Book on video games offers
previews and reviews

Video games have certainly come a long way. And with so many advancements to make your head spin, what else would you need but a book to help you find your balance.

"The X-Play Insider's Guide to Gaming" Peachpit Press, $29.99

Enter "The X-Play Insider's Guide to Gaming," full of a mishmash of stuff from G4 Tech TV's show "X-Play," which is co-hosted by Adam Sessler and hot gamer girl Morgan Webb and serves up game reviews, previews and other industry tidbits.

The first thing I noticed about this book had nothing to do with the volume itself. It was the full-color reproduction of a several-page magazine article featuring a scantily clad Webb that was included with the review copy of the book.

And no, that wasn't stereotypical jealousy of another woman's assets. Aside from the fact that "sex sells," I had to wonder why Webb was being used to lure reviewers. After all, a gaming book whose title implies offerings of top-secret tips and tricks should be able to get by on content alone.

But take a glance at the table of contents, and you'll understand why sex appeal is being used to sell "Insider's Guide." The book has reviews for, among other games, Silent Hill 3, Halo and Karaoke Revolution. That wouldn't be so bad if you didn't know that there's already a Silent Hill 4 (released in September 2004), Halo 2 (released November 2004) and Karaoke Revolution Vol. 3 (yes, that's volume THREE).

This supposed "Insider's Guide," with a publication date of 2005, is just a tad behind, don't you think?

To be sure, the book does review some more recent games. But the reviews are nothing spectacular and are of the same stuff you could find in, say, the latest issue of EGM (Electronic Gaming Monthly) magazine -- and at least EGM's articles don't start off with the wrinkles of age already showing.

"Insider's Guide" definitely is not for you if you're looking for the lowdown on the latest games. It's dedicated more to collecting what the "X-Play" staff feel are the best reviews they've done during the show's life (it debuted in 2003).

The book does offer a smattering of cheat codes, short descriptions of some genres and interviews with people in the industry, but not enough to call it an "insider's guide to gaming."

Its profiles and Q&As with the "X-Play" staff make the book seem more like an inside look into the show rather than the gaming industry.

If you're a rabid fan of "X-Play" (or Morgan Webb), you might want to plop down the $30 for the book.

It might also make a nice guide to introduce someone to the next generation of video games. Otherwise, just pass this one by.