Fallout 3 Collector's Edition: Prima Official Game Guide Reviews

• A must have for those who plan on leaving the Vault...

  
  By A3RO6CB4EU8DRA on 2008-10-28
  In short, this guide is remarkable in every aspect. David Hodgson and the folks at Prima have constructed an incredibly detailed (500 pages!) guide that is not only useful, but dare I say invaluable.
  
  The first thing I noticed about it was that this Collector's Edition is hardcover - a superb idea for a guide that is bound to get tons of use. For those of us who have used a guide so much that its pages fall out, having a hardbound copy is truly appreciated.
  
  The content itself is what truly makes this guide special. You can tell that the folks at Prima painstakingly played the game to construct this book. Briefly, there are 7 chapters (the last of which are appendices) spanning 500 pages. Each chapter abounds with *useful* information and maps, instructing you on how to best take advantage of the game's open-ended structure. Primary and derived statistics are covered in extreme detail, followed by a description of weapons and the many beasts they can be used to decimate.
  
  Perhaps the most incredible part of this guide lies in the walkthrough proper. Each part of the urban wasteland is covered in painstaking detail, with accompanying maps to help guide you. Given that you can choose to be good or evil (or neutral, if you're *really* talented), there are also countless flowcharts along that way that help you understand what decisions you need to make in order to continue on your current path, repent, or turn to the dark side, depending on your inclination. The amount of detail that this guide provides cannot be understated - if you're looking for something related to the world of Fallout 3, you're almost guaranteed to find it here.
  
  Finally, the price is fair (reasonable at the cover price, but a steal if you order from Amazon - it's only $20!!).
  
  Even for someone who has just started exploring the world of Fallout 3, this guide has proved to be invaluable. Grab yourself a copy today - you won't be disappointed! Very highly recommended.
  
  

• 500 pages to help you survive the war!

  
  By A2PSC7LUNIDEAH on 2008-10-29
  The Good:
  
  
  Holy Details: Nearly 500 pages of game's every nook and cranny is described here: Traits, skills, perks, weapons, levels, enemies, secrets and much much more!
  
  Great Package: A handsome text-book style hardcover that is very eye-catching to even just have it on your bookshelf when not in use. Includes a giant poster, which is a map of the game.
  
  Organized: Greatly organized and ever has an index up-front, so that you can find the information you want quickly.
  
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  The Bad:
  
  
  Spoilers: While there are some spoiler warnings, its tough not to look away and spoil yourself.
  
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  The Bottom Line:
  
  A great guide for a rookie and veteran vault-dwellers alike. An absolutely amazing in-depth coverage of anything you would like to know. It even goes as far as describing what enhancements do and what their withdrawals effects are. Also, it gives you all possible endings to your adventure(and oh yes, there are plenty of endings based on your karma, character and gender.) A bit of caution in the wind: If you do not want to be spoiled, do not look past the "Training Section" of this guide. Once you pass the game the first time, then it would be a good time to open up a guide fully and see what you missed and what needs to be done to get another ending and much much more. With this game's insanely high replay value, no vault dweller should leave their vaults without this guide!
  
  

• One of the finest I have purchased to date.

  
  By A2TA2WMLF0U1K9 on 2008-10-28
  Normally I do not review my purchases at sites such as this, however, the visual quality and presentation of this guide warranted a reprieve of this rule. No, it is not perfect and certainly some will like it and some will not; but if you're old school and a collector - this is outstanding. The guide seems well-written, is clearly organized (even if not in the way you prefer, there is a detailed table of contents) and the quality of the materials is solid. I like the heft, the full color throughout and the fact that for the price - I really feel like I got my money's worth on this one. It will go beautifully for anyone who purchased the collector's edition or if like me you bought the Xbox360 survival edition - wow, what a nice complete set that will look great together. Great job on this one guys and kudos to Amazon for a great price!
  
  

• Very Comprehensive

  
  By A2SIMTRPACGCAW on 2008-11-02
  Sometimes strategy guides are disappointing, but this is not one of them. First off it's almost 500 pages, comes with a huge detailed map of the whole wasteland, and for the game's multiple-ways-to-quest system, has maps of all your options and what rewards they give you.
  
  As far the collector's edition version of the book, the back of the guide has tons of cool concept art, Bethesda staff notes, and easter eggs you can find in the game. Plus it's a nice hardcover.
  
  
  

• Goldmouse

  
  By A1C5LUDET436VF on 2008-11-01
  A must have. I would be so lost without it. Best guide I ever bought and worth every dime.
  
  
• Excellent Guide
  By A3JVQI2H02Z1DK on 2008-11-03
  Very comprehensive. A much needed companion guide for traveling throughout the DC Wasteland.
  
  Gamestop selling the exact same book for $15 more. I wish I would have checked here first.
  
  
• Best game guide I have ever read
  By A26H8EIPWIO7K3 on 2008-11-03
  Takes the complex world of Fallout 3, and makes it accessible, lots of helpful advise and explainations. Fallout 3
  
  
• Fantastic Fallout fanfare
  By A3M0L8HT4IH74H on 2008-11-07
  Great book. Have everything you need to wade into the wastes, and more. CHaracter creation suggestions are very helpful. I am walking around with a fist's of wrath ninja and it is so much fun. Great Job Prima.
  
  
• Awesome collector's item and a pretty good guide too
  By A3N4VTNFPMTHEF on 2008-11-16
  This official collectors' guide looks like it's a weathered book straight out of the Fallout universe. It's a must-have for any Fallout fan.
  
  The hardcover is a nice touch, and the paper on which the guide is printed has held up against two and a half weeks of heavy use. At first, I was a little worried about the paper tearing easily, but I no longer think that's an issue. The paper is the same kind that you would find in most paperback novels, but maybe a bit heavier.
  
  The content is very in-depth with diagrams and charts for just about everything you need to know about. The guide starts with detailed tables of weapons, armor and enemy stats. It also goes over S.P.E.C.I.A.L. and skills in detail, giving advice and which skills would actually be the most helpful in the game. There is a comprehensive guide detailing all of the perks and gives advice on which combination of perks would work well for different types of characters.
  
  For each quest, the author gives an excellent tree diagram showing you the various paths and the rewards and consequences to which they lead. These diagrams are usually enough to help you find your way in a quest, but the book also provides lengthy text directions for navigating through the levels along with lists of loot that you should look out for in each area. Sections that could affect your in-game karma level are clearly labeled with angel or devil icons so you can find what you need at a glance.
  
  There's no denying that there is a TON of useful information in this guide book, but unfortunately, the organization makes it a bit difficult to use. Every town and location is listed in the guide's giant index, but instead going by alphabetical order, the locations are grouped by zones on the world map. For example, in the index, you would find Vault 101 listed under the section called "Zone 8: Southern Plains and D.C. Outskirts". If you needed to quickly know the page number for the Vault 101 section, you would have to know that it's in Zone 8 or you would have to search the giant index line-by-line until you find it.
  
  Since this guide was written and published before the game was released, there are a few things that are wrong. The most obvious difference that I found regards the Barkskin perk. The guide says that it gives you Damage Resistance +10% and Endurance +1, however, in the final version of the game, the perk only gives you +5% Damage Resistance.
  
  Despite the organizational issues and a few errors, this guide is an excellent companion to the game. There's an incredible amount of content hidden away in Fallout 3 so having this guide means that you won't miss out on anything in the game.
  
  
• Great guide.
  By A1Z2T90YEE624 on 2008-11-12
  Very cool guide, awesome artwork and design job. My only complaint is the bind of the boom comes to far out and it's hard to read some words close to the spine.
  
  Overall great guide.
  
  
• The best game guide I have ever owned
  By A387986AR5PA8F on 2008-11-17
  This is a wonderful guide. Long, informative, and it shows you EVERYTHING you need to know to surviving Fallout 3. I never use game guides, but I figured I would give this a shot because of the nature of Fallout 3, and I'm very happy I did. The book feels and looks great, and the fold out poster map is HUGE. The guide is a little confusing to some people at first, with the guide being separated into chapters going from Character Creation to The Main Quest to Side Quests to an Entire Run Though of EVERY SPOT IN THE GAME then the Appendix and finally the Extras section.
  
  The way this is structured means, for example, when reaching the town of Megaton, you will have to read one chapter to do the main quest there, then the next chapter to do the major side missions, then the next chapter to read about all the secrets and such available in the city. Makes sense logically but confuses some people here and there.
  
  Oh and the Extras section is awesome. It shows a lot of concept art in the game so if you didn't get the special editions, you can still see some cool concept work and developer commentary.
  
  Overall a great guide that greatly informs you of everything you need to know in the content rich universe of Fallout.
  
  
• Wow.
  By A3LPXMOW5CO7YR on 2008-11-23
  Except for the occasional typo, this is an amazing product. I had never bought any of the Prima guides before, but intend to in the future. The level of detail is staggering. It sure beats the heck out of surfing the net looking for those few cheats that make things simpler for me, the casual gamer who only gives a few weekend hours to a game. Cuts the frustration level of the game to zero. No fuss, all play, like a game should be.
  The only possible improvement would be a listing of the programmers console cheat commands. Still had to search the net to find out how to make Dogmeat invincible.
  
  
• Nice But Cheap Paper
  By A2XEU7RCBJ09ZA on 2008-11-23
  To make it short here's the (*POSITIVES & NEGATIVES*)
  
  (*POSITIVES*)
  
  -Very detailed guidelines & karma information
  -The fold out poster helps alot when getting around the game
  -The art is very nice
  
  (*NEGATIVE*)
  
  -Paper is kind of easy to tear & cheap
  
  That concludes this review visit my profile to see all the other review i have posted Thank You
  
  
• In the game of Fallout 3 this book makes you Jesus!
  By A2JMFIRCV84MUQ on 2008-11-23
  The Collectors edition is a must have for any hardcore Fallout fan. It tells you anything and everything you could posably need to know. One of the most indepth guide book I've ever come across. The only down side is I find myself wanting to read to far ahead.
  
  
• Essential for Fallout 3
  By A3GBJJI3QG27B0 on 2008-11-25
  This guide is great, it encompasses every aspect of the game detailing every Main and Side quest as well as free form quests. It has detailed locations for every unique item location and a 200 page tour of the wasteland that leaves no stone unturned. A must buy if you truly want to get the most out of your Fallout 3 experience. For best enjoyment, I recommend you play through the full game at least once before you open this book. It will make that 2nd play-through feel like a brand new experience.
  
  
• A scenic guide to the wastelands
  By A16ABUELHB6XAQ on 2008-11-25
  If you have bought Fallout 3, or you are thinking about purchasing the game, this is a must have guide. You will reference this handy guide many, many times during the course of the game. ( I went through the game once, and thanks to this guide I am still finding new quests and areas to explore I didn't see the first time around.)This guide is GREAT !!!
  
  
• Amazing Detail...
  By A3NF01VA46MGWU on 2008-11-25
  The Detail and Thought put into this Book is absolutely astounding. Do not confuse this with your "run of the mill" strategy guide as this book is so much more. From the funny quips, well thought out paths, and gorgeous pictures, to the detail put into the items and searches this is more like a work of art. One word of caution is that the book does not always have every path to victory for certain quests and you can still "do it your own way", but it is a great reference and can give you a really good heads up on the pitfalls and rewards of behaving a certain way. If your a Fallout fanboy like me your doing yourself a disservice if you dont purchase this "guide".
  
  
• Way better than ordinary Guide!!
  By A2PVU4B2BUQ19O on 2008-11-25
  Once again, I am paying less than I am in stores, and I dont have to go all over to find it. Thank you Amazon, thank you.
  
  
• A must have
  By A3EAXO4PWEPFGR on 2008-11-25
  Wow, tons of pages and all for $20 a couple of weeks ago. If your in love with this game like I am you need this book. The map is huge in the back but what I love most is each page is packed with information.
  
  I was hoping for more of a character build templates but I guess they did scratch the surface to what you need to have for a melee vs big guns guy.
  
  
• very informative...and looks great!!
  By A3I8PBQYQUENQK on 2008-11-29
  This Book is very informative. I am not really a fan of game guides but for Fallout 3 the guide is a must have. There are many features and plot lines that would still be a mystery if it were not for this guide. It is very well laid out, by map quadrant, main quest, side quests etc... and also tells you what loot you should expect of of each location, which helps to ensure you do no miss anything.
  
  looks great too, very nice hardcover.
  
  

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