11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
What's the value add?, November 26, 2007
This review is from: Hellgate London (Prima Official Game Guide) (Paperback)
I buy guidebook with a simple expectation: I need advice and information that enables me to play the game better. This guidebook is mostly an information dump that doesn't add much value to me. Let me substantiate what I am talking about by going through section by section. And you decide if you want to buy this after all (you may have a different expectation compares to mine).
Section 1 - Basics
Anyone who has started playing the game would have known these basics by heart. There are some tips offered but they are not significant. Some tips are debatable (like only dissemble items that can sell less than 20 monetary units and only assign attribute points as you equip your armors) and there are hardly anything useful (perhaps the tip on teleporting to the station, sell off the stuffs, and teleport back is nice). I was expecting some literature on how to assign attribute points for different classes but there are none. The part on mini-game icons may please some players but online information is more accurate than the book (for instance, there is an icon for dealing and receiving physical damage rather than just dealing physical damage like the book wrote).
Section 2 - Characters
It is merely a printout of the skill map that you see in game. If you find it impossible to make decision on the screen, perhaps this section of the book helps. The tips and advice on the skill choice is very limited. Close to non-existence. I expect some literature on the various different builds and the different strategies applied for these builds. But there are none. If you are new to the game, reading this section probably doesn't help much. Once you experience the game, there is no point reading this section either.
Section 3 - Items
There are pages and pages of tables of items. Perhaps this game is like Diablo that itemization is the core of the game. I personally don't find the tables useful. Perhaps if you must know the names of all the legendary items that you can buy, it is a good source of information. It doesn't tell you where are the likely places or which bosses will drop those items. Just straight listing of, to me, pretty useless information that does not help my game play.
Section 4 - Monsters
Perhaps what is slightly better here is somewhere in the tables of information, it does tell you the attack mode of the monsters (like toxic etc.). It doesn't tell you what those monsters may drop. How to tackle some of the tricky ones (like bosses) - except one tiny tip. So what can I get out from this section? Probably none during game play. And you won't get to remember all the monsters specialties either as there are many types. Would you stop and search for the monsters, study their stats before a pull? Probably not either. A good write up on how to tackle different types of monsters would help. A detail listing with monster stats does not.
Section 5 - Quests
This section perhaps is the most useful section in the book (given how useless the book is so far). But it is still not that useful. It is a listing of quest by quest giving you the steps involved in point form exactly like the game does. It doesn't tell you how to complete those steps, what to look out for, or to the least, list out what are the rewards (compare that to World of Warcraft guidebook) - very basic and minimal when the book does. If I am lost in following the quest lines, perhaps this section is a good place to refer to. There are maps for each subway station highlighting the locations of all the NPCs. But you and I know that the subway stations are not that big and you really can't get lost inside. What is the use after all? Hardly any.
Section 6 - Online Tips
A few pages of tips written in point form with regards to online game play. If you have not experienced any online multi-player gaming before, it can be quite a good read. But still, you can pick those up quite easily. Nothing groundbreaking being written inside.
Section 7 - Pull out poster
I have yet to pull out the poster. I think this is going to be the most expensive poster I pay for.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome Book, January 14, 2008
This review is from: Hellgate London (Prima Official Game Guide) (Paperback)
I bought this book to help understand some elements of the game a lot more, and its actually a pretty awesome book. The fold out poster looks pretty cool, which is a common banner Flagship Studios use in the tube stations. The other side with the map is awesome, with full descriptions of the complete world map.
The biggest confusion without much detail is the skills, atrributes, etc.. This game describes each skill for each faction/class very detailed. And there are actual dev tips so you can maximum your experience in the game. I'd recommend to any player of the game.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Lots of promise, no delivery, December 8, 2007
This review is from: Hellgate London (Prima Official Game Guide) (Paperback)
Unfortunately, this guide could have been so much more. Instead it is mostly table after table of items without much useful information. It's a shame because this game has huge potential despite its bugs and this guide could have gone a long way towards helping with its potential.
The book is sadly lacking in Strategy tips and even dips so low as to repeat the same tips in multiple places in the book. The maps are slightly helpful and are what makes me rate it two stars.
Even the class sections dealing with the skill trees are simply regurgitating what you can read in the game itself. There is no deeper explanation or suggestions. It is sadly lacking in details.
Normally, I love Prima's strategy guides but this one falls flat.
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