Mass Effect (Prima Official Game Guide) by Stephen Stratton, Bryan Stratton, Brad Anthony
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Book Reviews of Mass Effect (Prima Official Game Guide)
Book Review: Good Reference for Completionists
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm a total completionist when it comes to RPGs so having a decent guide is a must. The Mass Effect guide, while not perfect, did the job for me with excellent maps and codex entries and good to very good game play strategies. All of the landable planets featured full maps including all of the points of interest which saved me hours of driving around in circles trying to find obscure collectibles. I also loved the assignment checklist at the start of each major walkthrough section, once my journal started to overflow with mini-quests having that walkthrough was a lifesaver. There are a few obvious omissions in this guide, for example, why was there no walkthrough for the romance quest? The romances were pretty easy to initiate and navigate through, but since they were the most interaction you had with the crew I expected there to be a little more than just a couple of paragraphs. Also I felt the walkthroughs for some of the minor quests especially for some of the uncharted worlds should have been more substantial; I was always able to make my way out of trouble but if the guide were clearer I wouldn't have landed in trouble in the first place. Even with those two issues and a few minor problems with proofreading that were missed, I still feel that I got my money's worth both from the guide and the game.Book Review: Fun fun fun but frustrating
Summary: 4 Stars
I love this game, I cannot put it down. Planet Hopping in a non-final fantasy roleplaying environment(I don't have a PC and do not play MMO's) with real-time action is something new for me, and I love it. Why the four instead of five? Well, the game's flaw is combat. Even though I've gotten used to it, it is clunky at times and completely outrageous at others. It's kind of like Gears of War where cover plays a key role and there is no auto aim. This can be rectified by upping the reticle speed in the options menu, and I suggest you do it because it will prevent you from having your butt handed to you like mine was until I sped it up. The AI for your team is almost worthless-at one point all the enemies in the area were dead and my squadmate was standing directly in front of a wall blasting away for no reason I could see. This is unfortunate as it would be nice to have some companions who are more useful when you aren't controlling them(which you can't in this game except picking their weapons and using their powers with a pausing menu). However, that bit of boo aside, I'm completely hooked on this game right now and my bare minimum of a social life is taking a big hit, so if you like sci-fi and roleplaying elements, give the Mass Effect a shot!Book Review: The Manual you don't get with the game.
Summary: 4 Stars
You've seen all the reviews above. So I'll be brief. This is a guide on what all the who's and what's and fiddly bits are in the game. The 1st few chapters are a perfect primer for getting your head around the game mechanics and concepts. Especially if you are a person with a busy schedule (and or family) whom can't spend hours on end in front of the screen. You don't have to use the walk-through, but it's nice to get you out of sticky spots.
Definitely recommend this as a buy!
Book Review: Very useful guide.
Summary: 4 Stars
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.
Book Review: Good guide with a few faults
Summary: 4 Stars
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.