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='punkmaggit']I was thinking about this, and it might actually be a good idea for us penny-guide hunters. Azeru caught the Ninja Gaiden 2 guide as it pennied, as it was in his wish list. What I've done is added all the guides that are still listed as "new" on gamestop.com to my wishlist. Hopefully, for future drops, they'll be taken off my wish list similar to Azeru's. While I might have to check it everyday until we figure out a more precise way, at least it's a start.

Many thanks Azeru. I hope your statement unwittingly opens up the floodgates for the rest of us. :applause:[/QUOTE]

That's a pretty good idea and definitely a lot easier... I usually just open up a Firefox window on Tuesday afternoon/night and then just search 'strategy guides' and display the results (usually in 3 tabs) then the next morning I just go through and start a new tab and see what the total number is and go from there.
 
[quote name='Rollobobo']all these new posts and I thought there was a guide dropped I missed. Hehehe[/QUOTE]


Didn't you hear? The all-elusive Madden '09 dropped.
 
[quote name='Rollobobo']all these new posts and I thought there was a guide dropped I missed. Hehehe[/QUOTE]

Just a nice celebration.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Thanks hellmutt. Now the question is, does anyone REALLY want me to update the second post with the ever-so-valuable Madden guide that dropped?[/QUOTE]

I would add it for the sake of completeness. And you never know, a CAG somewhere could be waiting for this guide to drop ;)
 
[quote name='shoe478']So wait, you guys are backseating modding the backseat mods?[/QUOTE]
In which case you're attempting to backseat mod the folks who are backseat modding the backseat mods.

You see how useless this is?

To answer your question, no, I'm merely observing that this thread is tainted by elitism.
 
Second post updated with the big drop...lol......

Now hurry and go grab some copies of the Madden 09 guide. I know there has to be someone out there who wants them. :roll:
 
[quote name='Rocko']
You see how useless this is?
[/QUOTE]

If it is so useless, why bother replying?

[quote name='Rocko']
To answer your question, no, I'm merely observing that this thread is tainted by elitism.[/QUOTE]

Are you saying you are better than the elitists?
 
Careful, you're both treading closer to sacreddoctor territory. Take it to PM's if you want to continue. Yes, I'm backseat modding right now.
 
This kind of arguing and backseat modding and everything happens in many threads and while it serves as little purpose as people asking 'did anything drop?' at least it's entertaining to read.
 
[quote name='ackbar7']I find the thought of wiping my ass with Madden's face a little terrifying.[/QUOTE]

As long as he shaves that morning, it's no worse than paper towels.
 
[quote name='camelking6969']i am so busy will somebody finsh this post for me, and then read all the replys for me[/QUOTE]

Too busy picking up 50 madden guides I bet.
 
A little weird.

I found a sealed Need for Speed : Undercover at BB with a sticker under the shrink wrap that says 0.00 (the sticker is Yellow and White and there is a barcode on it). The cashier scanned the bar code on the back and the price was $19.99....I asked about the sticker and she called for a manager. I asked her to scan the sticker barcode and it says not in the system. The manager came and said that it didn't make sense....then he offered the guide at $10....I declined.

Has anyone seen anything like this?

Readthepost
 
[quote name='Readthepost']A little weird.

I found a sealed Need for Speed : Undercover at BB with a sticker under the shrink wrap that says 0.00 (the sticker is Yellow and White and there is a barcode on it). The cashier scanned the bar code on the back and the price was $19.99....I asked about the sticker and she called for a manager. I asked her to scan the sticker barcode and it says not in the system. The manager came and said that it didn't make sense....then he offered the guide at $10....I declined.

Has anyone seen anything like this?

Readthepost[/QUOTE]

I think we had that happen with the God Of War II non LE version guide a while back, except instead of coming up .00 or out of the system, it came up .01 from the day it was put on the shelf @ BB.

So, Best Buy put a sticker on the shrinkwrap over the original barcode to make it normal price in the system. However, some CAG's took to removing said sticker and getting the guide for .01 LONG before it actually did penny under the 'fixed' barcode.

As for a guide or three coming up .00, we had that happen a while back when there was a Prima $10 off any guide sale. Guides that were $10 were coming up .00.
 
[quote name='Readthepost']A little weird.

I found a sealed Need for Speed : Undercover at BB with a sticker under the shrink wrap that says 0.00 (the sticker is Yellow and White and there is a barcode on it). The cashier scanned the bar code on the back and the price was $19.99....I asked about the sticker and she called for a manager. I asked her to scan the sticker barcode and it says not in the system. The manager came and said that it didn't make sense....then he offered the guide at $10....I declined.

Has anyone seen anything like this?

Readthepost[/QUOTE]

I've found games like this as well (0.00) on the front, I inquired about it and was told that some of the bestbuy.com order returns have that stuck on them from the warehouse. I remember in the past receiving items in from bestbuy.com that did have those stickers on the, but nothing in the past 2 or so years so...
 
I snagged another Madworld and also got Afro and Ninja Gaiden 2 from another GS. I went to get a PS2 Network Adapter and seen the Madworld guide on the rack so I picked it up to try my luck. When they scanned it the cashier just looked at the other one and said I could have it. The other cashier then just pulled out a stack of pennied guides and asked if I wanted any of those so I grabbed an Afro and NG but I was tempted to ask for them all.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']I think we had that happen with the God Of War II non LE version guide a while back, except instead of coming up .00 or out of the system, it came up .01 from the day it was put on the shelf @ BB.

So, Best Buy put a sticker on the shrinkwrap over the original barcode to make it normal price in the system. However, some CAG's took to removing said sticker and getting the guide for .01 LONG before it actually did penny under the 'fixed' barcode.

As for a guide or three coming up .00, we had that happen a while back when there was a Prima $10 off any guide sale. Guides that were $10 were coming up .00.[/QUOTE]


Same thing happened with the PC Two Worlds game at BB during the first week of release. BB pulled the games entirely nationwide and any that weren't pulled were restickered over UPC with a new sku. Managed to find one in that short time frame that rang up 0.01. It was ultimately re-released by BB a week or two later with the new sku, business as usual.
 
Didn't see it on here but I think new play control pikmin and tom clancys endwar were clearanced with madden. Can any one confirm this. I managed to get them along with like 10 maddens. Don't know what I'm going to do with them.
 
[quote name='soccerboy09']Didn't see it on here but I think new play control pikmin and tom clancys endwar were clearanced with madden. Can any one confirm this. I managed to get them along with like 10 maddens. Don't know what I'm going to do with them.[/QUOTE]

Hope not. I was just at a GS today that had both of those guides and I would have picked them up in a heartbeat. Pikmin seems far too new to be pennied.

EDIT: Both are gone from the website. Damn, I wish I had known when I was at GS...
 
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[quote name='soccerboy09']Didn't see it on here but I think new play control pikmin and tom clancys endwar were clearanced with madden. Can any one confirm this. I managed to get them along with like 10 maddens. Don't know what I'm going to do with them.[/QUOTE]

I admit that I didn't see either when I was at a GS the other day looking for some of the older drops, but I didn't think to ask, though the store I was at would've probably let me know what other ones besides Madden dropped.

If anyone can confirm, I'll add them to the second post, which won't seem quite so barren then if more than JUST Madden dropped.
 
[quote name='neocisco']Yes, I'm backseat modding right now.[/QUOTE]

:pulls thread over to the side of the road: Dont think I wont turn this thing around. ...I tried giving you an intimidating look, but you're about a foot taller than I am, and I'm not good at intimidating looks to begin with.
blush.gif



Iam, I asked at a GS yesterday about pennied guides, but the girl said there were none. Granted, she could have been wrong, or that particular store had none to pull. So I have absolutely no real helpful information. >_
 
[quote name='guinaevere']
Iam, I asked at a GS yesterday about pennied guides, but the girl said there were none. Granted, she could have been wrong, or that particular store had none to pull. So I have absolutely no real helpful information. >_
 
Any new guide drops?



Kidding. Not penny, but when I was at a local Best Buy that is no longer carrying guides I saw they did actually bundle all their guides with the game so buy the game get the guide free. Good deal for things like Resident Evil 5 LE guide or a couple of the $19.99 games. Not all Best Buys will have this, only ones liquidating stock on guides similar to the anime clearance. I posted this in the discussion thread before, figured now that I saw it with my own eyes it was deal thread worthy.

IATCG, if you want I can move this back to discussion thread just say the word.
 
[quote name='ferant316']Any new guide drops?



Kidding. Not penny, but when I was at a local Best Buy that is no longer carrying guides I saw they did actually bundle all their guides with the game so buy the game get the guide free. Good deal for things like Resident Evil 5 LE guide or a couple of the $19.99 games. Not all Best Buys will have this, only ones liquidating stock on guides similar to the anime clearance. I posted this in the discussion thread before, figured now that I saw it with my own eyes it was deal thread worthy.

IATCG, if you want I can move this back to discussion thread just say the word.[/QUOTE]

Even if this is YMMV, this is still a beneficial post. Thanks for the information.
 
Nah. It's cool. I've only seen maybe 1-2 Best Buys doing that(bundling the guides with the games) and that was 2-3 years ago or so when I hit up the one BB out by LI someplace.

They had the 50 Cent guide bundled with the game, among others. The guides themselves were already pennied by that point, so the store wasn't losing out by bundling them.

I stopped in my local two FYE's again recently and it seems like a majority of the guides are still $9.99, including the "Studio Series" guide for Mirror's Edge. However, most of the rest of the guides were non LE/SE versions, so $10 for almost any guide=not that good of a deal unless it was originally $30 or so or it's one you REALLLLLY want.

Speaking of which, I shoulda checked to see if they had the Saint's Row 2 guide, since I wanna try and shoot for 100% on that game, but there's so much to do that I think it'll be hard to find everything without the guide.
 
[quote name='Ziv']I can confirm pikmin and Endwar pennied at GS on Thursday.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the confirmation. I'll add them to the second post.

EDIT: Second post updated with Pikmin and Endwar.
 
Time to ignite the fire:

The following guides were removed from the Best Buy web site:

Afro Samurai
Gears Of War II: LE
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost And Damned
Madden NFL 09
MadWorld
Mario Kart Wii
Pokemon Ranger: Shadow Of Almia
Resistance 2
Saint's Row 2
Tom Clancy's Endwar

Post on 2nd page updated.
 
[quote name='loxthefox']Time to ignite the fire:

The following guides were removed from the Best Buy web site:

Afro Samurai
Gears Of War II: LE
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost And Damned
Madden NFL 09
MadWorld
Mario Kart Wii
Pokemon Ranger: Shadow Of Almia
Resistance 2
Saint's Row 2
Tom Clancy's Endwar

Post on 2nd page updated.[/QUOTE]

Post updated? First off, I find it hard to believe that the Halo 3 guide isn't on that list, nor is the original Grand Theft Auto IV guide. I'm sure I'm missing some other ones that have been out WAYYY longer than most of them on that list, but those two definitely stick out as 'ones that should penny in the next drop'.

We'll have to wait and see on Monday though, I suppose.

But thanks for the heads up on what might drop though.
 
The guide to whatever Spyro game that has been there for a while is not on the site.
I'll post more as I think of them and check the site. This drop is gonna be epic.

EDIT:Fable 2 and Fable 2 LE are not on the site.

also, since these are off the site already will they drop before monday or is it still monday?
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Post updated? First off, I find it hard to believe that the Halo 3 guide isn't on that list, nor is the original Grand Theft Auto IV guide. I'm sure I'm missing some other ones that have been out WAYYY longer than most of them on that list, but those two definitely stick out as 'ones that should penny in the next drop'.

We'll have to wait and see on Monday though, I suppose.

But thanks for the heads up on what might drop though.[/QUOTE]

Loxthefox keeps a post of all the guides that have disappeared from the BB website on the 2nd page of this thread. Very useful to those of use who like to check guides whenever we are in a BB. That is the post that was updated. Thanks Lox!

Also, Halo 3 and GTAIV are on the list of missing guides and have been for some time.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Post updated? First off, I find it hard to believe that the Halo 3 guide isn't on that list, nor is the original Grand Theft Auto IV guide. I'm sure I'm missing some other ones that have been out WAYYY longer than most of them on that list, but those two definitely stick out as 'ones that should penny in the next drop'.

We'll have to wait and see on Monday though, I suppose.

But thanks for the heads up on what might drop though.[/QUOTE]

On the 2nd page of this topic, I have a list of guides that have been removed from Best Buy's site. I believe that Halo 3 and GTA IV are on that list, along with several others. Sorry if I was vague about it.

EDIT: And now I notice that PapaSmerf just explained it above. D'oh.
 
[quote name='darkslime']The guide to whatever Spyro game that has been there for a while is not on the site.
I'll post more as I think of them and check the site. This drop is gonna be epic.

EDIT:Fable 2 and Fable 2 LE are not on the site.

also, since these are off the site already will they drop before monday or is it still monday?[/QUOTE]

It's usually Monday and early in the month, but it has happened later in the month and on other days than Monday before, I believe.

Thanks for maintaining a secondary list though Lox, though I should really keep a backup of the second post somewhere, since the CAGWiki is no longer able to be updated, I believe.
 
I'll check tomorrow if I can. Just got back from a business trip so I gotta see if my wife and baby don't mind tagging along. Previously my best buy has started the drop on the weekend before so maybe I'll get lucky, but I'll report in.
 
If you have the SKU for the guide, you can call and get them to type it in and check the price. Don't call the one you are going to though, just call Best Buys in PA.
 
[quote name='shoe478']If you have the SKU for the guide, you can call and get them to type it in and check the price. Don't call the one you are going to though, just call Best Buys in PA.[/QUOTE] It's easier for me to just go there, I only live a few blocks away.
 
[quote name='darkslime']The guide to whatever Spyro game that has been there for a while is not on the site.
I'll post more as I think of them and check the site. This drop is gonna be epic.

EDIT:Fable 2 and Fable 2 LE are not on the site.

also, since these are off the site already will they drop before monday or is it still monday?[/QUOTE]

FYI, the Fable 2 LE guide pennied out a few months ago.
 
Has Best Buy B&M ever actually initiated a drop on a Saturday or Sunday as opposed to a Monday? I don't think we'll see any actual penny drops until Monday.

I'm kind of hoping that Vahn will roll through here and give us a list like he did back in February.
 
[quote name='Doomstink']Has Best Buy B&M ever actually initiated a drop on a Saturday or Sunday as opposed to a Monday? I don't think we'll see any actual penny drops until Monday.

I'm kind of hoping that Vahn will roll through here and give us a list like he did back in February.[/QUOTE]
I thought the last drop we had, which was huge, was started on the weekend? I remember we didn't find out till Monday but I remember someone saying that employees said it began on the weekend.
 
[quote name='GrilledWitOnions']I thought the last drop we had, which was huge, was started on the weekend? I remember we didn't find out till Monday but I remember someone saying that employees said it began on the weekend.[/QUOTE]
I recall the same.
 
I tried scanning a few of the guides that were OOS on the website and they're all still full price.
Guess we'll have to wait til Monday.
 
[quote name='Brian9824']Don't forget guides have been removed before with no drops.[/QUOTE]

i.e Metal Gear Solid 4 LE, Fallout 3 LE, etc.
 
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