Reduced Price Game Guides: Thread XI

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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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After all, I'm going to be buying an Ipod Touch with the gift card I got from Trading LBP... Which I got from GS credit from Nerfs... Which I got from BB for free... Which means they gave me my IPOD for... free... too... DAMN.

It's the circle of life!
 
[quote name='crazedracerguy']The woman that always rings up my penny guides asked me "So you actually buy stuff from us sometimes, right?". I will now be able to confidently say "Yes". After all, I'm going to be buying an Ipod Touch with the gift card I got from Trading LBP... Which I got from GS credit from Nerfs... Which I got from BB for free... Which means they gave me my IPOD for... free... too... DAMN. I guess I'm still not buying anything from BB, really :)[/QUOTE]

You sir are an evil hoarder....just like me. Congrats! I STILL have copies of Sudoku from the coupon and I guess I will continue to, since God Of War 3's TIV dropped to $25 already at Gamestop.

Otherwise, I was gonna dig up my SBD receipt and show it to the manager at the closest GS and pad my GOW3 trade with 5 copies of it to reach the six for 40% more dealie.:lol:

But since I'd only be getting $37-38 after promo for trading it, I'd rather sell it on the trading forum here for like $50 shipped.

But yeah, my credit from Gamestop is largely from BB games and my credit that I should be getting from BB is from games bought using credit from both GS and BBV(and 2 $5 games from Sears).

it's a vicious cycle.
 
Funny that we're talking about being recognized. I returned to BB after a month or so and was recognized by the same cute cashier that rang me up on back-to-back days back then. The one who paid for the guides out of her own pocket. LOL.

I thought, "No way she's going to recognize me." But before I even put the two guides (oldies: Wolftenstein and Chinatown) on the counter, she gave me a big smile and said, "HEY! Are you going to buy more guides? I hope they're a penny!" :D

I told her that she makes it a real pleasure to shop there.
 
[quote name='Zippon']Funny that we're talking about being recognized. I returned to BB after a month or so and was recognized by the same cute cashier that rang me up on back-to-back days back then. [/QUOTE]

Zippon, you need to nut that. 'Nuff said.
 
[quote name='ballbarfer']i could be wrong but looking at my calander it appears it is the 3rd monday of the month.....................................[/QUOTE]

Yeah - and if I had nay price checkers at my local BB stores, I'd be happy to check. I'm figuring no drop for a couple of months...
 
[quote name='crazedracerguy']Yeah - and if I had nay price checkers at my local BB stores, I'd be happy to check. I'm figuring no drop for a couple of months...[/QUOTE]

Every store has price checkers. They're also called "employees".;)
 
I didn't check today but I can tell you that the Bioshock LE, Spirit Tracks LE and New Super Mario Wii guides were all status changed to Active. That usually means no chance of dropping yet.
 
I will try to get into mine here in California around lunchtime to price check a few LEs. If there are no other updates before then, please stay tuned.
 
thanks hellmutt, was wondering if someone was going to bring this back on topic :lol:

its been so long from something from BB..thank god I still see some LE's around, but any day now, I'm thinking about taking out the plastic to buy DA:O, ME2, GoW3, and Bioshock 2 LE's, so that's like $130 vs $.04..what to do!?! I'd hate for them to do a pre-pull then have to find out Amazon doesn't have any (well DA:O I know for sure they don't have..)
 
[quote name='token2k6']thanks hellmutt, was wondering if someone was going to bring this back on topic :lol:

its been so long from something from BB..thank god I still see some LE's around, but any day now, I'm thinking about taking out the plastic to buy DA:O, ME2, GoW3, and Bioshock 2 LE's, so that's like $130 vs $.04..what to do!?! I'd hate for them to do a pre-pull then have to find out Amazon doesn't have any (well DA:O I know for sure they don't have..)[/QUOTE]

if you do decide to gothat route (I did since I only came across one or two DA:O CE's at any of the BB's I've gone to), don't forget that you can buy it with the game to get 15% off (then return the game). It's worth saving a few bucks where you can ... we are CAGs, after all! ;)

Also, if anyone can check Fallout 3 GOTY CE, those need to drop, already!! (and it would be greatly appreciated)
 
You must have been at my local store - 2 whole racks of TFU...

[quote name='JediJames2']Force Unleashed is another one that needs to drop too! At least two dozen copies at one store I was at last week lol.[/QUOTE]
 
You probably already know this, but just in case...check your local Blockbuster Videos if you have any left. They may still have some SW: TFU guides laying around. I know I saw some at one around here as recently as a month ago. This was from a drop last August!
 
Awww well - thanks for looking hellmutt... Saves me a price check trip on the way home.



[quote name='hellmutt']I checked Dragon's age LE, FF 13 LE, and SW: TFU and all were regular price. At 1PM PST.[/QUOTE]
 
Does anyone know if Panzer Dragoon Orta and it's guide are worth anything? I don't like those kind of games, so I'm not too sure.

EDIT: Also, I know there's a CAG that has the Sniper Elite guide on his wants. I can't remember his name though. Any of you remember it by chance? I found a copy among some other stuff in my garage.
 
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at this rate, the SW:TFU guide won't penny at BB until the sequel comes out..I kid! seriously though, its pretty stale, I think its going to take a major confirmed post until we know if something dropped there
 
No drop for the CE guides, which sucks cause they had a TON. I got pissed at one of my local GS though, they had a whole bunch of penny guides marked at full price, including Ratchet and Clank: ACiT, which I need for my collection.
 
[quote name='dfriday']Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 pennied at Gamestop. It was the only guide that pennied today.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for that. Would pick one up but got one at BB when it dropped.

Picked up a Crack in Time guide at my local GS. They never charge me when they penny, they just hand it to me and say "here ya go". BB does. I sure hope they invest those pennies into some good ideas.
 
[quote name='dfriday']Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 pennied at Gamestop. It was the only guide that pennied today.[/QUOTE]

Any confirmation that this is the ONLY guide that dropped? Cuz I still hate adding a single guide drop to the second/third posts.:cry:

Thanks for the info nonetheless though.
 
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[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Any confirmation that this is the ONLY guide that dropped? Cuz I still hate adding a single guide drop to the second/third posts.:cry:[/QUOTE]
I will check for you when I get out of school, even though I don't want this guide (already have a sealed copy).
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']I think I still have 1-2 or so left from the BB drop a month or two ago and they're fairly worthless as far as value goes.[/QUOTE]
Yea I know what you mean. I was searching for a NGS2 at Sears so I could list the 2 together on ebay but had no such luck and I'm sure the value has dropped to make it not worth my time if I do find one. I should be out of school in about an hour so I will have confirmation (unless they pull them all) in about 2 hours.
 
Managed to snag a NGS2 for a penny. I also saw a Fallout 3 Game of the Year Collector's (Hardcover) guide, but the cashier said that was hers :p
 
picked up a bunch of NGS2 guides, the cashier was just like. just take them all... better than throwing them away.. managed to score 1 fallout guide.. got lucky on that one, most gamestop workers probably called dibs on those earlier
 
[quote name='Matsuura-kun']Managed to snag a NGS2 for a penny. I also saw a Fallout 3 Game of the Year Collector's (Hardcover) guide, but the cashier said that was hers :p[/QUOTE]

That's one of the benefits of working for Gamestop, I suppose, in that if your manager is cool with it you can get the guides when they penny.:D

I still have a couple of the non GOTY ones from when BB dropped them, but in the event I grab another GOTY from a further off Sears I'd love to snag a GOTY guide to go with it.;)

And no, I'm not looking for a trade, at least not at this moment.:razz:

Thanks to everyone who is currently checking to see what else might've dropped. I'll compile the list a bit later and update a bit after that.

Thus far it appears that the following dropped:

Fallout 3 GOTY(hardcover)
Mario Kart Wii
Marvel Trading Card Game(PC game)
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2
 
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Well I went to gamestop to get a NGS 2 guide so I thought i might as well try out the Fallout 3 Collector's Guide . I have been getting penny guides from this G$ for about 2 months now so they knew why I was in there , so they just said grab the ones that have cancelled outa the system , so I did :D

- So I cant confirm that the Fallout 3 HC Guide has pennied but maybe you can luck out like me
 
I think the Marvel Trading card game was for PC, not psp. I can confirm that the fallout hardcover did penny out and he also told me that the Monster Hunter tri wii point cards that were for preorder have to be thrown out as well. I swear Gamestop wastes sometimes, lol.
 
[quote name='jcmeadows']I think the Marvel Trading card game was for PC, not psp. I can confirm that the fallout hardcover did penny out and he also told me that the Monster Hunter tri wii point cards that were for preorder have to be thrown out as well. I swear Gamestop wastes sometimes, lol.[/QUOTE]

For a while people were also keeping track of the Best Buy pre-order bonuses(like the Nuka Cola bottle openers), since those were pennying or having to be chucked out after a while too.:cry:

And I'll change the trading card thing to mention it's a game for PC, but there's also a version for PSP too apparently.
 
FFFUUUUUUUUU I keep on trading days to pick up my kid with the wife...supposed to be my day, have to figure out in 20 mins how I can weasel my way out of it..Somehow I don't think "b/c I need to get some penny guides" will work!
 
[quote name='token2k6']FFFUUUUUUUUU I keep on trading days to pick up my kid with the wife...supposed to be my day, have to figure out in 20 mins how I can weasel my way out of it..Somehow I don't think "b/c I need to get some penny guides" will work![/QUOTE]

How much trouble do you have getting guides when they penny anyway? If you get a hassle from employees and the kid is at least like 10-12, you could have them bring them up. After all, who is gonna say 'you cant have those' to a kid?:lol:
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']How much trouble do you have getting guides when they penny anyway? If you get a hassle from employees and the kid is at least like 10-12, you could have them bring them up. After all, who is gonna say 'you cant have those' to a kid?:lol:[/QUOTE]

LOL! I wish, my kid is only 4, he'd be running around like a crazy bastard, he used to hate going into gamestop with me, now he goes straight for the console displays and try to play them. I get a kick out of when the PS3 is playing a stock video and he thinks he is doing something.

but yeah, looks like today I'll be taking him, so I can test this theory..:D
 
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