Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar
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Narcolepsy
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I was a little skeptical about how much I'd like reading a book about HL2, but upon receiving it for Christmas, I have had absolutely no regrets. It is simply an outstanding snapshot of what it takes to make a game, complete with insight, antecdotes, and outstanding art.
Dr. Freeman
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the book mainly discusses the art work, stuff which made it into final versions of the game and some stuff which didn't.
its obviously a great book if u are an artist or have a keen interest in the HL series...it does also give some idea/insight into what pple in the gaming industry go through to see a game finally be released.
very good book :thumbs:
its obviously a great book if u are an artist or have a keen interest in the HL series...it does also give some idea/insight into what pple in the gaming industry go through to see a game finally be released.
very good book :thumbs:
Dr. Freeman
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satch919 said:
hmm...hadn't heard anything about such a book.
a short summary of what the book covered.. and lots of art work included?
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K
kittenpusher
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Excellent book, with a solid headcrab-swatting weight to it. Finally, a Prima publication worth owning. 
As for regional availability, I spoke to a Prima rep in early December. The outcome, as far as I recall:
30,000 copies printed.
28,000 copies allocated for the USA (retail chains, Amazon, etc.)
2,000 copies for everyone else.
Of those 2K, 1,800 were apparently purchased by the GAME chain in the UK, for online and retail sale (where I found mine). The remaining couple hundred? I assume that Prima retained stock for sale through their own site.
When I was looking for a copy, I found that the major UK book distributors (THE, Bertrams, Gardners) were not carrying it. That may have changed.
Good luck finding one.
As for regional availability, I spoke to a Prima rep in early December. The outcome, as far as I recall:
30,000 copies printed.
28,000 copies allocated for the USA (retail chains, Amazon, etc.)
2,000 copies for everyone else.
Of those 2K, 1,800 were apparently purchased by the GAME chain in the UK, for online and retail sale (where I found mine). The remaining couple hundred? I assume that Prima retained stock for sale through their own site.
When I was looking for a copy, I found that the major UK book distributors (THE, Bertrams, Gardners) were not carrying it. That may have changed.
Good luck finding one.
kirovman
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MigaS_tX said:Long life to America, f*** the rest! :angry:
I can't see a Raising the Bar in the stores, and i do not want it to order it online.
;(
You'll be hard pushed to find a copy in the stores, why not order online? It's your best shot, Amazon still has copies. They'll be delivered via Parcel force within a few days.
azz0r
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kittenpusher said:Excellent book, with a solid headcrab-swatting weight to it. Finally, a Prima publication worth owning.
As for regional availability, I spoke to a Prima rep in early December. The outcome, as far as I recall:
30,000 copies printed.
28,000 copies allocated for the USA (retail chains, Amazon, etc.)
2,000 copies for everyone else.
Of those 2K, 1,800 were apparently purchased by the GAME chain in the UK, for online and retail sale (where I found mine). The remaining couple hundred? I assume that Prima retained stock for sale through their own site.
When I was looking for a copy, I found that the major UK book distributors (THE, Bertrams, Gardners) were not carrying it. That may have changed.
Good luck finding one.
My friend had a copy he got from Game for me, he took it back though - I told him to advertise it here cos I know alot of you wouldve brought it. Oh well.
O
OddOne
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In the U.S.
Try BestBuy
I was in BestBuy (in N.C.) Sunday and they had several copies.
I got mine as a gift. It was orderd from Books-A-Million locally.
Its a great book.
Try BestBuy
I was in BestBuy (in N.C.) Sunday and they had several copies.
I got mine as a gift. It was orderd from Books-A-Million locally.
Its a great book.
kupocake
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I liked it so much, I posted a reader review (actually, make that the reader review) on the UK amazon (I believe I actually got it from Game ^^). Here is that mini-review:
"The majority of you who are reading this mini-review will have played Half-Life 2 and have probably already been bowled over by its sheer quality. The game has made massive strides forward in multiple areas, almost making it a shame that (like every other game accused of being "the best game ever") Half-Life 2 is also probably the greatest graphical achievement in the history of computer and video games. This does nothing to lessen the leaps it makes elsewhere, but it is important that in some way, this achievement is celebrated.
Raising the Bar is this celebration, with countless images from throughout HL2's Six-Year development. Concept Art, 3D Renders, Screenshots and brilliant Poster Art fill the book, accompanied by lines of annotation to give some background to the concepts. And what concepts: Half-Life 2 isn't merely a "good looking game" because it is realistically lit, textured and filled with super shiny surfaces (Like so many supposedly "good looking" games). Half-Life 2 is a wonderful artistic achievement because each and every area has been painstakingly researched, sketched and refined since the initial concepts were laid down by the story designers. Raising the Bar shows you all this: 6 years of damned hard work on paper. It's a testament to the quality of the game that the in-game screenshots aren't there to just fill space: They show the completion of a vision, and look as artistic as the primordial ink and pen concepts that spawned them. In addition, there are details of deleted scenes, with interesting short stories written by HL writer Marc Laidlaw and a few bits of general overview to the developing process. Admitadly, the book is a little thin on actual description of this process (It was originally heralded as a "Making of" Book, but it's now more of an Art Book), but you can still get so much out the images that it's all worthwhile. It all comes in a 288 page Hardback book with excellent print quality and production standards, making it an excellent-value collectable. Certainly a must for any true Half-Life fan, but it's more than that: Anyone with an interest in game design or pre-production art in any medium should own a copy.
The biggest shame is that, (as a Limited Edition) It won't be available for very long. Order your copy now: you won't regret it."
"The majority of you who are reading this mini-review will have played Half-Life 2 and have probably already been bowled over by its sheer quality. The game has made massive strides forward in multiple areas, almost making it a shame that (like every other game accused of being "the best game ever") Half-Life 2 is also probably the greatest graphical achievement in the history of computer and video games. This does nothing to lessen the leaps it makes elsewhere, but it is important that in some way, this achievement is celebrated.
Raising the Bar is this celebration, with countless images from throughout HL2's Six-Year development. Concept Art, 3D Renders, Screenshots and brilliant Poster Art fill the book, accompanied by lines of annotation to give some background to the concepts. And what concepts: Half-Life 2 isn't merely a "good looking game" because it is realistically lit, textured and filled with super shiny surfaces (Like so many supposedly "good looking" games). Half-Life 2 is a wonderful artistic achievement because each and every area has been painstakingly researched, sketched and refined since the initial concepts were laid down by the story designers. Raising the Bar shows you all this: 6 years of damned hard work on paper. It's a testament to the quality of the game that the in-game screenshots aren't there to just fill space: They show the completion of a vision, and look as artistic as the primordial ink and pen concepts that spawned them. In addition, there are details of deleted scenes, with interesting short stories written by HL writer Marc Laidlaw and a few bits of general overview to the developing process. Admitadly, the book is a little thin on actual description of this process (It was originally heralded as a "Making of" Book, but it's now more of an Art Book), but you can still get so much out the images that it's all worthwhile. It all comes in a 288 page Hardback book with excellent print quality and production standards, making it an excellent-value collectable. Certainly a must for any true Half-Life fan, but it's more than that: Anyone with an interest in game design or pre-production art in any medium should own a copy.
The biggest shame is that, (as a Limited Edition) It won't be available for very long. Order your copy now: you won't regret it."
It's a nice inside look at the games, mainly through artwork. Some more text would have been nice. If you really love the games and can't get enough of them, it's a nice addition to your library. If you're more of a casual fan or are hoping for a real blow-by-blow of how they built the games, it leaves a little to be desired.
kupocake
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Whilst this is true, we do at least have Gamespot's "The Final Hours of Half-Life 2". That doesn't cost a thing, and it's pretty hard to fault it on where it could have been more indepth...notmydesk said:
TheSmJ
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I really loved the included short stories (about 2 pages long each written in a small font) which were used to help the team design the game.
That, on top of what everyone else has said about the book, makes it a great buy to any fan of Half Life 2, or even the original Half Life.
That, on top of what everyone else has said about the book, makes it a great buy to any fan of Half Life 2, or even the original Half Life.
Combine Hybrid
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Best Buy doesn't have em. I've found the book at EBgames, and it was stacked! anyone know how much the book cost?
Dr. Freeman
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Combine Hybrid said:
it depends.
i talked to a few pple who saw the books at a bestbuy while others didn't.
even EBgames is a bit random in having the books...one location never even heard of the book while another location only had one copy to begin with.
if u are having trouble finding the book, the best bet is to go to the local bookstore and see if they can get hold of a copy for u.
and of course the other option is to just order it online...but u need a credit card for that or.. get ur parents to help u out.
vsaravia
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I couldn't find the book at two Borders that I went to. I didn't even think about looking at EB Games because there was one next door. Also, went to Best Buy to look for a wireless mouse and didn't bother reading the post before I left. I doubt I would have found the book there though. Oh, well, I just ordered it on Amazon.com yesterday, so I should be getting it sometime next week.
Combine Hybrid
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Nevermind guys, I went to Best Buy yesterday and they had the books.
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I would say yes as it contains many pictures of enemies which they didnt get into HL2, e.g the combine cremator (whoses head is in Eli's lab) so in that sense it does show whats to come. Other bits and bobs as well...worth the buy.
