Reduced Price Guide Thread XIV (FAQ in 2nd Post)

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The Reduced Price Guide FAQ/OP has been moved to the SECOND post. Read this first!
[customspoiler="Disclaimer"]
All credit goes to IAmTheCheapestGamer, floormat, and guinaevere. They ran this thread for years, and I can safely say we would not have penny guides here without them. Thanks for your work!
[/customspoiler]

Private message me if there is something incorrect or needs to be changed in the non-wiki pages.
Below is two years or so of guide drop info. If you want to see the full list, please refer to the third post of the Reduced Price Guide Thread XIV that can be found HERE.​

Note that date may be of confirmation, and not of drop.

CE/SE/LE=HARDCOVER GUIDE
Red=Gamestop drop
Blue=Best Buy drop
Pink=Toys R Us drop

 

Recent Drops (Last Six Months)

Dropped 3.23.16 at GameStop

Game Stop 1 Cent

Assassin's Creed: Syndicate

Assassin's Creed: Syndicate CE

Just Cause 3

Halo 5 CE



Dropped on 3.26.14
 

Gamestop

Battlefield 4

Disney Infinity

Grand Theft Auto V

Remember Me

Super Mario 3D World

Dropped on 2.26.14

Gamestop 

Assassin's Creed IV: CE

Battlefield 4 CE
Grand Theft Auto CE

Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds CE

Skylanders Swap Force CE

Wonderful 101

Dropped on 2.14.14

Toys'R Us

Rage
Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Mass Effect 3

Star Wars The Force Unleashed II

Dropped on 10.31.13

Gamestop 
 
Animal Crossing
Assassin's Creed 3
Borderlands 2 LE
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
Cheat Code Overload: Winter 2013
Codes & Cheats Vol. 1 2013
Dead Island Riptide
Diablo III

Disgaea D2

Elder Scrolls: Skyrim Legendary
Epic Mickey 2
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Halo 4
Hitman Absolution
Injustice: Gods Among Us

Injustice: Gods Among Us LE
Last of Us

Last of Us LE
Lego City Undercover
Madden 25
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team
Ni No Kuni
Pokemon Black & White 2 Pokedex
Resident Evil 6 LE
Resident Evil Revelations

Wind Waker LE
Dropped on 9.25.13

Gamestop
Army of Two The Devils Cartel
Dead Space 3
Metal Gear Rising Revengence
Star Trek
Super Mario Bros. Wii U
Epic Mickey 2 Limited Ed
Halo 4 Limited Ed
Hitman Absolution Limited Ed

Dropped on 9.04.13

Gamestop
 
Call of Duty Black Ops II CE
DMC: Devil May Cry
Dishonored
Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider CE       
 
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[quote name='gantt']He said "had that shit-faced look" - not shit-eating grin. Probably wouldn't be the first time a GameStop employee worked in that condition, but I haven't encountered it. Maybe the poster doesn't know what "shit-faced" means. Or maybe the employee did take pleasure in mutilating the guide, because he recognized the customer for what he is.

In any case, probably not productive for us to keep analyzing a one-sided account of a single transaction. In general, my experience with GameStop employees has been quite positive. But I rarely shop there, due to their prices and their practice of selling opened games as "new."[/QUOTE]

Absolutely agree with you there.
 
I thought I saw someone mention this, but I can't quite remember. Either way, the Gears of War 3 guide isn't a penny, but it is $4.99. The Soul Calibur V Collector's Edition guide is $9.99.
 
[quote name='Tsel']I thought I saw someone mention this, but I can't quite remember. Either way, the Gears of War 3 guide isn't a penny, but it is $4.99. The Soul Calibur V Collector's Edition guide is $9.99.[/QUOTE]

The Gears of War 3 CE is a penny.
 
[quote name='Lord Izanagi']The Gears of War 3 CE is a penny.[/QUOTE]

I was referring to the standard edition. The way I worded kind of sounded like I was calling someone out who said it was a penny, but I just meant while it's not a penny, it's technically still a reduced price.
 
[quote name='Tsel']I was referring to the standard edition. The way I worded kind of sounded like I was calling someone out who said it was a penny, but I just meant while it's not a penny, it's technically still a reduced price.[/QUOTE]
Okay, now I understand.
 
[quote name='Tsel']I thought I saw someone mention this, but I can't quite remember. Either way, the Gears of War 3 guide isn't a penny, but it is $4.99. The Soul Calibur V Collector's Edition guide is $9.99.[/QUOTE]

That person you mentioned was me :). I scanned those two guides along with a bunch of others two days ago
 
[quote name='strait edge follower']That person you mentioned was me :). I scanned those two guides along with a bunch of others two days ago[/QUOTE]

I thought I remembered seeing it!

If the Red Dead GOTY would drop to even $9.99, I'd snag it in a heartbeat.
 
[quote name='Tsel']I thought I saw someone mention this, but I can't quite remember. Either way, the Gears of War 3 guide isn't a penny, but it is $4.99. The Soul Calibur V Collector's Edition guide is $9.99.[/QUOTE]

Is this at GS?
 
[quote name='neocisco']Is this at GS?[/QUOTE]

Yes.

My local store didn't even have any of these, but I was out of town today and stopped by another GS to check out their penny guide selection when I noticed these.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 softcover was $9.99 as well. I think that's all as far as price drops goes.
 
The Gears 3 guide dropped to $4.99 in mid-June. I remember someone mentioning it and I bought a copy then. I had a $5 giftcard from a pre-order made at a GS that closed so I ended up paying 43 cents for it. It shouldn't be much longer before it pennies.
 
Wait. A Gamestop store closed?:shock: They're like the WalMart of game retailers with stores every 5-10 miles to crush their local competition. Although they did close at least one store here too, though that was in a dimly lit shopping center and the furthest away of the 3 stores in that area.
 
Gow. 3 ce is a penny in ny. Just picked up a copy. The employee then pulled the rest. Going to see if tru dropped more guides. Did anyone get the walking dead figures for a penny? i would like to trade for them.
 
hit my gamestop and got syndicate x2 and lego pirates x1. strange because those syndicate guides werent there when they dropped long ago... and from the chatter during the transaction i got the impression they pull them li8ke theyre supposed to. i gotta stop being lazy and actually go check the day of the pull or the day after...

went to best buy as well, but found nothing... they did have several ff13-2 CE, assassin creed revelations CE, and mass effect 3 reg and CE. but based on reading the last 100 or so posts, i dont think those are pennied yet.
 
[quote name='Tsel']I thought I saw someone mention this, but I can't quite remember. Either way, the Gears of War 3 guide isn't a penny, but it is $4.99. The Soul Calibur V Collector's Edition guide is $9.99.[/QUOTE]


There is no SC V collectors guide. FuturePress only issues hardcover guides.
 
[quote name='Romeo']There is no SC V collectors guide. FuturePress only issues hardcover guides.[/QUOTE]

Didn't even know it was FuturePress.
 
[quote name='Tsel']Didn't even know it was FuturePress.[/QUOTE]


I started to collect them earlier this year. At first I too thought they were CE guides until I found out all FuturePress guides are hardcover. The only one I don't have is Reckoning, and I won't pay $27 for a guide when I paid $10 for the game.
 
[quote name='Romeo']I started to collect them earlier this year. At first I too thought they were CE guides until I found out all FuturePress guides are hardcover. The only one I don't have is Reckoning, and I won't pay $27 for a guide when I paid $10 for the game.[/QUOTE]

But it's big and beautiful. :cry:
 
[quote name='Romeo']I started to collect them earlier this year. At first I too thought they were CE guides until I found out all FuturePress guides are hardcover. The only one I don't have is Reckoning, and I won't pay $27 for a guide when I paid $10 for the game.[/QUOTE]

Future Press makes softcover versions of guides. I have the following softcover:

Vanquish
InFamous
Resident Evil 4
Killzone 2 / also hardcover
Killzone 3 / also hardcover
Portal 2 / also hardcover
Deus Ex / also hardcover

Those are the softcovers I can think of right now. So there are Collector Editions to some Future Press guides.

Still need Bayonetta but refuse to pay what people expect for that guide.
 
[quote name='Bumslie']Future Press makes softcover versions of guides. I have the following softcover:

Vanquish
InFamous
Resident Evil 4
Killzone 2 / also hardcover
Killzone 3 / also hardcover
Portal 2 / also hardcover
Deus Ex / also hardcover

Those are the softcovers I can think of right now. So there are Collector Editions to some Future Press guides.

Still need Bayonetta but refuse to pay what people expect for that guide.[/QUOTE]
Bayonettas' guide was never released stateside and I don't believe it was printed in very high numbers when it was published. But let me know if you find a couple cheap copies as I'll take one.

One guide I've been debating, though I don't think there's an English portion to it, is the Catherine guide which was released overseas only as well.
 
[quote name='Romeo']I started to collect them earlier this year. At first I too thought they were CE guides until I found out all FuturePress guides are hardcover. The only one I don't have is Reckoning, and I won't pay $27 for a guide when I paid $10 for the game.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, it is a pretty nice guide, but I don't blame you. I wouldn't have gotten it either if I hadn't found it on Barnes and Noble for $16 and change.
There must have been a run on them thanks to the Best Buy coupon, because they're sold out, Amazons sold out, Books a Million, Overstock, Buy.com...
 
[quote name='Bumslie']Future Press makes softcover versions of guides. I have the following softcover:

Vanquish
InFamous
Resident Evil 4
Killzone 2 / also hardcover
Killzone 3 / also hardcover
Portal 2 / also hardcover
Deus Ex / also hardcover

Those are the softcovers I can think of right now. So there are Collector Editions to some Future Press guides.

Still need Bayonetta but refuse to pay what people expect for that guide.[/QUOTE]


Perhaps I should have stated more recent games. I stated collecting them with Dark Souls and personally have not seen any soft guides. I own Dark Souls and SC: V (paid $10 each at gamestop, never saw FuturePress guides penny), and the last one I recall is Reckoning.

I'm used to Brady guides, so perhaps I just look over FuturePress softcovers?
 
[quote name='Flacksguy']Yeah, it is a pretty nice guide, but I don't blame you. I wouldn't have gotten it either if I hadn't found it on Barnes and Noble for $16 and change.
There must have been a run on them thanks to the Best Buy coupon, because they're sold out, Amazons sold out, Books a Million, Overstock, Buy.com...[/QUOTE]


Please do correct me if I'm wrong though I'm understanding that best buy does not carry FuturePress guides.. at least the recent ones: Dark Souls, SC: V, and Reckoning.
 
[quote name='Romeo']Perhaps I should have stated more recent games. I stated collecting them with Dark Souls and personally have not seen any soft guides. I own Dark Souls and SC: V (paid $10 each at gamestop, never saw FuturePress guides penny), and the last one I recall is Reckoning.

I'm used to Brady guides, so perhaps I just look over FuturePress softcovers?[/QUOTE]

Yes you're correct on the recent guides have been hardcover editions. I love Future Press & Piggy Back when it comes to guides.

The last Future Press guides I've seen at Best Buy were softcovers Killzone 3, Portal 2 & Vanquish. The might have had 1 or 2 hardcovers but they seem to go quick.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Bayonettas' guide was never released stateside and I don't believe it was printed in very high numbers when it was published. But let me know if you find a couple cheap copies as I'll take one.

One guide I've been debating, though I don't think there's an English portion to it, is the Catherine guide which was released overseas only as well.[/QUOTE]

Yeah the Bayonetta guide was released in 3 languages English, French & German. The only version that you can't get at a decent price is the UK pressing. I've been waiting to find one and looks like I'll be waiting some more years.

I will have to check out that Catherine guide.
 
[quote name='Romeo']

I'm used to Brady guides, so perhaps I just look over FuturePress softcovers?[/QUOTE]



I prefer Brady Guides as well...
UNLESS they are done by David Hodgson. That guy is hands down the best in the business. Skyrim, The Fallout Guides, Alan Wake, Half-Life...
Everything he does is outstanding. I've found myself getting guides hes written before the actual games themselves.
 
[quote name='Romeo']Please do correct me if I'm wrong though I'm understanding that best buy does not carry FuturePress guides.. at least the recent ones: Dark Souls, SC: V, and Reckoning.[/QUOTE]
I distinctly remember seeing the Reckoning guide a while ago at the BB stores here. I haven't seen them lately, though they may still be in store but just not displayed.
 
Drat. I was out of town and missed this last drop. If anyone has spares of the 7/25 GS drop I've got plenty of guides to trade.

Best Buy around here has been pretty on the ball with the pre-pulls the last several drops.
 
[quote name='Game Rogue']Alpha Protocol: The Espionage RPG for PC was pennied @ Gamestop today.[/QUOTE]


Thank you. I wasn't aware of any notable drops today such as guides.
 
[quote name='Romeo']Thank you. I wasn't aware of any notable drops today such as guides.[/QUOTE]

NP. I should have lead off with "Not a guide..." PC game pennied. Appoligies for any confusion.
 
Picked up Syndicate from Gamestop today. I'm serious, there's something weird in the employees' drinking water. Some employees say procedure is to sell pennied guides on the spot, no questions asked, some say they give it free, some say they aren't really supposed to sell it, but they still do, just because they feel like it, some say they can't sell it or give it away and they have to return them to the manufacturer. What is it with Gamestop?
 
[quote name='Lord Izanagi']Picked up Syndicate from Gamestop today. I'm serious, there's something weird in the employees' drinking water. Some employees say procedure is to sell pennied guides on the spot, no questions asked, some say they give it free, some say they aren't really supposed to sell it, but they still do, just because they feel like it, some say they can't sell it or give it away and they have to return them to the manufacturer. What is it with Gamestop?[/QUOTE]

Sometimes people who hate their jobs try to get themselves fired. :D
 
I came across a Splinter Cell: Conviction guide at Best Buy today. I think it pennied in 2010. They went ahead and sold it to me (after some deliberation). It is amazing how that could go sitting on their shelves for almost two years and never have been caught. I also saw some older guides that I did not find listed here as pennied, so I didn't even try.
 
[quote name='WNYX585AM']I came across a Splinter Cell: Conviction guide at Best Buy today. I think it pennied in 2010. They went ahead and sold it to me (after some deliberation). It is amazing how that could go sitting on their shelves for almost two years and never have been caught. I also saw some older guides that I did not find listed here as pennied, so I didn't even try.[/QUOTE]

October 2010. Congratulations, you found the Best Buy That Time Forgot. I could use a back-up HD-DVD player.
 
[quote name='gantt']October 2010. Congratulations, you found the Best Buy That Time Forgot. I could use a back-up HD-DVD player.[/QUOTE]

The funniest thing is that i'm not even sure this particular Best Buy was even open in 2010. I'm pretty sure it's only about a year old.

Next time i'm there, i'll check for HD-DVD players for you. I'll bet they're right next to the Betamax display I saw...
 
[quote name='WNYX585AM']I came across a Splinter Cell: Conviction guide at Best Buy today. I think it pennied in 2010. They went ahead and sold it to me (after some deliberation). It is amazing how that could go sitting on their shelves for almost two years and never have been caught. I also saw some older guides that I did not find listed here as pennied, so I didn't even try.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='gantt']October 2010. Congratulations, you found the Best Buy That Time Forgot. I could use a back-up HD-DVD player.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='WNYX585AM']The funniest thing is that i'm not even sure this particular Best Buy was even open in 2010. I'm pretty sure it's only about a year old.

Next time i'm there, i'll check for HD-DVD players for you. I'll bet they're right next to the Betamax display I saw...[/QUOTE]


I got you both beat. About 2 years ago, I saw a mechwarrior 2 guide on the rack at Bestbuy in West LA. It's the one at the corner of the 405 and 10 freeways. It was beat to hell but still was listed about $9.99 or higher. I should've taken a picture but all I had was my crappy T-mobile G1 at the time.
 
^^I have a similar story. About 1 week before CC started to liquidate, I found a brute force guide and some old pc game guide (like D&D or something. I think they were both 5 years old at the time.
 
Just got back from Toys R Us and picked up these guides for $.01:

Bioshock 2
God Of War 3
Sonic Colors
UFC Undisputed 2010

The manager almost didn't let me buy them lol. They had plenty of each, I picked up 2 of each
 
I picked up a Prototype 2 from GameStop. Many thanks. This has got to be the shittiest guide I have ever read. Not that I needed it, as my plan to platinum it was derailed by a game-breaking bug.
 
Went to Best Buy and saw a Dragon Age II guide. This one was not known to be pennied, but rather the UPC was removed from the system so no price would come up at all. Scanned it today, hoping they would just give it to me for free, and it rang up at a price of $12.99. Weird. This can only mean one of two things. Either all the guides that were removed from the system will return to the system and get pennied later, or all the guides removed from the system will go back up to a high price and stay there until they're just thrown away.
 
[quote name='Lord Izanagi']Went to Best Buy and saw a Dragon Age II guide. This one was not known to be pennied, but rather the UPC was removed from the system so no price would come up at all. Scanned it today, hoping they would just give it to me for free, and it rang up at a price of $12.99. Weird. This can only mean one of two things. Either all the guides that were removed from the system will return to the system and get pennied later, or all the guides removed from the system will go back up to a high price and stay there until they're just thrown away.[/QUOTE]

That guide is also $9.99 at Gamestop.
 
[quote name='Lord Izanagi']Went to Best Buy and saw a Dragon Age II guide. This one was not known to be pennied, but rather the UPC was removed from the system so no price would come up at all. Scanned it today, hoping they would just give it to me for free, and it rang up at a price of $12.99. Weird. This can only mean one of two things. Either all the guides that were removed from the system will return to the system and get pennied later, or all the guides removed from the system will go back up to a high price and stay there until they're just thrown away.[/QUOTE]

I picked up a DA2 guide at Target on clearance for $6.26 a few days ago. I also got Uncharted 3 guide on clearance for $5.xx While never as glorious as a pennied guide, Target does have clearances on guides every once in awhile. I picked up AC:Revelations for about $5 also a month or two ago. They have had a tattered Homefront guide on clearance for almost a year, but I won't pay $5 for that.
 
When I went to Best Buy today for the video game blowout, I saw an Infamous 2 guide. I had no reason to think it had been pennied, but I tried to scan it anyway. It wasn't pennied, but rather, the SKU was deleted, like the previous guides. I got it for free, anyway. Also, the Fallout NV guides, the non CE ones, are now ringing up as $12.99, rather than ringing up as a deleted SKU like before. It seems that all the deleted SKUs are now being changed to the price of $12.99. This is very troubling.
 
[quote name='Lord Izanagi']When I went to Best Buy today for the video game blowout, I saw an Infamous 2 guide. I had no reason to think it had been pennied, but I tried to scan it anyway. It wasn't pennied, but rather, the SKU was deleted, like the previous guides. I got it for free, anyway. Also, the Fallout NV guides, the non CE ones, are now ringing up as $12.99, rather than ringing up as a deleted SKU like before. It seems that all the deleted SKUs are now being changed to the price of $12.99. This is very troubling.[/QUOTE]
Honestly, if it's a detailed enough guide for something like an RPG, I'd easily pay $10 for one of them. At least then you don't have to worry about being denied if they ring up a penny or having the cover(s) ripped off and then have it handed to you ala GS in some instances.

Basically if it's a guide for a game I intend on keeping, then I'll gladly shell out some cash/credit for it. Albeit this Uncharted 3 CE guide I picked up using my Gamers' Club Unlocked 50% off any guide welcome packet coupon has really come in handy, considering the fact that I got rid of the game at least TWICE now and don't currently own it.:lol:

I think I only bought it due to the Uncharted 1 & 2 guides getting MSRP or higher after they got cleared out from stores.
 
Just got back from a crazy month long family road trip and got shut out of the new drops at GS. But two pitstops one in Oklahoma and one Indiana netted me 4 guides that I wasnt expecting Oklahoma GS the lady working there was borded to tears ask if she has any guides since I didnt see them out goes and looks comes out with a copy of Borderlands GOTY and Castlevania LoS guide double score (especially since one fellow cagger scoffed at an attempt to get his LoS guide, do you know what they get on amazon! ) and in Indiana thrift store picked up at 25 cents apiece Dragon Quest IV COTC and Batman AC was thrilled on those two. And add that I was able to get the games I wanted at BB during their first game blow out a very successful trip. Also today local GS had a stack of DQ joker guides and hard cover FF 12 guides out seemingly out of nowhere. Was DQ jokers ever pennied?
 
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