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Prima Games Blog

The Prima Games Blog is the place to read about new video games, get expert strategy, tips, downloads,
free walkthroughs, and insider game info by gamers for gamers.

Archive for September, 2009
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Ready to Drop?

Read more about Halo 3 ODST Game Guide

Prima commands the Helljumpers to offer the only official game guide for Halo 3: ODST.

September 22nd, Roseville CA.

The Official Game Guide to Halo 3: ODST has finally dropped, and takes you directly into the action as the Battle for New Mombasa rages on. Playing as key members of the ODST “Helljumpers” squad assigned to a classified mission within the hellscape of a major evacuated city under constant Convenant bombardment, it becomes imperative to learn precisely where you are, what enemies you face, the crucial weapons for all manner of foe takedowns; essentially how to survive the mean streets of New Mombasa. This is where the Prima Game Guide comes in.

Written over a period of months with the help and support of Bungie, this 320 page book is packed with tips, hints, and takedowns; tactical knowledge that’s not only been battle-tested, but approved by veteran testers from both Microsoft and Bungie. Quite simply; if this guide doesn’t have a tactical plan in it, the plan isn’t worth knowing about. With the game featuring a complex Campaign mode, an all-new Firefight game, and all 24 Halo 3 Multiplayer maps, the guide tackles all these aspects methodically, and with extreme attention to detail. Here’s how it all breaks down:

The guide begins with a section on Basic Training. This reveals biographies for each member of the ODST squad you’re fighting with, before a primer with general tactical knowledge, notes on the brand-new Heads-Up Display features, mapping, combat information, and aspects of the infamous Legendary mode. At the end of this chapter, you’ll be ready to drop.

Halo 3 ODST Chapter 1

Chapter 2 focuses in on Armaments and Equipment. Every available piece of UNSC and Covenant machinery, whether a weapon, turret, grenades, vehicle, or other equipment type, is inspected thoroughly; followed by the item’s strengths and weaknesses. Need to know how a Suppressed Magnum fares against a Hunter? Or what type of grenade works best against a Shield Jackal? Then peruse this chapter, and use it to update your knowledge as soon as you encounter a new piece of equipment in the game.

Halo 3 ODST Chapter 2

Facing the Covenant threat can be difficult. However, Know Your Enemy (Chapter 3) brings every single killing tactic to the table, and reveals how to cut down every Grunt, Jackal, Brute, Drone, Hunter, and the all-new Engineer that you’ll face in both Campaign and Firefight modes. Exploits are revealed, and most importantly, a massive chart showing the effectiveness of each weapon compared to every other weapon, for all enemies, on all difficulty levels, shows just how committed we are to obsessive details.

Halo 3 ODST Chapter 3

The Campaign section of this guide is an enjoyable romp through New Mombasa, on a search for the Superintendent. Every Mission is revealed along with a fully-labeled map of the combat zone, along with well-practiced strategies for every Chokepoint you encounter throughout the Mission. Specific Cooperative and Legendary tactics are showcased constantly, allowing you to learn precisely how to deal with every battle, search, and slaughter effortlessly and easily, no matter what the difficulty. There’s also a Tour of New Mombasa, mapping out the maze of Districts and flagging the landmarks in each one, allowing quick and easy navigation.

Halo 3 ODST Chapter 4

Firefight Missions are both tense and incredibly addictive, and even more fun to play once you’ve read up on all ten Firefight maps, tailoring tactics to each of them. Aside from the fully-annotated maps, each Mission receives a variety of advice on the best two weapons to use through the various Sets and Rounds. Enemy incursion points are tagged, along with specific plans for each Map: Invaluable advice abounds.

Halo 3 ODST Chapter 5

As Halo 3: ODST is packaged with all 24 Halo 3 Multiplayer maps, it is only right to provide complete tactical knowledge of every single one of these areas. Working with the veterans of Clan PMS, masses of tactical knowledge is imparted, from weapon spawn times to ambush spots, topographical techniques to game mode advice. Key knowledge from the three new maps – Citadel, Heretic, and Longshore – are also provided.

Halo 3 ODST Chapter 6

Finally, whether you need to know the Skull or Score Multipliers or Game Unlockables, the Appendices chapter at the back of this weighty tome has everything you need. Check off and gain advice on the trickier Achievements (including the Vidmaster Challenges), or calculate how many points your Firefight Medals are worth; all in one place.

Halo 3 ODST Chapter 7

Don’t forget to check Xbox Live for video strategies, dropping constantly throughout the upcoming weeks!

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up Guide

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up guide is done and will be on store shelves soon. But to give you a little insight into all things Turtles, I’ve got a top ten list of Smash-Up tips. Brawl veterans will certainly have an advantage when it comes to Smash-Up, but TMNT fans should be able to quickly catch up with a few pointers and the official strategy guide. Just make sure you don’t tell the Brawl vets that the guide includes frame data, it might take a little longer to catch up if they start studying frame data on day one.

Stage Hazards – Many stages have an element of surprise that can significantly alter the course of the match. Pay close attention to your surroundings and take advantage of every stage hazard by forcing your opponents into them.

Wall Attacks – Jump to the wall and unleash a quick attack to catch your enemies off guard. This works best if you’re fighting near the wall, but even if you’re not, you can use it to reach the other side of the stage while avoiding attacks from other players.

Rock, Paper, Scissors – Smash-Up works on a rock, paper, scissors system where a throw can hit a blocking opponent, blocking stops all normal attacks, and normal attacks beat out throws. Remember this priority system and it may come in handy during tight situations!

Guard Break – If you block too much your guard will break and you’ll be left wide open to an opponent’s attack. Stay on the move and don’t stay in the same place, blocking all of your opponent’s attacks. The invisible guard break meter recharges slowly, so if you’ve blocked a few attacks, it’s time to get out of there and avoid the next attack.

Overstun – If you stun an opponent too much, they’ll turn green indicating they’re in overstun. When this happens, they can instantly teleport to the top of the screen and avoid all of your attacks. If this happens, stop attacking and get ready to avoid a possible attack from above.

Turn Around Stun – Hit your enemies with an attack that results in a turn around stun and they’ll have to guess what your next move will be. If they remain blocking, you can throw them, but if they try to turn around and attack to beat the throw, you can attack them first. It’s a guessing game, will you attack or will you use a throw. The moral of the story is, don’t get hit by a turn around stun.

Swing-By Attacks – Some stages have red poles that can be used for swing-by attacks. Grab the pole, aim for the closest enemy and unleash an unblockable attack of fury. If it hits, do a mid-air jump and grab the pole again for a repeat attack.

Items – When Super Smash Bros. Brawl is played competitively, items are almost always turned off. That’s probably going to be the case with TMNT: Smash-Up because the items are extremely powerful. If you see an item appear, make sure you’re the first one to reach it because it could easily change the outcome of the match.

Maximize Your Damage – There aren’t many instances when it’s impossible to block an attack. However, when those instances occur, it’s extremely important to take advantage of them by hitting your opponent for as much damage as possible. If you’re not getting the maximum damage from your combos, work on them so that every time you hit, you’re inflicting the most damage possible.

Dodge – There aren’t many blocked attacks in Smash-Up that leave a character open to a counter attack. Therefore, blocking something doesn’t guarantee you can score a free hit on your opponent. It’s highly recommended to dodge or roll to avoid an attack, which will have a much greater chance of leaving your enemy open to a counter attack. But be careful, if you dodge at the wrong time, you may be the one getting hit!

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Majesty 2: The Fantasy Kingdom Sim Top Ten Tips and Tricks

Check out these Top Ten Tips from Ron Dulin, author of the official strategy guide to Majesty 2! For complete information about the guide, including maps and strategies for each multiplayer mission, head over to PrimaGames.com.

majesty2_01

1. Build Guardhouses near buildings that generate a good deal of tax
revenue, especially buildings situated far from your Royal Palace.
This gives your Tax Collectors a place to drop off your gold quickly
and safely.

2. Occasionally your heroes won’t have enough gold on hand to purchase
better equipment. If so, and you want them to have the best armor and
weapons available, place an Explore Flag with a high reward in an
easily-accessible area.

3. There are no level requirements on equipment or items for heroes.
As long as they can afford to buy it, they can use it.

4. On maps with lots of undead enemies, upgrade your Clerics Guild and
research Holy Attack as early as possible.

majesty2_02
5. Place Defense Flags on low-level heroes to keep them protected
until they have gained some levels. This trick is especially useful
with Mages, who can’t take much damage until they reach Level 5.

majesty2_03
6. There is safety in numbers. Try to build a Level 2 Inn and research
party formation as quickly as possible. When selecting a party leader,
remember that the leader decides which flags a party is interested in.
A party led by a Ranger or Elf will eagerly set out for Explore Flags,
while a party led by a Warrior will be more prone to seek out Defense
Flags or Attack Flags.

majesty2_04

7. You can resurrect heroes from the graveyard in your town or by
using the Resurrect spell, researched at the Temple to Agrela. Using
the spell has a fixed cost, and resurrects your heroes with all of
their items and some of their gold. The cost of resurrecting a hero
from the graveyard is based on the hero’s level, and they come back to
life with all of their equipment but no gold.

8. In single-player and multiplayer missions where the goal is to
destroy an enemy building, make sure you have a large number of
Dwarves with the Destruction ability.

9. The expert class of weapons, researched at the Level 3 Blacksmith,
gives significant attack bonuses to all hero classes, but three
classes benefit the most: Blademasters, Mages, and Archers of Helia.

majesty2_05

10. Heroes hired at Temples do not have to buy new abilities; they
learn their abilities automatically as they gain experience. For this
reason, it is always best to promote a hero when you can afford it.
Promoted heroes retain their level, and automatically learn all
relevant abilities for their new class, though they lose all of their
items.

Pick up the complete strategy guide to Majesty 2 today!

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prima games podcast, the nineteenth

Dante’s Inferno! Halo 3 ODST! ODST Again! Listen!

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the sims 3: sunset valley or riverview?

Sunset Valley or Riverview: which town should you settle into? Although both Sunset Valley and Riverview hold some of the same features such as a stadium for Sims to begin the athletic career, the two cities you can choose as a hometown for your Sims have very different vibes. Riverview is much more laid back than Sunset Valley, it has the atmosphere of a small town that was once a simple farming community. Progress has certainly moved into Riverview as evidenced by the industrial waterfront, but the citizens have taken great pains to make sure their burg maintains some classic charm. That’s why the downtown area in the heart of Riverview has a walking plaza lined with quaint features like a reading room and antiques museum.

Sunset Valley, on the other hand, is more of a metropolis. It has a central park that is the social focus of the city, but its buildings are not only larger, but much more spread out and connected by wider, busier streets. Whereas the science center in Riverview is nestled on the waterfront right next to the stadium and military base, these three buildings are on completely different sides of Sunset Valley. The military base in Sunset Valley is pushed back into one of the hillsides that help define Sunset valley as a valley. The science facility in Sunset Valley is much larger than its Riverview counterpart. Because it needs more space, it is also set up into the hills above the city.

Four Bridges Park is a major part of downtown Riverview's plaza.

Four Bridges Park is a major part of downtown Riverview's plaza.

There are some substantial differences between the Sunset Valley and Riverview, too. Riverview does not have an oceanfront like Sunset Valley; instead, Riverview is defined in large part by the freshwater river that snakes through the farmland surrounding the downtown area. Without any way to catch saltwater fish in the wild in Riverview, Sims must instead visit the hatchery to reel in these beauties. Riverview has far fewer lakes and ponds than Sunset Valley, too. But there is no shortage of freshwater fishing thanks to the lengthy rivers in Riverview.

The locations of collectibles like butterflies, beetles, and gems are also completely different. If you’ve already exhausted the discovery of rare collectibles in Sunset Valley – how many rainbow gems do you have? – then move into Riverview and start the grand hunt all over again. Just make sure you give your Sims a day or two for collectibles to appear in Riverview before searching them out. After a few days (which you can easily fill by starting a career, meeting Riverview citizens, and developing a skill or two), then start scouring the town to find the goodies. Prima is publishing the location of all of the collectibles in the upcoming The Sims 3: Neighborhood Resource & Map Pack.

However, let me give you a little Brownie Bite before that’s released. In the shadow of the Jones mansion above the waterfront, you will not only find aquas, emeralds, yellows, tanzanite, and diamonds, but also the super-rare pinks. The minimum value of the smallest pink gem is 1,200 Simoleons. That’s quite a payday. You’ll find cool tips like that and more in The Sims 3: Neighborhood Resource & Map Pack, which I just finished writing earlier this week and is coming soon.

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Greetings, fellow Scribblenauts!

So, have you made it past the first screen in Scribblenauts yet? I don’t mean the first level. I mean the very first screen you see when you start the game — the playground. The playground is where you can just experiment with creating different objects to your heart’s content; the only limit is your imagination. I remember when I first received a version of Scribblenauts to write the Prima guide for it, I must have spent an easy three hours on the playground, just trying out all sorts of objects. Cannon. Helicopter. Dinosaur. Race car. Trophy. Keyboard Cat. (Yes, I had read all the juicy rumors that the game was a haven for Internet memes like Keyboard Cat, All Your Base, and — my favorite — lolcats.)

The opening screen is genius because it lets you immediately get to the core of what the game is all about: discovery. The developer was not kidding around when they said you could create just about anything in Scribblenauts. You really can go wild and try out thousands upon thousands (upon thousands) of words to see what objects Maxwell can use. There is no reason to just rely on the same objects all of the time with so many possibilities out there. And so, let me give you a little nudge in one department for object creation: flying objects.

After playing the puzzle and action levels for a few hours, I found myself using some of the same flying objects over and over. Pegasus. Wings. Jet Pack. These were reliable objects that always got the job done when I needed to get Maxwell from A to B, particularly when A and B were divided by lava or a bottomless pit. I knew I needed to expand my horizons. Here are some of the alternate words I started using for flying.

Pterodactyl: Like the Pegasus, this friendly flying creature is no threat to Maxwell and it does not need a rest period. Added benefit – it, too, can attack hostile creature or break objects, like ice.

Magic carpet: This flying rug works for a limited period but does not short out if it encounters a little water.

Helibackpack: This alternative to the jet pack can be shorted out if it gets wet, so avoid rain drops while flying.

Sphinx: The sphinx is a friendly creature that, like the pterodactyl, will attack Maxwell’s enemies or break through ice. The sphinx can also dig.

Magic broomstick: This special broomstick (make sure you write “magic” in front of it) lets Maxwell fly around the level without needing a refresh period.

Winged shoes: The winged shoes turn Maxwell into Mercury, the Roman god that could fly through the benefit of winged feet.

Hopefully, these extra words will get you to think about even more flying objects you can use to help Maxwell collect all of the Starites. Do you have some suggestions of your own? We’d love to hear them.