Reduced Price Game Guides: Thread XI

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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.


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 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

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 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/...d.php?t=187222
Guide Ten:
http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219547

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, Guinaevere 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='dabamus']FO3 iGOTY CE is confirmed, but I couldn't find one. :([/QUOTE]

I found one :) Yay! but the guy over-rode the price to $35. Boo :( I bought it anyways. I'll return it later.
 
Scored a Mario Kart, I was actually straight up with the manager, and he was really cool about it. Going to do the survey now..just for kicks I had them scan the reg FO3 GOTY paperback, but it wasn't pennied :cry:
 
[quote name='Mikocouch']Is this only at Gamestop or does this include like Best Buy and Wal Mart too?[/QUOTE]

Read the first post.:bomb: And read the corresponding posts for this drop, since you'd see it's only guides that dropped at Gamestop today.:roll:

I'm trying to be nice, but that's why the first and second posts are there, is so these questions don't have to be answered every other post.:razz:
 
Did anyone check the Fable 2 guide? I know that has been priced at $9.99 for awhile.

Thanks so much for the updates! I'm going to try and get some penny guides after work:)
 
Damn my Gamestops are quick. I checked 5 of them yesterday and all the .01 guides were gone. I really wanted one of those Fallouts
 
[quote name='hellmutt']I found one :) Yay! but the guy over-rode the price to $35. Boo :( I bought it anyways. I'll return it later.[/QUOTE]

And the employee who rings the return will thank you.
 
Hmm. Seems there's a crackdown on penny guides in my area. Several stores that I've had luck at in the past denied me today, all with the same story. Basically, corporate said they're noticing reselling and now they want district managers to account for all guides. Employees can't take them home, either. The DM was visiting the stores today, picking up all pennied guides and games and checking the totals against inventory. And if they rang up a $.01 sale, it was going to get them in trouble. If one store had said it, I'd blow it off, but 3 gave me the same exact story.

On the bright side, I found some new drops. The first store I went to had the NGS2 guide marked for $20 but gave it to me for $.01. He said it was a good thing I showed up when I did because the DM was coming by in a while to pick them up. This manager is really cool, though, and I guess he didn't care about taking a little flak. The following guides all had $.01 price stickers on them, dated 042910 (today):

Cheat Code Overload Fall
Tekken 6
Smackdown vs Raw 2010
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles

The only one I can't confirm 100% is the Crystal Chronicles guide, because I didn't take one of those. I saw the $.01 price, but I couldn't see the date. All the others I have in-hand.
 
[quote name='Zippon']Hmm. Seems there's a crackdown on penny guides in my area. Several stores that I've had luck at in the past denied me today, all with the same story. Basically, corporate said they're noticing reselling and now they want district managers to account for all guides. Employees can't take them home, either. The DM was visiting the stores today, picking up all pennied guides and games and checking the totals against inventory. And if they rang up a $.01 sale, it was going to get them in trouble. If one store had said it, I'd blow it off, but 3 gave me the same exact story.

On the bright side, I found some new drops. The first store I went to had the NGS2 guide marked for $20 but gave it to me for $.01. He said it was a good thing I showed up when I did because the DM was coming by in a while to pick them up. This manager is really cool, though, and I guess he didn't care about taking a little flak. The following guides all had $.01 price stickers on them, dated 042910 (today):

Cheat Code Overload Fall
Tekken 6
Smackdown vs Raw 2010
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles

The only one I can't confirm 100% is the Crystal Chronicles guide, because I didn't take one of those. I saw the $.01 price, but I couldn't see the date. All the others I have in-hand.[/QUOTE]

Crystal Chronicles did penny out today.
 
I checked two out of the area Gamestop stores today and I saw some copies of Tekken 6 and SD v R 2010 on the shelves still. fuck. Oh well. I was only going after the pennied games and LE/CE/SE guides anyway, since most of those other ones are utter crap that won't be worth shit.

EDIT: I'll be updating in a bit, just have to sift through the posts on the prior page to find the drops.
 
Picked up a NGS2 guide today, but struck out on FO3 still. Tried PMing it at BB, but they said that they couldn't just call the store to find the price, and that it had to be an advertised special.

Still got 3 free games and another penny Godfather II guide out of BB though.
 
Same as guides. They should ring up a penny if you can find them in store, unless one the clerks marks it back up manually while ringing you out.

I scored American McGee's Bad Day LA about two years or so ago from Gamestop(3 copies from two stores). They very rarely mark actual games a penny, but you might get lucky and find one still marked normal price and just act like you're going to buy it.

If they hand it to you saying 'it's your lucky day', then you know it came up as a penny.
 
I did find the Marvel Trading Card game for PC for a penny, but they refused to sell it. Pennied games are extremely rare, but they do happen.
 
Got a copy of an NGS2 guide today..it was my first time buying a penny guide and felt rather awkward when the total came up...seriously..a penny..how awesome is that!

Thanks CAG!
 
I tend to strike out at BB for penny guides, but GS has been pretty good to me lately.

I picked up:
2X Mario Kart Wii
2X NGS2

Thanks for the updates! :D
 
[quote name='dabamus']Picked up a NGS2 guide today, but struck out on FO3 still. Tried PMing it at BB, but they said that they couldn't just call the store to find the price, and that it had to be an advertised special.

Still got 3 free games and another penny Godfather II guide out of BB though.[/QUOTE]

What? like they'll pm something that sells for a penny? come on..
 
[quote name='eau']The local GS here has already pulled the guides. No Tekken 6, FFFC:CB or NGS2 in sight except empty racks.[/QUOTE]

yeah, i went to all my 'nazi-guide-pulling' stores today, racks were so empty, they could have consolidated all guides to one side of their three-side racks and still had room! Oh well, with GS its truly hit-or-miss, based on who's working, and what the word with wandering DM's might be on the situation. I wonder how much of that is BS and how much is real. I always like it when they hand it over, and the stories of 'take it so we don't have to throw it away' make me laugh!!
 
[quote name='token2k6']the stories of 'take it so we don't have to throw it away' make me laugh!![/QUOTE]
Yeah. It sounds too much of a fairly tale.
 
Let's not pull out the incredibly tired "Nazi" reference when they are doing their job. Penny guides aren't really on clearance. They are supposed to be pulled and destroyed. Every guide we get at that price is a total glitch.

[quote name='eau']Yeah. It sounds too much of a fairly tale.[/QUOTE]

It all depends on whether the employees give a damn about the rules. The one store that hooked me up today did this, too. The NGS2 guide was on the racks for $20 but rang up as $.01. While I was chatting with the manager about it, he said, "Hey, I pulled a bunch more today. You want them, too?" That's how I got the others. I've had that happen 3 or 4 times at different stores near me. But more often than not, they deny the sale, even if they have a stack of pulled guides on the back counter in plain sight.
 
[quote name='jimijumper']scored a FO3 GOTY CE guide (sealed) and a mini ninja's[/QUOTE]

what? where did Mini Ninja's come from? an old drop?? good score man, that FO3 guide is long gone around these parts. I'm assuming employees got to most of them, thats why I got stuck with finding 3 copies of only Mario Kart Wii everywhere I went..
 
[quote name='supaet']What? like they'll pm something that sells for a penny? come on..[/QUOTE]

That's not what the copy of God Of War 2's regular edition guide that I price matched to Circuit City from Best Buy says. It's near impossible, but it CAN happen. You just have to get an employee willing enough to do so.:D
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']That's not what the copy of God Of War 2's regular edition guide that I price matched to Circuit City from Best Buy says. It's near impossible, but it CAN happen. You just have to get an employee willing enough to do so.:D[/QUOTE]

That was my inspiration!

Also, the FFXIII CE guide is back on BB.com
 
[quote name='dabamus']Just picked up the following @$2/each:
Magna Carta 2
PoP LE
Heavenly Sword
Wolfenstein[/QUOTE]

Where?
 
No pennied guides on the rack at GS, so I asked the cashier if they had the Fallout GOTY Guide. He went into the back and came out with it. He looked surprised when he rang it up and let me have it for free.
 
[quote name='Frosty The Batman']Just checking in. I can't find any kind of new info about Best Buys next drop.[/QUOTE]

Ditto. In fact, nothing's changed status wise on the site either, save for FFXIII LE going back up and Borderlands going back to regular quantites.
 
[quote name='dabamus']Yep. Sorry, forgot to mention that it was a closing HWV.[/QUOTE]

My local HWV that's closing only has Viva Pinata and maybe one other guide that's only halfway worth it or I'd check there for some guides for $2 too since they're within the last 10 days as well.
 
Lucky man - very nice!

[quote name='warfox33']No pennied guides on the rack at GS, so I asked the cashier if they had the Fallout GOTY Guide. He went into the back and came out with it. He looked surprised when he rang it up and let me have it for free.[/QUOTE]
 
[quote name='kk012']I'm not sure if this was already mentioned, but I think I saw that Aliens vs. Predator was pennied out at GS.[/QUOTE]
U think or know?Considering it just came out not to long ago. I find it hard to beleive it dropped so quick.
 
We've had guides for games that just came out a month or two prior drop before, so it could happen, Wooz.

You never know until you check really, but I will say that I didn't see a single copy of the AVP guide at ANY of the local GS stores, so it's a possibility it dropped already.

Besides if there's hidden items to find, how much do you really need a guide for a FPS(or sports game) anyway?
 
Anyone know if Lunar Silver Star Harmony has dropped from $15 at Gamestop yet? $15 is still a little too high for me but I would probably pick it up at $10 and definitely at $5.
 
[quote name='TheWooz']U think or know?Considering it just came out not to long ago. I find it hard to beleive it dropped so quick.[/QUOTE]

I stopped by a GS that had pulled the Tekken 6, Cheat Codes Overload Fall, and FF Crystal Chronicles guides. These were in a pile sitting on the front counter for customers to take for free. I saw an Aliens vs. Predator guide towards the bottom of the pile. I was in a rush to get home so I didn't take it out of the pile to check if there was a penny price tag on it. Therefore, I think it pennied out, but can't confirm it.
 
Went to a GS which didn't have any of the drops from the past month, but I did get GTA 4 and GTA Chinatown Wars for free.

The guy rang them up and said that they were the price listed on the guide, but I said "Didn't they penny?" And he said that they should've, and let me have 'em anyways.

Went to another GS but they didn't have anything that was pennied.
 
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