DOes anyone buy strategy guides for every game they get ?

[icemanjmw13]

I don't think I wanna get every game, I mean I can always go online if I need a hint or two. However I bought all of the strategy guides for the FF series, and I'm thinking of buying it for La Pucelle, Disgaea, Paper Mario, and a lot of my other games. Do you cheapasses think that's a waste of money, I mean I think it would be cool to have them on the shelf below the games.

[dwsscs]

I used to collect them along with a game before the Internet. And thought it was cool, but now with so many games, the Internet, and so little space for all of my systems. I say no to them! That is just my opinion and I welcome yours.

[Trakan]

Use FAQs.

[ZForce]

I like having the guide to refer to rather than a FAQ. That being said, it really depends on the game. If it's an RPG or something, I usually get the guide. If the guide looks useful or has a lot of good content, I'll usually pick it up.

[jlarlee]

Disgaea guide is available in PDF for free i believe. If not I can email you the one on my hard drive

[PenguinoMF]

I just use the internet if I need to.

This is one of my favorite penny arcade comics:

http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2001/20010226l.jpg

[shajek]

I try to avoid guides for RPGs and adventure games. If I get totally stuck, I might sneak a peak at a book store or such.

[doubledown]

I don't think I've ever needed a strategy guide. I have the Internet if I get REALLY stuck.

I think I might have owned one back in the Nintendo days with like Super MArio Bros 3 or something....but not even sure about that.

[Cornfedwb]

The more you rely on a strategy guide, the less fun the game really is. Getting the ultimate weapons, or finding all of the magic beans your first time through are only truly invigorating when you do it by yourself, without the help of a guide walking you through step by step.

Games are too easy these days as it is, its why we get bored of them and tend to put them away before we finish them.

That said, I have yet to ever buy a guide and doubt I ever will.

[BustaUppa]

The more you rely on a strategy guide, the less fun the game really is. Getting the ultimate weapons, or finding all of the magic beans your first time through are only truly invigorating when you do it by yourself, without the help of a guide walking you through step by step.I totally agree with that. I have an unhealthy obsession with avoiding any type of spoiler... lol if someone who's beaten a game that I'm playing starts to talk to me about it, I'll freak out and start trying to steer the conversation in some other direction.

I'll buy guides for some fighting games though. That's a totally different type of thing. Man, I'd be lost in Tekken if couldn't look up some of those moves on the fly. Sometimes a plaintext faq will do, but for games with a LOT of moves, a guide can be handy. Basically my "no-guide" rule applies to story-driven games. Although I gotta say, I see little points in Wrestling Game guides. You can change the moves for everyone, so what's the point?

An exception is the Shenmue guide. After beating Shemnue I checked out the guide and it was hilarious... it kind of parodies the game along the way and makes fun of the characters. I saw it for a few bucks and picked it up. Again, I had already beaten the game so it didn't violate my OCD gamer's conscience.

[rockhero]

I never look at a guide/FAQ on my first time through a game. If I ever replay a game, I sometimes use a guide for the second time through. I do like collecting them.

I also like reading through them quickly after I've beaten a game to sort of 're-experience' the game in just a few minutes.

[BustaUppa]

I never look at a guide/FAQ on my first time through a game. If I ever replay a game, I sometimes use a guide for the second time through. I do like collecting them.

I also like reading through them quickly after I've beaten a game to sort of 're-experience' the game in just a few minutes.Yeah I hear ya. First time needs to be untainted. But like I just finished Ninja Gaiden, and now I plan on looking at a FAQ to get some of the items I missed the first time around.

[LinkinPrime]

I just use the internet if I need to.

This is one of my favorite penny arcade comics:

http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2001/20010226l.jpg

My thoughts exactly, I dont understand why people still buy them and how the companys making them make profit.

[Nirvanaguy777]

Only for certain games, usually rpgs, id say out of every 100 games I buy I get about 5 strategy guides.

[RedvsBlue]

I don't think I wanna get every game, I mean I can always go online if I need a hint or two. However I bought all of the strategy guides for the FF series, and I'm thinking of buying it for La Pucelle, Disgaea, Paper Mario, and a lot of my other games. Do you cheapasses think that's a waste of money, I mean I think it would be cool to have them on the shelf below the games.

Double Jump books makes some very decent strategy guides. Their website (strangely enough) is http://www.doublejumpbooks.com. I picked up the guide for Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne and it is very high quality. Their website is about the only place I know where you can still get a Disgaea strategy guide. That's if you want a hard copy, if you want a .pdf version its free for download.

[icemanjmw13]

I don't think I wanna get every game, I mean I can always go online if I need a hint or two. However I bought all of the strategy guides for the FF series, and I'm thinking of buying it for La Pucelle, Disgaea, Paper Mario, and a lot of my other games. Do you cheapasses think that's a waste of money, I mean I think it would be cool to have them on the shelf below the games.

Double Jump books makes some very decent strategy guides. Their website (strangely enough) is http://www.doublejumpbooks.com. I picked up the guide for Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne and it is very high quality. Their website is about the only place I know where you can still get a Disgaea strategy guide. That's if you want a hard copy, if you want a .pdf version its free for download.
Why is the Disgaea strategy guide available in .pdf format, I mean does someone put every guide online in .pdf or just that one game?

[RedvsBlue]

I don't think I wanna get every game, I mean I can always go online if I need a hint or two. However I bought all of the strategy guides for the FF series, and I'm thinking of buying it for La Pucelle, Disgaea, Paper Mario, and a lot of my other games. Do you cheapasses think that's a waste of money, I mean I think it would be cool to have them on the shelf below the games.

Double Jump books makes some very decent strategy guides. Their website (strangely enough) is http://www.doublejumpbooks.com. I picked up the guide for Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne and it is very high quality. Their website is about the only place I know where you can still get a Disgaea strategy guide. That's if you want a hard copy, if you want a .pdf version its free for download.

Why is the Disgaea strategy guide available in .pdf format, I mean does someone put every guide online in .pdf or just that one game?

Generosity I guess? The best they do besides this is to give sample versions of other guides. I say if they are giving a guide away for free, I'll take them up on their offer.

[icemanjmw13]

I never look at a guide/FAQ on my first time through a game. If I ever replay a game, I sometimes use a guide for the second time through. I do like collecting them.

I also like reading through them quickly after I've beaten a game to sort of 're-experience' the game in just a few minutes.

That's my real reason to collect them too. I refuse to look at strategy guides the first time through because 1) it ruins the story for me and 2) it makes me feel less good about beating the game with help.

[argyle]

I pick them up w/ pretty much every RPG I get. Partly for collector's purposes, and partly for the added depth they go into the systems of the game - the item lists, spell lists, general breakdown of combat & magic systems. I won't deny glancing at a walkthrough if I get really stuck, but I don't make a habbit of it and I certainly don't just follow the walkthrough.

[wubb]

I don't think I've ever bought a guide. I just use gamefaqs.com if I get stuck on a tricky bit.

[javeryh]

Guides suck. I especially hate how some games even give you hints when you are playing (ala Metroid Prime - thak god you can turn it off). I get much more satisfaction out of beating a game with no help. That said, does anyone have a cheap Vice City guide for me?

[pianoman3284]

I get guides for games that are worth playing a second time through.

[Cornfedwb]

I don't think I wanna get every game, I mean I can always go online if I need a hint or two. However I bought all of the strategy guides for the FF series, and I'm thinking of buying it for La Pucelle, Disgaea, Paper Mario, and a lot of my other games. Do you cheapasses think that's a waste of money, I mean I think it would be cool to have them on the shelf below the games.

Double Jump books makes some very decent strategy guides. Their website (strangely enough) is http://www.doublejumpbooks.com. I picked up the guide for Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne and it is very high quality. Their website is about the only place I know where you can still get a Disgaea strategy guide. That's if you want a hard copy, if you want a .pdf version its free for download.
Why is the Disgaea strategy guide available in .pdf format, I mean does someone put every guide online in .pdf or just that one game?

Double Jump Books has just recently broken into the guide scene (Disgaea may have even been their first one). In an effort to get people buying their guides, they made the Disgaea guide free as an online pdf.

[RedvsBlue]

Yeah, they only have a small number of guides out there. And Disgaea was their first guide. If you go to their website its kind of interesting because the people that write the guides actually frequent their own message boards, you never see the folks at Prima or (especially) Brady doing that.