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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellently Thorough, November 22, 2009
This review is from: Assassin's Creed 2 Collector's Edition: Prima Official Game Guide (Hardcover)
This guide is magnificently done. All of the information you want to know about the game can be found inside, and it is organized very well. Screenshots, original artwork, and fully detailed maps underline all of this information.
Only the first few pages recap the simple instructions of how to play the game. It then jumps right into the Walkthrough section, which includes detailed information, including maps, collectibles, secondary missions, and even just game concepts that are introduced. None of the storyline is told without it being in context to what is required for the current mission, keeping the content of the game "safe."
While the walkthrough section is inclusive enough, the last two sections will probably prove the most useful for players who don't want to miss anything, but don't need the walkthrough either.
The Reference & Analysis section gives strategies, special moves, equipment lists, and shops. All of these lists and references include locations, prices, and when it is available in reference to how far you have progressed through the game.
The Extras section starts with an Achievements & Trophies list, but it is more than a simple list, as it gives page numbers to help you find information on completing them and the "Special Feats" are actually described in detail with their own individual breakdowns. The section continues by revealing all of the Free Missions, secrets, collectibles with maps and screenshots of the locations, and puzzle solutions. For some, the included wall poster with all the collectible items marked will solve the achievement/trophy hunter's problem by itself.
The last section includes a recap of the first Assassin's Creed, which is a great refresher for old fans and good background for new fans and then even brings more speculation to light with a section recapping the storyline of Assassin's Creed 2. A fun read for fans interested in the story.
The icing on the cake: a keyword index at the back for looking things up quickly.
Exactly what you want to see 100% of the game content, plus the artwork, plus a recap and analysis of the storyline. Highly recommend for anyone who purchases the game.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thorough and beautiful, January 26, 2010
This review is from: Assassin's Creed 2 Collector's Edition: Prima Official Game Guide (Hardcover)
Length:: 0:26 Mins
This guide is an excellent complement to the game. 224 full coloured low gloss pages with simple yet elegantly illustrated hard cover. Alright, physical descriptions aside, let us focus on what's inside.
The guide is very well organized, and very detailed, which every game guide should be (though some are not). The mini "contents page" by the edge of every page is particularly useful at helping readers navigate to sections of the game or locate what they need.
The main part of the book essentially shows the detailed walkthroughs, including of course, the required maps, secret locations and detailed guides to resolve some of the in-game puzzles. The walkthrough details each memory sequence that the main character Desmond lives through, in chronological order.
Okay, now what makes this book a collector's edition is of course more than the typical run-of-the-mill walkthroughs and item lists that you would expect to find in every other game guide. No, what makes this game guide worth buying is 3 things, the overall presentation, the "Discussion" and the artworks section.
-- The overall presentation
As a relatively picky player, I rarely fall in love with games. But Assassin's Creed II is one of the games that I really, really like. The collector's edition guide is a must-have if you are a fan of the game. It completes the game, and gives you a tingly feeling in your spine to have the game and the guide together as two halves of one collection. The guide is beautifully littered with illustrations on all its pages, from the detailed drawings of parts of Ezio Auditore's weapons and costumes to the landscapes and cityscapes of Renaissance-era Italy.
-- The "Discussion"
It is not strictly a discussion of the game, more of a recap of the two games, Assassin's Creed I and Assassin's Creed II. Along with the recaps, the book also offers its own take on the interpretations of the game's elements. What each element might signify, and how each element ties into the overall story. This in my opinion, is something that a lot of guides fall short on, when a player loves the game, they want to know everything about it, and with this guide, you get your questions answered and it allows you to immerse yourself much more deeply in the game and the world where the characters you play live in.
-- The bonus art work
The last 2 sections of the book contains the game developer's thoughts and comments on the game, and features many pieces of concept art involved in the creation of the game's many intricately designed buildings and landscapes. The last 20 pages includes artworks that were illustrated in the development of the game and are a delight to appreciate.
This guide is a very highly recommended complement to the game. Players who loved the game will definitely find this collector's edition guide a very worthwhile purchase to complete their experience of the game. 100% of the game content detailed, excellently presented and thoroughly explored.
There's also the standard edition without the extra art gallery and behind-the-scenes commentary. But seriously, the Collector's edition is well worth the money.
(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful and useful, December 10, 2009
This review is from: Assassin's Creed 2 Collector's Edition: Prima Official Game Guide (Hardcover)
There isn't really much to say about this book. It is a hardcover book, which makes it much more durable. The cover art is really good, while not being distracting. The foldout map is very useful, as is all of the information included inside, plus the additional art. The index is pretty good, although not quite as detailed as I would like it to be. The only negative thing I have to say, is about how it gives you the answers to some of the riddles (The glyphs you have to decipher). They simply tell you the answer to them. I would have preferred that they explain how they got the solution, as well as what the solution is. It is great to be able to just look it up and enter it, but I want to see how I SHOULD have figured it out when it is one I couldn't do myself.
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