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Gaming guide creator Prima Games is shutting down
Prima Games, the company that's been creating physical video game strategy guides for the past 28 years, is shutting down according to Publisher's Lunch. Prima's publisher DK's CEO Ian Hudson sent out an internal memo saying it was an "extremely difficult decision" and one that was made due to a "significant decline" in the video game guide sector per reports by Publishers Weekly. No more guides will be coming out of Prima Games, and its doors will officially close this coming spring.
High-tech solutions top the list in the fight against eye disease
"The eyes are the window to the soul," the adage goes, but these days our eyes could be better compared to our ethernet connection to the world. According to a 2006 study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania, the human retina is capable of transmitting 10 million bits of information per second. But for as potent as our visual capabilities are, there's a whole lot that can go wrong with the human eye. Cataracts, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are three of the leading causes of blindness the world over. Though we may not have robotic ocular prosthetics just yet, a number of recent ophthalmological advancements will help keep the blinds over those windows from being lowered.
Skyrim: Legendary Edition strategy guide crushes coffee tables
The Skyrim: Legendary Edition tome, an updated, premium version of Prima's strategy guide coinciding with the game's re-release, weighs over six pounds. Over 1,100 pages of information cover the popular RPG's intricacies, including its quests, local flora and fauna and sprawling geography. The book will be sold exclusively through GameStop, Best Buy and Amazon alongside Skyrim: Legendary Edition on Tuesday, June 4, in both hardcover ($50) and paperback ($30) versions. No matter which you choose, just know it will ultimately become as neglected and forgotten as everything else on this mortal coil; such is the toll of Skyrim.
Skyrim Interactive Map App is a world of microtransactions
Still wandering aimlessly around Tamriel, trying to remember where you left your giant pile of buckets? Get out your phone and get some help. Publisher Prima Games just released an official Skyrim map app, beating the fanmade Dragon Shout to the punch.The app comes with a world map and 9 capital city maps for free, with other detailed locations available through in-app purchases. You can drop pins on points of interest (say, Bucket Stack Alpha) and zoom in 3200%.While we're a bit shocked that portions of the Skyrim map are behind a paywall in an app that is nothing but maps of that one game, we must concede the point that Skyrim is irresponsibly huge.
Steam launches in-game Prima strategy guides
You're likely accustomed to hearing a certain pitch when purchasing a game at GameStop. It goes like this: "Would you like to buy the strategy guide for this too?" And, of course, you have your canned response. Something like, "The answer is still no -- just like last week and the week before that, and every other time I've been in this stinking store, Mike." Or perhaps just, "No, thank you." Now, thanks to the wonders of the internet, you can play out this same dramatic non-transaction online. Valve has announced that digital versions of Prima strategy guides are now being sold through Steam. Readable inside or outside of the games, the guides include the expected tips and tricks. Unlike their printed counterparts, they also include videos. To celebrate the launch of Prima guides on Steam, the first set -- including Splinter Cell Coviction, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Just Cause 2, Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Awakening -- can be purchased for $10 per guide, 50 percent off the normal $20 price. In other news, we'd like to announce the continued existence of one digital strategy guide search engine. This innovative service lets users search for almost any game ever created and includes guides, videos and even historical information. The best part: It's absolutely free. Just follow this link and start searching!
Forza 3 game guide gets the green flag from Amazon.de
Amazon.de (Germany) may have jumped the gun by listing a Forza Motorsport 3 strategy guide and becoming the latest entry in a laundry list of development-related rumors for the racing sequel.According to the listing, the 192-page guide is produced by Prima Games (the same company behind guides for the first two Forza titles) and will ship on September 30, 2009. The listing isn't confirmation that Microsoft is developing a new title in the Forza series, but if the long rumored title does exist, we'd expect Microsoft to wave the green flag during its E3 media briefing on June 1.[Via VG247]
Reviewing the WAR strategy guide
Can we even begin to list the ways in which a printed MMO strategy guide is worthless? We think not, yet they still seem to sell, and Gamestop employees still seem to get us to buy one with that crazy retail faux-bargain voodoo of theirs. So in a recent post by Syp over at the Waaagh blog, he turns his regrettable purchase into an actual review of the Warhammer Online Prima Strategy guide.As you might guess, he doesn't have many nice things to say about these guides. Admittedly, it's just not feasible to create a static guide for an ever-changing game. However, Syp does highlight one aspect of the guide that is semi-useful: the career sections. Apparently, it's the only place "with charts that try to detail abilities, morales, tactics and mastery paths," although they're painfully out of date already. If you've purchased any of these guides, let us know what you think. Did you enjoy this? Make sure to check out our Warhammer guides: Massively's Character Creation Guide and our WoW Player's Guide to Warhammer. Plus, don't miss any of our ongoing coverage as Massively goes to WAR!
Revised PotBS Prima eGuide comes with reptilian pal
Flying Lab Software and Prima Guides have put the word out that a revised version of the Prima Pirates of the Burning Sea eGuide is now available. The guide was updated to fit with changes that were made to the game in Build 1.4, and contains handy information like the stats of all ships, strategies and tips, career guides, and a look at the new Buccaneer class.But things like "information" and "strategies" aren't all that you will get with your purchase -- we know that you expect more, and so does Prima. President of Prima Games, Debra Kempker, said, "Continuing in a new tradition of in-game items, we were able to once again offer exclusive content -- something we hope to keep doing in the future." The in-game item you will receive with the PotBS eGuide is the shoulder-lizard you see at the top of this post, a very stylish accessory for any Caribbean adventurer. The eGuide (and shoulder-lizard) will be available from the Prima Games website for $19.99 and is only available in digital format.
Toys "R" Us: Quest for a Brawl deal
Haven't hopped onto the Brawl bandwagon yet? If you're still looking for one more reason to pick up the epic fighter, keep this deal in mind! Starting today until next Sunday, Toys "R" Us will throw in an extra game for half its regular price with every order of Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The list of eligible titles isn't 100% quality, but there are a few that you might be interested in: Bee Movie Game My Sims Mario & Sonic At the Olympic Games Raving Rabbids 2 The Spiderwick Chronicles Super Smash Brothers Brawl (Buy two copies!) Super Smash Bros. Brawl Guide (Prima book) Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (only $14.98!) Now is the time to use up that Super Mario Galaxy gift card you've been saving for a special occasion!%Gallery-3283%
Star Wars Galaxies coming to PS3, say Amazon and Buy.com
If this product page for a Star Wars Galaxies strategy guide from Buy.com (and Amazon.com) are to be believed, then one could reasonably deduce that the troubled MMO will be making its way to the PS3 sometime soon. The evidence? First, that parenthetical platform designation of "Console" for the strat guide. As Galaxies was cancelled for the PS2 a long, long time ago, and there would be no reason to order up a guide for a non-existing game, it would stand to reason that Sony's main MMO not named EverQuest would be seeing some action on the next generation system. And next, that pre-order release date of 4/30/2006. There's a chance that means Prima and the major e-tailers you see here forgot to update their product pages to reflect the delayed PS3 launch (from spring to early November of this year). Either that or they're actually referencing the cancelled PS2 version with a random future date to avoid any responsibility for the thing. Sometimes you just gotta read between the lines. [Thanks, David A.]
