Reduced Price Game Guides: Thread X(Ten)

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IAmTheCheapestGamer

IAmTheCheapestGamer

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First off, let me welcome you all to the new guide thread. Second, I'd like to ask you all to please keep conversations not pertaining to guide drops to a minimum to avoid cluttering the thread. It's not that I don't enjoy the chit chat, but that it may stop others from locating information on the newest drops.

That being said, let me thank Cheapy for creating this site, without which I would've spent probably 10 times what I HAVE spent on games and guides. Moreover, let me thank each and every one of my fellow CAGs for continuing to contribute to making this site a great place to find out about sales and clearances of the items we as gamers use most. Without a great community, NONE of this would be possible.

Furthermore, I would like to thank our Wiki editors HeatDolphin and Rocko for updating the Wiki. Great job.

Now, with that out of the way(and before I get to rambling), let's get on to making this new thread.

Useful Information(and links):

Game Guide Trading Clearinghouse(old one, locked now):

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...d.php?t=102021

Game Guide Trade Thread(KEEP ALL TRADE REQUESTS HERE OR IN PM'S):

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=175548

PLEASE keep ALL trade requests in there or PM's. Thank you.

Reduced Price Guide Discussion Thread(KEEP ALL DISCUSSION NOT RELATED TO GUIDE DROPS HERE!!!):

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169252

Guide Lists(master drop lists and recent drops):

Master Drop List(by store, alphabetically):

http://wiki.cheapassgamer.com/index.php/Category:Strategy_Guides_%28master_lists%29

Recent Guide Drops(by date,also check the second post in this thread):

http://wiki.cheapassgamer.com/index.php/Category:Strategy_Guides_%28recent_drops%29

What is the purpose of this thread?

The purpose of this thread is to let our fellow CAGs know when a guide has dropped to a low price(it's NOT ALWAYS A PENNY), so they can go out and grab guides for themselves and for trading with other CAGs.

Anytime you have guide drops to report, post them here. Please specify at which store you found them and which guides you found and list them in alphabetical order. Thank you. Please, whenever possible, use RED font to make the drop info stand out. Thanks again.

What are penny guides?

Penny guides are guides which have been on the market for a while and the publisher(or store chain) decide that the remaining stock of these guides have little to no chance of selling, so they issue an order to pull them from the shelves and destroy them. At that time, they are also marked as .01 in their inventory system, except in the case of BBV, which marks them .01 only AFTER pulling them.

Most stores have an agreement with the publisher that states that if they destroy the remaining stock of those items, they will receive a credit for their value from the publisher. This is why many stores are usually annoyed when we CAGs come in and buy the guides AT the penny price, since otherwise they would've received a full credit for those items.

According to an employee at a local BB, they also have a recycling program for the pennied stock, so as to not clutter landfill space with the guides. As to how true it is, I cannot confirm, but I would hope that the paper is at least recycled instead of just dumpstered.

Prior Reduced price game guide threads:

Guide Three:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...ighlight=guide
Guide Four:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/....php?p=1496376
Guide Five:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...ad.php?t=85976
Guide Six:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...d.php?t=116918
Guide Seven:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...d.php?t=131717
Guide Seven and a half:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...d.php?t=142400
Guide Eight:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/...d.php?t=167157
Guide Nine:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187222

Finally, below is a list of website links, each of which goes to their respective guide page. Whenever possible, I will update the links with better ones(if available).

Amazon
Barnes&Noble
BestBuy
Gamestop
Overstock
Strategyguides.net
ToysRUs

Thanks to floormat, Guinavere and anyone else who has created and maintained the guide thread before, as well as to all of those who find out either advance information on drops or provide a list of which ones dropped when we do have a drop.

The post below this one contains a list going back at LEAST six months of the more current guide drops, which stores they occured at and which ones dropped. Note that sometimes(Oblivion guide, Quake Wars: Enemy Territory)there are multiple versions of a guide, be it that there are Prima versions, Brady versions and the occasional Nintendo and Doublejump guides.

Please specify WHICH version has dropped when mentioning possible guide drops. Thank you.

Common Guide Drop Related Questions(FAQ):

FAQ - If you are new (or a vet with a few questions) look here SECOND! (After reading the above!)

Q: What Are Penny Guides?
A: Penny guides are guides which have been on the market for a while and the publisher(or store chain) decide that the remaining stock of these guides have little to no chance of selling, so they issue an order to pull them from the shelves and destroy them. At that time, they are also marked as .01 in their inventory system, except in the case of BBV, which marks them .01 only AFTER pulling them.

Most stores have an agreement with the publisher that states that if they destroy the remaining stock of those items, they will receive a credit for their value from the publisher. This is why many stores are usually annoyed when we CAGs come in and buy the guides AT the penny price, since otherwise they would've received a full credit for those items.

According to an employee at a local BB, they also have a recycling program for the pennied stock, so as to not clutter landfill space with the guides. As to how true it is, I cannot confirm, but I would hope that the paper is at least recycled instead of just dumpstered.

Q: Do all guides from all stores drop at the same time?
A: No. While most chains have nationwide drops within their own store (as in every BB will have the same drops coast to coast), not every different chain drops at the same time (what drops at BB is NOT necessarily dropped at GS). When in doubt, check post TWO for drop info.

Q: I found a penny guide and a clerk denied me! I'ma report 'em!
A: Whoa, hold your horses there, pardner! First of all, not a question. Second, just because something is on the shelf, the clerk does NOT have to sell you that item. Most stores are PRIVATE property and as such can deny you just about anything they want - including a sale. The best advice is to not be rude, not be arrogant, and just try hard to get them to have pity on you.

Q: Why don't the clerks want to sell me their penny guides? Aren't they just throwing them away?
A: As stated above, the stores are ordered by the publisher to trash the guides, and are then given credit for those guides. If they don't do this, the publisher won't give them the credit - it's like losing a sale. On the employee level, selling a penny guide can sometimes get them in trouble (or even fired!) I know it seems silly, but this is their job we're talking about! Respect the man (or woman) behind the counter and you'll get a lot more guides than otherwise!

Q: Should I just ask if the store has penny guides then?
A: No, since that denotes that you have some insider information as to the runnings of these businesses.

Q: What if the clerk wants to know how I know so much about guide drops?
A: If asked where you got your info about guides that pennied, simply say either 'the internet' or 'a friend of mine told me they're on clearance'.

Q: But clerks will know what a penny guide is, right? I can talk to them like anyone else here...
A: Never use the word pennied to ANY store clerks unless you have built up a good rapport with them. Even then, it may seem a little fishy if you know more about their shop than they do.

Q: Are guides labeled as a penny on the shelf?
A: Sometimes. Most times, no. GS seems to label everything that gets a price drop, so often times guides will be stickered. But even so, they most likely won't sell them to you. A sticker does not mean 'have to sell'.

Q: I tried to buy a guide that this thread said was pennied and it didn't ring up as such! What gives?
A: Either 1) Our source was wrong (this rarely happens and is usually verified a FEW times within maybe an hour of posting), or 2) The clerk changed the price. It's usually number 2.

Q: What's the easiest way to get penny guides? This sounds like TONS of work!
A: Best Buy is probably the best place to get guides, followed by GameStop, GameCrazy, Toys R Us and then Blockbuster. From what I've seen though, probably 95% of guides that people get are snagged at BB - the rest come from the other stores. But it never hurts to try!

Q: Has there been a drop recently?
A: If you are asking this question you didn't fully understand the OP - go back and read it once more. When a drop happens, it will be posted, and then placed in the second post - trust us.

Q: How do you guys know so much about penny guides?
A: We sometimes have inside sources with the information from the stores themselves; other times, fellow CAGS just like you or me simply take suspected guides to the register and ask them to ring them up, to check their prices. Feel free to do this yourself, and help give back to the community by telling us what you find! However, DON'T ask "Has anyone checked XXX lately?", unless you are in the right thread (discussion area).

Thanks to GrilledWitOnions for creating the above FAQ, which should eliminate the need for such questions popping up in the thread from this point on out.
 
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[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']But why the hell are people checking when it isn't the first Monday of the month? That's the typical drop date, NOT the second or third Monday of the month. Like I said, I wish we had 100% reliable and constant info from employees from each store that drop guides, since then NO ONE would have to go out and check.

Where the hell is fuss(BB source) and I thought we had a TRU and GS source as well?[/QUOTE]

If you're reading every post as you say, which I believe, since you carefully maintain this thread, then you'll agree that there are numerous posts here by people bashing those who say BB drops only happen the first Monday of the month. The fact is, 3 or 4 times a year Best Buy does them seemingly at random. Since there WASN'T a first Monday BB drop in April this year, it's not farfetched to assume people will want to keep checking.
 
There have been non first Monday drops, but again, if we had an actual steadily reliable source for each store, we wouldn't HAVE to rely on people checking.

But then again, that would only happen in a perfect world really. I did say I was grateful for people checking, but if nothing dropped, then nothing dropped and there's no need to post or ask about it.

We have this conversation about once a month, usually when people are too lazy to read before asking if anything dropped. If you see no new posts, then that's a good sign nothing dropped and you can go back to reading the other threads on CAG.
 
I just have to say that using the subscribed threads under the quick links tab saves me time because it only moves up threads on my list when new posts are made. That saves me tons of time by not having to go back and check.
 
That's what I do too, but when I see new posts I think 'a drop must've happened', only to come in and see that 90-95% it's just trade requests or mindless yammering.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']That's what I do too, but when I see new posts I think 'a drop must've happened', only to come in and see that 90-95% it's just trade requests or mindless yammering.[/quote]

Like how the thread has been getting bumped every five minutes today, and I keep coming in expecting a surprise drop. :lol:
 
[quote name='Slim Gatsby']Like how the thread has been getting bumped every five minutes today, and I keep coming in expecting a surprise drop. :lol:[/quote]

This is true. But if there were some way to temp lock the thread until the first of the month and put up a ginormous link pointing people to the discussion thread in the meantime, that'd be great.
 
Why not just have people PM you whenever a drop happens? That way you don't have to get annoyed by having to read each post to keep the list updated. It's a crazy idea but it might just work. People are going to continue to post here anyway.
 
[quote name='Wolve11']Why not just have people PM you whenever a drop happens? That way you don't have to get annoyed by having to read each post to keep the list updated. It's a crazy idea but it might just work. People are going to continue to post here anyway.[/quote]

I've tried that before and I've tried asking people to put the dropped guides in RED but that gets forgotten quickly too.

As for continuing to post here anyway, go right ahead since I know there's not a damn thing I can do to stop the yammering and being annoyed by it. But the only reason I get annoyed by it is because I think(like others) that when there's new posts there has been a drop.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Much like this post, it's just a waste of a post to say 'nothing dropped' or 'anything drop'.[/QUOTE]
I disagree. On Mondays, when there's likely to be a BB drop, it helps to have someone post 'nothing dropped'. It pretty much saves me, and many other CAGs, a needless trip to BB if someone can confirm that nothing dropped on a day in which its possible.
 
[quote name='drawingboard']I disagree. On Mondays, when there's likely to be a BB drop, it helps to have someone post 'nothing dropped'. It pretty much saves me, and many other CAGs, a needless trip to BB if someone can confirm that nothing dropped on a day in which its possible.[/QUOTE]

Keep in mind, though, that BB drops really only happen on the first Monday of the month.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']I've tried that before and I've tried asking people to put the dropped guides in RED but that gets forgotten quickly too.

As for continuing to post here anyway, go right ahead since I know there's not a damn thing I can do to stop the yammering and being annoyed by it. But the only reason I get annoyed by it is because I think(like others) that when there's new posts there has been a drop.[/quote]

The only solution is to get you mod powers. Then you can rule this thread with an Iron Fist! Deleting extraneous posts (like this one), editing drop posts with red text, and silencing look and my giant haul posters.

I will delete this post tomorrow out of respect for IATCG.
 
[quote name='SDC']Keep in mind, though, that BB drops really only happen on the first Monday of the month.[/quote]

Not quite:

(from the wiki)
>>>Dropped on 4-16-07>Dropped on 4-10-06
 
Yes, guys BBy drops GENERALLY happen the first Monday of the month. However, the last couple of months have been breaking this pattern. Sometimes drops happen on subsequent Mondays or other random days. Remember that one time I randomly wandered into a BBy on an off day and was able to report that the God of War II LE guide (amongst others) had pennied? Or the drops-then-reprice-then-redrop that happened in a seemingly random fashion?

A "no drops today" post is always welcome. But there's no reason to be arguing about this now, we should all be done with it and move on and check next Monday.
 
[quote name='h3llbring3r']The only solution is to get you mod powers. Then you can rule this thread with an Iron Fist! Deleting extraneous posts (like this one), editing drop posts with red text, and silencing look and my giant haul posters.

I will delete this post tomorrow out of respect for IATCG.[/quote]

I would rule with an iron fist in more than just this thread. :D Every spam posting newbie: GONE. Every frivilous post(including my own): GONE. Every bit of freedom on the boards: GONE.

:lol::lol::lol: Oh yeah. It'd be a banner day for me(before Cheapy stripped me of the power and probably permabanned me for banning and censoring MANY, MANY people :D).
 
I dont know about your stores but my store barely has enough guides to fill the area allotted for the guides (this is faced out). I doubt there will be drops for a month or two from Best Buy (if that).
 
[quote name='lordopus99']I dont know about your stores but my store barely has enough guides to fill the area allotted for the guides (this is faced out). I doubt there will be drops for a month or two from Best Buy (if that).[/quote]

My BB is the direct opposite of yours. They have a relatively large guide section (compared to other BBs around here) and it is literally overflowing. 70% of the guides have been turned to their side to save space and there is even guides piled on the floor. There will be a May drop.
 
[quote name='hellmutt']While I was digging through the Gamestop website today looking for any potential drops, I stumbled across some Little Big Planet guide (preorder for December) listed for $6.99. Not sure what that's all about, but it potentially qualifies as a Reduced price guide:

http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=74583[/QUOTE]

I wonder if that has anything to do with this...

http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=74386

The PSP game apparently comes out the same day the guide is "coming out."
 
I found some old guides at a GS and was wondering if they were pennied. I couldn't find them on the master wiki list, so I figured it was worth asking. Does any one know if the Tomb Raider Anniversary (360 + Wii) or Two Worlds guides have been pennied at GS? I don't want to look like an ass when they ring up full price.
 
[quote name='Doomstink']I found some old guides at a GS and was wondering if they were pennied. I couldn't find them on the master wiki list, so I figured it was worth asking. Does any one know if the Tomb Raider Anniversary (360 + Wii) or Two Worlds guides have been pennied at GS? I don't want to look like an ass when they ring up full price.[/quote]

I saw TR Anniversary for the Wii(I think it was a standalone version JUST for the WII)on the list in the second post. It pennied on 6/20/08.

However, I did NOT see the guide for Two Worlds on there.
 
I don't believe Two Worlds is pennied yet at GS. I still see them at the various Gamestops in the area, including the ones that pull all the guides. Maybe because it's not a Prima, Bradygames, or Versus guide book?
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']I saw TR Anniversary for the Wii(I think it was a standalone version JUST for the WII)on the list in the second post. It pennied on 6/20/08.

However, I did NOT see the guide for Two Worlds on there.[/quote]

Same, next time I'm in there, I'll price check it.
 
Alright, so I was told about this last week by a fellow CAG that is in the San Antonio area and said that he was able to get a Fallout 3 CE guide for a penny a week or two ago. I didn't see it in the Gamestop Wiki list, so I am assuming it was either never discovered or something. I am going to hit up a local GS a little bit later and see if they have any around to get price checked.
 
That's interesting, since I believe the Fallout 3 CE was going for a few bucks last time someone checked. Of course, I'll have my usual 'good' luck at my closest stores, so I doubt I'll even bother.
 
[quote name='thehoweller']Same, next time I'm in there, I'll price check it.[/quote]

Two Worlds isn't pennied. The manager at my GS gave me the normal, stupid customer look, when I brought it to him asking for a price. A pity the idiot doesn't realize I'm unlike the normal cattle that walk through that store on a daily basis.

I'll catch him one of these days with some pennied guides, then he can try to look me straight every time afterwards. The bastard will surely tear the guides to shreds, corporate ninny.
 
Alright. A quality not quantity morning at Gamestop. I snagge:
Fallout 3 CE
Prince of Persia CE
And
Mirrors Edge (hardcover)

Yea. Early bird gets the worm, eh?
 
Picked up Mass Effect guide new and sealed for .02 at BBV. The cashier was so surprised/confused she rang it up twice. I didn't notice until I got home - now I have to drive all the way back and talk to a manager;)

I left one there if anyone wants it - this was in Coon Rapids, MN in front of Target Greatland Northtown - the best store on earth!
 
[quote name='Ziv']Alright. A quality not quantity morning at Gamestop. I snagge:
Fallout 3 CE
Prince of Persia CE
And
Mirrors Edge (hardcover)

Yea. Early bird gets the worm, eh?[/quote]

so did these drop today?
 
[quote name='Ziv']Alright. A quality not quantity morning at Gamestop. I snagge:
Fallout 3 CE
Prince of Persia CE
And
Mirrors Edge (hardcover)

Yea. Early bird gets the worm, eh?[/QUOTE]

Ziv, were all those pennied out?
 
[quote name='Ziv']Alright. A quality not quantity morning at Gamestop. I snagge:
Fallout 3 CE
Prince of Persia CE
And
Mirrors Edge (hardcover)

Yea. Early bird gets the worm, eh?[/quote]

come on tell us have they dropped :booty:

edit: im going in a hour to check if hes not back by that time.
 
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The Prince of Persia and Fallout 3 CE guides got removed from the website between the original post and now. Mirror's Edge CE was already off the website at that time. I don't notice anything else missing from the site, but I haven't checked it lately, so maybe I'm forgetting something. Halo 3 and MGS4 were still on there, though.
 
I visited a nearby GS at lunch and priced PoP CE and Mirror's Edge Hardcover. Both were pennied. Manager would not let me get one. I asked when he got his list (yesterday). He could not or would not tell me if any more guides were pulled. He did not have Fallout 3 CE in stock and said he only gets notice of guides he has in stock.
 
I can confirm Prince of Persia CE. It was the only one I could find. I was really hoping for Mirror's Edge since it's the one I don't own.

EDIT: I can't even mention that I have the guide up for trade? I even provided a link to the correct trading thread?:shock: It wasn't even like my post solely dealt with trading the guide. It was an epilogue to my post. Seems a little extreme as often as people go way off-topic here.
 
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Yeah. Sorry bout that but all three were indeed a penny each. I was in a rush to get to work and posted quick. Good luck to y'all.
 
[quote name='Ziv']Yeah. Sorry bout that but all three were indeed a penny each. I was in a rush to get to work and posted quick. Good luck to y'all.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the confirmation! You should list them in bold red though, or face the wrath of IATCG! :lol:
 
Damn it, just went in my favorite GS cuz the manager and 1 of emp were cool to give the guide. Two idiot emp were there, guides were pulled, i asked for the guides, both give me the crap how they can get fired for giving them away.
 
Ha! Everyone has been too busy for the last few weeks asking if QoS is onsale over on the BB Sale thread; they didn't even think to check for drops today! :)
 
Wow, nice CE drops. I wish I could find a Gamestop that would sell me pennied guides. Such penny guide nazis over in Arizona (although they're sure to purchase the guides themselves, I've seen several penny guides sitting on the counter and told that they're employees')
 
Yep the guide drop is official I just picked up

Fallout x3
Prince of Persia x2

I appreciate it man and since gamespot is so close to me ill start trying to contribute to this thread instead of lurkin like always.
 
I don't even try anymore, the managers at the GameStop's near me are vigilant about the penny guides :whistle2:(

seriously wtf do they take pleasure in destroying books or something?
 
Picked up, for 1 penny each:

Bioshock - Xbox/PC only version. Multi platform/PS3 version still rang up $19.99
Mirror's Edge Studio Series Guide / hard cover
Prince of Persia Collector's Edition / hard cover (regular/soft cover still $19.99)
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction / soft cover
Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII

I visited 3 stores & only took 1 or 2 duplicate guides & left the rest for others. I do have 1 Prince of Persia CE & a couple Mirror's edge guides for trade (want Dead Space), so either PM me or check out this thread:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5805477#post5805477
 
[quote name='ZCG']Picked up, for 1 penny each:

Bioshock - Xbox/PC only version. Multi platform/PS3 version still rang up $19.99
Mirror's Edge Studio Series Guide / hard cover
Prince of Persia Collector's Edition / hard cover (regular/soft cover still $19.99)
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction / soft cover
Crisis Core - Final Fantasy VII

I visited 3 stores & only took 1 or 2 duplicate guides & left the rest for others. I do have 1 Prince of Persia CE & a couple Mirror's edge guides for trade (want Dead Space), so either PM me or check out this thread:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5805477#post5805477[/quote]

Thanks for the info, ZCG. I'll add those to the second post.

EDIT: Having double checked the master drop list in the second post and checked the Wiki post, three of them(Bioshock, FF7: Crisis Core and R&C TOD) already dropped, ZCG.

But thanks for trying nonetheless.
 
Damn, ZIG, thank you SO MUCH :)

Picked up Prince of Persia CE x 1. (Sunrise/FL.)

I really wanted Fallout3 CE, but, my 2 gamestops didnt have them. If anyone picks up an extra Fallout3 CE, let me know, I'll glady drop a few for shipping :D. (I post it here, incase someone has just read the drops and plans to go out now, to grab an extra).

thanks in advance! And again, thanks for the posting ZIG. I checked these last week and both were not pennied yet... so this was GREAT news, lol. (I guess someone got to the FalloutCE before me, I know there was one last week).
 
For what it's worth, I stopped at BB today and all the Halo 3 guides were pulled. There were 10's of them and they were there on Sunday when I was there for the $10 sale. I thought it may be of interest, since this is usually a company-wide thing. The CSR did find 54 copies at another store, so this could just be a fluke or even less likely they sold them all. They were going for $2.50 each.

EDIT: After pulling the guides for the manager on duty at GS at lunchtime, I tried 3 more stores and all had pulled the guides. Looks like I missed out on this one.
 
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