Microsoft XNA Unleashed Review

Microsoft XNA Unleashed is designed to teach programmers how to use Microsoft's XNA Framework to create games for Windows and the Xbox 360. While the XNA Framework was developed to simplify the complicated nature of game programming, this book is by no means written for beginners. If you don't already have a strong background in C# or C++, then you'll quickly become lost and frustrated. Even if you do have a background in software development, you'll find the going a little tough as the book provides only cursory explanations of game concepts before diving into the details of their implementation in XNA. The author is evidently very knowledgeable on the subject, but this intimate knowledge prevents him from presenting the concepts in the book in such a way as to make them intuitive or understandable to those new to the subject. The approach taken to the examples in the book is very straightforward and code-heavy, and the concepts are often lost in the details. This issue is further exacerbated by the dearth of illustrations in the book although they would certainly be an immense aid in helping the reader to grasp the concepts presented in the book.

Microsoft XNA Unleashed can best be described as a cookbook for an experienced chef. It's coverage of the subject matter is extensive, touching on everything from set-up to testing and deployment and covering all major aspects of game development including graphics, physics, and AI. If you're an experienced game developer looking to learn XNA, then this book may be an invaluable reference. However, anyone looking to use this book as an introduction to game development is in for a tough time.

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