.hack Official Strategy Guide

Rating:
Summary: I agree with the review below...
Review: ...although I don't hate the guide for it. Certainly, the game is quite easy to beat, and in fact, many of the more difficult items to obtain (such as the Grunties or the Ryu Books of 1000) could be found with trial and error. No, this guide falls short because of a tantalizing secret it dangles in front of its reader before pulling the bait away.
According to the guide, there are hidden areas imbedded in .hack:liminality and .hack:sign (the anime DVD's which tie into the game). They give ONE of these areas (and proceed to claim the existence of many). I must confess, I can't find any more. For THAT, I knock the guide down three stars. Buy it if you want (I guess the illustrations are nice), but it is useless, really.

Rating:
Summary: Sometimes You Are Better Off on Your Own
Review: .Hack - Infection is not a complicated game. Despite all the marketing hype is a basic hack-and-slash, run dungeons until you drop mentality. The plot of the game is minimalistic (although the plots of the associated DVD and the TV series are exactly the opposite). So it is only fair for you to ask why I decided to pick up the strategy guide. Well, there was this embarrassing thing about equipment manipulation I was slow to figure out, and maps of the dungeons are always comforting.

My early warning that all was not right was when I still had to figure out my problem myself. In fact, this guide says very little about the fine points of operating the game and the characters. Almost as little as the game itself. And, since there is nothing complicated about the way the dungeons are constructed the maps are only good for making sure I hadn't missed any important treasures. I admit that the narrative as told in the book is considerably more extensive than in the game itself.

And the extensive tables are very useful - except when they are wrong. Which is what has me so irritated - errors that create non-productive game play. These are generally about which characters or critters have something that would be useful to have. You have to weigh this disadvantage against the value of the information included, and I find that this is a guide written a little before it should have been. I don't think the book is as value added as it should be, especially since the game itself forces you to take the right path through.

I've complained at other times about guides that exist mostly to make money of a game, and this is one of them. If you are looking for a slickly illustrated book about the game this might be exactly your cup of tea. Since understanding the fine details of .Hack/Infection is not necessary for a successful win you will probably feel, as I do, that I simply should have tried to go it alone a little longer.

One last thing, the author isn't Dan Birlew but Doug Walsh.

Rating:
Summary: Sometimes You Are Better Off on Your Own
Review: .Hack - Infection is not a complicated game. Despite all the marketing hype is a basic hack-and-slash, run dungeons until you drop mentality. The plot of the game is minimalistic (although the plots of the associated DVD and the TV series are exactly the opposite). So it is only fair for you to ask why I decided to pick up the strategy guide. Well, there was this embarrassing thing about equipment manipulation I was slow to figure out, and maps of the dungeons are always comforting.

My early warning that all was not right was when I still had to figure out my problem myself. In fact, this guide says very little about the fine points of operating the game and the characters. Almost as little as the game itself. And, since there is nothing complicated about the way the dungeons are constructed the maps are only good for making sure I hadn't missed any important treasures. I admit that the narrative as told in the book is considerably more extensive than in the game itself.

And the extensive tables are very useful - except when they are wrong. Which is what has me so irritated - errors that create non-productive game play. These are generally about which characters or critters have something that would be useful to have. You have to weigh this disadvantage against the value of the information included, and I find that this is a guide written a little before it should have been. I don't think the book is as value added as it should be, especially since the game itself forces you to take the right path through.

I've complained at other times about guides that exist mostly to make money of a game, and this is one of them. If you are looking for a slickly illustrated book about the game this might be exactly your cup of tea. Since understanding the fine details of .Hack/Infection is not necessary for a successful win you will probably feel, as I do, that I simply should have tried to go it alone a little longer.

One last thing, the author isn't Dan Birlew but Doug Walsh.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect help.
Review: I purchased this guide together with the game, and I dont know what I would do without it. Its perfect! I didnt complete the game yet, but Im got through half of it. And not once yet did i have to go on the internet to get extra information.

It has in it all of the info for sidequests, like how to raise the perfect grunty. Also, it tells you when the major boss is coming, and if there is only 1 way to defeat that boss - you can refer to the guide.

You dont have to waste your money to buy Fairy orbs for dungeons (things that open a dungeon map for you), because you can just follow the guide.

I rarely buy guides for video game but I think this one is worth it.

Rating:
Summary: GREAT STRADEGY GUIDE
Review: Ok, for one thing I agree that you might not need a stradegy guide for it but if you like to use them like me I sugest this stradegy guide! But they could of added some stuf the guide is pretty short but the game is pretty short too expecially for what you had to pay for it before 50.00!!!!!!!!!! Also i very recomend FF10.

Rating:
Summary: WOW!!!!!
Review: Prima does some of the best guides i can find. i have bought several, and all are great. It has really helped me with this game. It is so helpful. i was stuck in more ways than one and it got me through them.

Rating:
Summary: Why!!!??
Review: This game only takes about 20 hours to beat, and was so incredibely easy to find everything. Why would you need a guide to this game. I guess i recommend this guide to collectors who must always have everthing to do with what they are collecting. Because, if you put forth the smallest effort to solve problems on this game, you would have no problem beating it in two days. However nothing in offence to the game. It has an excellent story line, and an ending that will have you wanting more, which is good since the sequel comes out in 2 more months!!

Rating:
Summary: Why!!!??
Review: This game only takes about 20 hours to beat, and was so incredibely easy to find everything. Why would you need a guide to this game. I guess i recommend this guide to collectors who must always have everthing to do with what they are collecting. Because, if you put forth the smallest effort to solve problems on this game, you would have no problem beating it in two days. However nothing in offence to the game. It has an excellent story line, and an ending that will have you wanting more, which is good since the sequel comes out in 2 more months!!

Rating:
Summary: good guide to a great game
Review: this guide really helps out in the dungons and stuff but i reconmend that u play the game through a bit then buy the guide abd get any thing u missed because i think its more fun playing it with out the guide. it tells where all the fights abd bosses will be so u can get ready and helps with boss stratagys. also is good for who u should bring along and what elemnt t it is i reconmend it for any one who has this game