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

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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.
 
[quote name='spookyhurst']Has anyone checked Animal Crossing Wild World or FFXII recently? I tried FFXII last drop, but it was still (unbelievably) $19.99.[/QUOTE]

I tried FFXII on Monday. Sadly, it's still $19.99.
 
I may have an addendum to the list from this drop from BB.

18,000+ Codes + Cheats Winter 2008 edition(ORANGE COVER)

It's a HUGE, HUGE BOOK!!!! 640 pages

I'm gonna double check it against the wiki and the list in post 2, but I'm pretty certain this is a new drop that was missed from Monday.

EDIT: OK, false alarm, since this book was part of a drop over TWO MONTHS AGO?!?!?! WTF!!!! It figures, my local BB stores always miss the crappy guides and pull/destroy the good ones.
 
[quote name='spookyhurst']Has anyone checked Animal Crossing Wild World or FFXII recently? I tried FFXII last drop, but it was still (unbelievably) $19.99.[/quote]

Tried Animal Crossing and Super Paper Mario (NP). Both regular price on Monday.
 
[quote name='genfuyung']My best by had none. I know they had at least 7 uncharteds last time i wsa there. damn hoarders.[/QUOTE]

It might not have been a hoarder. I know in my area, there are lots of CAGs and they are all good about leaving some for the next CAG when there are multiple copies. So, it could have been several people who took those 7.

Also, they may have destroyed those 7, so it isn't necessarily a hoarder.
 
[quote name='Ubiiquitous']It might not have been a hoarder. I know in my area, there are lots of CAGs and they are all good about leaving some for the next CAG when there are multiple copies. So, it could have been several people who took those 7.

Also, they may have destroyed those 7, so it isn't necessarily a hoarder.[/quote]
I think it's clear it was Ubiiquitous ;)
 
I just passed thru TRU and saw a GCN Zelda Twilight Princess. Upon scanning it said No Price or something. They called up this manager who wasn't familiar with games or gaming, and she wanted to sell it for $9.99 which is half off. So how to get them to drop the price to really cheap since it doesn't scan for anything?

Anyhelp would be appreciated.
 
[quote name='oldskoolgamer108']I just passed thru TRU and saw a GCN Zelda Twilight Princess. Upon scanning it said No Price or something. They called up this manager who wasn't familiar with games or gaming, and she wanted to sell it for $9.99 which is half off. So how to get them to drop the price to really cheap since it doesn't scan for anything?

Anyhelp would be appreciated.[/quote]

lol 9.99 is a great price! take it!
 
This is from Scorch's GameCrazy price drops thread:
Strategy Guides (PENNIED OUT!!)
Call of Duty 2
Dragonquest VIII
Final Fantasy X
GTA San Andreas
Kingdom Hearts II
Resident Evil 4 (PS2 Version)

Good luck, since they now ring as 0.00 ...
 
[quote name='animemaniac14']so i guess B&Ns doesn't do penny guides do they? cuz i found a BUNCH of awesome and rare game guides at my local B&N :([/quote]

Nope. Getting .01 guides from bookstores is virtually impossible.
 
[quote name='oldskoolgamer108']...not freeassgamer[/quote]

LOL Trust me, I was gonna try this with an LCDtv which was coming up .00 at Target, but there were some pesky glaring fluorescent red clearance price tags on it and I'm not one to remove price stickers or alter prices since it's illegal and immoral.

So, I left it there, hoping that it'd still be there when I went back in a week or two. I checked the other day and it was LONG GONE. I expected it to be though, so either A) some other worker scanned it and realized it had to be pulled or B) someone got it for $164 and change plus tax, since that was the lowest price sticker on it.
 
I went to Vegas during the week (for work) and found a Wild Arms 3 guide for $2.50 at some store in the LV Outlets.

Today, one of the BBs near me had a sign up announcing all "Game Guides" were 25% off. I picked up both Zelda hardcover guides (TP and PH) and took them to the cashier. They rang up at regular price ($14.99) before I told him about the sign. He told me that I probably had to buy the game to get the discount on the guide. :lol: He called the VG dept and they confirmed the 25% off. A manager had to override the price. Ended getting each guide for $11.24 before taxes.:D

At that price, I just couldn't pass up both guides. I also picked up another copy of Lego SW: CS but I didn't get the 25% off. ;)
 
[quote name='Slim Gatsby']This is from Scorch's GameCrazy price drops thread:


Good luck, since they now ring as 0.00 ...[/quote]

I got them, the only catch was that they had to remove the back...
 
[quote name='genfuyung']Like rip the back of the guide off?[/quote]

Yep, GameCrazy wouldn't sell them to me but didn't mind giving them to me free after they ripped off the back. They only wanted the bar code, so I guess if you knew them you could ask to cut it out. Luckily for me RE4 ripped off nicely, and it looks like I can use it for the GC.
 
[quote name='genfuyung']Like rip the back of the guide off? I got a UT3 at a different BB today if anyone wants to trade for star wars.[/quote]

Please keep trade posts to the trade thread. Thanks.
 
Looks like I have to head to GC soon. With the exception of CoD2, I could actually use all of those. Is GC's "policy" of ripping off the back cover mostly wide spread or what?
 
[quote name='Chronis']Looks like I have to head to GC soon. With the exception of CoD2, I could actually use all of those. Is GC's "policy" of ripping off the back cover mostly wide spread or what?[/quote]

Well, it seemed like they were suppose to trash them once they hit .00 and forgot to read the memo. I went to 4, and that was the only one with any of the guides.
 
OK, take this for what you will, but here's a list of possible pennied guides for today at BB.

I'm going by the 'Limited Availability' for store pick-up meaning they may be getting pulled at many stores due to being pennied theory someone came up with.

Here's the list and good luck if any of them are pennied today:

Crysis
Orange Box(BOTH listings for it say this)
Super Mario Galaxy Collectors Edition
Pokemon Battle Revolution(Nintendo version)
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue/Red Rescue Team(Nintendo version)
The Art Of Mass Effect(with game guide)
Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess(Revised Collectors Edition, tan cover)

While I doubt these are pennying now, there IS a chance. Anyone up to checking these bright and early this morning to see if these DID indeed penny?
 
Ill be at BB tomorrow morning. Ill check out the ones I can find. But I can tell you that yester day (mothers day) Orange Box was 10 dollars marked down from 20.
 
It's been marked $10 for a bit though, as has Rock Band at 1-2 others that I remember.

Oh and btw, does anyone else notice that BB is trying to get an extra $1 off of people buying that yellow covered cheat/code book, since it says $6.99 on the cover but it costs $7.99 on the site.
 
Oh and btw, does anyone else notice that BB is trying to get an extra $1 off of people buying that yellow covered cheat/code book, since it says $6.99 on the cover but it costs $7.99 on the site.

Yeah, I noticed that!

Also, The BB in Connecticut was trying to sell the pennied oblivion guides for $9.99 "clearance". They had a new sku number sticker with the "sale" price on the front (no barcode- just sku #), but when I brought it up to checkout, they scanned the barcode on the back and it rang up .01. HAH!;)
 
OK....a few of the ones which I checked the availability of last night when I found them listed as Limited are now 'unavailable', including the hardcover TP guide and Mario Galaxy. They also had about a half dozen or so Orange Box guides the last time I was to each store, so unless 12 people or so picked up a guide, this may have been a drop.

That seems about the easiest way to check guides lately, with gas prices spiking as often as they are. If you remember seeing tons of a certain guide and now they're listed as unavailable, that may mean they dropped and were pulled.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']OK, take this for what you will, but here's a list of possible pennied guides for today at BB.

I'm going by the 'Limited Availability' for store pick-up meaning they may be getting pulled at many stores due to being pennied theory someone came up with.

Here's the list and good luck if any of them are pennied today:

Crysis
Orange Box(BOTH listings for it say this)
Super Mario Galaxy Collectors Edition
Pokemon Battle Revolution(Nintendo version)
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue/Red Rescue Team(Nintendo version)
The Art Of Mass Effect(with game guide)
Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess(Revised Collectors Edition, tan cover)

While I doubt these are pennying now, there IS a chance. Anyone up to checking these bright and early this morning to see if these DID indeed penny?[/QUOTE]

Wish I had seen this before I went out because I went to a Best Buy at 10am and found several of the older drops. They had TONS of most of these (especially Orange Box and SMG), though, but I assumed they wouldn't be cheap. I did see a Spiderman Friend or Foe and had a vague notion of that being pennied. Turns out it is from the JANUARY drop! That's why I didn't remember it :lol:. Oh well, I may swing by again to pick that up and can check some of these others if no one else does by then (won't be till tonight though).
 
[quote name='xx2541']Yeah, I noticed that!

Also, The BB in Connecticut was trying to sell the pennied oblivion guides for $9.99 "clearance". They had a new sku number sticker with the "sale" price on the front (no barcode- just sku #), but when I brought it up to checkout, they scanned the barcode on the back and it rang up .01. HAH!;)[/quote]


Which one in Connecticut?
 
Hopefully someone will post soon, I am debating driving out to BB myself... I just can't justify a trip into town for the possibility of a few guides :cry:
 
[quote name='Dave4086']Hopefully someone will post soon, I am debating driving out to BB myself... I just can't justify a trip into town for the possibility of a few guides :cry:[/QUOTE]

I would have already posted as I was planning on being in Best Buy an hour ago. Then my kid acted up and got left out of a trip so now I'm stuck here with him :(.
 
Just came back from BB. Heres my findings....

Orange Box(BOTH listings for it say this)
The Art Of Mass Effect(with game guide)
Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess(Revised Collectors Edition, tan cover)


All full price in Ocala, Florida.
 
[quote name='slofton']Just came back from BB. Heres my findings....

Orange Box(BOTH listings for it say this)
The Art Of Mass Effect(with game guide)
Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess(Revised Collectors Edition, tan cover)


All full price in Ocala, Florida.[/quote]

Did these actually "scan" full price? Or were just marked full price
 
Well, that just saved me a bunch of time. Thanks to all who checked them, though I was thinking we had another good sized drop on our hands today.

Oh and makstaks, we've had drops in the middle of the month and at the ends before.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']OK, take this for what you will, but here's a list of possible pennied guides for today at BB.

I'm going by the 'Limited Availability' for store pick-up meaning they may be getting pulled at many stores due to being pennied theory someone came up with.

Here's the list and good luck if any of them are pennied today:

Crysis
Orange Box(BOTH listings for it say this)
Super Mario Galaxy Collectors Edition
Pokemon Battle Revolution(Nintendo version)
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue/Red Rescue Team(Nintendo version)
The Art Of Mass Effect(with game guide)
Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess(Revised Collectors Edition, tan cover)

While I doubt these are pennying now, there IS a chance. Anyone up to checking these bright and early this morning to see if these DID indeed penny?[/quote]

I just got back from BB and The Art of ME is $17.99. I bought it with some store credit figuring if I waited till it pennied, they would be gone.
 
[quote name='donut']Did these actually "scan" full price? Or were just marked full price[/quote]I always scan. Never trust the price tag. :)
 
[quote name='thebob101']I just got back from BB and The Art of ME is $17.99. I bought it with some store credit figuring if I waited till it pennied, they would be gone.[/QUOTE]

I bought it last week for that price as well and for the same reason.
 
2 guides, I think at least one is new

BB
Medal of Honor - Airborne - The one with the sticker

GS might be old?
Pokemon 10th Anniversary Pokedex Hardcover
 
[quote name='smaaug']2 guides, I think at least one is new

BB
Medal of Honor - Airborne - The one with the sticker

GS might be old?
Pokemon 10th Anniversary Pokedex Hardcover[/quote]

The MOH: Airborne with sticker is new, since the unstickered one dropped the last time. So if that dropped, then maybe the stickered Madden 08 did too, not that I want either.

Don't know about the GS guide though, since I rarely get anything from them anymore.
 
all scanned for full price. When i first went in i saw the zelda hardcover was gone and figured it had pennied. But nope someone bought it full price. I really wanted the mass effect artbook. *sigh* o well
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Well, that just saved me a bunch of time. Thanks to all who checked them, though I was thinking we had another good sized drop on our hands today.

Oh and makstaks, we've had drops in the middle of the month and at the ends before.[/quote]

got it. Hopefully these will indicate the next set of drops :D
 
I was out over the weekend on a trip in California and stopped by a Best Buy on my way. I guess that Best Buy doesn't have any CAGs around cause I found 2 Star Wars Lego! I was really excited... I really just look for PS3 guides and finding both Uncharted and Star Wars Lego was a great double-bonus!
 
I am ashamed.
I bought the Zelda PH guide tonight for $14.99.

Then i got Oblivion, Kane and Lynch and Hellgate for a penny. Made me feel a little better.
 
[quote name='Pookymeister']I am ashamed.
I bought the Zelda PH guide tonight for $14.99.

Then i got Oblivion, Kane and Lynch and Hellgate for a penny. Made me feel a little better.[/quote]I bought it for $4.99 after two $5 RZ certs. Much easier pill to swallow. ;)
 
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