Half-Life : Prima's Official Strategy Guide (Paperback)

~ Joe Grant Bell (Author)

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Amazon.com Review

It was just a typical day in the life of Gordon Freeman, your average young scientist working for the government at the high-security Black Mesa research facility. Typical, that is, until a freak accident opens up a transdimensional gateway to an alien world. Soon the place is crawling with mutated scientists, alien creatures, and--worst of all--government troops bent on eliminating all witnesses to the accident. Fighting your way past these evil hordes is no easy task--unless, of course, you've got Prima's official Half-Life strategy guide in your arsenal.

With a wealth of information, statistics, and gameplay guidelines, this book can help turn any fledgling scientist into a battle-hardened killing machine in no time. In addition to descriptions of the weapons you'll find and the enemies you'll have to use them against, the book offers advice on basic first-person shooter tactics (how to circle-strafe, for example). A full-fledged walk-through of the game includes plenty of maps (more than 100 in all) and screen shots to help illustrate the best path to take. A brief section on multiplayer Half-Life rounds out this impressive guide.

Review

Run. Think. Shoot. Live.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Prima Games (November 25, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761513604
• ISBN-13: 978-0761513605
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #930,502 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent information source for all concerned!, November 13, 2000

By	D. Bass (North Carolina) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I beat "Half Life" before even opening this book, but I still found it to contain plenty of useful information and tips even for the experienced gamer. If you're getting this book for the walkthrough only, then you'd probably be better off not purchasing it. You can find many detailed walkthroughs online (albeit not quite as detailed as the one found here, but still detailed enough to understand.) On the other hand, if you want to pick up a few new tricks to beat enemies, or load yourself with information on the weapons, beasts, levels, and tactics than this book is definitely for you. The walkthrough itself was very good, although, as I said before, not worth the price of the book. It includes clear pictures and precise details about where to go, what to shot, what to do, and how to do it. Other sections include information on all items you can pick up, and all enemies you will face. There is also a "tips and tricks" section of the book for the game, explaining various tactics that are useful for different situations. Near the back of the book, as well, there is a chapter dedicated to tactics for multiplayer games. Even though I haven't tried playing online or over a network yet, the advice seemed to be quite sound and reasonable.

I enjoyed the book immensely, and it's a definite must for any serious "Half-Life" player.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is great and it will show you everything!, June 26, 1999

By A Customer

There is NOTHING that this book does not show you, it will guide you through the game step by step. This book will show you stategies and give you tips on how to easily beat your enemy. I would recommend this book even if you are not having trouble with the game because it shows important tips that can be easily overlooked.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars very good as hintbooks go, but overpriced, January 9, 2000

By	J. K. Kelley "literary mercenary" (Eastern WA, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It must be remembered that the average deserved rating of a computer hintbook these days is about negative 2; worse than useless. This guide must be considered against that rather forgiving set of expectations.

The quality of the enemy and equipment briefing is very high, as is the walkthrough. My only quarrel with the walkthrough is the difficulty of visualization with regard to the maps. For US$20, you'd think it wouldn't be too hard to draw a couple of stupid arrows.

Another black mark is that this is one of the *most* obvious examples of PC game manual blackmail. "We'll just put in a thin, lame manual with the game, then sign up for Prima to do the manual we should have included, and we'll take a percentage of all the royalties. That's easier than selling the game for what it costs us to produce a respectable manual." We all know it's how things are, but we don't have to like it. Of the above, only the US$20 expense involved in the hintbook is factored into the final rating.

Recommended for the value of its information, but a lot of what's here should have been in the manual and is not.