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='hellmutt']At some point since the last time I updated my list (July 21) the following guide has disappeared from the Gamestop website. This usually means it has pennied out. I don't think I've seen one at any of the stores near me to check it though:

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 Official Strategy Guide[/QUOTE]

It was mentioned in this thread but didn't seem to get much attention, I saw one behind the counter the day Street Fighter IV went to $20 and asked about it figuring that it was penned from the response I got.
 
[quote name='hellmutt']At some point since the last time I updated my list (July 21) the following guide has disappeared from the Gamestop website. This usually means it has pennied out. I don't think I've seen one at any of the stores near me to check it though:

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 Official Strategy Guide[/QUOTE]


[quote name='punkmaggit']I believe the Persona 4 guide dropped today at Gamestop. It's no longer on their website.

I grabbed my copy when it was $10, and I only know of one store left that might have it. Good luck CAGs!![/QUOTE]

Yeah, that was me about 3 weeks ago. Man, you guys sure do lose track quickly with all this non-drop chatter. ;)
 
Well, I wasn't on CAG 3 weeks ago via my PC, so I was just skimming the posts and I must've scrolled right by it. I'll add it to one of the drops I just updated the second post with about a week or so ago.

Second post updated with Persona 4 and third "wiki" post updated with the Best Buy and GS mini drops that I just updated last week.

Again, if anyone sees any guides I missed for the updates, please let me know and I'll put them in there post haste.
 
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I'm glad I was able to get the P4 guide for $10 when it was marked down about 2 months ago.

I knew it would eventually drop to a penny but then finding it before they pull it would be next to impossible.
 
Just got back from BestBuy

Killzone2
Dead Space
X-Men Origin
Need for Speed Undercover
Terminator Salvation
Bionic Commando

are pennied.

It was in a shopping cart as one of the BB employee was pulling them out from the shelf.
 
[quote name='lamuh13']Just got back from BestBuy

Killzone2
Dead Space
X-Men Origin
Need for Speed Undercover
Terminator Salvation
Bionic Commando

are pennied.

It was in a shopping cart as one of the BB employee was pulling them out from the shelf.[/QUOTE]
Did you get confirmation, either verbal or scanned? A couple of BB's near me have pulled several of those titles to mark them down, but restocked them at a reduced price.

EDIT: A quick check shows all but Bionic Commando still on the web site.
 
[quote name='lamuh13']Just got back from BestBuy

Killzone2
Dead Space
X-Men Origin
Need for Speed Undercover
Terminator Salvation
Bionic Commando

are pennied.

It was in a shopping cart as one of the BB employee was pulling them out from the shelf.[/QUOTE]


I just went to Best Buy and picked up Bionic Commando and Need for Speed for a penny. All of the other guides listed were gone along with Red Alert 3 and Fallout 3 regular edition. I checked Fallout 3 CE and it still rang up full price. Hope this helps.
 
Guess I know where I'm stopping on the way home from work this evening.

I think my local BB has been slow on the uptake for penny guides the last few times, so maybe this will still hold true this time around.

Complete strikeout. Lots of nice holes where the guides used to be. :bomb:
 
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Ha ha. BB ninja stealth drop!

I'll stop by in a few and see what I can find. I'll go to the BB that actually puts .01 tags on the guides and see if anything else dropped.
 
Fallout 3 regular is NOT pennied. I checked it and it rang up $24.99. Got multiples of all the rest though.

Then some dude (customer) in line starts shouting at me as I'm at the register: HEY ARE THOSE PENNY GUIDES???? WHICH ONES???? TELL ME!!!! He's about to shoot his wad, runs over and starts yapping at the mouth about slickdeals and how you can find out on slickdeals about penny guides, then sell them on Ebay for $5. All I could think was:

A. "Be cool, dude."
B. "There go my future penny guides at this store".
 
[quote name='hellmutt']Fallout 3 regular is NOT pennied. I checked it and it rang up $24.99. Got multiples of all the rest though.

Then some dude (customer) in line starts shouting at me as I'm at the register: HEY ARE THOSE PENNY GUIDES???? WHICH ONES???? TELL ME!!!! He's about to shoot his wad, runs over and starts yapping at the mouth about slickdeals and how you can find out on slickdeals about penny guides, then sell them on Ebay for $5. All I could think was:

A. "Be cool, dude."
B. "There go my future penny guides at this store".[/QUOTE]

This is definitive of the difference between most of us and the mouthbreathers on SD and FW.
 
LOL Hellmutt

You gotta love the people who think you can get $5 each for them on Ebay just after a drop. You have to wait till all of the idiots who flood Ebay sell theirs or realize they're not worth shit and take down their auctions to stop posting them before they're worth anything decent.

That's why I stopped even thinking of trying to sell them on Ebay and just stuck to trading/selling on here.
 
Thanks for checking guys! I'm just glad there were no RPG guide drops (the only things I actually bother going hunting for anymore). I mean, who needs a guide for half these games, really?
 
The Sunnyvale BB had multiple copies of the following guides:
Killzone 2
Dead Space
Red Alert 3
Terminator Salvation
Need For Speed: Undercover

although none were sealed i think. Picked up a Killzone 2 for myself without any trouble. Fallout 3 regular was also still 24.99, unfortunately.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']LOL Hellmutt

You gotta love the people who think you can get $5 each for them on Ebay just after a drop. You have to wait till all of the idiots who flood Ebay sell theirs or realize they're not worth shit and take down their auctions to stop posting them before they're worth anything decent.

That's why I stopped even thinking of trying to sell them on Ebay and just stuck to trading/selling on here.[/QUOTE]

While this is true for 90% of the guides, every once in a while something like this works--I'm specifically thinking of Zelda Windwaker (I had a GS manager give me a stack of 20 rather than toss them), I think I sold them all for 10 or 12 bucks--the same GS manager game me about 20 or 25 copies of the WOW hardcover Atlas (also instead of throwing them out), I got about 10 bucks for each of those too...and I didn't have to be a hoarder. The GS people just love me and the money I spend at their store...but you are absolutely right about most guides...
 
[quote name='loserboy']While this is true for 90% of the guides, every once in a while something like this works--I'm specifically thinking of Zelda Windwaker (I had a GS manager give me a stack of 20 rather than toss them), I think I sold them all for 10 or 12 bucks--the same GS manager game me about 20 or 25 copies of the WOW hardcover Atlas (also instead of throwing them out), I got about 10 bucks for each of those too...and I didn't have to be a hoarder. The GS people just love me and the money I spend at their store...but you are absolutely right about most guides...[/QUOTE]

I guess now I know why I almost never get guides for .01 or free at GS/BB around here now, since I only go into those stores when I wanna flip stuff to GS or buy penny guides from either GS or BB. Otherwise, I steer clear of them altogether.

One book that I was glad I got at least one copy of during the time when I was allowed to get them easily was the Half Life: Raising the Bar book. It currently goes for about $100 online. I used to have 3-4 copies of it too, but I traded those for guides I wanted. :cry:
 
only found Dead Space. And then not really - they were just left on one of the employee sign in counter things and i grabbed it from there. There were two colorful things underneath it - didn't seem like guides but maybe it was the pokemon one? Who knows.
 
[quote name='neocisco']This is definitive of the difference between most of us and the mouthbreathers on SD and FW.[/QUOTE]

Well just out of curiosity I hit the same BB store a few hours later. As I suspected, every last guide was cleared off the shelf. It looked like a hurricane had hit the place. The top shelf showed one of every guide, which made me think he scanned every single one of the guides to find out which ones were pennied. There were at least 10 guides left of each title (Except Dead Space, which I cleared out the couple that were there) and every single pennied guide was wiped off the shelves. Man I hate those guys.
 
Dammit, I didn't see this thread pop up in my subbed list and I completely missed it. Argh - well I have a small chance at one BB even the day after but I'm not sure it's worth going there just for this set.
 
[quote name='Feeding the Abscess']
Are all of these a penny? Including the book-like Mirror's Edge?[/QUOTE]
The list on the second post is accurate. All those other guides were still on the shelf of BestBuys that had definitely pulled guides and I also priced some myself and got full retail.
 
Ugh, got denied yesterday. I had 2 dead space, a wolverine, and a bionic commando and the guy at the register was like "one cent? That doesn't seem right. I better ask my boss..." I tried to be like "oh, I think they're just clearanced or something" as an explanation so he wouldn't have to ask, but he got on his walkie talkie and then wandered off and came back a few minutes later and said he couldn't sell them. There were still so many left on the shelves too. I'm going to try again today at a different one.

Anyone still looking, here's the search page for Killzone 2:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcat17006&type=page&sourceId=1218022587248&sourceType=product&skuId=9240118&productId=1218022587248&AID=10597222&PID=1312731

Dead Space:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcat17006&type=page&sourceId=1218022587248&sourceType=product&skuId=9078428&productId=1218022587248&AID=10597222&PID=1312731

NFS Undercover:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcat17006&type=page&sourceId=1218022587248&sourceType=product&skuId=9123548&productId=1218022587248&AID=10597222&PID=1312731

Red Alert 3:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcat17006&type=page&sourceId=1218022587248&sourceType=product&skuId=9101385&productId=1218022587248&AID=10597222&PID=1312731
 
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That can't be right. There were about 30 copies of Killzone 2 when I bought them two minutes after closing last night, and the store hasn't yet opened. Hmm. I'm going to check anyway.
 
[quote name='jhuneycutt']Ugh, got denied yesterday. I had 2 dead space, a wolverine, and a bionic commando and the guy at the register was like "one cent? That doesn't seem right. I better ask my boss..." I tried to be like "oh, I think they're just clearanced or something" as an explanation so he wouldn't have to ask, but he got on his walkie talkie and then wandered off and came back a few minutes later and said he couldn't sell them. There were still so many left on the shelves too. I'm going to try again today at a different one.

Anyone still looking, here's the search page for Killzone 2:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcat17006&type=page&sourceId=1218022587248&sourceType=product&skuId=9240118&productId=1218022587248&AID=10597222&PID=1312731

Dead Space:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcat17006&type=page&sourceId=1218022587248&sourceType=product&skuId=9078428&productId=1218022587248&AID=10597222&PID=1312731

NFS Undercover:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcat17006&type=page&sourceId=1218022587248&sourceType=product&skuId=9123548&productId=1218022587248&AID=10597222&PID=1312731

Red Alert 3:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=pcat17006&type=page&sourceId=1218022587248&sourceType=product&skuId=9101385&productId=1218022587248&AID=10597222&PID=1312731 [/QUOTE]

Two of the stores I checked yesterday that had pulled all the guides still say they have stock per the site, so this is definitely hit or miss as a resource.
 
Some new guides pennied at Blockbuster. I managed to pick up:

Street Fighter IV
Metal Gear Solid 4
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Checked GTA IV but it was still $10.00.
 
[quote name='momoney635']Some new guides pennied at Blockbuster. I managed to pick up:

Street Fighter IV
Metal Gear Solid 4
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Checked GTA IV but it was still $10.00.[/QUOTE]

Crap, I just got back from my favorite BB and didn't even check the SF4...:bomb:

Edit: oops, didn't notice that post was for Blockbuster...
 
The people at my BB REALLY don't care about this stuff. Not only do they drag their heels getting the stuff off the shelf, but the cashiers are all too eager to part with it. This afternoon I walked out with

Killzone 2 (x6), NFS Undeground (x3), Red Alert 3 (x3), Wolverine (x4), Terminator (x5) Dead Space (x1) and Smash Bros Brawl (x1). There were some Wolverines, RA3, and NFS leftovers but the stack was getting too heavy.
 
I picked up Dead Space, Bionic Commando and Killzone 2. I also got The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass softcover. I see the hardcover mentioned in the OP but not the softcover, so this may be another drop.
 
[quote name='momoney635']Some new guides pennied at Blockbuster. I managed to pick up:

Street Fighter IV
Metal Gear Solid 4
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Checked GTA IV but it was still $10.00.[/QUOTE]

Confirm MGS4 and MK vs. DCU. I got 2 of each at my local store.
 
Wow, thanks OP and others who contributed to such an effort.

I was able to get Bionic Commando & Killzone 2 at one of my local Best Buy.

I'm going to try another one later today for a copy of Dead Space.

I only took what I needed...one copy of each...I'd hate to prevent another CAG from such a great deal.

I can't believe people flip game guides...sad :(
 
[quote name='N3UROP0D']The people at my BB REALLY don't care about this stuff. Not only do they drag their heels getting the stuff off the shelf, but the cashiers are all too eager to part with it. This afternoon I walked out with

Killzone 2 (x6), NFS Undeground (x3), Red Alert 3 (x3), Wolverine (x4), Terminator (x5) Dead Space (x1) and Smash Bros Brawl (x1). There were some Wolverines, RA3, and NFS leftovers but the stack was getting too heavy.[/QUOTE]

What you going to do with multiples? Sell on Ebay for $1!

LOL!
 
Some places that trades b ooks takes game guides for $1 or more.

Got Xmen, Deadspace, terminator and killzone 2 at a Best Buy that usually pulls guides. It must be their off day :). Thanks OP
 
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