Question of the Day, November 1, 2010

[carpathic]

I just read a pretty solid Mass Effect novel. Helped fill out the universe some. Especially with how light those games can be with interaction with NPCs.

 

[soren7550]

If I really like the series, I will pick up any books about it. Does that mean the books are good? Lord no. The second Gears of War book was painfully slow and dull, and Resistance: The Gathering Storm was littered with typos and plot holes. However, Anvil Gate is crucial in setting up Gears 3's story (and is pretty good too) and the Halo books explained why Johnson was still alive, something that bothered me.

Pretty much this.

The Perfect Dark books & comic were beyond excellent, the Mass Effect books were good (the third one however wasn't), and the Assassin's Creed book was meh. I'm still trying to get my hands on the Fable book. (the one book store by me has royally screwed me over with that one, among other things)

 

[thublihnk]

They always feel desperate and shoved out, they're never better than the game, and if they add anything that needed to be experienced from the game then they weren't all that great anyway. I'd rather read a good book about something unrelated, or play an expansion pack any day. And yes, I still call them expansion packs, DLC sounds stupid.

 

[AvsJoe]

I've read the first three Halo novels, two of the Turok books, and a Splinter Cell book. I've yet to dislike a video game novelization; in fact, I place The Fall of Reach among my top 20 or 25 favourite books of all time.

 

[cubikill]

Sometimes, The Halo novels, the Mass Effect novels, and the Dragon Age novels are great because their game worlds have back story. Their worlds are bigger than the games. For instance In Halo:CE they referred to reach, no one knew what reach was at the time. But as for Uncharted, as much as i loved the game, I dont think a novel will work.

 

[Eumersian]

I read one of those once. It was really boring, but maybe I was just too young to appreciate it.

 

[XT inc]

Ill be honest I think they should ban devs from making books. Its like they have free reign to rip out the plot and tuck it away in the novels and expanded universe stuff. Seriously I didn't know what the main plot of halo was until I watched legends, and then I laughed so hard because it went down like an scientology story.

 

[RedBeta22]

The only good video game novels IMO, are Eric Nylund's Halo novels and Drew Karpyshyn's Mass Effect Trilogy. I've read a few others, all crap made for a quick buck.

 

[Blindswordmaster]

I own, and have read, all of the Halo books. I enjoyed them greatly. 'Nuff said.

 

[thenamelessloser]

I'm not really into video game novel tie ins but some video game manuals have great writing though. Fallout 1&2 and Arcanum's manuals are some of the most entertaining writing I ever read in my life.

 

[StBishop]

When they are actually good

The new forgotten realms book by R. A. Salvatore will be awesome. All of his other books are amazing.

OT: I'm yet to read a book based on a vidya game. I would also suggest that 40k books don't count as video game books as warhammer novels existed before warhammer games in non tabletop format existed.

 

[pneuma08]

I was just thinking about this, but you know what could benefit from some novels? The Fallout series. Not really novelizations of the stories the game tells, for instance, but stories that take place in the Fallout universe.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

It is very hit and miss. Protip: take it out from a library before buying it.

 

[Thorvan]

I like it, but only when it can actually add some depth to the game. Example, the World of Warcraft novel The Shattering. It goes into more detail the inner workings of the Alliance and Horde's mindsets and important facts that lead up to the (as-of-now) upcoming expansion, Cataclysm. It goes into more detail than the games themselves can go into on things such as Garrosh Hellscream and Cairne Bloodhoof's duel, Moira Thaurissan's return to claim the throne of Ironforge until her newborn Ironforge/Dark Iron son can take the rule for himself (VERY long story), et cetera. However a bad novelization of a game just wallows in the original, such as the Halo novelizations.

Did it say that Falstad Wildhammer was going to be on the Council of Three Hammers?

 

[The Great JT]

I like it, but only when it can actually add some depth to the game. Example, the World of Warcraft novel The Shattering. It goes into more detail the inner workings of the Alliance and Horde's mindsets and important facts that lead up to the (as-of-now) upcoming expansion, Cataclysm. It goes into more detail than the games themselves can go into on things such as Garrosh Hellscream and Cairne Bloodhoof's duel, Moira Thaurissan's return to claim the throne of Ironforge until her newborn Ironforge/Dark Iron son can take the rule for himself (VERY long story), et cetera. However a bad novelization of a game just wallows in the original, such as the Halo novelizations.

Did it say that Falstad Wildhammer was going to be on the Council of Three Hammers?

Oh, think we're clever, do we?

As far as I know, it is Falstad Wildhammer who's in Ironforge and Kurdran's...well I don't know where Kurdran is. He's probably still hanging around in Shadowmoon Valley.

 

[crudus]

I read Brute Force book. I actually liked it. Although it left me unsatisfied. Now, I would only read something if it expanded the (fictional)universe in a good way.

 

[latenightapplepie]

I'm starting to get really irritated by this. I don't want to read novels or read comics of the Mass Effect, Halo or whatever other game universe I like. I want to play games of these stories.

 

[Agayek]

It depends entirely on the content of the specific book. If it's basically telling the story of a game, I'm not a fan, but if it expands on the backstory I'm all for it. As long as the book adds to and enriches the world of the game and doesn't just retread the same ground, I'm all for it.

 

[MorteSphere]

I hate them because they're shitty and inaccurate.
I once read a splinter cell novel where his FRAG grenades were remote operated c4.

I was pissed.

>Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell
>Tom Clancy is an author
>Splinter Cell novel wasn't even written by Tom Clancy

Ha ha ha. Anything with Tom Clancy in the name invariably has nothing to do with him, and novelizations of Tom Clancy games are always big, hilarious paradoxes.