PopcornTreeCt

I don't think there's any shame in using them. I'm using the Fallout Wiki to find the Sunset Sarsaparilla star bottle caps... thought I could probably do without a guide, it's just easier.

Kedrix

Geez...I was really hoping that somebody wouldn't take the conversation and turn it into, I can go to Gamefaqs, blah blah blah. I didn't think that was the intent of the thread but whatever. The reason I buy game guides (but never at full price) is the same reason I buy books over digital readers. I like something handy that I can read and enjoy and for me, it's easier to use a game guide than a long mountain of text. It's personal preference. Same reason I like manuals, same reason insert physical vs digital argument here.

orangecrush

I don't do those kinds of achievements with or without a guide. They are tedious at best.

orangecrush

I can easily see buying some of the collectors edition guides even though I wouldn't do it. Some of them are super nice.

Dragon Fly

I can't recall the last time I got stuck on something game-wise. I basically just use youtube or gamefaqs to find achievements that I can't seem to get, but not necessarily to help me with the game.

TheBigDave

+1

Watching a walkthrough video is so much better than reading a guide.

I often buy the guidebooks, especially for MP games like COD. I enjoy reading the strategies and checking out the maps. Even though the info is free online, I just prefer having a book to flip through.

Back to the original topic. I don't enjoy games that are frustrating. If I die 4-5 times in the same spot, I'll look up a FAQ or video walkthrough. If I die another 3-4 times after that, I'll try dropping the difficulty. But if I've died around a dozen times in the same area, I'll usually stop playing. And if that happens, I'll probably never play the game again.

Pizza

Right after I press start.
Quite frankly, I wish there was a law that forced an endless lives mode in all video games. That way kids under 4-years-old and myself can play for fun.

DthRdrX

HAHA! I have a friend that would go to the store and buy the game and the guide on release day, take it home and finish the game asap. He's been doing this forever.

I only use a guide if I feel Controller Rage popping up.

fujishig

I like well-written, well-produced guides. Doublejump does a great job, though I haven't bought one of their guides since Disgaea 3. Some of the Prima ones just look shoddy, and I have some guides I got when they were pennied out that are pretty much paperweights.

By far the worst guide of all time was Final Fantasy IX (which was a great game). Square was experimenting with their website (Playonline) at the time, and on every page, you'd have to look at the website to get the actual strategy. It was like a slap in the face telling you that you should just look up solutions online instead of wasting time and money on a strategy guide.

I would buy more strategy guides if they made them as in-depth and colorful as some of the Japanese guides.

al_bundy

get an ipad

you can use it like a book when you need a guide by going to the website, and the money you save will pay for it

playing mass effect now and every time i visit a planet i have my ipad by me to look at the map to find all the hidden crap

al_bundy

i don't even go to gamefaq's. either youtube the level i'm on, there are a bunch of wikis for a lot of games or just google where you are stuck and chances are you will get a link to the exact site

boredsilly

I'm with you. There is a fine line between exploration being fun, and getting stuck having no clue where to go next. Likewise, I have absolutely no patience for getting stuck in games. It's not even an issue of time, so much as I just don't find running around a map for the 15th time looking for that door I missed to be fun at all. I will check out a faq/tutorial/guide in a second.

Spiderbite

After a few tries. I don't have time to fuck around.

Giantrobo

Awesome post

DeanoBKN

I always have a GameFAQS guide bookmarked in case I need to quickly access it.

I will always try a game out on my own, but if I am stuck I will use a guide. I don't have much free time to play games, so the last thing I need to do is waste time. I like to complete every game I play.

I also like to know how far I am in the game. Just a weird habit I have.

Wick

I don't use guides. Haven't in years.

I guess the last two games I used guides for were Silent Hill: Homecoming and Alone in the Dark. They're the only two I've used guides for this generation and I've rarely used them since the end of the N64 era, when I was younger and occasionally looked at 'em.

Silent Hill asked me to insert an obelisk key into a certain hole to unlock the next area. I searched high and low for that and even backtracked as far as possible. Turned out it was in the same room, but it was so dark that it couldn't be seen. So, it was just trial and error. Friends commented on the same issue.

In Alone in the Dark, I had an issue with a puzzle not working correctly even though I had the right idea. Used it for a couple puzzles, but that was it.