Book Review: Final Fantasy XIII: The Official Complete Guide (Collector's Edition)

This isn't the review but a brief overview of what's inside the book. I'll post a full review once I finish the book, which will take me a while to go through, and I've to go through the game as well. Anyway, plenty of reviews on the guide are already out on Amazon.

The important thing to note about this collector's edition is, it's numbered and limited in quantity. The print run is 210,000 copies. Mine's numbered 82,293. If you're reading this now, stocks are dwindling in the real world which makes it really hard to find. If you can do without the hardcover and the story recap with screenshots, then you still have the standard edition to count on.

Here's my first impression after flipping through the book. It's very thick at 272 pages because they really use good paper stock. Pictures are generally in high resolution, of which most are actually screenshots. There's no art section, and the only thing that comes close is the story recap at the back which is accompanied, again, by screenshots.

By the way, this guide is also available in different languages beside English.

Product description (aka marketing speak):

• The Final Fantasy XIII collector’s edition guide will be a pristine coffee table book, printed on highest-quality, 100# paper and encased in a hard cover. It will be limited to just one print run and each copy will be sequentially numbered.
• Exclusive additional 16-page section featuring an overview and analysis of the Final Fantasy XIII story
• The 100% complete guide to FINAL FANTASY XIII
• Every secret, every side-quest, every mini-game, every bonus, every Achievement and every Trophy revealed and explained in a dedicated Extras chapter
• Dedicated walkthrough charts the most rewarding path through this epic adventure
• Strategy & Analysis chapter exposes hidden mechanics, advanced battle tactics and techniques for obtaining optimal rewards
• All-encompassing Inventory and Bestiary chapters feature exhaustive lists and tables covering all enemies, weapons and shops
• Bears all the hallmarks of a Piggyback guide, including annotated maps, hi-res screenshots and a wealth of exclusive, official artwork
• Carefully designed to avoid unnecessary story spoilers

Visit the link beside to read more reviews on Amazon. If you buy from the link, I get a little commission that helps me get more art books for review.

Country-specific Amazon links for the paperback edition:
Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.fr | Amazon.de | Amazon.co.jp

Country-specific Amazon links for collector's edition:
Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.fr | Amazon.de | Amazon.co.jp