Half Life 2 Books Out Today

[Phalanx114]

I'm really confused:

I already ordered Raising The Bar from Amazon.com a month or so ago, and they say that it will not ship until November 23rd-November 30th. Isn't the book in stores now?

Same thing with BarnesandNoble.com They say it comes out the 23rd. Aren't the books supposed to come out before HL2 does?

Amazon.com says I won't get my order until at LEAST December. What's up with that?

I want Raising The Bar! Does anyone have it? If so, where did you buy it?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Icarus]

No they are not, the only essential part of the Half-Life 2 experience is the game itself.
This is like saying the EU books and the docs on the Original Trilogy DVD set are essential parts of the Star Wars experience.



So Prima got this sales pitch for free?

Yes, essential. Put them together and they form some kind of super-manual. It's info that adds to HL2 in so many ways. The strategy guide contains info that 90% of gamers will miss, even on their second or third time through. And well, I'll be talking more about Raising the Bar later today.

 

[X-Vector]

I don't doubt that the books add to the knowledge of HL2's background.
However, that doesn't mean they are essential - people will be able to experience the game just fine without them.
If not, then Valve (and/or the player) haven't done their work properly.

BTW, IMO strategy guides take away something of the mystery around a game; there should always be a sense that there is more out there, just waiting to be discovered.
This is one of the reasons for my infatuation with titles like Deus Ex and GTA: Vice City.
To know that you only have to check the items mentioned in section 2A-02 and 5C-01 of the strat guide and then you've seen and done all there is to see and do is probably the biggest kiss of death for the game experience.

 

[wibblemonster]

game uk have the books in stock but wont sell them till tuesday.. how fcuked up is that???
tossers

 

[Icarus]

I don't doubt that the books add to the knowledge of HL2's background.
However, that doesn't mean they are essential - people will be able to experience the game just fine without them.
If not, then Valve (and/or the player) haven't done their work properly.

BTW, IMO strategy guides take away something of the mystery around a game; there should always be a sense that there is more out there, just waiting to be discovered.
This is one of the reasons for my infatuation with titles like Deus Ex and GTA: Vice City.
To know that you only have to check the items mentioned in section 2A-02 and 5C-01 of the strat guide and then you've seen and done all there is to see and do is probably the biggest kiss of death for the game experience.

Oh you are most definitely right, they aren't essential to the Half Life 2 video game. But I didn't say that. I said the Half-Life 2 expirence. And as for the strat guide part, the type of person you are, maybe you shouldn't get it. Personally I don't have hundreds and hundreds of hours to replay a game trying to find all this stuff. I've played HL1 countless times, and yet I've been surprised by what some people have said regarding little things in the game, and had to go back and go "wow".

As for Raising the Bar though, you really NEED to read this. It explains so much about Valve, the creative process and HL2, that you will NEVER get by just playing the game.

 

[Mac]

Meh, I'd rather play through the game, experiencing it on my own...

 

[oldagerocker]

Is Raising the bar hardback? i thought it was... Amazon.co.uk say their version (out soon) is paperback, and i dont want a paperback version... i want the hardcore hardback.. if anyone knows where i can get the hardback version in the UK online, it would be appreicated

 

[X-Vector]

As for Raising the Bar though, you really NEED to read this. It explains so much about Valve, the creative process and HL2, that you will NEVER get by just playing the game.

Perhaps it does, but I just don't trust that there's enough objectivity to the book.
What I have read so far about Raising the Bar suggests to me that it's too much advertisement and too little critical analysis.
Maybe I'll give it a look if I see it on a store shelf somewhere, sometime.

 

[dogboy73]

The strategy guide contains info that 90% of gamers will miss, even on their second or third time through.

So you read the strategy guide, You destroy some of the replay value? Let me ask you this, What kind of gamer needs a strategy guide for a game like HL2? Is it not an essentialy linear experience anyway? Okay so gamers will miss loads of stuff first time round. That's a good thing. It will keep them coming back to the game. I remember when PC Gamer reviewed the original HL. They summed up by saying something along the lines of, 'Set the difficulty to HARD, Explore every nook & cranny & savour every moment of this wonderfull game'. That's the way I intend to play HL2 & I can only see using a strategy guide as something that will take away from the overall gaming experience.

 

[**CENSORED**]

I bought the strategy guide at Wal-Mart yesterday (was under a bunch of GTA: San Andreas strategy guides, so it was luck that I spotted it). Very informative. I'm going to Barnes and Nobles later today to see if they have Raising the Bar.

 

[JimmehH]

Is Raising the Bar the book that comes with the HL2:CE? Because if so then I've got that one all nice and reserved.

The book that comes with the CE is just a sampler. It contains a few pages from the strategy guide and Rasing The Bar.

Sucks really, but Vivendi are the ones responsible for what goes in the retail packages.

 

[SubKamran]

Grrrrr, Borders and Barnes and Noble list it (Raising the Bar) as Not Yet Published. WTF!??!!

Does Gamestop or EB Games have it?

 

[Llama]

AARRGGHHH Whats wrong with you people??? :flame:

If you buy the book, You'll have the whole plot in your hands which will ruin the game if your tempted to read it!! Are you going to tell me your going to buy a book & not at least flick through it? If your not then don't buy it! It's a no brainer really. If you was going to see a movie you wouldn't want some arsehole coming up to you beforehand & telling you the ending would you?? Now your going to buy a book that's a metaphor for that very same arsehole!!! As I said, I'm sure these books are very nice but it's HL2 fever gone made! The whole idea of these books (2, Not 1 book but 2 books!!) is to cash in on that fever anyway!! don't succumb to it!

Ya know, you have some BIG issues. Lighten up. :flame:

 

[jrjayce]

Raising the bar is just a coffee table art book...

about valve and what they have been through the last 5 years or so.....and its about $22 + tax at walmart....says it will ship or be received around the 28th which sounds better than some of the other posts.... http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=2572431 .......gl.

 

[Rovient]

Sorry, but i see nothing wrong with exploring the game on your own and actually MISSING stuff first time through. There's no better feeling than playing a game you love a second or third time and finding new bits that you never saw the first time through. If you want to play the game, don't buy a strategy guide. If you want to be lead through each area step by step and be warned of any suprises that might make your game experience worthwhile, then throw your cash prima's way.

Half the fun of games is dying first time around.

 

[Alec_85]

Grrrrr, Borders and Barnes and Noble list it (Raising the Bar) as Not Yet Published. WTF!??!!

Does Gamestop or EB Games have it?

My local Swedish EB Games didn't even know it existed... Yeah right. I bet they have something amazing in store for us on Tuesday when they release it (the game that is). Just because I bought it through Steam. Damn

 

[Nathaniel]

I have the strategy guide in my lap as I write this, but all I do is read the first few pages over and over again

I'm not going to spoil the game for myself, I could have done that ages ago with the leak... but I didn't.

And I'm simply not that kind of gamer that plays the game over and over again. I think I'll find the strategy guide very useful if I want to complete the entire game. Scratch that, I think it's necessary.

It also gives me the satisfaction I lacked when receiving my copy of HL2 yesterday. No manual = sad Nathaniel...

(I work at a store, so I snatched a few copies from the delivery yesterday )

 

[dogboy73]

Ya know, you have some BIG issues. Lighten up. :flame:

BIG issues? Of course it's a big issue! It's only the biggest game of all time. Valve have spent the best part of 6 years on this & through press releases, Demonstrations, leaks & God knows what else, They have managed to keep a lid on HL2's story & plot. Now, several days before the game is to hit the shelves, A book comes out revealing every intimate detail about the game. That just strikes me as a little crazy & I think it's sad this this blatant cash in could be allowed to happen at all. This book has the potential to ruin the game for a lot of people.

And to those that have bought it, You just know that your tempted to at least look through the whole thing? And you must also know that if you do you'll regret it when in just a few days time you'll have the game on your PC's anyway! Put the book away ............ Put it in an emergency case that says. 'In case your really, Really stuck BREAK GLASS!'.

 

[Javert]

The Berkeley EB Games had both the Prima Strategy Guide (must resist!!) and "Raising the Bar". The art book was hard-cover, shrink-wrapped, and selling for $34.99. The Prima was $24.99.

 

[Dr. Freeman]

Yeah, but Icarus's message was mostly about the Strategy Guide, not Raising the Bar.

whoopsie.
i mis-read it then
still...i have talked to pple who thought "Raising The Bar" was a strategy guide.. so i have fixed some of the mis-conceptions

 

[Hazar]

I want Raising the Bar, but after a new video card, I'll be broke

That'll have to wait

 

[X-Vector]

Sorry, but i see nothing wrong with exploring the game on your own and actually MISSING stuff first time through. There's no better feeling than playing a game you love a second or third time and finding new bits that you never saw the first time through.

Roger that.

I only found out relatively recently that there is an alternative way of dealing with the "electrified puddle" mini-puzzle in Blast Pit.
Previously I had always thought the idea was to use the boxes as a runway and then jump over the water, but I would never quite make it and take damage every time.
Turns out that those same boxes can also be used as a stepping stone to jump on and walk along a (shielded) powercable and make it across safely.

That kind of "aha erlebnis" would just have been nipped in the bud by a strategy guide.

 

[Llama]

BIG issues? Of course it's a big issue! It's only the biggest game of all time. Valve have spent the best part of 6 years on this & through press releases, Demonstrations, leaks & God knows what else, They have managed to keep a lid on HL2's story & plot. Now, several days before the game is to hit the shelves, A book comes out revealing every intimate detail about the game. That just strikes me as a little crazy & I think it's sad this this blatant cash in could be allowed to happen at all. This book has the potential to ruin the game for a lot of people.

And to those that have bought it, You just know that your tempted to at least look through the whole thing? And you must also know that if you do you'll regret it when in just a few days time you'll have the game on your PC's anyway! Put the book away ............ Put it in an emergency case that says. 'In case your really, Really stuck BREAK GLASS!'.

You do know they need the developers permission before obtaining the game to write the guide? Valve obviously let them.

 

[KyanVrezpor]

Are both the guide and Raising the Bar included in the Gold version?

How much to they cost independently (approximately)?

 

[dogboy73]

You do know they need the developers permission before obtaining the game to write the guide? Valve obviously let them.

I underastand this. writing it, Fine. Releasing it before the game, Eh??? I e-mailed Gabe asking him why this happened;

You guys have spent the best part of 6 years working on what is almost certain to become the biggest & best PC game ever! You've also worked hard to keep HL2's plot under wraps all of this time despite leaks, Press releases, Demonstrations & a public that's hungry for every scrap of HL2 info that can get their hands on.

So why on Xen was the Prima Half Life 2 strategy guide released before the game?! This guide apparently tells you everything about Half Life 2. Some people are describing it as a companion to the game that allows you to play through each section without missing a thing!! What's wrong with missing things? Are these people not familiar with the term replay value? It just doesn't make sense to me. A month or two after the game has been released maybe but before??

Be interesting to see if he replies & what he says ............ Although I bet he's receiving more e-mails than he can shake a shitty stick at currently over this release date fiasco! (But that's not for this thread).

 

[dogboy73]

Bad news guys. It's already started happening. I've heard from someone on another forum that scans from the strategy guide have started appearing on forums;

Someone has already posted spoilers from the guide on another forum. Only problem was he did not say so till after he had posted the facts and page scans. Please, please, say you're posting spoilers before you type. I don't wanna know anything else other than what I just read unintentionally!!

Good 1 :angry:

 

[dogboy73]

The main protagonist is now being pestered to provide more info from the guide and he is dillignetly doing so!

:frown:

 

[AL3X2112]

whats he difference betwen raising the bar and the regular one

 

[dogboy73]

whats he difference betwen raising the bar and the regular one

Raising the bar tells the story of the development of HL2 & the strategy guide f**ks up your whole HL2 experience by telling you everything about the game before it's even been released!!! :angry:

 

[Sashswash]

Hey Icarus, when are you going to be doing that Raising the Bar writeup?

 

[<?>..::ButcheR::]

Got my gold stuff today from valve ,book, etc (its nice to collect)


<?>..::Butcher::

 

[KyanVrezpor]

Are both the guide and Raising the Bar included in the Gold version?

How much to they cost independently (approximately)?

 

[BigDaddy051570]

Someone has probably said this by now, but I disagree strongly with Icarus that the strategy guide is a "Must Have". I went out and bought it because of that, and I now regret it. Sure, the guide is occasionally helpful, but I find in most instances I am cruising right through the game without needing the guide at all. I'm selling mine on ebay as I write this.