Reduced Price Game Guides: Thread Eight(MODS: Please lock, Thread Nine is up)

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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 or which ones you've grabbed 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/showthread.php?t=102021

Game Guide Trade Thread(current one):
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(please keep all conversation NOT related to guide drops HERE. Thanks.): http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169252

Guide Lists:

Master Drop List(by store, alphabetically):
http://wiki.cheapassgamer.com/index.php/Category:Strategy_Guides_%28master_lists%29

Recent Guide Drops(by date):
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.

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/showthread.php?t=50515&highlight=guide
Guide Four:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1496376
Guide Five:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85976
Guide Six:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=116918
Guide Seven:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131717
Guide Seven and a half:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142400

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
B&N
BestBuy
Borders
BookPool
CircuitCity
Gamestop
Overstock
StrategyGuide.net
ToysRUs

Thanks to floormat, who did threads 3,4,5 and 6 and provided me with the links to them.

Thanks to Gwen for allowing me the honor of giving something back to CAG by doing this new guide thread. I hope you all enjoy it and it isn't TOO hard to read.
 
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[quote name='RoninChaos']None of the places I go have penny guides. WTF.[/quote]

Are you specifically ASKING them for penny guides, since NO PLACE will typically give you stuff that's technically supposed to be destroyed.

However, if you go to BB or GS soon after a drop and ASK for just 1-2 that you REALLY want from the drop, you may get lucky as they may not have destroyed them yet.

But, definitely don't go in and ask at TRU or if you do say that you heard from a friend(NEVER mention CAG or having had a 'list' of which ones dropped)that such and such a guide was reduced to something like $5.

Remember though, that if you DO ask, only ask for the 1-2 guides you may actually WANT, since asking for EVERY guide that dropped will raise red flags.
 
Although the BB near me has some of the penny guides actually labeled as .01. On the book itself and on the little card that goes on the shelf to indicate price.
 
[quote name='62t']The bigger problem is you wont be able to use it for Persona 3 FES, so it is not really that useful.[/quote]


Persona 3 guide is still useful, item stats, mission requirements, monster weaknesses, etc are all still useful for the main game in persona 3 and most of the information will still be good.
 
I can confirm the 9.99 Persona guide at GS, but it is the non-shrinkwrapped version. If it is still in the package it is 19.99 at the GS near me. If you are going to use it, then it doesn't matter.
 
[quote name='slowdive21']I can confirm the 9.99 Persona guide at GS, but it is the non-shrinkwrapped version. If it is still in the package it is 19.99 at the GS near me. If you are going to use it, then it doesn't matter.[/quote]

i got my shrink wrapped one for 9.99 last week...
 
[quote name='RoninChaos']None of the places I go have penny guides. WTF.[/QUOTE]
I find them in clusters. There's a few BBs I go to that never have them. Luck of the draw.
 
[quote name='vahn401']I have today off, but i will check first thing when i go in tomorow for a drop.[/quote]

So glad to have u back....for months now it's been hit and miss finding out which ones dropped cuz we've had to just scan what was in stock so if something wasn't on the shelves then we sometimes wouldn't know to the end of that day that it had dropped!!! Keeping my fingers crossed for a drop tomorrow! Peace out Vahn!
 
[quote name='vahn401']I have today off, but i will check first thing when i go in tomorow for a drop.[/QUOTE]

Thanks a lot for all your help and continued support of this thread!
 
[quote name='vahn401']I have today off, but i will check first thing when i go in tomorow for a drop.[/QUOTE]

Which timezone are you in?
 
[quote name='Brian9824']Persona 3 guide is still useful, item stats, mission requirements, monster weaknesses, etc are all still useful for the main game in persona 3 and most of the information will still be good.[/quote]

Agreed - the guide is still useful.

Not sure why anyone would say it isn't.
 
I was in Ohio over the weekend and stopped by a Best Buy on a whim. Lo and behold, they had three Bioshock guides. All four of the BBs in my area destroyed theirs, so it was great to finally get ahold of some.
 
because you wont be able to use the Persona 3 guide for social link, most likely the one thing you need to use a guide for. If you need to look online for that you might as well not use the guide.
 
[quote name='62t']because you wont be able to use the Persona 3 guide for social link, most likely the one thing you need to use a guide for. If you need to look online for that you might as well not use the guide.[/quote]

Im pretty sure you can use the P3 guide for the social links except the new ones that they added to FES. Besides, not everyone has a computer by their tvs
 
[quote name='vahn401']I have today off, but i will check first thing when i go in tomorow for a drop.[/quote]

Thanks for the updates when you can get them, vahn, since as others have said it's been hit or miss lately otherwise.
 
[quote name='ZerotypeX']Im pretty sure you can use the P3 guide for the social links except the new ones that they added to FES. Besides, not everyone has a computer by their tvs[/QUOTE]

the social link are moved around in FES. Also there are new or changed Persona and weapon fusion. You are going to find certain things not working by using the same guide from Persona.
 
If there's a drop tomorrow, we can add Frontlines, Turok, Viking, and the EA book to potentially drop, seeing as they are gone from the site.
 
[quote name='loxthefox']If there's a drop tomorrow, we can add Frontlines, Turok, Viking, and the EA book to potentially drop, seeing as they are gone from the site.[/quote]

I see Turok and Frontlines available for the 360 on Target.com. I only see the PS3 version of Viking, however.
 
[quote name='GuardianE']I see Turok and Frontlines available for the 360 on Target.com. I only see the PS3 version of Viking, however.[/quote]

We are referring to Best Buy - who has drops typically on the first monday of the month.
 
[quote name='Pookymeister']We are referring to Best Buy - who has drops typically on the first monday of the month.[/quote]

I'm sorry. I'm an idiot. I got my threads mixed up. :whistle2:#

Does this mean that they'll be penny guides if they drop? Or would they simply reduce in price?

I also noticed that the Zelda: Twilight Princess Collector's Edition Guide is gone from the site. Is this new? It went at a local BB for $15, but I thought maybe it could drop further down the line. Is there a rule somewhere that special hardcovers won't drop to a penny?
 
Does this mean that they'll be penny guides if they drop? Or would they simply reduce in price?

I also noticed that the Zelda: Twilight Princess Collector's Edition Guide is gone from the site. Is this new?
 
Sometimes certain guides will not be pennied out, like most Nintendo Player's Guides, FFXII, and in this case the collector's editions of the Zelda guides because of their value and deft. Don't expect the "great" guides to be pennied out because let's face it, they're guides to excellent games.
 
[quote name='detectiveconan16']Sometimes certain guides will not be pennied out, like most Nintendo Player's Guides, FFXII, and in this case the collector's editions of the Zelda guides because of their value and deft. Don't expect the "great" guides to be pennied out because let's face it, they're guides to excellent games.[/QUOTE]

Hmmmm....not sure what you mean by "great guides". I have lots of great guides that had gotten pennied out: Bioshock, Metroid Prime 3, FF: Revenant Wings, etc.
 
[quote name='Ubiiquitous']Hmmmm....not sure what you mean by "great guides". I have lots of great guides that had gotten pennied out: Bioshock, Metroid Prime 3, FF: Revenant Wings, etc.[/quote]

I think he means something like the Zelda: Collector's Edition Hardcover or the Art of Mass Effect.
 
[quote name='GuardianE']I think he means something like the Zelda: Collector's Edition Hardcover or the Art of Mass Effect.[/QUOTE]

I can understand hardcover guides. But he said "let's face it, they're guides to excellent games". I guess it just confused me because it can imply that only guides to crappy games or guides to games that didn't sell get pennied, which is not the case.
 
[quote name='GuardianE']Hm, well is the first scenario the case? Can I expect the Hardcover Zelda to never be pennied?[/QUOTE]

it should get pennied at some point. Rather your still has it when it is pennied is another question.
 
Instead of asking "Is there a drop?" or "Has anyone been to BB yet?" I'm going to go. CST, they open in 20 minutes. I'll be back shortly thereafter with a report. Save your gas for a little bit.
 
[quote name='troy2007']Instead of asking "Is there a drop?" or "Has anyone been to BB yet?" I'm going to go. CST, they open in 20 minutes. I'll be back shortly thereafter with a report. Save your gas for a little bit.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, Troy. I usually go at 10am, however, the guides I want are still at the normal price on the website (CoD4, SMG, Orange Box, ME).

Still, thanks for going.
 
Ne drop 2day?

Just kidding - thanks for going to bat, Troy. I'm in class till 1:00, and BB is just off-campus, so I'm hoping to swing by later. :)
 
[quote name='Ubiiquitous']Thanks, Troy. I usually go at 10am, however, the guides I want are still at the normal price on the website (CoD4, SMG, Orange Box, ME).

Still, thanks for going.[/quote]

That doesn't mean they haven't dropped (or at least that's my understanding). They don't always penny them out on the site at the same time as the drop.
 
[quote name='carlcarlson']That doesn't mean they haven't dropped (or at least that's my understanding). They don't always penny them out on the site at the same time as the drop.[/QUOTE]

That's a rare thing. I've been following penny drops for well over a year now, so I'll play the percentages.
 
We will have to keep an eye on BB for the next couple of days if there is no drop today. They've been known to change up the day before.

They could even have one next week. While the 1st Monday of a month is most common they have mixed up plenty of times before
 
As usual, everyone is waiting for everyone else to go find out about possible drops FOR them on the first Monday of a new month. If you wanna find out if there's a drop, don't wait for someone else to report on it, go find out for yourself.

We waste more space in this thread at the start of each month with people asking 'was there a drop?' than anything.
 
[quote name='Yeahman']We will have to keep an eye on BB for the next couple of days if there is no drop today. They've been known to change up the day before.

They could even have one next week. While the 1st Monday of a month is most common they have mixed up plenty of times before[/QUOTE]

Obviously, anyone can check penny guides in their stores at any time, however, you'd be driving yourself crazy and wasting gas to constantly check.

97.5834% of the time, guides drop ONLY on the first Monday of the month.
 
[quote name='slowdive21']Frontlines & Turok- both are a penny[/quote]

sweet! hope my BB will continue to carry them! i won't be able to go home til friday and run by there!
 
Can confirm Frontlines and Turok.

Checked numerous others including Condemned 2, Army of 2 (w/ art book), Halo 3, Fire Emblem (non-Nintendo version), DMC4, Super Mario Galaxy Premiere (soft cover), Orang Box (Down to $9.99), Dark Sector, Bully, and Lost Odyssey.

None listed were a penny.
 
One of the employees and I went through all of the guides present with a hand scanner. I can confirm the following guides...

Frontlines
Turok
Command & Conquer 3:Tiberium Wars
the EA Hardcover book

I have multiples of these too (except for C&C), so if you have no luck send me a PM to set-up a guide trade.
 
S.O.L All guides rang up regular prices :( If you live in Independence, MO. Do not waste your gas :(

Army of Two
Condemned 2
Fire Emblem
God of War: CoO
Lost Oddyssey
Orange Box
Zelda Twilight Wii
Pro Soccer 2008
Assasins Creed guide/artbook combo
Assasins Creed guide
FF XII
FF CC
FF war of the lions
Medal of Honor Airborne (with sticker)
Call of Duty 4
Dark Sector
Zelda blue hardcover
Pokemon - litte pokepedia
Devil may cry 4
 
I spotted a Best Buy employee grabbing all the Crysis and Fire Emblem strategy guides into a crate. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to ask him if they were about to get trashed since he moved lightning fast in getting the stuff in the back room. I also saw a bunch of Shrek booklet things in his crate but it was probably just those promotional items given out during DVD releases.
 
When I walked into best buy my buddy who works there had already pulled all the penny guides but brought them out for me. They didn't have much so I ended up with the EA book and Turok.
 
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