The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons & Oracle of Ages: Prima's Official Strategy Guide

Rating:
Summary: Prima drops the ball
Review: I must say that I've been playing Zelda games since 1987 when the first one was released. I've been using Prima guides for Zelda games since the first book came out in the early 90s covering "A Link to the Past". Since then I've been using Prima Guides ever since after beating the Zelda games at least once in order to find the secrets I just couldn't find prior, and I have always found Prima to be the BEST at making guides, particularly for Zelda games. In fact, I can categorically say that their guide "Link's Awakening DX" is one of the best ever released for any game in the industry.

Now I am faced with two very recent exceptions. One is their guide for "The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker", and the other is this guide. In fact, this guide isn't just bad for Prima, it is possibly the worst Zelda guide I have ever tried to use.

As mentioned I had already beaten the games, each twice: Once starting with Oracle of Seasons, and then linking to Oracle of Ages, and then once starting with Oracle of Ages, and linking to Oracle of Seasons. Yet even after beating these games, and knowing most of the secrets and details of both of them, I found this guide EXTREMELY confusing. I couldn't easily map my experience to the guide's content, and often found it in error. It was difficult to view the maps, as they were very small, and usually sectioned off with little context. The details of game play were simply not instructive (or even comparable) to direct game play. The best thing about it was the cartoons, but that is the most cosmetic and least instructive thing about the whole guide.

I suggest skipping this guide altogether. Heck, even the Nintendo Power guide was better than this one. I won't be giving up on Prima, but I hope this latest trend doesn't continue.

Rating:
Summary: Prima drops the ball
Review: I must say that I've been playing Zelda games since 1987 when the first one was released. I've been using Prima guides for Zelda games since the first book came out in the early 90s covering "A Link to the Past". Since then I've been using Prima Guides ever since after beating the Zelda games at least once in order to find the secrets I just couldn't find prior, and I have always found Prima to be the BEST at making guides, particularly for Zelda games. In fact, I can categorically say that their guide "Link's Awakening DX" is one of the best ever released for any game in the industry.

Now I am faced with two very recent exceptions. One is their guide for "The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker", and the other is this guide. In fact, this guide isn't just bad for Prima, it is possibly the worst Zelda guide I have ever tried to use.

As mentioned I had already beaten the games, each twice: Once starting with Oracle of Seasons, and then linking to Oracle of Ages, and then once starting with Oracle of Ages, and linking to Oracle of Seasons. Yet even after beating these games, and knowing most of the secrets and details of both of them, I found this guide EXTREMELY confusing. I couldn't easily map my experience to the guide's content, and often found it in error. It was difficult to view the maps, as they were very small, and usually sectioned off with little context. The details of game play were simply not instructive (or even comparable) to direct game play. The best thing about it was the cartoons, but that is the most cosmetic and least instructive thing about the whole guide.

I suggest skipping this guide altogether. Heck, even the Nintendo Power guide was better than this one. I won't be giving up on Prima, but I hope this latest trend doesn't continue.

Rating:
Summary: Too confusing
Review: I was disappointed in this book. It's too much page flipping. If you don't do EXACTLY what the book says, you get totally lost!!! I quit playing the game early out of frustration. That's just me. OH well.. if you decide to buy this, have patience...

Rating:
Summary: Could be WAY better
Review: I'll list the pros and cons of this book one after the other; hopefully it's not too confusing...

Pros:

A great enemy list!

Okay boss strategies

Only guide so far to use coordinates (I find that fact surprising; the Zelda games are THE games to use coordinates with!)

Has an okay section about passwords

Nice cartoons

Cons:

Maps are TINY, boundaries not well marked, does not show inside of houses

Screenshots are small and blurry

Walkthrough is confusing; it might say something like, "In the next room, push the block and open the chest. In the next room, use the key," and it doesn't give details on WHICH keyhole to use the key on, and WHICH room is the "next" one. The could have used coordinates to their advantage way better than they did

The whole thing is somewhat monotonous

Cartoons, while cool, are VERY distracting. They are just plopped down anywhere; you might be in a section when you're encountering Zoras, and right there is a picture of a Goron!

Some AWFUL typos; it got me all confused about the Harp of Ages. It said that the Tune Of Currents made a temporrary Time Portal, that the Tune of Ages activated Time Portals, and that the Tune of Echoes gave you tital freedom to travel in time. Then it said that you wouldn't get the ToC until later on in the game. The real scoop on the Harp is this: The Tune of Echoes (the frist tune you get) activates Time Portals; the Tune of Currents (the second tune you get) lets you move from the past to the present (it does create a temporary Time Portal, but that's not it's main purpose) and the Tune of Ages lets you go from Past to Present and Present to Past. Those typos really got me mixed up.

Overall, this guide seemed like it was carelessely slapped together, and though it has some stuff you won't find in the Versus Guide, it has a lot more stuff that Versus does WAY better in.

Rating:
Summary: Ummm..
Review: its a good guide. I think i could have managed w/o it though.

Rating:
Summary: Prima Perfection
Review: Put simply this book is excellent. True to form Prima have delivered a master piece which leaves the other guides ducking for cover. This book has everything, great art work, clear diagrams and presice explanations on how to complete levels. Plus there's that classic subtle Prima humour incorperated into every section. I have all the Prima Zelda guides and I really havent been able to fault them. They are easily the best on the market for in-depth, clear cut presentation of a game guide. Anyone who has given these games a go will be able to use this guide, and this guide could easily allow you to play through the games from start to finish. Recomended above all others.

Rating:
Summary: I STINKS MAN!!!
Review: This book is the WORST zelda book EVER!!! The map are so tiny! I need a microscope to see the it! It make me and my friends so confused! I would suggest to get The Lengend of Zelda oracle of Ages&Seasons from Versus Books.

Rating:
Summary: Could be WAY better
Review: This guide is helpful- don't get me wrong. If you are really good at Zelda and don't need much help then this guide is perfect for you- but they often skip over rooms and give short desriptions of things that don't make much sense making it a pretty bad guide for those of you who need the extra push. I've seen a lot of better guides than this and for the record they usually aren't Prima's. Try another guide-- this one is OK but you could find better.