View Poll Results: Do you still buy Strategy guides?
yes
10
18.18%
no:
45
81.82%
Voters: 55. You may not vote on this poll
Game Guides?
#1
DVD Talk Legend
Thread Starter
Game Guides?
Inspired by the bus comment in a previous thread. I'll only buy a game guide only if the game is complex and big like grand theft auto san andreas, or the Elder Scrolls games. Other than that i just look to gamefaqs which is always helpful.
#3
DVD Talk Godfather
Join Date: Apr 1999
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I used to buy them when I would reach a particularly difficult area of a game. But they're so $$$$ I stopped.
Now I just read specific sections while at the counter in Gamestop, or I'll get the info from the Net.
Now I just read specific sections while at the counter in Gamestop, or I'll get the info from the Net.
Last edited by Giantrobo; 06-15-08 at 02:54 PM.
#4
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Generally, no. Gamefaqs. The only ones I've bought were:
Oblivion (had coupon)
Nocturne (discount with buying the game
FFX-2 and Dragon Quest VIII (cheap as heck online)
Twilight Princess (free with coupon).
I will definitely admit a well done guide (pictures, indexed, etc) is much better than a huge text file, or at least much more fun to read, but it's really difficult to spend 15-25 bucks on a guide, especially when most games don't really require that depth.
Oblivion (had coupon)
Nocturne (discount with buying the game
FFX-2 and Dragon Quest VIII (cheap as heck online)
Twilight Princess (free with coupon).
I will definitely admit a well done guide (pictures, indexed, etc) is much better than a huge text file, or at least much more fun to read, but it's really difficult to spend 15-25 bucks on a guide, especially when most games don't really require that depth.
#5
Suspended
Why would I pay money for a book that usually contains worse information than what I can get for free on the internet?
I think the only one I've ever bought is for one of the Civilization games, just because it was convienient to have all the tables and numbers in hard copy.
I think the only one I've ever bought is for one of the Civilization games, just because it was convienient to have all the tables and numbers in hard copy.
#6
DVD Talk Hero
I still love the Doublejump ones, though I don't love them enough to buy one for, say, a Castlevania DS game. I find that a really well-designed guide for a relatively deep game that I'll play for a long time is worth it to me... and that a guide for a game that I'll play for maybe 1 hour isn't even worth the penny they're marked down to.
#9
Moderator
No. I play games for an interactive experience. I feel like I'm losing that if I'm playing from a guide. Might as well watch a movie or a television show instead.
#11
DVD Talk Limited Edition
I bought one for Zork, because I couldn't find my way through the caves.
#12
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
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I rarely buy guides, but when I do, it's more for the Art than anything. Mostly it's for Fighting games, because the artwork is pretty good and the Soundtracks are cool.
Automatic ones, for me...on any game in these series...
Soul Calibur
Street Fighter
Guilty Gear
Darkstalkers
Tekken
And I own all of the different guides for Final Fantasy VII. Yes, including the Versus one, in perfect condition from release day, poster intact. Got a few of the old Gamefan Books guides too (they rocked, lots of good artwork). My fave guide ever has to be the Gamefan guide for Soul Edge, or the original Street Fighter Alpha one with all the sketches. Good stuff there.
I have picked up a few other guides, but it was when they were pennied out at gamestop or Best Buy, like Gears of War, the Punisher, etc...
Automatic ones, for me...on any game in these series...
Soul Calibur
Street Fighter
Guilty Gear
Darkstalkers
Tekken
And I own all of the different guides for Final Fantasy VII. Yes, including the Versus one, in perfect condition from release day, poster intact. Got a few of the old Gamefan Books guides too (they rocked, lots of good artwork). My fave guide ever has to be the Gamefan guide for Soul Edge, or the original Street Fighter Alpha one with all the sketches. Good stuff there.
I have picked up a few other guides, but it was when they were pennied out at gamestop or Best Buy, like Gears of War, the Punisher, etc...
#15
DVD Talk Legend
I never buy a guide, no.
I do bookmark online walkthrus for every game I'm playing, however. I only use them after I've exhausted everything I can think of to advance.
I do bookmark online walkthrus for every game I'm playing, however. I only use them after I've exhausted everything I can think of to advance.
#16
DVD Talk Godfather
I don't think I've ever bought a guide, although I used them sometimes. I generally resort to GameFaqs etc. once I get stuck. The last few missions on Oblivion I did using only GameFaqs because at that point I was past 100 hours on the game and desperately needed to rejoin society in general and I couldn't do it until the game was beaten.
#18
DVD Talk Limited Edition
I used to buy them sometimes for RPGs, so I wouldn't miss anything, but then I found myself just playing by the book, so now I stay away.
If I get stuck or lost or just too damn frustrated, I check gamefaqs but that's usually for something specific, so I still enjoy playing the game.
If I get stuck or lost or just too damn frustrated, I check gamefaqs but that's usually for something specific, so I still enjoy playing the game.
#19
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Originally Posted by Ginwen
I used to buy them sometimes for RPGs, so I wouldn't miss anything, but then I found myself just playing by the book, so now I stay away.
If I get stuck or lost or just too damn frustrated, I check gamefaqs but that's usually for something specific, so I still enjoy playing the game.
If I get stuck or lost or just too damn frustrated, I check gamefaqs but that's usually for something specific, so I still enjoy playing the game.
You know what doing all the subquests earned me? Killing the endboss in something like 3 rounds.
I don't hit them up much now anymore. I have a pile of them I got for cheap (sub $5) on a internet-coupon-code fiasco like Shadow of the Colossus, and I will hit them up once in a while when I have trouble.
I also like to collect oldschool and classic guides, but I've been selling them in recent years to reduce clutter. Still have my Dragon Warrior IV guide though (pretty valuable).
#21
DVD Talk Legend
I would occasionally buy them used if the strategy has a need for maps and other visual elements that can't be conveyed effectively in a text file (kind of like how driving with a GPS or map is nicer than just having directions). I wish GameFAQs would get with the 21st century and allow some HTML to be used in the guides.
These days, however, YouTube can provide video of how to find certain objectives, so it's easier than ever to find info without buying a guide.
These days, however, YouTube can provide video of how to find certain objectives, so it's easier than ever to find info without buying a guide.
#22
Suspended
Originally Posted by Drexl
I would occasionally buy them used if the strategy has a need for maps and other visual elements that can't be conveyed effectively in a text file (kind of like how driving with a GPS or map is nicer than just having directions). I wish GameFAQs would get with the 21st century and allow some HTML to be used in the guides.
These days, however, YouTube can provide video of how to find certain objectives, so it's easier than ever to find info without buying a guide.
These days, however, YouTube can provide video of how to find certain objectives, so it's easier than ever to find info without buying a guide.
#23
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by JasonF
There are also sites other than GameFAQs that do allow graphics -- http://guides.ign.com/ for example.
What I want is just some basic HTML, like different font sizes and colors, hyperlinked navigation within the document, links to other sites (these are already in many FAQs but you have to copy and paste them), and maybe some offsite images. No scripting would be allowed, and the FAQ would have to remain a single document, so any images would have to be hosted on the author's site or somewhere else. I don't think it would infringe on their bandwidth that much, and if that's really a problem they could throw up an ad or two at the top.
The DVD FAQ is a good example of a simple text document that really benefits from some HTML: http://dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html Something like that would be a lot better, and easier for authors since they wouldn't have to worry about exact line spacing and trying to make ASCII images.
#25
DVD Talk Hero
Still? Did I ever? The answer is No - actually, I've only ever bought one strategy guide and it was for Chrono Trigger - this was before the internets, and I bought it after I heard all the different endings it had - I still have it too. Apparently it's collector's item or something...