Average customer rating:
- Why, oh why, did I waste my money on this?
- Just doesn't work out.
- It was very helpful
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Castlevania: Symphony of the Night: Unauthorized Secrets & Solutions
Bart Farkas
Manufacturer: Prima Games
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
ASIN: 0761511954
Release Date: 1997-10-02 |
Book Description
The ancient battle of good and evil becons . . .
Castlevania, the castle of Dracula, has mysteriously reappeared. Now Alucard must explore it and destroy the evil that awaits him. But first . . . enter
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night–Unauthorized Secrets & Solutions and discover:
• Complete walkthroughs
• Maps of every level
• Secret areas revealed
• How to complete 200% of the game
• And more!
Customer Reviews:
Why, oh why, did I waste my money on this?.......1999-12-05
I wish I'd bought the Bradygames book first. This book was totally inaccurate; it was obviously based on the Japanese game. Sell it in Japan, then, because we don't need it here. What few maps there were were terrible, and there was no real walkthrough. He just told you what to do in each zone, and they weren't even in any discernible order! There were no special item lists whatsoever, or much help on where to find them (not that that would have helped, since he gave all the wrong names for the items). I liked how he described one set of dialogue as "Richter's girlfriend says something that sounds important." Obviously, he never played the American version. A picture is worth a thousand words, and there were so painfully few pictures that it became a chore to look up something in the strategy guide. That makes this book almost totally worthless. Zero stars.
Just doesn't work out........1999-07-15
Okay, lot of problems kept me from buying this one.
1: What little pictures there are are black and white. 2: The details barely skim the surface. It doesn't do the game any justice. 3: It tells you how to beat the game. Period. It doesn't tell you how and where to find every item, what every monster looks like and is located, and tells you nothing about the entire second quest of the game (Richter). 4: The strategy guide basically ruins the feel of Castlevania by telling you exactly where to go and then go there, thus beating the game as fast as you can. It says nothing about 'side-quests', that is, little extras they put in the game. I've clocked in at over 50 hours on this game alone, because the main idea in Castlevania is to EXPLORE and try out new things, not run through, win, and throw the game in the closet. Overall, a disappointment.
It was very helpful.......1999-05-03
It helped me get alot of the secrets in the game. And it gave me good ways to defeat some of the enemies.
Book Description
BradyGames’ Castlevania: Curse of Darkness Official Strategy Guide includes the following:
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A complete walkthrough of the entire game.
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Detailed maps of every area.
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In-depth listing of unlockables, items and weapons.
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Expert strategies to defeat every boss.
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Extensive bestiary.
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Game secrets revealed!
Platform: PlayStation 2
Genre: Action/Adventure
This product is available for sale in North America only.
Customer Reviews:
Castlevania : Curse of Darkness(tm) Official Strategy Guide (Bradygames).......2006-11-10
It came on time with no delays or hassels. Was very happy with my order.
I hoped more for a GUIDE for this great game........2006-10-14
I have purchased this guide because i love the CASTLEVANIA series. But i hoped more for a guide like this. For me, this guide is incomplete. It don't show us the exact time to steal from enemies.That was the main reason for my average evaluation. However, CASTLEVANIA games, are so good!
Castlevania: Cure of Darkness.......2006-07-06
Wonderfully done, Perfect Monsters that still give me problems ever time I play the game
Castlevania RULES!!!!.......2006-03-12
Wow I love the devil forging in this game. Since you start out as Hector, a former devil forgemaster for dracula, you create all of your weapons and armor from materials that your enemies drop. They do also drop certain items eventually but you have to be about level 70 for that to start happening. Supposively you can steal from all of your enemies but I have never succeeded in doing so. As you play you get 6 different types of Innocent Devils a.k.a I.D. Types. First you get a fairy type which is good for healing, opening chests and certain passages, and making you invincible depending on how you evolve it. It also has 2 modes, auto and command. Battle types have 3 modes auto which lets it attack as it wishes, command lets you tell it what skill to use, it gets more as you level it up, and guard mode which allows it to defend itself and you so long as you stand behind it and in the highlighted circle are but certain creatures still can get you. The Iyaeti is a must so you can get into a certain area. Bird types help you reach areas that you can't jump to with their glide ability. Some can get the long glide ability if you evolve it properly which is needed to get to the tower of evermore I believe, it's in the distance when you reach the top of the tower of eternity. Very difficult I recommend you do some leveling up before you go there. Devil type is useful to get under small spaces. Don't ask me why it merges with you to make a glowing circle thing but at least your invincible. Although to fully evolve him you need a certain weapon I haven't found it yet but it tells you what the name is in Cordova Town. Mage types use a lot of magic spells which is great in order to reach other areas as well. Thank god they brought back the warp gates. The memorial tickets don't work in this game fyi for what reason I don't know. The pumpkin type is totally optional and the only thing he does is give stat bonuses. Other than that he is practically useless. Other than the pumpkin type being useless and that one pointless area in the game that explains what a savepoint is etc. this game rules. oh also all along the game they have relatively modern items in some of the oddest of places. It gives the game a bit of humor to it but I seriously wonder which person working on this game came up with such a goofy idea. It's kinda funny finding a chair out in the middle of nowhere, BUT COME ON PEOPLE I CAN THINK OF FUNNIER THINGS TO PUT IN A VIDEO GAME IF YOU WANT TO GIVE A GAME A HUMOR ASPECT.
Innocent Devils?.......2006-02-01
This is a great action game. The storyline is pretty nice and is revealed only a smidgen at a time but if you want it faster you can ignore your ID's and move straight along in a brisk manner. If however you are like me and when you played FF8 etc. you had to get all of the possible Aeons to their maximum levels...Good luck in Castelvania. This is impossible since the ID's (like aeons) are right there with you and after using one for about 20 min straight they plop out an egg. Guess what the egg does...Gives you a new ID of the same type. Not only that but it inherits 10% of the previous ID's attributes in addition to its normal base. Thus you can make MEGA devils and your initial ones become kinda outdated. I highly reccomend for these people getting the broach of bonding (all xp goes straighe to the ID) and hanging out in the aquaducts with a whoop a** wepon. There are 5 types of wepons and the one you use is the big factor in what your ID evolves into. Yes they not only lay eggs but they evolve too. (btw if you want your birds to be useful at all make a goldfinch and keep him at that stage while leveling the heck out of him this is the only way to get enough hearts for yout future ID's to be useful.)
Overall this is a great game and when you do finally beat it you can play again as Trevor...with an assortment of Whips at your disposal.
Good luck and happy gaming.
Jim
Product Description
The official strategy guide for Castlevania, Dawn of Sorrow.
Customer Reviews:
Finally, a strategy guide worth buying.......2005-10-14
The internet has pretty much led to the death of the need for a strategy guide. With a few simple clicks, you can get every code, learn secrets to every boss, find out item locations, so on and so forth. However, some games are just....better with a strategy guide. Castlevania DS is a prime example of this. Sure, you could get an FAQ of the game, but pictures are worth a thousand words. It's much easier to look at a detailed map, read detailed descriptions of enemies to learn their weakness, items, and soul ability then it is to just read it online. This book will probably be a collectors item, with beautiful art work and a nice, thick, compact design. Tons of hints, tips, and secrets lay within the many pages of this quality strategy guide. I purchased this strategy guide after have 99.1% soul completion and 98.3% game completion. I just wanted to buy it for the sheer beauty of it. A great strategy guide and collectors item for Castlevania fans, don't let this book slip away!
Buy the book... Own the Game!.......2005-10-14
Never has a Castlevania guide been so honest, clear, and to the point. With the Double jump Books Official Strategy Guide to Castlevania Dawn of Souls you'll conquer more than you could possibly imagine! This comprehensive guide gives you everything you need in a user friendly way, without holding your hand, and keeping you informed every step of the way!
The guide begins with a run down of the basics. Character Bios and all the mechanics you need to get started. If you're like me you hate instruction manuels because they're too vague. This guide is not vague, and if you're new to Castlevania, this helps any gamer out.
Onward we get details on more how-to details. This time talking about synthesizing and giving hints on what to buy and why sometimes buying from Hammer (the shopkeep) is a bad idea.
The walkthrough is astonishing! Never has a walkthrough for Castlevania been so easy to use. Each section begins with a map and a number. Thanks to the DS's Duel Screen, the map is ALWAYS displayed, and therefore can ALWAYS be used with this guide. Don't want it to hold your hand? No big deal. The map has a number, and if you get stuck you can just find the number that coresponds on the map. They give you a short, brief and very indepth explanation on what to do. No more reading useless paragraphs of things that don't relate to what needs to be done in certain areas (if you read the Lament of Innocence Guide by BradyGAMES you know exactly what I'm talking about).
Crystal clear screenshots, and a huge detailed fold out map are perhaps your best companions. Don't assume there are no maps in the guide, there are. The fold out map just makes getting around all around easier. Yes, this guide has just about all you could want. The boss strategies are perhaps the best part of the detail. Each boss strategy tells you a precise pattern (with screenshots along the way) and just what to do to combat them. Excellent. No longer will you be plauged by some bosses because you don't know what their pattern is. This guide is straight-forward and to the point.
All the details on Hard Mode, every key difference is explained in full detail. Plus, a nifty trick to level up Soma, and even a checklist of everything that needs to be done to master the game!
Then we go on to all the items list, the monster list, soul list and whatnot. Each of which is expertly detailed and easy t0 use. Nothing should confuse you.
Then we move on to the extras like the Enemy Set Mode and Boss Rank Mode. Each area is, you guessed it, detailed to the fullest extent of a gaming guide.
Perhaps the most perplexing thing is when you get to the spoilers. If you were fortunate enough to get a hold of the Double Jump Books "Phantom Brave" guide, then you know the secrets and spoilers section is upside down. This is done purposely to keep readers from ruining the meat and experience of the game. Things like, story plots and whatnot. Don't want it to be ruined, by the time you flip there it's upside down so you KNOW you shouldn't be looking just yet.
And finally, we're treated to an interview with the creators of the game. This is one hefty interview where you can learn about not just Dawn of Souls, but the other games as well. Learn about the History.
What is execellent about this guide besides all that I said above, is how it doesn't hold your hand. How not every little thing is explained to you as if you're a six year old. It makes the guide easier to use, and it helps it get to the point faster. This guide is crafted for experts and beginners alike!
Don't use any other guide, use Double Jump Books. No guide is more detailed, or informative.
Book Description
BradyGames’ Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin Official Strategy Guide includes the following:
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Features complete walkthrough of the entire game.
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Detailed area maps pinpointing critical locations.
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Extensive listing of all available items and equipment.
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Expert boss strategies to defeat even the toughest boss.
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In-depth bestiary.
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Game secrets revealed!
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Action/Adventure
This product is available for sale in North America only.
Customer Reviews:
Very Well Done Guide.......2006-12-11
Castlevania Portrait of Ruin is a pretty large game. While the overall game itself is pretty easy to figure out, it's pretty easy to miss all those easter eggs and complete all those quests without some help. Well, the help is here and it actually works out fairly well. For the most part you'll get the information you need.
The Guide begins with character introductions and then goes into the game basics section. Castlevania Portrait of Ruin is by no means a hard game to get a hold of, however, there are some pretty good tips here that beginners may not very well know. Experts and those who go on Speed Runs through Castlevania games probably won't need most of these tips however. Also, any Castlevania veteran who knows what to expect shouldn't need this section either. But if you're a beginner it's there just because. However, in this section the guide gives up the goods on a glitch in the game when completing Wind's quest. There's never been an easier way to get money, or more than one of a specific item.
The walkthrough, the meat of all strategy guides, is what really counts in this guide other than the quests sections. Each section begins with a pretty basic map that shows you where all the itmes are locaated with numbered black dots. Numbered red dots represent objectives that need to be completed, and you can read about these points in the walkthrough, and they're pretty basic. Best of all the guide gets to the point. Also, on each map here, BradyGAMES has illustrated the path you should take to get through most places. Just following this straight-forward path doesn't net you every item or even uncover all of the in-game map, however.
The maps are pretty much taken straight from the game, but they're good enough for you to navigate by. They also point out the location of portraits, save rooms and warp rooms.
In each section of the walkthrough they also have a list of enemies that populate an area. Here you'll find HP listings, weaknesses, experience and so forth. This lowers the amount of page flipping by a considerable amount. More than likely, however, you won't need to refer back to this portion of each section too much.
Boss strategies are surprisingly detailed. They give you some pretty helpful tips. I've always been an advocate for using your own strategies, but here these boss strategies not only help, but you get you through some boss fights with little or no damage at all. Considering how much of a challenge these boss fights can be, taking no damage sounds like a plan.
The walkthrough gets you through the game with ease. There's not much left for you to figure out on your own. You've got puzzle solutions, boss strategies, enemy listings... all at your disposal. The game itself isn't too hard to figure out as it is, but with this leg up you'll conquer what you need to conquer. If you're lost, the guide will help you out quite a bit. Stuck at a boss? The strategies here help. In other words, this is exactly what a guide should be. There are also no spoilers, or catching you up on what needs to be done. This guide doesn't waste time. The walkthrough is fast and simple. The only real problem with the walkthrough is that there a couple of blurry or pixaled screenshots, but this is hardly a problem. You can still visually learn from them.
After the walkthrough you'll get into all those secrets. Here the guide goes into the optional endings, New Game+, Hard Mode, Stella and Loretta Mode, Richter and Maria mode and other extras like Boss Rush Mode. There's no walkthrough for the different modes, but if Portrait of Ruin is like previous Castlevania games, you shouldn't need a full blown walkthrough for these extra character modes simply because the maps and such don't change. Therefore I can't really hold that against the guide.
After all the secrets we get into the other part of the guide that's really good. The Quests which Wind sends you on. While the quests are indeed called out in the walkthrough, this little section in the back reduces page flipping. Here you'll get all you need to complete a quest. More than likely you'll need help with some of these quests, given that Wind's explanations are rather vague at times. This guide will help you get through each and every quest. Also, like I said, they give you a neat little trick that lets you duplicate the rewards that Wind gives you (but remember, that is found in the game basics section, not the quests or secrets section).
After all the quests we get into the appencdices with weapon, armor, sub weapons etc. All this stuff is pretty standard for just about any guide. The descriptions are pretty helpful as well. Not only that but it tells you where to find them. So if you're missing a sub weapon and don't know where to find it and you don't want to flip all through the walkthrough, you can just as easily flip to the sub weapon appendix and it'll tell you where to find it. Again, the guide is very easy to use.
Finally there't he bestiary. Which basically tells you all the monster stats that were presented to you in the walkthrough. There's a little more detail here, and for the bosses they'll repeat strategies, but for the most part, it's just an extension of the enemy stats already listed in the walkthrough. You more than likely won't need to use this, but again, like the game basics, it's there for those who might potentially need it.
Is there really anything wrong with this guide? Well, there are not that many perfect guides out there, and this is no exception. There's nothing mentioned about co-op play at all. It's hard to judge whether or not this is a big problem. They do cover boss rush mode and the rewards granted for it, but it seems like a no brainer that a guide would cover EVERYTHING about the game. There's not even a mention of co-op mode. Still, for what it's worth, you get everything you need from this guide concerning the single player experience. If you're stuck, I guarantee this guide will help you out.
Book Description
It is 1576, and the legend of the Belmont family's vampire-hunting prowess still echoes through the Romanian countryside. While Christopher Belmont celebrates his nuptials, dark forces conspire to raise Count Dracula from his unholy slumber. With this ancient evil unleashed once more, young Belmont must to prove he is worthy of the Belmont legacy.
Customer Reviews:
If you love a great read, stay far away from this book........2007-08-03
I read comics all the time, and I read all different kinds. I also play a lot of video games and Castlevania just happens to be one of my favorite series. Having said that, I must say this book sucks. The story is unbearably bland. There is so much good material to pull from with this title and none of it made its way into this book. It stars Christopher Belmont, a lesser know member of the Belmont clan from two lesser know games for the Gameboy. Chris was a terrible choice for a Castlevania comic. So many things were done poorly, like the introduction of the whip and other classic weapons. The ghosts and ghouls that made the games were completely over looked, save one. The battle with Dracula was as uneventful as it could have possibly been.
The art in it would be considered average at best for any other genre, but for a horror story it really sucked. It reminded me of a Saturday morning cartoon. Castlevania has already developed a very distinct style. Even if you chose not to mimic that style exactly, something more gritty would have been nice.
I understand that this title could be enticing for a Castlevania fan. I also know that a fan of the series will probably want to check this book out for themselves anyways. I won't say don't read it, but I will say I warned you.
This was intense!.......2007-01-10
I was expecting to get a cool comic to read, but what I got instead was something like a hardcore manga. It was awesome and all, just more mature then I had expected it to be. So for those of you out there thinking of purchasing this for your little boy/girl to read- think again! If though you would like to keep it to read for yourself, I definitely believe that this book is worth looking into.
Wasted potential . . ........2006-01-13
Words cannot express how excited I was to learn that a Castlevania comic book miniseries existed. Castlevania, for me, has always been one of the highlights of video gaming--a series renowed for its sweeping story telling, incredible action, and deep characters.
Unfortunately, such praises cannot be placed on this book.
I suppose that IDW publishing was hindered before they started; after all, "The Belmont Legacy" is a re-telling of "The Castlevania Adventure," easily the weakest game in the entire Castlevania mythos. That being said, it's sad that they were unable to take that story and improve upon it.
Oh, the book starts off well enough, with a future vision of the vastly superior "Belmont's Revenge" game. Dracula, in this vision, is a positively evil being, one bent on revenge against the protagonist. But, unfortunately, it proved to be only a vision and a hint at a good story.
The book quickly reverts back ten or so years, with the protagonist (that being Christopher Belmont) getting married. Alright. So far, ok. Dracula is then reborn out a blood ritual. And then reborn in a blood ritual again a few pages later.
Woah. Back up. We see Dracula getting born twice. Was once not enough? Did he need more power? What's the significance of this act, other than the fact that Dracula somehow fails to find clothing for the entire run of the series?
Yes. You heard me right. Dracula, the prince of darkness, the evil vampire portrayed by Bela Lugosi, the villian of so many movies and books--is butt naked. And seems remarkably uninterested in clothing himself, either.
That's strike two.
Another problem that abounded throughout the story was an over-abundance of characters that truly meant nothing to the comic. Take, for example, the evil countesses' father, who spends all of the first 1/6th of the comic plotting to resurrect Dracula, and then quickly disappears after his daughter gives him a push to the floor.
The book quickly degenerates into a near-unintelligble montage featuring Christopher's party getting eaten, being turned into vampires, getting killed, coming back, and getting killed again, coupled with some damsel in distress scenes, all silly-puttied together with some wonky transitions.
The dialogue, likewise, is ultimately sophomoric. There are few thought bubbles. IDW didn't even get the period costumes right.
Essentially, IDW had a blank slate with which to finally add some depth to "The Castlevania Adventure." At this, they failed.
You have been warned.
A Decent Addition to You Comic Book Collection.......2005-11-03
This is a full color comic book 120 pages long about the Caslevania game staring Christopher Belmont. The art is well done and the coloring is decent. The story itself is a bit short and could have been fleshed out a bit more. If your not a Castlevania fan I recommend you look at the book before you buy it. If you are a Castlevania fan, odds are that you'll probably get a kick out off it.
Book Description
- The Castlevania guide includes complete maps of Dracula's castle and walkthroughs for both the normal and inverted castle
- Secret codes, secret characters and hidden rooms
- Separate bestiary, items, weapons and special item lists for both versions of the castle
- The game follows Alucard, the half-human/half vampire as he strives to end the vampire bloodline by exploring the vault-like castle and finding magic spells
- There are extra secrets and additional items to find. For example, upon finding appropriate mystical abilities, players can transform Alucard into a bat, wolf or mist to fight with wicked bosses and accomplish his mission
Customer Reviews:
decent guide.......2007-05-07
First of all, I need to mention that I received this strategy guide YEARS before I had any idea the game was going to become a hard-to-find classic. I was really happy to receive this guide (and the game of course) back in the late 90's, but the honest truth is that Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is so easy to complete, and so easy to figure out where you're going and figure out which items and weapons are important and which ones aren't, that using this guide after the first time will probably be pointless for most people.
With that in mind, I'm happy that they listed the button combinations for each of Alucard's spells. That's important, and sometimes when I stop playing the game for years, I will need the spells section of this guide to help remind me what buttons to press.
I have to agree with the other reviewers that the pictures throughout the book are kind of dark and hard to see, but not really bad enough to have trouble understanding where you're going. I wish the book featured more help with the second quest (the Inverted Castle). They kind of treat that whole castle with just tiny bits of information, and then the book ends. Kind of disappointing.
Also, the price for this book is outrageously high. Pay no more than 5 bucks for it. It's really not worth owning, though. You'll know what to do and where to go once you play the game for a while. It's not that hard to figure out. If you've read the reviews for the game, you'd know it's widely believed this game is WAY too easy for most people. Besides, if you're thinking about spending money for this strategy guide on the internet, that must mean you have access to the internet, which therefore means there's plenty of websites and stuff out there devoted exclusively to this game willing to give you any help you may need, making this book a pointless purchase.
What a rip off.......2005-03-25
listen do not buy it from here go to ebay you can get it for aleast a resanobale price this book is more then the game it is a great game but this much i would not pay for a book to help me i get on the internet for helpthesse pepole are out of there minds!!!
could have been better......could have been worse.......2000-03-29
this guide is pretty good until you get to the second castle and it is also not very helpfull for rare item hunters such as myself and it does not have a bestiary for the normal monsters only the bosses but other than that it is pretty good.
Great Strategies... poor quality.......2000-03-22
I was rather disappointed with this book, it has great strategies to get thought the game however, but they could at least improve the picture's quality! they're awfully dark! besides this book doesn't tell the location of Alucard's Sword one of the most powerfull items; and it doesn't explain the special habilities of each sword,instead they were content by giving us the exact same vague, short description of the game's items. but not their propeties. This could have been a lot better.
I have other guides this is the very best one.......1999-03-01
It has all. both castles fully explained.all about enemies,weapons,and options.secrets told.This is the best guide available for SOTN.
Book Description
BradyGames' Castlevania: Lament of Innocence Official Strategy Guide provides a comprehensive walkthrough to lead players through the entire adventure. Detailed monster lists and boss strategies. Complete spell fusion coverage, plus devastating combo and moves lists. Tips for discovering magic tomes, all hidden collectibles and more!
This product is available for sale in North America only.
Customer Reviews:
Helpful to the last.......2004-10-28
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence is said to be a game you can easily complete without a strategy guide. Well, I don't care if I need a guide or not I pick it up anyway.
This particular guide is really handy. This is easily one of the better guides I've seen and I've got hundreds of strategy guides lying around the house (literally).
This particular guide is the best and most comprehensive way of going through Castlevania LOI. A complete full walkthrough and it gives you all the secret goodies for after you've completed the game.
Castlevania has simple puzzles but sometimes finding everything requires a different course of action. This guide helped me find all the relics, all the keys and helped me unearth all the secrets Castlevania has to offer.
The walkthrough is detailed, complete with maps. The maps show you where all the items and switches are, making it easy to navigate. There is one small tid-bit with how the guide is. It's done perfectly but you'll find yourself flipping back to the map a lot because of how the game's camera is constantly rotating.
Boss strategies are very handy and reveal everything you need to know to beat every boss, including the forgotten one.
I was also very impressed with how the guide made suggestions as what sub-weapons I should take for a certain area. I usually only rely on the cross but using this guide I found there are some instances where the cross just isn't always the best.
This is a very impressive guide that should help anyone get through the game of Castlevania: Lament of Innocence with very little trouble. It also helps you uncover 100% of the castle and actually SHOWS you with screenshots how to do things. No problems with the guide, its worth buying if you need the help with the game.
Very helpful.......2004-01-17
For most games you'd think that you don't want to waste your money on a stadegy guide, but that isn't the case for this game. It is very easy to get lost in the repetative looking levels and you can miss important items. This gives you everthing you need to know. There hasn't been a guide that has helped me out this much since the one from Final Fantasy X.
Three Whips Are Better Than One.......2003-12-22
While Lament of Innocence is a game where the puzzles and bosses aren't particularly hard to figure out, it is comforting to have a guide in hand, if for no other reason than to have useful information out where you can see it. And for me, there are always a couple of occasions where I'm staring at the screen wondering what the point is behind a particular circumstance, and a guide keeps me from going of on a tangent.
This is a sensibly written guide that takes the player through a possible line of play which assures that the player will see all the sights, get all the items, and stand a reasonable change of defeating all the bosses. It doesn't spend a lot of time on lavish illustration or unnecessary detail either. Personally, I prefer this style. There has been a trend towards 300 page guides that are harder to use than the game is to play. That isn't the case here.
It's arguable that Lament doesn't really need a guide, but I find that a good guide reduces the frustration level and enhances overall enjoyment. This effort by Laura Parkinson does exactly that. Especially for someone who is still getting used to the genre.
Average customer rating:
- Mostly good, but...
- The true meaning of Castlevania
- Help Please
- Not a bad guide.. but don't rely solely on it.
- Stay away from this guide............
|
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Elies, Mark)
J. Douglas Arnold , and
Mark Elies
Manufacturer: Sandwich Islands Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Action & Adventure
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ASIN: 1884364365 |
Customer Reviews:
Mostly good, but..........2002-08-18
This book is good for the most part, and can be helpful for frustrated gamers or gamers who just need to be pushed in the right direction. HOWEVER, there are AT LEAST 2 places where the information is misleading. In the areas in the regular and inverted castles where the guide tells you to break a wall and fly through as the bat to unlock a secret door, you also have to walk through the hole as the wolf before the door will open. I wasted an hour trying to figure out how this worked until a friend pointed out the wofl trick. If this error had been made only once, it'd be one thing, but it occurs twice, for both castles, which is not only misleading but really frustrating. Also, the guide takes a very linear view of the game, and doesn't even discuss the alternate endings or how to trigger them. Oh, it teases you about them, but nothing is said about how to trigger them.
For gamers like myself who love this game, but really don't have the time to play the game for hours on end, and have a hard time remembering where you've been and where you haven't (don't tell me to use the map, that's not what I'm taling about), this is a good way to get a handle on the game. But it is not without it's flaws.
You've been warned.
The true meaning of Castlevania.......2001-05-18
Castlevania Symphony of the night has been called the greatest game ever made for the playstation, and not without good reason! The game takes a heart wrenching storyline coupled with the mind bending mazes of the great castle and forms a game of unparalleled entertainment. The secret passages, the unholy beasts, and the god-like weapons make the game a never ending chalenge. This book does show quite a lot of the game but it doesn't even begin to describe all of the things which I have personally discovered. I suggest that anyone with patience and willpower to try and find everything themselves before resorting to any book. I have logged countless hours on the game and I still have not found everything there is to find and I definitely haven't done everything that there is to do but I still keep going and only when I feel that i have will I turn it off. When that happens I will restart the game and do it all again!
P.S. To Amber from Mickelton NJ. In order to procure the Osefune katana you have to transform into the bat and fly in front of the waterfall where it blocks the cave. Then you must do the 'wing smash' attack to fly through the waterfall and into the cave. Just in case you forgot, the wing smash is done by holding down square and, starting with 'up' move your finger all the way around the d pad backwards until you hit 'forward' and then immediately let go of square.
Help Please.......2000-07-19
If any one can tell me how to get across the waterfall in the underground cavern in the inverted castle to get to the room with the Osafune Sword please Email me Back with the answer!!! I would very much Appreciate it...Thanks Alot!!!!
Not a bad guide.. but don't rely solely on it........2000-06-05
This is a great book to get you through a few tight spots in the game, but try not to rely on it too much. Once in a while you'll come across something in the game that the guide forgot, perhaps a well-hid item or the like.
It may not be extremely detailed, but it'll get you through the game. There's also tips for beating bosses and there are screen shots of nearly every place in the game.
Despite its lack of detail, this guide is most likely one of the more helpful game guides I own. A must buy if you're having trouble with Castlevania: SOTN.
Stay away from this guide...................1999-10-20
I would like to give this guide book no stars due to its limited content. The authors openly admit to completing this book under a deadline. Not only that, but the authors provide this walkthrough via the original Japanese version of this game. They openly admit that this version differs from the American version. Misleading information is not something one looks for in a guide book. This admission is prominent due to the hurried walkthrough and horrible annotation of the game itself. Not only does this guide not offer a complete list of all attainable items (does not list all swords, lists no food items), but also it does not even give strengths and weaknesses of of said items, i.e. stats. Not only that, but I know of better strategies for defeating "bosses" that I concocted out of panic. Upon purchasing this book, I assumed I would be getting a completist's guide to the entire Alucard adventure as well as the Richter adventure. It was my understanding that a game guide was designed to offer clues and tricks not easily attained by the average gamer. I myself am no game master, and I have garnered more insight and completion of this game than this guide has to offer. I hope the official guide has a little more to offer than this feeble attempt.
Book Description
The seminal vampiric adventure returns, with an all-new 3D quest specifically for the Ninendo 64! Join us as we delve into the nightmarish trek through moonlit castles, battling fully realized and 3D skeletons, hell hounds and solving hellish puzzles before Frankenstein's monster and Dracula himself are met! Included in this companion volume to the game is a complete and thorough walkthrough, masses of official artwork, a monstrous compendium, interviews, all the secrets and a full history of the Castlevania series. With this guide, your enemies will soon be out for the count!
Customer Reviews:
WOW!!!!!.......1999-09-27
This was most likely the best srategy guide I have ever seen, not only does it help out throught the game, it also tells you how to get the other ends, where to find the HARD difficulty, the hidden suits, boss tips, this guide was just wow!!!!!!! awesome
Customer Reviews:
THE OLD DAYS.......2006-07-10
THIS IS THE FIRST NOVEL I EVER READ. WHEN I WAS 11 MY READING TEACHER WOULD LET ME READ IT DURING OUR LESSONS. SHE WAS A KIND WOMAN WHO LOVED TO SEE KIDS ENJOY BOOKS. WHEN I FINISHED SHE MADE ME WRITE A PAPER ON IT AND READ IT TO THE CLASSROOM. THIS BOOKS BRINGS BACK MEMORYS.
Nice attempt for a kiddie novel.......2004-11-06
Unlike Ninja Gaiden and Before Shadowgate the Novelization of Castlevania 2: Simons Quest was not as well written as some of the others. The story here is that a young teen named Timothy Bradley is obsessed with the game of Castlevania. He has beaten it many times and for the most part resembles a the image of a sterotypical gamer (obsessed with gaming, loves junk food, and has trouble scoring with chicks). One day this really hot girl asks him for help on deciding on video games for her younger brother for his birthday. He agrees and ends up in trouble with her boyfriend (who is a jock). After he escapes in a bathroom he is discovered by Simon Quest who used a magical portal to track him down for Tim is the only one who can help him on his quest to stop Dracula. Timothy agrees if only to escape the jocks and is whisked away to Castlevania. While there he and Simon quest to find Draculas body parts, face many monsters, and thwart Draculas many attempts to possess Simon (using of all things Bad Jokes). Eventually they gather the parts and stop Dracula for good (or at least for the next 100 years) and Timothy realizes that he must face his destiny alone in his world (ie. Confront the Jocks and take the girl to the game store).
Overall this is a fairly entertaining read but not very good in terms of being a Castlevania story. If Konami wanted to they could make some decent dough on actual Novelizations meanwhile, we have this.
Another classic from F.X.9!.......1998-07-21
I too, am obsessed with these books. And this is one of the best in the series. Watch as Simon Belmont totally kicks Dracula's little white butt.
I read this book over 200 times and I an't done yet!.......1997-10-11
This is one of the best books of all time! At all of my schools I could never find any of these books, I am obsessed with these books! Read them for a life time experince!
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