Best Video Game Books

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Danne

Heyo!

Now! What is everyone's favorite Video game Book?

Strategy guides do not count. The book must tell a story. It can be a comic.

Personally, My favorites are:

Halo: Evolutions

:and:

Mass Effect Book Series
 
I own every Warcraft Novel/Manga/Comic released.

I love them all. However I will NOT claim they're literary masterpieces. I simply love them because they add so much more backround and story to a game I already love dearly.
 
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Danne

I own every Warcraft Novel/Manga/Comic released.

I love them all. However I will NOT claim they're literary masterpieces. I simply love them because they add so much more backround and story to a game I already love dearly.
I agree with that on both of my choices. Even though some of the writing in Evolutions was pretty amazing( *cough*Mona Lisa*cough*)
 
*doesn't see why it's a troll, so sits silently*
It's the one that massively contradicts canon, the one where Gillian suddenly doesn't have autism any more, volus wear open masks instead of sealed environmental suits (which would result in their bodies splitting apart from the pressure difference), batarians snatching slaves from the turian homeworld Palaven, and Aria T'loak suddenly having family members named T'loak despite "Aria T'loak" being a pseudonym.

I haven't read it myself, but the online reaction to it is delicious. And, being a Mass Effect fan myself, I do agree that such errors are pretty bad.
 
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Danne

It's the one that massively contradicts canon, the one where Gillian suddenly doesn't have autism any more, volus wear open masks instead of sealed environmental suits (which would result in their bodies splitting apart from the pressure difference), batarians snatching slaves from the turian homeworld Palaven, and Aria T'loak suddenly having family members named T'loak despite "Aria T'loak" being a pseudonym.

I haven't read it myself, but the online reaction to it is delicious. And, being a Mass Effect fan myself, I do agree that such errors are pretty bad.
AH! haven't read that one. I've read the other 3.
 
The only video game books I've ever read are the Warcraft books.

War of the Ancients and Day of the Dragon are my favorites.
 

North_Ranger

Staff member
I've only read the Warcraft manga and the first Warcraft comic. Both of them... hmm, I believe the expression is "sucked ass". It certainly didn't help that the people translating them were about as imaginative as a plate of lukewarm porridge.
 
I've only read the Warcraft manga and the first Warcraft comic. Both of them... hmm, I believe the expression is "sucked ass". It certainly didn't help that the people translating them were about as imaginative as a plate of lukewarm porridge.
Ah my friend, we are at an impasse on opinion again. ;)
 
I actually agree with NR. The manga and comics were horrible. The novels, particularly those by Richard A Knack are great. The sunwell mangas were just godawfull.
 
Do the Archie Sonic comics count? I like them, but those comics have as little to do with the games as possible. And seeing the new games that may be a good thing.
 
Opinions are awesome cause I disagree partially.

I won't say the comic was amazing because fuck Medan but getting to see the story of Meryl, Varian, Broll, Anduin etc etc etc was amazing and the art was fantastic.
The Manga however I'm going to disagree, I loved the story of Kalec in the Sunwell Trilogy, I loved the stories that came from LEGENDS/SHAMAN/DEATH KNIGHT.

Again, like I said in my first post, none of it is masterpiece theatre and I loved them all because I got more lore that I didn't get in game. That went for the novels/comics/manga.
 
One manga I'd like to read are those Pheonix Wright ones. Though I hear the ones they sell in the states are the one-shot ones, and they don't sell the ones with a clear-shot continuity.
 
Simply having lore doesn't make something passable. The ONLY reason I gritted my teeth and made my way through the Sunwell trilogy was so that I could get the backstory on Kelecgos for Night of the Dragon (which was itself a low point for Richard A Knaak, passable, but not great). It was poorly paced, with terrible art. However, Day of the Dragon, IMO, was a great book regardless of its ties to the warcraft universe.
 
Simply having lore doesn't make something passable. The ONLY reason I gritted my teeth and made my way through the Sunwell trilogy was so that I could get the backstory on Kelecgos for Night of the Dragon (which was itself a low point for Richard A Knaak, passable, but not great). It was poorly paced, with terrible art. However, Day of the Dragon, IMO, was a great book regardless of its ties to the warcraft universe.
Again, I thought the manga/comics were more than passable and quite enjoyable. They added alot of lore in a good way to the series/game for me. I dunno what else to tell you, I already said they weren't masterworks.
 

North_Ranger

Staff member
I couldn't give a toss about the comics after I read the first issue. The comic proper just seemed mediocre at best, and the Finnish translation was just goddamn awful.

And the whole €&/)&"#!! Sunwell manga was even worse in my own personal opinion. The plot was nonsensical, and some of the artwork just made me cringe. The only thing that made Dar'khan memorable was his fine hat. Otherwise he was just like your stereotypical smirking, good-looking-to-the-point-of-androgynous metrosexual manga villain whom you could just hear talking with an obnoxious nasally voice every time he started chewing the scenery. Seriously, I just spent five minutes trying to remember what his bloody name was!

But that's just my opinion.
 
Simply having lore doesn't make something passable. The ONLY reason I gritted my teeth and made my way through the Sunwell trilogy was so that I could get the backstory on Kelecgos for Night of the Dragon (which was itself a low point for Richard A Knaak, passable, but not great). It was poorly paced, with terrible art. However, Day of the Dragon, IMO, was a great book regardless of its ties to the warcraft universe.
I've tried liking Knaak but the dude's main character is a like the ultimate Mary Sue. In a world full of already interesting characters that could use some more love, he comes up with an ultimate bad-ass, carefree, super cool human mage with a hot elf wife a dragon for a best bud.
 

North_Ranger

Staff member
I've tried liking Knaak but the dude's main character is a like the ultimate Mary Sue. In a world full of already interesting characters that could use some more love, he comes up with an ultimate bad-ass, carefree, super cool human mage with a hot elf wife a dragon for a best bud.
In other words, a character that represents 90% of WoW players' character backgrounds? ;)
 
I've tried liking Knaak but the dude's main character is a like the ultimate Mary Sue. In a world full of already interesting characters that could use some more love, he comes up with an ultimate bad-ass, carefree, super cool human mage with a hot elf wife a dragon for a best bud.
You should have kept reading then, it doesn't stay that way long.
 

Zappit

Staff member
Magic the Gathering has been adapted for video games, so I think this counts.

The Brothers' War was not only the best book based on a licensed property I've read, it's an excellent piece of fantasy literature. It's about the battle between Urza and Mishra, and it was damn good.
 
Magic the Gathering has been adapted for video games, so I think this counts.

The Brothers' War was not only the best book based on a licensed property I've read, it's an excellent piece of fantasy literature. It's about the battle between Urza and Mishra, and it was damn good.
I loved many many of those books, titles completely escape me right now but I did quite love the Brother's War.
 

GasBandit

Staff member
Krondor: The Betrayal. Originally a PC RPG ("Betrayal at Krondor") set in Midkemia of the Riftwar series by Raymond Feist, Feist later novelized them back into Canon. The whole series is worth a read, starting with Magician: Apprentice, though I must admit these days (around book 22 or so) he's kinda started phoning it in a little bit.
 
Magic the Gathering has been adapted for video games, so I think this counts.

The Brothers' War was not only the best book based on a licensed property I've read, it's an excellent piece of fantasy literature. It's about the battle between Urza and Mishra, and it was damn good.
The Brothers' War was definitely a high point for licensed novelizations.
 
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