Reduced Price Game Guides: Thread Nine

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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(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.

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
Guide Eight:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167157

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
BookPool
CircuitCity
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.


 
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Right now, I've got all my personal guides in a bookshelf, and they seem to be doing fine, although I've got like 5 guides that don't fit now. My others are in a few boxes in a corner in my room. I keep them alphabetized for now, but it makes it a real pain to pull a couple, since they become loose in the boxes. I've got the huge LE guides in a couple piles on my floor. I'm planning on purging a lot of the crappier guides, though, and hopefully I can find somewhere to take them, even if I only get like $.25.
 
I got 36 guides from the last BB + CC drop and I managed to filter them all through local bookstores to turn them into $86.00 in cash (which I promptly spent on some games). I'm surprised all of you other guys wind up sitting on your guides for so long. Take them to a used book store and see what they'll pay you. Unless of course your bookshelves are buckling from 100s of EA Sports strategy guides (in which case you'll be stuck with them forever).
 
Everybody seems to be thinking that Best Buy is probably going to be having a huge drop this month at some point, I could be wrong but I'm thinking that the first big drop of the year will be in March (probably the first Monday of March). I remember them having a big drop in March in previous years like in 2006 they did that big clearance sale in late February then IIRC they did that big guide drop a week later with Kingdom Hearts II, Bully etc. etc which was the first Monday of March that year. I understand the logical reasoning behind why Best Buy could have a big drop this month being so overloaded with guides but these stores don't seem to always do things in a manner that makes sense, look at the clearance sale in 2006 Mario Party 7 for $2? like that wouldn't have sold out fast back then at say $10 new if they wanted to clearance it out to get rid of it.

It should be noted that if history repeats itself we could be seeing a big drop from GameStop mid/late January. Could be Brady one week then Prima the next.

[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']When I first started grabbing guides, I grabbed everything and anything. Of course, after a while I learned why other CAG's were selective in their pickups, since those things take up ALOT of room.[/QUOTE]

When you put it like that it's probably a good thing that arcades don't penny out old arcade machines, if they somehow did I could picture CAGs with arcade machines in every room in the house with no place to even sleep at night :D

[quote name='Doomstink']I got 36 guides from the last BB + CC drop and I managed to filter them all through local bookstores to turn them into $86.00 in cash (which I promptly spent on some games). I'm surprised all of you other guys wind up sitting on your guides for so long. Take them to a used book store and see what they'll pay you. Unless of course your bookshelves are buckling from 100s of EA Sports strategy guides (in which case you'll be stuck with them forever).[/QUOTE]

I think where you live has a lot to do with this as around me I don't have any places to trade guides to for even a buck or less. I really don't have a reason to grab tons of guides because of this if I get in on a good drop I grab 1 for me and 1 extra if they have plenty with something like God of War COO being a good example of a guide I'd do this with. I usually pass on even taking one guide for myself of something I don't have any interest in like the Ironman guide from the last Best Buy drop. Last but not least I will usually go back shortly afterwards to grab more copies of something better if no one else gets it and/or it's not pulled (I grabbed the last Super Mario Galaxy CE since it was still around last Best Buy drop next time I was by Best Buy after I initially went and grabbed everything I was interested in)
 
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[quote name='FOnewearl']I could picture CAGs with arcade machines in every room in the house with no place to even sleep at night :D[/quote]

With an arcade game in every room, who would have time to sleep?
 
I was at a San Antonio Circuit City. They scanned Devil May Cry 4 guide, and said the system says they don't carry it. Input the bar code and it still was around full price...
Now it's showing up online as 1 cent......
 
[quote name='animemaniac14']haha:applause::lol:[/quote] ROFL

My guides are all stacked up in a corner, not on a shelf, don't really need to worry about them falling on me.

I grab all guides because I can sell them within the day I get them to Bookman's for $1-5 each.

Hopefully there'll be another drop soon. I could use some money now.
 
[quote name='darkslime']ROFL

My guides are all stacked up in a corner, not on a shelf, don't really need to worry about them falling on me.

I grab all guides because I can sell them within the day I get them to Bookman's for $1-5 each.

Hopefully there'll be another drop soon. I could use some money now.[/quote]

DAMN YOU HAVIN A BOOKMAN'S NEAR YOU!!! Whenever I go out to visit the grandparents i ALWAYS make it a point to go visit at least 3 of the bookman's there...fav place in all of AZ (next to my grandparent's house of course :whistle2:D )
 
Man no kidding. NO ONE BUYS game guides in Las Vegas. The one place I had gives me the evil eye everytime I come in just because of all the credit I got through them and the fact that all the guides are still there!
 
[quote name='punkmaggit']Man no kidding. NO ONE BUYS game guides in Las Vegas. The one place I had gives me the evil eye everytime I come in just because of all the credit I got through them and the fact that all the guides are still there![/quote]

What place is that?
 
I have a local game store that gives me ~$10 instore credit per guide (assuming it's not a sports game or something like that). The problem is, there's not much there that I ever want to get.
 
[quote name='gantt']With an arcade game in every room, who would have time to sleep?[/quote]

Especially if it was the old Rampage machines or Mortal Kombat 2 or even APB.

I loved playing those three in the arcades, but they never did get properly translated to the home consoles.

[quote name='KABUKISTAR']I have a local game store that gives me ~$10 instore credit per guide (assuming it's not a sports game or something like that). The problem is, there's not much there that I ever want to get.[/quote]

$10 PER GUIDE?!?!?! Damn. I wish my local stores would do that, but I was lucky if I was getting .25 a guide after a while.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Especially if it was the old Rampage machines or Mortal Kombat 2 or even APB.

I loved playing those three in the arcades, but they never did get properly translated to the home consoles.[/quote]

sorry to go OT..but i SERIOUSLY WISH they would bring The Simpsons Arcade, the original X-Men Arcade (i think had like 5 or 6 players), and a couple others i can't remember...oh man I would never leave the house if those arcades sat in my house..*goes to look on ebay for them* :drool::bouncy::bouncy::bouncy::drool:
 
^^^I can get The simpsons and Xmen from a local guy, but they are way overpriced/beaten up machines. I think he wants $1800 each. If someone could build Gauntlet, xmen, and simpsons into one machine I would buy it in a second.
 
I love the Simpsons, x-men, and TMNT arcade multiplayer games, luckily I have them on my special xbox... Plug that into my 61" tv and I am set

As for my large quantity of guides... I sell some, some I trade for credit, some I give away... Still have a ton left, but the nice stack of free games and money I've got from them makes it worth it...
 
[quote name='animemaniac14']sorry to go OT..but i SERIOUSLY WISH they would bring The Simpsons Arcade, the original X-Men Arcade (i think had like 5 or 6 players), and a couple others i can't remember...oh man I would never leave the house if those arcades sat in my house..*goes to look on ebay for them* :drool::bouncy::bouncy::bouncy::drool:[/quote]

I remember when the one local pool place/bar had an MK 2 machine with a big screen tv set up for it. I would leave for lunch from my workplace and go there for 15-20 minutes to get my ass kicked, then go back to work.

It was good though, since my workplace was only maybe 5 minutes from there.
 
[quote name='animemaniac14']sorry to go OT..but i SERIOUSLY WISH they would bring The Simpsons Arcade, the original X-Men Arcade (i think had like 5 or 6 players), and a couple others i can't remember...oh man I would never leave the house if those arcades sat in my house..*goes to look on ebay for them* :drool::bouncy::bouncy::bouncy::drool:[/QUOTE]

I think X-Men was 6 player although IIRC they also had smaller machines that were 4 players. I still remember beating X-Men with a buck once. it was right after it came out and 6 people were playing and I pretty much played it safe :D I remember watching the guy beside me dump over $5 into it as he was playing abit more wrecklessly.

[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']I remember when the one local pool place/bar had an MK 2 machine with a big screen tv set up for it. I would leave for lunch from my workplace and go there for 15-20 minutes to get my ass kicked, then go back to work.

It was good though, since my workplace was only maybe 5 minutes from there.[/QUOTE]

I used to know everybody around here that played Mortal Kombat II at the arcade and just like you I remember 1 or 2 of the guys at EBgames would spend their break playing Mortal Kombat II at the arcade since EBgames used to be right by the arcade at the mall here.
 
[quote name='animemaniac14']sorry to go OT..but i SERIOUSLY WISH they would bring The Simpsons Arcade, the original X-Men Arcade (i think had like 5 or 6 players), and a couple others i can't remember...oh man I would never leave the house if those arcades sat in my house..*goes to look on ebay for them* :drool::bouncy::bouncy::bouncy::drool:[/quote]

When I was a kid living in Danville, CA we had a pizza place that had The Simpson's Arcade game and one of the local movie theaters had X-Men. Both games were so good. I don't know why they aren't on XBL yet, probably some stupid licensing issues.
 
[quote name='Wolve11']Gamecrazy has a huge stack of penny guides but they won't let me have any. The manager said they have to be sent back for a refund. WTF![/QUOTE]


Well yeah, they're suppose to return to vendor. Although they should have been pulled off the floor, can't blame him for actually doing his job
 
He wouldn't sell me the guide at full price either, then proceeded to grab all pennied guides from the rack and as I was walking away began discussing with their coworkers on who would get what. I'm talking about two 6 foot piles of guides.
 
[quote name='Wolve11']He wouldn't sell me the guide at full price either, then proceeded to grab all pennied guides from the rack and as I was walking away began discussing with their coworkers on who would get what. I'm talking about two 6 foot piles of guides.[/quote]

Report their asses to the District Manager.
 
It may suck when you can't get penny guides at a store. It may also suck when they lie to you about why. However, the store isn't required to give them to you, so calling a DM to get people into trouble doesn't serve any purpose but being vindictive.
 
[quote name='Ubiiquitous']It may suck when you can't get penny guides at a store. It may also suck when they lie to you about why. However, the store isn't required to give them to you, so calling a DM to get people into trouble doesn't serve any purpose but being vindictive.[/quote]

normally id agree...but when they refused to sell it at full price..then discussed who was taking what...that should be brought to someones attention.
 
[quote name='Purkeynator']Whoa! Is this the penny guide thread? must have clicked the wrong link...[/quote]

With all of the chit chat and everything else that doesn't belong in here, I just gave up already on even asking people to refrain from it. Hell, I actually contribute to the yappity yap at times too, so pot meet kettle....or however they say that bs.
 
[quote name='shelisheli']normally id agree...but when they refused to sell it at full price..then discussed who was taking what...that should be brought to someones attention.[/QUOTE]

Understood, but, again, that still only serves the purpose of being spiteful. I mean, if they would have been willing to be sold at full price, then he wouldn't have bought them anyway, so the end result is the same.

The DM likely would just blow it off, as mentioned a few posts off. Even if he takes it seriously, it's just going to mean an employee or employees will get some degree of reprimand. It doesn't get that CAG the guides, though, so that's why I feel it is a bad idea.
 
[quote name='Wario64']Well yeah, they're suppose to return to vendor. Although they should have been pulled off the floor, can't blame him for actually doing his job[/quote]

Gamecrazy usually teared the back and gave me the rest for free... I assumed they just needed the UPC to return to vendor.
 
[quote name='Ski Hawk']The pot calling the kettle black?[/quote]

That's it, I believe. I know I make enough useless posts elsewhere on CAG at times, so I shouldn't really mind a few extra posts on this thread.
 
[quote name='Wolve11']Gamecrazy has a huge stack of penny guides but they won't let me have any. The manager said they have to be sent back for a refund. WTF![/quote]I'm assuming all the guides you're talking about are from an old GC drop, correct?

I recall the huge drop around the beginning of last year and was hoping to hear about another one at GC.
 
I was able to score some guides from the last drop at the Norwalk Best Buy.
Still a big stack of guides there.
Devil May cry 4: Still a big pile left
Orange Box: At least a few
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Time/Darkness: A few at least
Some Army of Two guides, and a few for tthe chaotic tcg
 
I ended up just giving up on that Gamecrazy store. I wanted to check there last night and 10 minutes before closing (I was returning a movie to Hollywood but walked towards the Gamecrazy from the parking lot) and they literally closed the door in my face. So I had to go in through the Hollywood video side to return the movie. I thought it was really awkward how they did that. Then a while back I special ordered the Ace Combat 6 flight stick bundle and got it in sealed and everything. When I open the box the game inside is missing, so now I was sold a bundle as new with the game taken out and resealed very carefully. I was pissed but after a lot of talking to the manager I was able to get a new copy of the game. Lately though it seems that every time I go there the employees are too busy to even ask me if I need help with anything, but its weird cause they aren't doing any actual work. Sometimes they are just playing Guitar Hero or chatting about some stupid shit....

Anyway that was my Gamecrazy rant. I really miss the old Gamecrazies I used to visit, they were the best gamestores in that town.

I was able to pick up a few pennied guides from Best Buy so that made the day better.
One thing I saw there but forgot to price check was the 25th anniversary book from EA. Anyone know if that was pennied? I might go back tomorrow to check it out.
 
[quote name='Wolve11']I ended up just giving up on that Gamecrazy store. I wanted to check there last night and 10 minutes before closing (I was returning a movie to Hollywood but walked towards the Gamecrazy from the parking lot) and they literally closed the door in my face. So I had to go in through the Hollywood video side to return the movie. I thought it was really awkward how they did that. Then a while back I special ordered the Ace Combat 6 flight stick bundle and got it in sealed and everything. When I open the box the game inside is missing, so now I was sold a bundle as new with the game taken out and resealed very carefully. I was pissed but after a lot of talking to the manager I was able to get a new copy of the game. Lately though it seems that every time I go there the employees are too busy to even ask me if I need help with anything, but its weird cause they aren't doing any actual work. Sometimes they are just playing Guitar Hero or chatting about some stupid shit....

Anyway that was my Gamecrazy rant. I really miss the old Gamecrazies I used to visit, they were the best gamestores in that town.

I was able to pick up a few pennied guides from Best Buy so that made the day better.
One thing I saw there but forgot to price check was the 25th anniversary book from EA. Anyone know if that was pennied? I might go back tomorrow to check it out.[/quote]If you mean this then yes, yes it is. I got a couple a long time ago. Really cool for a penny.

Also, are you sure the game was removed and then resealed? Sometimes these things happen from the manufacturer... not often, but sometimes.
 
[quote name='GrilledWitOnions']If you mean this then yes, yes it is. I got a couple a long time ago. Really cool for a penny.

Also, are you sure the game was removed and then resealed? Sometimes these things happen from the manufacturer... not often, but sometimes.[/quote]

Yea that's what I meant. I may go back tomorrow to pick it up from BB.
I'm positive it was resealed. I looked at it again when I checked over the box again and some of the tape at the seal was covered with new tape in a sloppy way. I know it was definitely not a manufacture error.
 
Picked up a Disgaea 3 guide for $9.99 from Gamestop. Didn't want to risk waiting for it to drop to a penny, or even $4.99 as DJ guides have done in the past at GS. The guide's already starting to get a little scarce in my area.
 
[quote name='Josef']Picked up a Disgaea 3 guide for $9.99 from Gamestop. Didn't want to risk waiting for it to drop to a penny, or even $4.99 as DJ guides have done in the past at GS. The guide's already starting to get a little scarce in my area.[/quote]

Thanks. I didn't know that the D3 guide had dropped to $9.99. I'll have to think about picking that up since I'm in the same situation.
 
[quote name='Josef']Picked up a Disgaea 3 guide for $9.99 from Gamestop. Didn't want to risk waiting for it to drop to a penny, or even $4.99 as DJ guides have done in the past at GS. The guide's already starting to get a little scarce in my area.[/quote]

Ha ha I also got one of those guides for $10 last night... Been a long time since I purchased a guide for more then a penny but these are worth it.
 
FYI, the Disgaea three-game guide (DS, PSP, PS2) is also down to $9.99. I can wait for that one to drop down to a penny though, since I already got the PSP/PS2 version of the guide.
 
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