Rating: 
Summary: Useless
Review: Purchased guide after defeating game to go back and pick up missed items. Found online refrences to everything. I don't want to use the computer and like the idea of having all the info at my hands without having to get up and look for it. This book is totally useless. Save your money, buy a cd.
Rating: 
Summary: It was good
Review: This was a good strategy guide. The main point of a strategy guide is to tell you what to do for the main course of the game. It is not really supposed to focus on side quests that aren't required. You should figure that out on your own. I do have to admit though with other people, it is annoying that when you want to look for something that you really want to accomplish that is a side quest, it says that go to PlayOnline. That can be frustrating. Other than that, it was pretty good for giving you strategy and step by step. If you want this guide, jsut don't expect help on side quests. This book is only good for the main course and what to do that is required, no optional stuff at all pretty much.
Rating:
Summary: Worst Guidebook Square's Ever Made!
Review: If I could give this ZERO stars or even delve into the neighborhood of NEGATIVE stars, believe me, I would!OK, here's the deal: I buy Final Fantasy IX. I love the Final Fantasy Series, even though NOTHING will ever top FFVII! So, anyways, I also buy the OFFICIAL strategy guide from Brady Games, the very one I'm writing about. Now, I don't know about you, but when I buy a strategy guide, I'm willing to allow a few ommissions, but usually only from an "unauthorized" guide. VS BOOKS put out an EXCELLENT guide for FFVII that I wholly recommend, even though there were a few things left out. No problem, I was just delighted to find them myself! Now, when I bought THIS guide I thought, what do I even need a guide for? I paid $11 for a WALKTHROUGH! Ommissions? They BRAG about it! "Go to PLAYONLINE! Go To PLAYONLINE!" Here's some news, Square and Brady Games... If I wanted to have to get up from my Playstation and log online EVERY SINGLE TIME I NEEDED TO KNOW SOMETHING, I wouldn't have bought your stupid guide! Now, the problem is, I am unable to find another guide! So, I guess I have to make do with this stupid thing until I can locate another guide, hopefully an UNAUTHORIZED one this time! Trust me, DO NOT waste your money on this. Caveat Emptor!
Rating:
Summary: Helpful in the least way
Review: I picked up this book along with the game and sad to say this book was of no help. It seemed like an advertisement for the website that had the "real secrets". Whats the real kicker is that this guide tells you just enough to get you by, meanwhile your still lost or still don't understand what you are suposed to do. The fact that it says to go to that certain website is bad enough but half the time the site is down! Save your money. Maybe this book is suposed to be symbolic? ;)
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your money
Review: Few things disappoint me enough to actually write a review. This guide book is a joke compared to others I have purchased for the previous games. I wouldn't be so upset if the web site that it constantly refers to was actually useful. The site isn't searchable, and none of the hints have links to the other sections they reference. About the only useful things in this book are the list of weapons and skills, and the map. Things I would have liked to see, besides actual help and not just codes to look up stuff on the web site, would be a list of weaknesses for the monsters listed in the back, locations for some of the weapons and armor, etc. As the other reviews have stated, there are many online help sites with way more information than this guide and the PlayOnline site combined, and they won't cost you a penny. Save yourself the money, go online and find yourself a few decent walkthroughs. You'll be glad you did.
Rating: 
Summary: Annoying to say the least.
Review: I should have read the reviews here before I bought the book. I am very disappointed. All of the information on the site is free, the only problem is it's not printable. I don't like this "we don't wish to spoil the game" .... I buy a strat guide so I can sit down at the tv and play the game while looking at a book, not having to pause every 5 mins, run to the computer and check the internet. The website is buggy as hell as well. It likes to freeze on me. I am very disappointed and I think that playonline owes it to us to create a printable version with all of the secrets.
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your money.
Review: I never thought I could waste my money buying a strategy guide because at the very least I would be getting some helpful hints. How wrong I was. This is the worst "official" strategy guide I've ever seen, and a total waste of money. This book does have some helpful info, but what makes this book stand out is what it lacks. This is the last time I make the mistake of buying *any* book without checking Amazon's reviews first. Basically the other reviewers are right -- there are these "keywords" scattered on virtually every page of the walkthrough. The keywords allow you to read a more detailed hint on some web site. Um, hello, what did you think I just spent my money for? How would you like it, for example, if you wanted to read "War and Peace," paid money for the book, but instead received the Cliffs' Notes version of the book, which provided links for you to read the actual text on the internet, on a web site that doesn't work? I buy strategy guides because I want a complete, exhaustive source of information for a particular game all in one book. If I wanted to go online for hints, I would have just downloaded one of the free complete walkthroughs on the net that has all the answers in one spot (which is exactly what I ended up doing). If BradyGames wanted to be accurate, they should have called this the "Official, but Incomplete" strategy guide. Don't buy this book unless you want to experience being totally ripped off.
Rating:
Summary: HORRIBLE! DO NOT BUY!
Review: Save your money and check out FAQs and dedicated web sites, because you'll be spending just as much time online. I wrote ... a complaint letter and they responded that, they didn't want to spoil all of the secrets and hold the reader's hand through the game. Well if that's the case, then why not put all of the "spoilers" in the back of the book or something? If I wanted to turn to the internet for every little clue, then I would (you guessed it) just go to the internet. The reason that I like strategy guides that tell me everything is because I have very little time (hour a week...maybe) to play video games, but I love them. I feel that I can make the most of my time if I can "plow through" the game and go, "That was fun...next". If people don't like spoilers then here's a tip...DON'T READ THEM! It's not like someone is holding a gun to your head. In any case, this book is bad but unfortunately there isn't another one out there. But as I've said, you're going to have to rely on the internet so you may as well save your money. (wish amazon had 0 star ratings)
Rating:
Summary: Not totally helpful
Review: I picked this strategy guide up with the game, like I usually do when I buy a new Final Fantasy. The difference this time was that it didn't offer the kind of information that a strategy guide should offer. It would start to tell you about a secret and then it would refer you to Squaresoft's "PlayOnline website" where you could learn more information. It does this all the time, at least twice or three times per page, and while it is neat to look all of the information up on the website, which is pretty well made, sometimes it is more convenient to have a guide sitting next to you while you play the game than to run to the computer every time you have a question.
Rating:
Summary: playonline... what a joke
Review: I didnt pay for a strategy guide just to be referenced to the internet.. the whole idea is to have it right there in my hands... if i wanted to search online.. i wouldnt have bought the book.. The only reason i even gave it a 3 is because it had SOME help info... in limited supply though
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