Customer Reviews

Mass Effect (Prima Official Game Guide)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Game guides are a difficult product - since they are usually published at the same time as the game, they are often rushed to print, and it shows in this case. There are entire sections of the guide missing, including the interpersonal subplot section (even though it's referenced elsewhere in the guide!). Some "how to do this" descriptions are explicitly left out (for example, one acheivement says "It's up to you to figure out the rest."). None of the choices that must be made for certain conversation rewards are laid out. Only buy this guide if you absolutely must; otherwise, searching the internet for online guides written by fans will give you much more precise, helpful, and accurate information.

This is the worst game guide I have ever purchased. There are numerous typos, and printing errors. There are even errors in the table of contents. There are references to appendicies which do not exist. There is no information on the romantic subplots. Whole sections are printed out twice in a row. Save yourself a headache and do not buy this guide!

I have to agree with the multiple reviewers that call this a shoddy product. There are more than a few pages missing. For example in the table of contents, it skips straight to Appendix 3, without listing Appendices 1 and 2. However, multiple times in the text of the book references are made to these missing appendices.
Also, on a few occassions, the only mention at all of some of the numerous side missions, called assigments in the game, is a checklist at the beginning of each chapter; no explanation on how to better complete them is given.
This book is not all bad as it does give a rather extensive list of equipment available, as well as extensive talent matrices that will help you maximize your player's abilities. However, in comparison to some of Prima's other game guides, this one is subpar.

Incomplete, inaccurate, in short, the worst excuse for a game guide I've ever seen. How can such a great game, authorize such a crappy guide? Don't waste your money on this.

I have to agree, this publication have typo errors, uneven sized fonts, unacceptable wrongly inserted words/phrases, missing sections etc.

The reason I bought this was because they bundled it together with the art book (which would cost more if bought separately).

Doing such sloppy work and knowing people will buy this because of the Mass Effect name, Prima should be ashamed of themselves (or is that a word not in their vocabulary)

This guide was rushed into production so it could be released along with the game. "MassEffect" is a game that you don't need a strat guide. Write your own as you play. In otherwords, take notes and lots of them, and don't spend your money on this product. Seek help with online guides if you need it.

Overall, I have to say that this game guide has pretty much all of the important aspects that would be expected to help you get the most out of Mass Effect. I had played through ME1 a couple of times before I decided to get this game guide in order to help me get as many of the achievements as my skill level will allow.

Here are the things about it that I like:
- It gives you tips on how to create your character based on how you want to play the game (i.e. if you want a more paragon character then do such and such, or if you want a more renegade character, do the opposite, etc. as well as advice on the different character types)
- There is a checklist at the beginning of each of the main storyline walk through chapters that shows you which of the side missions or assignments you can complete at that juncture in the game. The down side is that you have to flip towards the back of the guide to read about each individual assignment and how to accomplish it.
- There is a complete Xbox Live Achievement list with tips on how to acquire those achievements
- There are charts explaining the best combinations for squad members depending on your character class and whether you want a balanced, biotic, warrior, or tech team.

The only thing I can think of that would make this guide better is if at the beginning of each chapter, you were given that whole squad member combination chart that was customized for the upcoming challenges in that specific mission (i.e. Noveria will have XX types of bad guys and bosses so you should have a squad with XX talents and specialties in order to best overcome the challenges).

Other people have mentioned that there are some things missing from this guide (like entire appendices), but I find that this guide is as complete as anyone really needs it to be. It still forces you to think about what you're doing and what you're going to do.

When I ordered this item, I wanted it for the pc system only. Instead, I received it for the xbox 360 system.The item was not listed on the web site for either type of system it was for.I questioned them on the phone about the type of system, and they could NOT and did not give an answer..I will be more careful of what i buy from this type of business. False advertising of the products they sell. I am in the process on contacting the FTC about this.

Enjoying a game can involve shooting and killing monsters, but I prefer the story line. This guide helps you get the most out of the game. Side plots are shown, correct choices are told. This just helps make sure that the story keeps unfolding.

Of course all the mission, gun, armor, etc... info is also there.

It is not written for the PC, but rather for the XBOX so if you are using a PC to play the game there will be some difference in controls and screens.

Overall, this is a great guide. If you're looking to make it through the game as easily as possible without having to worry about searching for your objectives, this guide is an immense help. The only faults I noticed for this guide were a few missing appendices, one of them containing information on the romance subplot. Still, with the locations of all surveyable minerals and locations of crates and the like, I would certainly recommend this guide.