I noticed that there are quite a few questions that come up repeatedly and there are some sites that I use that are invaluable in answering these questions!

Q: What kind of reviews is ??? getting?
A: Go to
Game Rankings , which gathers EVERY review on the web and in magazines, links to them, and adds them up and gives you an average score. Hard to pick a bad game when you have every review available!

Q: How do I find the princess, kill the boss, find the castle, etc...in ??? ?
A: Go to Gamefaqs , you shoud NEVER need to buy a strategy guide for any game. Just go here, there are usually multiple walk-throughs for games. But go here AFTER you're stuck for a bit...what fun is it to have a FAQ before trying yourself?

Q: What is the cheapest place to buy ??? ?
A: Go to GamePriceZone , a summary of online prices, and some BM prices, for video games...but remember to come back here and use DVD Talk's links! If you want the really hot deals though...the best place is to keep an eye on this forum!

Q: Where do I get these $5 Best Buy video game coupons I keep hearing about?
A: Gamer's Gift Cards are in CD cases w/ a greenish cardboard backing. Most Best Buys have thousands of them. They could be in the video game section, customer service area, front counters, or in the Gift Card only display near the front. You can put as little as one penny on the gift card depending on the cashier. On the back of the cardboard is a $5 coupon good until 12/31/03 on any video game or accessory. It says that the item must be 19.99 or up, but the computer will deduct $5 from any item, even items under $5. To get one, just buy the card and put a small amount of credit on the card ($5 or so). Use the card and the coupon on your next game purchase! Circuit City company policy is to accept all competitor coupons, so these are good there, although you may have to ask for the manager if you get a clueless cashier.


Q. How do you get games to be widescreen on PS2? On Gamecube, you just change the in-game option...
A: For the games that do support widescreen, you need to change the DVD settings in the PS2 preferences (start it up without a disk) to display in anamorphic. This will affect both DVD playback and games that automatically support it, like NFL 2K3.

Q: Why can't I get 480p output? I have an HDTV!
A: The game needs to support that output. Currently, I believe all XBox, some Gamecube, and a handful of PS2 games support progressive scan (another forum lists all of the games, but I'm not sure I can link it from here). For the GC, at least, you need to hold down the B button while you start the game up. You also need to be using component (not composite) cables, but you should be doing that anyway, seeing as how you spent the bucks to go HD!

Q: Speaking of component cables, I can't find any for the Gamecube!
A: They're only available directly from Nintendo, at their website. No third party has made any.

Q: My guncon2 won't work accurately on my TV...
A: Guncon2 doesn't seem to work on most projection televisions. In addition, if you're using SVideo or component cables, you'll need an adapter.

Q: How do I copy PS2/Gamecube/Xbox games?
A: Get a job, cash your paycheck, walk into a local Best Buy, find the game you're looking for, exchange money for game, viola! But if you mean STEAL games, don't even bother posting that in this forum!

Q: When will the next system price drops be announced?
A: The rumors are we will see a $99 Gamecube and a $150 X-Box and PS2 pricetag announced during E3 in mid-May...but stay tuned!

Q: Where can I get more info about Xbox Live?
A: Try this DVD Talk thread . For gamer tags of DVD Talk members, look here.

Q: What are the best GBA (Game Boy Advance) games?
A: Try this thread. Or this thread!

Q: How about the best PS2 games?
A: There's this thread. Or this thread!

Q: How can I get video game magazines for cheap?
A: Try this thread!

Q: Is Nintendo dead?
A: No, now have a cookie and get lost!

Any other questions we may want to include in a FAQ?

FS

FS, add this to the FAQ as well:

Q: Where do I get these $5 Best Buy video game coupons I keep hearing about?

A: Buy a Gamer GC at Best Buy (lime green color in jewel case). The $5 coupon is on the back of the card, expires 12/31/03, and is good for any video games or accessories over $19.99.

A note: sometimes, the cheapest place to buy will not be listed on that site. Oftentimes, this site or similar boards specializing in deals will have people spotting great deals first, like the Best Buy Beach Spikers deal or the multiple Target discounts. Perusing the Target thread (or creating an overall thread for weekly deals) will help a lot more than going to a site (since 99% of the time, all games will be sold for the same price unless they're old or have new release deals). Here's some questions that are a little less frequently asked, but still useful...

Q. How do you get games to be widescreen on PS2? On Gamecube, you just change the in-game option...
A: For the games that do support widescreen, you need to change the DVD settings in the PS2 preferences (start it up without a disk) to display in anamorphic. This will affect both DVD playback and games that automatically support it, like NFL 2K3.

Q: Why can't I get 480p output? I have an HDTV!
A: The game needs to support that output. Currently, I believe all XBox, some Gamecube, and a handful of PS2 games support progressive scan (another forum lists all of the games, but I'm not sure I can link it from here). For the GC, at least, you need to hold down the B button while you start the game up. You also need to be using component (not composite) cables, but you should be doing that anyway, seeing as how you spent the bucks to go HD!

Q: Speaking of component cables, I can't find any for the Gamecube!
A: They're only available directly from Nintendo, at their website. No third party has made any.

Q: My guncon2 won't work accurately on my TV...
A: Guncon2 doesn't seem to work on most projection televisions. In addition, if you're using SVideo or component cables, you'll need an adapter.

Haha, did you just quote me? That sounds like something I said not too long ago.

Q: How to I copy PS2/Gamecube/Xbox games?
A: Get a job, cash your paycheck, walk into a local Best Buy, find the game you're looking for, exchange money for game, viola!

Here's one:

Q: Finally - I just bought XXXXX system! What games should I get?
A: We don't care. How about games you like?

pixy and mmconhea!

I've added the new suggestions to the top...maybe we can sticky this one...

I know we used to have threads with new releases into the future for all 3 systems, are they still being updated?

No. But I think that one came up often enough that it should be in the FAQ.

PAL

If one of the mods would like to make it one, I'd have no problem with that! I'd be glad to keep it updated also...

FS

Q: When is the next console price drop?

A: Everybody from the guy at Best Buy to your granny will try to predict this. And they'll all be wrong. Traditionally these are announced at the trade shows, such as E3, but nobody will truly know until right before it happens.

Q: Should I buy a third party memory card?

A: No.

Q: When will the next generation of video game consoles come out?

A: Nothings set in silicone yet, but it's likely that all three manufacturers will come up with something for 2005.

As far as the BB coupons go:
They will work for accessories under 19.99, but the employee might catch it, so don't necessarily count on it.

Also, the fine print says not valid with any other offers, which is supposed to mean that you can't get 5 dollars off games that are advertised to be on sale, and you can't pricematch and take five dollars off the lowest price. But it depends if the employee catches it.

Other cheap ways to buy newer games: If you live near an Electronic Fry's, they often have new games on sale for 2 to 3 bucks less than their competitor's sale prices for that week. So if Target has a game on sale, and Best Buy has a different game on sale, they usually have both on sale for cheaper.

KB toys has a relatively new "club" plan, where for every 100 dollars you spend, you get a card good for 25 % off a non-videogame-hardware purchase. So it's not good for a console, but you can get any videogame for 25% off. You can also buy multiple items and get the 25% off the whole purchase.

I've been able to consistently PM and use the coupon. Did it today on Halo (used the Target ad $34.88), then the cashier took 10% off Target's price (not 10% off the difference ), which made it $31.00 for some reason (she used a calculator ) and then I gave her the $5 coupon for a cool $26 + tax...

How about:

Q: What are the top 10 best Gameboy Advance games?

Q: Which version of Game XXX is better?

A: On the Neo Geo, you heretic!

second that one.

A: 1. Metroid Fusion
2. Zelda
3. Advance Wars
4. Castlevania (COtM, HoD)
5. Golden Sun

Seems to be the general concensus.

Q: Why is it that I don't get many different types of games on PC?


A: You aren't looking in any other section except FPS in best buy. try opening your eyes and looking around.

Stickying after multiple requests.

Yes, thanks much! But this is only going to work if we edit the initial post as corrections/additions come in.

Also, to keep it short, maybe we should all periodically delete our old posts?

I will go ahead and update the original post...

Trevor -

Done!

FS

I've used the $5 BB coupon for single items, but how does it work on multiple items? Can you use one coupon and have it apply to every item they ring up or do you need one coupon for each item?

The fine print says one coupon per item. I have used up to 5 coupons in one transaction. The cashier scans my 5 coupons and the computer automatically deducts $5 from the first 5 scanned in video game related items.

Thanks, I was asking just in case there was a glitch in the system that applied it to all items eligible, just like it working for items below $19.99.

An entry explaining the pros and cons of each of the systems (GBA, GC, PC, PS2, Xbox) with perhaps a recommended genre or game or two might be helpful.

A less vague entry:

Q: Are so and so out of their minds? They gave [*Insert Favorite/Hated Game Here*] a [*Insert "Unjustly" Low/High Rating Here*]?!?!?!?!?

A: No - they just have a different opinion of the game. Get used to it, or don't read their reviews anymore.