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Soul Calibur V Strategy Guide Review

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Soul Calibur V Strategy Guide ReviewSoul Calibur is a series near and dear to my heart due to spending countless hours playing the first game on my Dreamcast with a college buddy of mine. We once sat there kicking the snot out of one another for three hours straight, and we loved every minute of it. Fast forward a few years and Soul Calibur V improves on the original formula while bringing back that hook that was so addicting all those years ago.

Future Press must also love this series because they made a small bible to help players become the master of duck, dodge, and stab. Their Soul Calibur V strategy guide is friggin impressive to say the least. The amount of work that went into this book shows the moment you peel the cellophane off and crack the spine.

So much detail!

The first three chapters are dedicated to how to play the game and the abundance of mechanics contained within it. That is 91 pages of learning about things like the difference between a crouching throw and air throw, character fighting styles, stance transitions, just guard, evasion, and a bounty of other useful information. I took my time with these sections because they helped me develop strategies for the different characters I enjoy playing. These also helped me acquire a deeper understanding of just how complex the fighting system in this game has become over the last few years.

The Game Modes section was particularly useful due to it breaking down strategies for each character. Following this up is a key attack blurb that pretty much defines the character. The coverage of the Story Mode provides a good idea of how to handle every chapter without chucking the controller across the room in frustration. Heck, even the Character Creation section goes into great depth on how something as simple as stickers work and how players can utilize them to further customize player made characters. Seriously, prepare to spend a great deal of time in the first 100 pages of this guide!

The VS Play chapter is where most will spend their time, as this is where Future Press dives into each character in massive detail. It even begins with a few pages on how to use the section as well as defining the terms used throughout. Each character starts with a small blurb about who they are, overview of their fighting styles and where they excel versus where they are weakest. From there each attack/stance/throw/combo gets the meticulous detail treatment. Anyone that wants to know if the Hwu Dye maneuver is worth executing for Leixia will find plenty of insight in this guide.

Besides all the info on moves, Future Press tackles both offensive and defensive strategies. Following this is brief blurbs on how to fight against the character, like letting readers know that Leixia struggles in mid-long range. This is a beautiful piece of info for those that spend any amount of time battling other players online or want to tackle the game at higher difficulty settings. Finally, each character section is followed up with a chart that shows every command and its damage, impact, hit, and property. This is a no frills chart that makes for a fantastic quick reference guide.

Two of the most useful pages in the guide

The last portion of the guide goes to all the extras of the game. Unlockable characters, achievements/trophies, character profiles, equipment and titles all find a home here. The unlocked characters are not as detailed as those of the main game are, but there is still a nice amount of info in here.

The guide does falter in a few places however. One of the biggest letdowns is that the cover art for this book is simple yet elegant, but that does not carry through the rest of the guide. There are a few pieces of art scattered about the pages, but this feels more like a textbook than something dedicated to a video game. Where other guides bring in elements of the game to help make it feel as though the guide is part of the game, this feels more like something one would use to cram before an 8AM exam. It is a bit of a lost opportunity to show off some of the fine artwork this series has.

Continuing with that textbook feel, this is not a light reading type of guide. This is going to be something that gamers sit down with, read, digest, try out the newly acquired info, and come back to in order to verify various aspects of the digested knowledge. Let’s face it, 480 pages of combos, blocks, and moves is a lot to dig into and make proficient use of. You are warned now.

Despite a lack of continuity between guide and game, along with a massive amount of reading, this sets a high standard for fighting game strategy guides. The lack of artwork is forgivable when one realizes useful items such as a quick reference chart of moves replace the missing eye candy. It also looks damn good sitting on a coffee table. Anyone new to the Soul Calibur franchise need this book, veterans will find it rather useful too.

SGR Rating 4/5

Publisher: Future Press
Editions Available: Hardcover
Acquired via Publisher

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Strategy Guide Review

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Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Strategy Guide ReviewIf you’ve played Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning for five minutes after the prologue, then you’re well aware of how massively huge this game is. You literally cannot take two or three steps without some NPC asking for help. Even if you have no interest in sidequesting your heart out, you may take part in the Faction quests. It’s insane and overwhelming, especially to someone like me who can’t resist sidequests. What’s even more overwhelming is the fact that you as a player can completely forge your character’s destiny. Want to be a mage? No problem. Have you changed your mind? No problem! Want to be good? You can. Want to be evil? You can do that too. The world of Amalur is at your whim, and it’s really up to you to determine how you will play. And really, this is the dichotomy that the strategy guide for Reckoning has to face. While it does its best with guiding players through the mire of sidequests and main missions, it kind of feels like it “gives up” when it comes to effectively providing strategies for the boss fights.

The Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning strategy guide does do one thing very well, and that is how it organizes the overwhelming mass that is Amalur. The walkthroughs are broken up into three sections: Area Guide, Main Quests, and Faction Quests. This layout could be good or bad, depending on the player. If you decide to do everything at once, then you’ll have a lot of flipping back and forth. For example, if you’re traveling toward the next point in the Main Quest and run into a sidequest or six, and you drop what you’re doing to immediately focus on these quests, you’re going to give your fingers a workout. Combine a Main Quest with a Faction Quest and sidequests…you get the idea.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Strategy Guide

Can't ask for a better page layout than this.

However, if you take things a bit at a time, you’ll really see the perfection in this guide layout. For instance, if you choose to join a Faction and focus just on those quests, then you can fast travel to any area you unlocked while performing those quests and use the Area Guide portion to complete all sidequests in that area. This method is far more efficient, and it honestly helps the game become less overwhelming as well as distracting. My biggest problem with the game was that I would get so sidetracked by so many quests that I would forget what I was doing in the main storyline.

It helps that the page layouts for each of the walkthrough sections were absolutely flawless as well. I really can’t ask for anything better when it comes to page design for strategy guides. Maps that are well marked with easy-to-find legends? Check. Screenshots that accurately depict what the written portion is saying? Check. Written walkthrough is broken up in clearly defined sections that easy to discern your character’s progress? Check. For the latter, this guide went one step further. If you can see from the scan above, each section is labeled with a number and reference to a particular map. From there, the user can pick out exactly where they are on the map that is conveniently placed above or near the written content. I was never confused about where I was or where I should be seeing what. It is positively brilliant.

In terms of the strategy guide providing accurate information as to what is going on and what to expect in upcoming battles, it succeeds. In terms of providing strategies for defeating bosses, it lacks. My picking on this isn’t entirely fair, I admit, as the game gives players so much freedom in how they choose their combat and defense. However, I wish the guide had given some direction, such as listing boss weaknesses to particular magic or weaponry. It starts off offering direction in the beginning, which is most likely due to the character having very few powers early on, but then it fizzles out. At least the boss fights are rarely hard, especially if you have plenty of potions at your disposal.

One feature I really, really enjoyed in the book was the History of Amalur section in the back. Over 20 pages spans the 1000-year history of Amalur, complete with mythology and concept art. I love reading the history behind fantasy, so I ate that up with glee.

Overall, I do highly recommend the strategy guide, especially if you are a completionist. The Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning strategy guide literally leaves no stone unturned, whether the stones are sidequests or collectible lore stones. It’s the perfect companion to something as massive as Reckoning. It’s also so pretty on the outside and inside, it makes a damn fine coffee table book.

SGR Rating: 4/5

Authors: Bruce Byrne, Govindpal Karra, Philip Mackenzie, Saurian Dash, and Usman Niazi
Publisher: Future Press
Editions available: Hardcover
Acquired via Publisher

Deus Ex Strategy Guide Giveaway!

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Deus Ex: Human Revolution Strategy GuidesUPDATE! Winners have been chosen. Please check out the drawing below…

I was pleasantly surprised by an additional shipment this morning of not just one, but TWO Deus Ex: Human Revolution strategy guides. One is the paperback version, and the other is the gorgeous, hardback collector’s edition.

Sooo, strategy guide giveaway, anyone?

Here’s how this will work…

There are 3 ways to enter for this giveaway. At 4pm CST TODAY, I will draw one name from a hat for the Collector’s Edition, and then the second name I draw will win the paperback edition. You can enter for the drawing by doing the following:

Remember that EACH entry will count has one entry in the contest, so your name could be in the hat up to 3 times.

Huge thanks to Future Press for making this giveaway possible.

Ready? Set? GO!

And the winners are…

Congratulations, Nick and Blake! I’ll be in touch soon regarding shipping!

E3 Wrap-Up and Sayonara

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E3logoAs usual, E3 was absolutely insane. I mistakenly thought that since this year I would be making my own schedule that it wouldn’t have been as chaotic. Silly, silly me. I had meant to write up what I saw, who I met with, etc. here but as you can see, it most certainly did not happen.

However, if you want to see what I wrote about E3 and what my compadres at Games are Evil had to say, then please visit our E3 section. I’m sure the guys will be adding more over the days to come after they’ve had a few more hours sleep, so if you like what they have to say, please keep coming back for more.

I would like to personally thank the representatives from Future Press, Prima Games, and BradyGames for taking time out of their very busy schedules to meet with me and totally geek out about all things guides and video games. I had an absolute blast meeting you all.

And that is it for me for a few weeks. My flight to Tokyo leaves tomorrow morning at 7:30, and I am not bringing the laptop or the iPad. I will, however, be taking with me a number of strategy guides to keep me entertained and working a little during the very long 12-hour flights.

See you all after June 25th!

Portal 2 IGN Strategy Guide Review

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Portal 2 IGN Strategy Guide Review

I admit that I’m not a huge fan of strategy guides that are 100% video. I prefer video to be an optional part of the guide, to help one get through a spot that they just don’t entirely understand how to do from words alone. For instance, back when I was playing Uncharted 2, I nearly rage quit over the Jeep hopping sequence. I could not figure out how to jump from truck to truck without something blowing up and killing me. Thanks to a video of the sequence, I immediately understood that I was not jumping to the correct truck for one jump. After that was corrected, it was super easy. Future Press has also implemented the idea of supplemental videos with their strategy guides for Bayonetta and Portal 2. IGN, however, has made their Portal 2 strategy guide solid video. There are no screenshots. There are very little words. So yeah, I was apprehensive about liking this at all. I mean, it’s kind of like having the entire game handed to you, right?

And here comes the part where I admit I was wrong. While yes, I still think that this many videos kind of gives away the whole game, all of the videos have been done very, very well, and they are broken up by both chapter and Achievements/Trophies. For the chapter walkthroughs, the reviewer commentates on what he is doing, what the player can expect, and even gives the little tutorials on how to do things–such as the double fling–that the game doesn’t really give newbies. Because of the constant commentary, the game isn’t exactly “given away” because the player won’t be able to hear everything GLaDOS or other characters say over the reviewer. If you listen very closely, you will catch nearly everything that is said, but if you do that, you probably won’t be paying attention to what the reviewer is saying or the strategy presented.

In the walkthrough videos, the Achievements/Trophies earned outside of story progression are presented separately. Here there is no commentary, but since so many of these Achievements/Trophies are so off the wall and in strange places, a voice-over would be a little distracting.

The downsides I found are very nit-picky I admit, but they’re still there for all users to consider. The walkthroughs for each chapter are partitioned into one or two videos instead of into each separate area Chell might visit in a chapter. As such, users won’t be able to quickly look for that one spot that is giving them trouble; they will have to either watch the video in its entirety or try to skip ahead where the buffer allows for it. Like I said, it’s nit-picky, but it’s a viable concern in terms of efficiency.

So if you aren’t looking to read about what to do for Portal 2 in terms of well, reading anything, then IGN’s Portal 2 strategy guide is definitely the way to go. Very well done, and the video format is pretty perfect for this type of puzzle game.

SGR Grade: 5/5

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