasting your money on this vague and confusing guide, go to Google and search for "Pokemon Diamond Walkthrough"

Very helpful, but confusing at the same time 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The good thing about this guide is that it tells you what to do. It also has tons of stuff in the back of the book like contests and where to find all items, HMs and TMs. I would never have beat the game without this guide. The bad things are that the pokemon trainers and their pokemon are not listed and the order of events are way too confusing. Many are out of order and some events should be listed toward the end of the book, such as "Unfinished Business". Overall: OK

Editorial Review:

* Exclusive Poster - A large poster with exclusive Pokémon art.
* Full Walkthrough with Maps - Each area of the new Sinnoh region will be comprehensively covered so players will be able to find all the new Pokémon.

What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. Second Edition: Revised and Updated Edition

James Paul Gee

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Good for research, not so much for general reading. 3 out of 5 stars.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful.

First of all, this book is not written as a general public book, it is written much more in the vein of a college graduate's analysis. Heavy discussion of the effects of video games on the semiotic domain underpin the analysis. That being said, this book is a good analysis of the effects of video games on those that play them.

If you want a general public analysis of the effects of entertainment (and video games) on people, check out Steven Johnson's "Everything Bad is Good For You." This book is a deeper analysis of part of Steven Johnson's book, so it might be best as a follow-up purchase.

My biggest complaint about James Paul Gee's book is more with the copy editor and publisher. There are so many poorly written or incorrectly written sentences that should have been caught and corrected. It really affects the perceptions about the book's research.

Editorial Review:

James Paul Gee begins his classic book with "I want to talk about video games--yes, even violent video games--and say some positive things about them." With this simple but explosive statement, one of America's most well-respected educators looks seriously at the good that can come from playing video games. In this revised edition, new games like World of WarCraft and Half Life 2 are evaluated and theories of cognitive development are expanded. Gee looks at major cognitive activities including how individuals develop a sense of identity, how we grasp meaning, how we evaluate and follow a command, pick a role model, and perceive the world.

Game Design Workshop, Second Edition: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games (Gama Network Series)

Tracy Fullerton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

My Search Has Ended! 5 out of 5 stars.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.

This book is honestly an answer to my prayers! I'm using the first half of this superb book to remodel my introductory game design class & after school game design club. The included exercises are definitely geared toward capturing the attention of the type of kids I want to attract to my program. I think I'm going to have to buy a 2nd book as my son is using the last half of the book to develop and market his senior game project and plan for his Indie game company :)

Editorial Review:

Master the craft of game design so you can create that elusive combination of challenge, competition, and interaction that players seek. This design workshop begins with an examination of the fundamental elements of game design; then puts you to work in prototyping, playtesting and redesigning your own games with exercises that teach essential design skills.

Workshop exercises require no background in programming or artwork, releasing you from the intricacies of electronic game production, so you can develop a working understanding of the essentials of game design.

Features:
* A design methodology used in the USC Interactive Media program, a cutting edge program funded in part of Electronic Arts.
* Hands-on exercises demonstrate key concepts, and the design methodology
* Insights from top industry game designers, including Noah Falstein, American McGee, Peter Molyneux

FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2: Grimoire of the Rift Official Strategy Guide (Official Strategy Guides (Bradygames))

BradyGames

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Secrets of the Grimoire Revealed 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.

Once again, Final Fantasy goes tactical. Tactics A2, Grimoire of the Rift is by far one of the biggest Strategy RPGs you can find on a handheld system. With nearly 400 missions you may find yourself wanting some help to get through it all, as well as some of the game's more complex offerings. The strategy guide will more than likely help you out in more than a few situations. Much of the guide is pretty detailed. If you're stuck, this is the guide to get.

It waste no time jumping into most of the basics of the game. While Grimoire of the Rift seems fairly straight forward, this is definitely useful to those still feeling little confused about the games mechanics.

Perhaps one of the more rewarding things about the guide is the breakdown of each race and every single job in the game. Showcasing how each race grows with certain jobs and detailing all the job abilities. It'll also tell you how to unlock each job. It'll also show you the growth and a few tactics to using the job. There's actually a lot of information here that can be very beneficial to what you need to survive.

Finally, the game gives you a brief overview of combat. For experienced Tactical Strategy RPG players, this isn't something you'll need. If this is your first time playing a Final Fantasy Tactics game, however, some of this information is probably much more important than it appears. What all players may want to take a look at, however, is all the information pertaining to the laws. here is where they have a list of each law, what it means, and a note or two on how to overcome the law.

After all this basic stuff, the guide finally jumps into the main missions. When it comes to the tactical front, there isn't always a lot you can say in most missions. While the maps are good, showing you where your units are placed and where your enemies will be, as well as pointing out treasure and traps the overall strategies are fairly basic. It's hard to penalize the guide for this, however, given that there are so many ways to go about any battle. Rather than telling how to go about the battle, it's more focused on helping you get set up and pointing out the important aspects. They'll suggest certain units to deploy, but for the most part, they let the player go about the way he or she feels is best. Much of what's helpful in the guide is not found within the walkthrough. It's found in much of its other content.

It'll also cover all the side missions. It'll help you set up dispatches if need be. Not every optional mission has a map, but there's really no need for there to be a map for every mission. After all, you'll visit some areas a ton of times. There's also a lot of information on the auctions if need be.

One of the most helpful aspects of this guide, however, is the Clan Trials. This will tell you everything you need to know about them. The strategies here are fairly in depth and it'll tell you the info you need to know for each difficulty concerning it.

After all this information, the guide goes into the monsters data. At first it will show just about all the loot monsters can drop. After that, however, it goes into a huge bestiary. The bestiary is very exhaustive. Especially considering many guides to a Tactical RPG don't have them. But you will learn just about everything about your enemy. Including how far they can move and each and every ability they're capable of using.

Finally, there's a lot of data on the weapons, armor, etc. Each piece of equipment also tells you what you'll need to create it in the bazaar.

There's a lot of information crammed in this guide. And it'll actually tell you how to get all of it. Including unlocking all the hidden characters and job classes. It also manages to be a very well organized guide, and has a good presentation.

If you're looking for an immensely detailed database on Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, then look no further than this guide. It's incredibly detailed and user friendly. There are fewer resources for Final Fantasy Tactics A2 as good as this one.

Editorial Review:

BradyGames’ FINAL FANTASY TACTICS A2: Grimoire of the Rift Official Strategy Guide includes the following:

• A complete walkthrough of all main missions.
• Detailed maps covering all missions and side quests.
• Full list of Character Jobs with strategies to master each one.
• In-depth listing of items and how to collect them.
• Extensive bestiary with information on strengths, weaknesses, and more!
• Plus comprehensive coverage of all subquests!

Platform: Nintendo Ds

Genre: Role-Playing Game

This product is available for sale in North America only.

Penny Arcade Volume 5: The Case Of The Mummy's Gold (Penny Arcade)

Jerry Holkins, Mike Krahulik

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

So many firsts in this book 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

This book rocks. Not that there has been one so far I didn't love, but the instant I finished reading this one I went through and read it again. I can't believe how much gold there is in this year. Some of the earlier books were interesting in a historical sense (as Tycho outright admits) but I think this is the first book where they have found personalities for Gabe and Tycho that allow them to make the most use of them, and their comedy is always on. I think some people were a bit disappointed in "Birds are Weird" because of the lack of extras, this one has some interesting extras I think you'll like.

Editorial Review:

Join us, intrepid explorers, as we journey once again into the depths of the Penny Arcade archives, facing eldritch curses and monstrous perils aplenty in our quest to unearth the ancient treasures of the year 2004 A.D.! Marvel at the mysteries laid bare within - at these tales of epic gaming, appliances gone bad, square-dancing blood feuds, and so much more! Face, if you dare, the ominous foreboding of The Last Christmas, the challenging depths of Twisp and Catsby, and the poignant tragedy of The Wandering Age!

The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design

Flint Dille, John Zuur Platten

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great help 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

As a member of the student team who needed to produce video game in rather short amount of time, I have found this book extremely helpful. I did like one-sheet summary that allowed us to summarize everything. The content was very helpful. Thank you.

A book that really explores game writing/design and what the entails 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Though I've been mostly interested in writing for animation and comics, while playing video games I questioned who came up with it's stories. Many games have little to no stories and focus mostly on mindless entertainment...which isn't always a bad thing. But some video game stories really touch the viewer (Half Life 2, Final Fantasy, Bioshock, etc. come to mind.)

On a whim I bought this book and have enjoyed it immensely. Both the authors provided much more than I was hoping for. Both are seasoned game writers/designers who have worked on many games you know, and are still working on games. Stuff like UNCHARTED - DRAKE'S FORTUNE, CRIMSON SKIES, PROJECT ORIGIN, and FRANK MILLER'S SIN CITY - THE GAME. These guys know what they are doing.

The book breaks down not only how to write for games, but what that entails, hardships you will find along the way (both with writing and people), they provide sheets you can fill out to create your own game bible to pitch. And as an added bonus they occasionally have writing exercises to help you hone your craft or understnad a point better.

Leave no stone unturned and that's what these two have done. It has my highest regards! Buy it and truly educate yourself.

Editorial Review:

There are other books about creating video games out there. Sure, they cover the basics. But The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design goes way beyond the basics. The authors, top game designers, focus on creating games that are an involving, emotional experience for the gamer. Topics include integrating story into the game, writing the game script, putting together the game bible, creating the design document, and working on original intellectual property versus working with licenses. Finally, there’s complete information on how to present a visionary new idea to developers and publishers. Got game? Get The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design.

Kingdom Hearts Official Strategy Guide

Dan Birlew

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 56 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

kingdom hearts strategy guide 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Everything is written and shown in an orderly fashion. It doesn't leave you confused. It leads you step to step through the game.

A signature guide, a noteworthy author 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This particular volume in the Brady Games "signature series" official strategy guides, is well written and illustrated. The magazine as a whole is quite durable as most signature series guides are. It features a detailed walkthrough, a complete bestiary, 3-d model hand drawn maps, and an in depth look at sub quests and gummi ship construction, accompanied by rich illustrations. The walkthrough is very fluid, giving you a wink and a nudge without tedium, yet descriptive and concise enough so that you never miss out on anything. The boss battle strategy sections get just a bit more in depth. Rather than hand you a step by step on how to defeat a boss however, it discusses what the bosses are capable of, allowing you to formulate your own strategy. You'll appreciate that every sub mission and hidden secret are detailed throughout the walkthrough with instructions on how to complete them. They still have an in depth recap for your referance in the back of the guide, but the information is presented in a way that allows for the most fluid path without needless backtracking (unless the game requires it). In fact, the guide even goes so far as to offering a sticker sleeve and a chart so you can add stickers as you find hidden goodies! The Bestiary is comprehensive and easy to use for all ages, detailing enemy locations and common stats, in alphabetical order. This guide has few flaws if any at all. And Dan Birlew is a wonderful author that I trust when choosing guides anyway (other than the FFIX guide with that online code crap)I rate it a 5.

Editorial Review:

BradyGames' Kingdom Hearts Official Strategy Guide provides an all-inclusive walkthrough to help players successfully seal all the worlds, and area maps of each world that illustrate all key items. Hidden U.S. bosses, including Sephiroth, are revealed! Complete mini-game coverage of 99 Dalmatians, Jungle Slider, Mushrooms, and many more. The Gummi Garage shows gamers the ins-and-outs of building their own gummi ships. Exhaustive inventory and item lists. Plus-a bestiary, trinity locations, and magic spells.

This Signature Series guide features a special cover treatement, bonus content, and a Sticker Activity Journal, to help players track their progress in the 99 Dalmatians mini-game. Gamers won't miss a single Trinity Mark with this cool poster!

World of Warcraft: Beyond the Dark Portal (World of Warcraft)

Aaron Rosenberg, Christie Golden

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Great 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 8 people found this review helpful.

I have been playing WoW for a long while and am a huge fan of the whole setting. This book fits in really well into the WoW universe.

I highly recommend this to both serious WoW fans and newcomers alike

Editorial Review:

The aging orc shaman Ner'zhul has seized control of the Horde and reopened the Dark Portal. His brutal warriors once again encroach upon Azeroth, laying siege to the newly constructed stronghold of Nethergarde Keep. There, the archmage Khadgar and the Alliance commander, Turalyon, lead humanity and its elven and dwarven allies in fighting this new invasion.

Even so, disturbing questions arise. Khadgar learns of orcish incursions farther abroad: small groups of orcs who seem to pursue a goal other than simple conquest. Worse yet, black dragons have been sighted as well, and they appear to be aiding the orcs. To counter Ner'zhul's dark schemes, the Alliance must now invade the orcs' ruined homeworld of Draenor. Can Khadgar and his companions stop the nefarious shaman in time to stave off the destruction of two worlds?