Weird Half-Life 2 strategy guides

[spitcodfry]

I was just on Gamestop's website to compare their strategy guide release date with the game's, seeing as how EB has the guide posted for 9/24/03, and the game for 11/19/03. I found something interesting on Gamestop's online inventory, for they show one guide, just titled 'Half-Life 2 exclusive strategy guide,' which is marked for 9/23 for release, and then they have one titled 'Half-Life 2 behind the game official strategy guide.' That one is marked for release the same day that Gamestop has the game set at, with is the 2nd of February. Both are published by Prima, so I couldn't imagine how the two would differ other than title. Thoughts, speculations?

 

[Feath]

"Behind the Game" is meant to be a thing about the development of Half-Life 2, I think.

 

[spitcodfry]

Originally posted by Feath
"Behind the Game" is meant to be a thing about the development of Half-Life 2, I think.

Hmmm...makes sense, but why would they list it as a strategy guide?

 

[razorblade kiss]

For a strategy guide. One would have to play the game through entirely? Do you think they did already? Or will be able to in a couple days? Hmm

 

[Mountain Man]

Most strategy guides are written during game developement. The author usually gets access to details about the game as well as hands-on play-testing. That's why you'll often find information that is outdated or just plain wrong in strategy guides because something got changed in the game after the book went to press.

 

[spitcodfry]

Originally posted by razorblade kiss
For a strategy guide. One would have to play the game through entirely? Do you think they did already? Or will be able to in a couple days? Hmm

Before Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic came out on X-Box, I frequented their message boards quite a lot, and came to learn that Bioware's process (and I'm assuming many other game company's) of creating the strategy guide for the game had them consistently forwarding the most recent builds of the game to the strategy guide publisher for use, in order to create it. So I'm guessing that Valve has been working with Prima closely for a while now in order to create the guide. In other words, Prima has probably been playing Half-Life 2 for a while now (lucky bastards).

EDIT: Damn you Mountain Man, you beat me to it.

 

[GPRT]

Hmmm...makes sense, but why would they list it as a strategy guide?

the strategy guide section is probably the section which is most relevent to something like that

 

[Adam]

Theres also a 3rd strategy guide that shows people new and familair with the HL engine how to mod for Half-Life 2.

 

[spitcodfry]

Originally posted by Adam
Theres also a 3rd strategy guide that shows people new and familair with the HL engine how to mod for Half-Life 2.

That makes sense. That's probably what it is.