Difference between revisions of "Hot Tips for the Coolest Nintendo Games"

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[[Image:Consumer Guide - Hot Tips for the Coolest Nintendo Games - Paperback - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|Original cover.]]
 
[[Image:Consumer Guide - Hot Tips for the Coolest Nintendo Games - Paperback - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|Original cover.]]
  
'''''Consumer Guide: Hot Tips for the Coolest Nintendo Games''''' is a video game hint book written for [[Consumer Guide]] and published in 1990. It contains unlicensed hints for over 20 for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] and [[Game Boy]]. The games featured in the book include:
+
'''''Consumer Guide: Hot Tips for the Coolest Nintendo Games''''', later re-titled '''''Consumer Guide: Winning at Nintendo: Hot Tips for the Coolest Games''''', is an unlicensed video game hint book written for [[Consumer Guide]] and published in 1990. It contains hints for 23 games released for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] or [[Game Boy]]. The games featured in the book include:
  
 
{|
 
{|
Line 9: Line 9:
 
* ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man (Game Boy)|The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' (Game Boy)
 
* ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man (Game Boy)|The Amazing Spider-Man]]'' (Game Boy)
 
* ''[[Bases Loaded II: Second Season]]''
 
* ''[[Bases Loaded II: Second Season]]''
 +
* ''[[Batman (Game Boy)|Batman]]'' (Game Boy)
 
* ''[[Batman (video game)|Batman]]'' (NES)
 
* ''[[Batman (video game)|Batman]]'' (NES)
* ''[[Batman (Game Boy)|Batman]]'' (Game Boy)
+
* ''[[A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia]]''
 +
* ''[[Castlevania: The Adventure]]''
 
|
 
|
* ''[[A Boy and His Blob]]''
 
* ''[[Castlevania: The Adventure]]''
 
 
* ''[[Code Name: Viper]]''
 
* ''[[Code Name: Viper]]''
 
* ''[[Demon Sword]]''
 
* ''[[Demon Sword]]''
 
* ''[[Double Dragon II: The Revenge (NES)|Double Dragon II: The Revenge]]'' (NES)
 
* ''[[Double Dragon II: The Revenge (NES)|Double Dragon II: The Revenge]]'' (NES)
 
* ''[[DuckTales (video game)|DuckTales]]'' (NES)
 
* ''[[DuckTales (video game)|DuckTales]]'' (NES)
|
 
 
* ''[[Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos]]''
 
* ''[[Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos]]''
 
* ''[[Rescue: The Embassy Mission]]''
 
* ''[[Rescue: The Embassy Mission]]''
 
* ''[[Revenge of the 'Gator]]''
 
* ''[[Revenge of the 'Gator]]''
 
* ''[[Silent Service]]''
 
* ''[[Silent Service]]''
 +
| style="vertical-align:top;" |
 
* ''[[Super C]]''
 
* ''[[Super C]]''
 
* ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]''
 
* ''[[Super Mario Bros. 3]]''
| style="vertical-align:top;" |
 
 
* ''[[Super Mario Land]]''
 
* ''[[Super Mario Land]]''
 
* ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (video game)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' (NES)
 
* ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (video game)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' (NES)
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==Personal==
 
==Personal==
In order to encourage me to read, my mother would frequently buy me books through my school's monthly [[Scholastic]] book catalog. Every time I saw a video game themed book, it was always at the top of my list. This book served as great advertising for the games within because, by making me familiar with them, I was more apt to rent or buy them. I ended up buying ''[[Wrath of the Black Manta]]'' because of this book, and rented ''[[A Boy and His Blob]]'' and ''[[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance (video game)|Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance]]''. However, as I played the various games, I discovered that most of the hints were pretty unhelpful, and several of them were entirely incorrect.
+
{{BookStatus
 +
| Own      = I own one of the versions
 +
| Read    = I read the version I own
 +
| Finished = 1990
 +
}}
  
==Status==
+
In order to encourage me to read, my mother would frequently buy me books through my school's monthly [[Scholastic]] book catalog. Every time I saw a video game themed book, it was always at the top of my list to buy, which is how I got this one. This book served as great advertising for the games within because, by making me familiar with them, I was more apt to buy or rent them. I ended up buying ''[[Wrath of the Black Manta]]'' because of this book, and rented ''[[A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia]]'' and ''[[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance (video game)|Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance]]''. However, as I played the various games, I discovered that most of the hints were not very helpful at all.
I own this book.
 
  
 
==Review==
 
==Review==
 +
{{BookRating|3}}
 +
 
===Good===
 
===Good===
* The book serves as a nice way to introduce young readers to a variety of games, and, most of the titles included in the book are worth playing.
+
* The book serves as a nice way to introduce young readers to a variety of games, and most of the titles they cover in the book are worth playing.
 +
* There are well-over 200 screenshots, something that was hard to come by in 1990.
 +
* For games with passwords, several are included which will help you skip to later levels, and there are several codes for extra lives and tricks for finding bonus games.
 +
 
 +
===Bad===
 +
* Lacking any licensing, the illustrations are all generic and many of them are uninspired (bullet holes, explosions, clouds) or inaccurate.
 +
* For most of the games, the book only covers the first 20 minutes or so of game play. This isn't very helpful since most of what they write about for each game the player will quickly pickup on their own.
 +
* There are a few misspellings and typos.
 +
 
 +
===Ugly===
 +
* The vast majority of the "hot tips" are basic knowledge you'd get from the manual like, "100 coins gives Mario a free life." Some of them are even wrong, for example, they confuse Bebop with Rocksteady in ''TMNT''.
  
 
==Media==
 
==Media==
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Consumer Guide - Hot Tips for the Coolest Nintendo Games.pdf|Complete book.
 
Consumer Guide - Hot Tips for the Coolest Nintendo Games.pdf|Complete book.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 +
 +
==Links==
 +
{{Link|GoodReads|https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57892591-winning-at-nintendo}}
 +
 +
 +
[[Category: Books]]
 +
[[Category: Hint Books]]
 +
[[Category: Video Game Books]]

Revision as of 16:49, 9 December 2022

Original cover.

Consumer Guide: Hot Tips for the Coolest Nintendo Games, later re-titled Consumer Guide: Winning at Nintendo: Hot Tips for the Coolest Games, is an unlicensed video game hint book written for Consumer Guide and published in 1990. It contains hints for 23 games released for the Nintendo Entertainment System or Game Boy. The games featured in the book include:

Personal

Own?I own one of the versions
Read?I read the version I own
Finished1990

In order to encourage me to read, my mother would frequently buy me books through my school's monthly Scholastic book catalog. Every time I saw a video game themed book, it was always at the top of my list to buy, which is how I got this one. This book served as great advertising for the games within because, by making me familiar with them, I was more apt to buy or rent them. I ended up buying Wrath of the Black Manta because of this book, and rented A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance. However, as I played the various games, I discovered that most of the hints were not very helpful at all.

Review

Overall:

Rating-3.svg

Good

  • The book serves as a nice way to introduce young readers to a variety of games, and most of the titles they cover in the book are worth playing.
  • There are well-over 200 screenshots, something that was hard to come by in 1990.
  • For games with passwords, several are included which will help you skip to later levels, and there are several codes for extra lives and tricks for finding bonus games.

Bad

  • Lacking any licensing, the illustrations are all generic and many of them are uninspired (bullet holes, explosions, clouds) or inaccurate.
  • For most of the games, the book only covers the first 20 minutes or so of game play. This isn't very helpful since most of what they write about for each game the player will quickly pickup on their own.
  • There are a few misspellings and typos.

Ugly

  • The vast majority of the "hot tips" are basic knowledge you'd get from the manual like, "100 coins gives Mario a free life." Some of them are even wrong, for example, they confuse Bebop with Rocksteady in TMNT.

Media

Covers

Book

Links

Link-GoodReads.png