Gears of War: Strategy Guide Giveaway

The Xbox 360's first must-have title releases today and I'm happy to say it is definitely worthy of the hype it received. Normally I wouldn't bother to mention review scores from the major gaming sites, but IGN gave it a 9.4, 1Up gave it a 10, and I believe Gamespot gave it a 9.6. And all are justifiable. If I was to grade it, it would definitely be in that range.

Having authored the official guidebook for the game, and spent several weeks at Epic Studios' offices in Cary, NC, I can say with certainty that this was one of the best games that I've written a guidebook for. And I've authored about 50 of them at this point. The game oozes next-gen quality. From the incredibly intuitive and easy-to-master controls, to the pacing, to the difficulty curve, to the incredible eye and ear candy, the game is in a league of its own. And while I readily admit that I am a little biased, I can assure you that I seldom buy a game that I've written a guidebook for, yet I hope to have a copy of Gears of War by tomorrow. I played through the single-player campaign several times alone, I played through it on Hardcore mode cooperatively with an assistant, and I've played over 20 hours of multiplayer. And I still want more. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the sign of a good game.

It's got my stamp of approval!

Now for the giveaway part. First I want to express my sincere apologies to those who requested copies of my Okami book as I have still not yet received them. I was assured yesterday, however, that they were on the same truck as my Gears of War book and I should have them this week. So you will be getting them and, again, I apologize for the delay. As you may or may not know, there are two versions of the Gears of War Official Strategy Guide. One is the regular "Signature Series" version of the guidebook which retails for $19.99 and that is what I'm offering to give away -- just email me your name and address at hgi_doug@yahoo.com and the first three people to do so will get a copy. Then there is the "Limited Edition" version of the book. This $29.99 version is soft-bound and contains the strategy guide along with a 96 page art book. Unfortunately, I only have one copy of the LE version and am most definitely not parting with it. They are relatively rare and will not receive a second printing (hence the word "limited" in the title). However, should I see a copy, I will pick one up and hold a contest for it here on this site.

In the meantime, if you're interested in having a signed copy of the Gears of War Official Strategy Guide, just email me a request with your name and address. If you're one of the first three people to do so, I'll send one out to you.

And stay tuned: the next guidebook givaway won't be until January, but I think there will be plenty of X360 owners looking for help in navigating the extreme condition of the lost planet E.D.N III. Hint, hint.

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