Piggyback Archives - Page 4 of 5 - Strategy Guide Reviews

Free Mini-Strategy Guide for Lightning Returns from Piggyback

January 31, 2014 By Keri Honea Leave a Comment

Want to sample the Lightning Returns strategy guide before making the big purchase? Piggyback has a mini-guide for Lightning Returns available NOW, and guess what? It’s absolutely free.

The Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII mini guide offers a general presentation of all main features and significant concepts in the game. The 24 pages in the mini guide are taken directly from Piggyback’s 100% complete guide to Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.

This is absolutely brilliant for those who aren’t sure if you want or will need a strategy guide for a game. Where’s the harm in downloading a free mini-guide to see if you actually need more assistance?

If you already know that you’re going to pick up the Lightning Returns strategy guide, no matter what we have to say about it, it’s available for preorder, in both a paperback and Collector’s Edition.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Strategy Guide Review

December 31, 2013 By Matthew Green 1 Comment

History is a big place. It’s dangerous to go wandering around the Caribbean without proper guidance. Thankfully, Piggyback Interactive have compiled the meat and potatoes within Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag in a helpful strategy guide that leads players step by step and place by place through the adventures of Edward Kenway and his pirate comrades. While not essential to the Black Flag experience, this strategy guide certainly helps to overcome the game’s frustrating and puzzling moments while also providing enough general, generic assistance to not spoil absolutely everything.

The Assassin’s Creed series is packed full of a twisting, confusing narrative that spans several sequels and side-games, so for those coming into the world of Assassins and Templars late (or those who just need a refresher), the strategy guide thankfully opens with a lengthy recap of each main game in the franchise across both the past and present timeline (minor titles like Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery and Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation go overlooked). Extensive spoilers detail the story of Desmond Miles and his ancestors, bringing everyone up to speed on the story so far. Honestly, I found this part of the strategy guide to be the most helpful before I even began playing the game as after all these years and so many games, I’d forgotten a lot of the Creed lore. More strategy guides need a recap section of this style for long-running, story-heavy franchises.

Speaking of refreshers and recaps, the strategy guide also include a detailed look at just how the gameplay in the Creed series works. A primer explains basics such as how to read the onscreen display and the concept of mission synchronization to general character controls to more advanced tactics like effective stealth and combat maneuvers. In the old days, most of this material would have been covered in the game’s printed manual, but in this era of cost reductions and saving paper, it’s up to strategy guides like this one to pick up the slack and provide a clearly explained reference. Creed veterans may skip over this section on the way to the actual walkthrough, but it’s worth a look.

The walkthrough itself comprises the majority of the strategy guide’s actual guide portion. Each mission in each sequence is outlined and explained point by point with a summary of objectives, descriptively labeled screenshots to show optimum routes through areas, and paragraphs of text which explain what to do and how best to do it. Anyone wanting to follow the strategy guide beat by beat can certainly do so, but it can be a bit too detailed at times if one wants to avoid plot twists or other surprises. I found myself only referring to the guide when outright stuck in order to not accidentally find out what was about to happen next. A similar section for the game’s many side quests follows, blowing out every optional task, mini-game, and upgradable unlock condition.

For better or worse, Black Flag features online multiplayer modes. The strategy guide includes a full look at these modes and explains how to play them effectively. Each character is listed with gorgeous artwork and their unique ability sets. Scoring and progression are explained, but the real draw for multiplayer enthusiasts is the large printed overhead maps of each stage. Planning raids and attacks has never been easier thanks to having access to a plan view of the playfield. There is more about multiplayer explained here in this section than in the game itself, and I was glad for the additional information.

It’s a series tradition for Assassin’s Creed to leave players with questions after the credits roll, so to put some lingering doubts to bed, the strategy guide concludes with a large “Extras” chapter which poses some of the more common questions raised by the game and answers them with interesting and informative explanations. There’s also a quick list of unlockable secrets and the conditions required to open them such as bonus outfits, swords, shanties, and cheats. Finally, a massive selection of production and promotional artwork leads into information on the game’s key characters and settings in a feast for the eyes.

It’s difficult to find a bad word about the Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag strategy guide. I had the pleasure of reviewing the collector edition of the guide which is an impressive hardback volume containing sixty-four additional pages of content. Free access to the bonus eGuide is also included as well as a beautiful fold-out map of the game world. Fans of the game who want more information about Edward Kenway’s world will enjoy the biographical and story content, while those looking for just the nuts and bolts of assistance will find their needs met. It is recommended.

SGR Rating: 5/5

Author: James Price
Publisher: Piggyback Interactive
Editions available: Paperback and Hardcover Collector’s Edition
Acquired via publisher

Have a Brief Taste of the Assassin’s Creed IV Strategy Guide

October 24, 2013 By Keri Honea 2 Comments

Curious if the Assassin’s Creed IV strategy guide will be as great as its predecessors? Here’s a bit of a sample of what you can expect when the paperback and Collector’s Edition releases next week.

Like the guides before, this one will guide users to 100% completion, which I assume means that it will provide tips for achieving that 100% synchronization as well as collecting everything, exploring everything, and unlocking all sidequests. The strategy guide, for both editions, also includes a two-sided map poster for the entire Caribbean.

The Collector’s Edition contains an additional 64 pages, including concept art, a full glossary of pirate phrases, and a history of the Golden Age of Piracy. If the latter is anything like the American history summary found in the Assassin’s Creed III strategy guide, this will be a delightful read. I’m a bit of a history nut, and I feel like I know a bit about the Revolutionary War, but I still greatly enjoyed reading the history summary in the strategy guide. I’m sure this will be similar.

Want to see what it looks like on the inside? It’s going to be absolutely beautiful.

May the text inside be as helpful as the layout and artwork is beautiful. The last few Assassin’s Creed strategy guides by Piggyback were quite stellar, so my hopes are high for this one as well.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Strategy Guide Review

March 25, 2013 By Nicholas Michetti 1 Comment

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance marks a distinct gameplay departure from the MGS series. Instead of a stealth game, Raiden’s spin-off offers fast-paced stylish action similar to games such as Devil May Cry and Bayonetta. Gamers who are following Raiden from his roots in more traditional Metal Gear games to MGR:R may encounter some difficulties, especially with a game that has experience points so strongly tied to battle rankings. Piggyback’s Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance strategy guide, though, is a one-stop resource that should be able to help players get the best battle rankings and all of the Battle Points (MGR:R’s XP) that they need.

Two of MGR:R’s big gameplay focuses are Zandatsu (the game’s signature finishing maneuver in Blade Mode) and parrying (how attacks are countered). The strategy guide will let players know everything that they need to in regards to these mechanics, especially what enemies can be hit with a Zandatsu immediately or what damage qualifications are necessary to get one, what enemy attacks can or can’t be parried, and what signs players should look for to be ready to parry an attack. The information can be invaluable at times and can help players significantly increase their rank.

Speaking of increasing rank, the strategy guide’s advice for specific combat situations is focused on players gaining an S-Rank in every ranked battle. The guide also assists players with engaging in the right styles of combat, helping them learn effective techniques that can be used when facing enemies in future battles. Following the guide’s advice closely or even just keeping specific points of advice in mind can be the difference between a B rank and an A or S rank. Performing better in battle results in earning more Battle Points, which further results in players being able to give Raiden more upgrades and access more weapons. The guide even makes recommendations about what specific upgrades players should invest in before moving on to the next chapter, which are virtually spot-on. The level of accuracy for the guide even extends to item locations, as mostly everything is exactly where the guide says it is, with rare few exceptions.

The official guide also has a vast amount of data in it, from how the scoring system works, what parts of an enemy are strongest or weakest (down to color labeling representing the strongest and weakest areas), how much damage enemy attacks do, the stats for each weapon and sub-weapon, and more. For players who would eventually like to master MGR:R, the guide provides all of the relevant data necessary to assist them with their goal. Tables containing information on how a battle is graded (time, Zandatsus, kills, etc.) accompany every ranked battle and the guide also has No Damage and No Kills tables available when applicable. Finding information in the guide is very easy as well, as the pages have very clean layouts and call-out boxes are well implemented. The guide’s item discovery/level layout sections are separate from the battle sections, which may see gamers flipping pages back and forth a bit, but that’s ultimately a minor nitpick.

If the strategy guide has one downside, though, it’s that the S-Rank only strategies may be intimidating for some players to pull off, especially those players who are new to this style of game. The guide admits that pursuing S-ranks right away isn’t a good idea, saying that on a first playthrough, gamers should just play for fun and familiarize themselves with the game’s core techniques. While most of the guide’s advice can be used quite well for an initial playthrough, newcomers may struggle a bit trying to keep up and there are occasional sections that recommend equipment that players won’t have on their first-run playthrough or may not have unlocked yet. However, the guide’s advice also will immediately become much more clear and perhaps even more accessible on a second playthrough. (A second playthrough on MGR:R is easily accomplished with a game length of around ten hours or so, which can be shortened even further by skipping cut scenes.)

As for the Collector’s Edition value, MGR:R’s CE guide has a sixteen-page artwork section with comments from staff from Kojima Productions and Platinum Games who worked on the game. The section isn’t particularly a must-have, but it provides a nice look at some of the artwork that went into the game and may be a plus for players looking to pick up the great Yoji Shinkawa textured paper lithograph depicting Raiden that comes with the guide. The guide also has a nice hardcover with an image of Raiden on the front, split down the middle with an electrically charged blade. Fans less enthusiastic about Metal Gear may not enjoy the extras as much, but for the Shinkawa lithograph and the additions to the CE, the $10 difference in comparison to typical paperback guides will be worth it for hardcore fans of the franchise.

If someone is new to playing MGR:R and seeking advice or is looking for advice on how to get S-ranks in every battle in the game, the Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance strategy guide is absolutely worth picking up. The guide is packed with as many bits of essential information as imaginable to help players figure out how to defeat an enemy that they’re having difficulty with, get through boss battles with greater ease, get the best possible ranks in combat, and have an easier time playing the game all-around. Regardless of experience level with this type of game, the guide is more than capable of helping players beat or best MGR:R. Piggyback’s guide is simply a must-have for anyone who might be looking to pick one up for Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

SGR Rating: 4.5/5

Publisher: Piggyback
Editions available: Hardcover Collector’s Edition
Acquired via Publisher

Assassin’s Creed III Strategy Guide Review

December 11, 2012 By Keri Honea Leave a Comment

Assassin’s Creed III has been one of this year’s most highly anticipated games, and it’s also been one of my most highly anticipated strategy guides. After how well Piggyback bounced from the Assassin’s Creed II strategy guide to the Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood strategy guide, my expectations were high. The Assassin’s Creed III strategy guide better be on par with Brotherhood, or words would roll in anger. When I learned that the side questing world of AC3 was the largest it’s ever been in AC games, the bar rose even higher. I shouldn’t have worried; the Assassin’s Creed III strategy guide provided everything it needed to, and then went above and beyond what was called for. What’s more, I never could have gotten nearly as far as I did with the game thanks to all of its glorious bugs without the guide holding my hand and constantly letting me know it was going to be okay. Otherwise, the game would have suffered a terminal case of defenestration.

I rarely look in the beginning of strategy guides, where all of the information about how to play is held, as I fully expect the game to teach me as I go. Usually this is the case, but as I recently lamented, sometimes it is not. With AC3, the game did teach, but sometimes the tutorial prompts flashed too quickly, so I wasn’t able to see what buttons or combinations of buttons I needed to press. For example, early on, I missed what I needed to press to prompt Haytham to reload his rifle. Since I could only kill these enemies with a gun, I couldn’t drop my useless weapon and go stabbity-stabbity. I literally pressed every button before I paused the game and checked to see what the strategy guide said. I’ve never been so thankful before for the existence of this how-to-play section, as I quite literally couldn’t have completed this sequence without some reference. It was easy to find, which was perhaps the most important aspect next to having accurate information (which it did).

It’s hard to get lost with this level of detail.

For someone who hates stealth as much as me, the walkthroughs greatly helped me maneuver all areas the first time and with little difficulty. As shown in the scan on the right, the screenshots are large and depict the recommended path for 100% synchronization clearly. Obtaining 100% synchronization (including the optional objectives) takes more skill than a strategy guide can provide, but each time I actually attempted to complete all of the optional objectives, I was able to with ease.

More often than not, the strategy guide’s walkthroughs showed me escape routes I never considered. For instance, using the page on the right, when Haytham has to escape the British fort without being seen and return to Kaniehti:io, the guide suggests that Haytham take a swim. I wouldn’t have thought of that initially for two reasons: 1) the last time I made Haytham take a dip, he died upon impact and 2) it seemed like it would cause an instant desynchronization. Also, it was so foggy, it was hard to see that there was water below instead of a rocky death.

Only excuse to not find every collectible now is laziness.

Unlike previous Assassin’s Creed games, AC3’s main storyline is rather short. The quantity of side quests grossly makes up for the story’s brevity, however. In fact, I’d say that less than one quarter of the strategy guide is the main walkthrough. The side questing takes up at least one full quarter of the book. Most of the side quests are collectibles, whether it’s an actual collectible (Ben Franklin’s Almanac pages) or a collectible quest (Frontiersman Challenges). As a result, the side questing section is practically filled with maps marking locations for every possible extra quest Connor can complete while in an area.

The large maps with actual collectible markers include screenshots of where the wayward collectible is hiding. For all of the missions, such as the Liberation missions and Naval missions, each set is treated similarly to the main walkthrough. Each mission has its set of screenshots with marked pathways and strategies for completion. It even includes tips for where Connor should be equipment-wise and story-wise for easier navigation and higher success rate.

What really makes the Assassin’s Creed III strategy guide shine are the Reference & Analysis and the Extras sections, of which the AC guides in general have been stellar. The Reference & Analysis section contains detailed appendices (and an index!) of everything you can think of to find, collect, kill, etc. in the game, which is a must for those who want to skin every animal and earn every Achievement/Trophy. The strategy guide even includes tips for how to earn every Achievement/Trophy instead of simply listing them, which earns double brownie points.

The Extras section includes a detailed analysis of the story, speculation of what happened and what is to come from Piggyback, and a detailed comparison of history vs. game story. I love this last part the most, as I love breaking down fact from fiction in historical movies as it is.

The world of Assassin’s Creed III is massive, to say the least, and I can’t imagine tackling something this big without some guidance. As someone who gets easily overwhelmed with large worlds (hence why I have yet to really play Skyrim), the Assassin’s Creed III strategy guide was the perfect compass and anchor for me. Not to mention, it also kept me sane during the buggy gameplay I encountered. If you absolutely, positively want to do everything AC3 has to offer, the Assassin’s Creed III strategy guide is the best friend you’re going to have.