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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You guys must be millionaires or something. I payed $7.50 for the Batman AA Joker Edition guide that I found at Half Price Books, which I thought was a lot. I got the game for my fiance for Christmas, so I thought I'd throw in the guide as well.
 
Well if this keeps up Half-price books will be my destination as well as Ebay. I am not paying over $10 for a guide in most cases I don't need to finish the game anyways. And remember that you can find them on the net at gamer sites and some are onlt text but others actually scan and download the guide. It's not as nice as having the guide, but my GS have never given me anything and BB's around here are keeping the pennied guides out with price stickers on them with their own UPC codes!

Maybe the new thread can be where to find and download the guides that some CAG either found pennied out, clearanced or simply dished out for and wants to share with fellow CAG's.
 
[quote name='drawingboard']You guys must be millionaires or something. I payed $7.50 for the Batman AA Joker Edition guide that I found at Half Price Books, which I thought was a lot. I got the game for my fiance for Christmas, so I thought I'd throw in the guide as well.[/QUOTE]
Actually, I just had a ton of Gamestop credit that I made from flipping games I paid next to nothing for, so I decided I wanted the guide when I got the game.

But as it turns out they let you know where most of the animals to hunt are on the map and it has a waypoint system like GTA and other games, so needing the maps in the guide to know where to head isn't an issue.

Oh well. I also paid MSRP for the GTA IV guide I have, since I didn't think I would be able to grab one when they dropped. Again, it was from super cheap credit I made from $4-5 DVD box sets I picked up from a thrift store. I turned each of those into $17-20 at FYE with their bonus credit deal they do every year, so one set($4-5) paid for the guide.;)
[quote name='lobito72']Well if this keeps up Half-price books will be my destination as well as Ebay. I am not paying over $10 for a guide in most cases I don't need to finish the game anyways. And remember that you can find them on the net at gamer sites and some are onlt text but others actually scan and download the guide. It's not as nice as having the guide, but my GS have never given me anything and BB's around here are keeping the pennied guides out with price stickers on them with their own UPC codes!

Maybe the new thread can be where to find and download the guides that some CAG either found pennied out, clearanced or simply dished out for and wants to share with fellow CAG's.[/QUOTE]
New thread? Share with fellow CAG's?

I take it you have not read the first post AT ALL, right? If you had, you would've seen that we have a guide trade clearinghouse thread where people who ARE successful in getting the guides when they penny list them and post what they want in exchange for them.

But if you expect someone to just give you a guide they got for a penny after going through the hassle of going to the store and so on, you've got another thing coming.

Not trying to sound rude here, but it does seem like alot of newbies want all of the deals that are on CAG without having to do ANY of the work to try and get them.

As far as your stores putting new UPC stickers on them to keep selling the guides after they're listed and confirmed as pennied on here, there has to be something more to that.

Perhaps those guides you think are restickered are in fact a newer version of the guide that covers another system that was not covered in the original? Perhaps the cashier is voiding out the transaction and manually re-entering the sticker/cover price without you noticing and telling you it's the cover price?

There HAS to be something you're missing, since pennied guides are pretty universal, though we have had a few drops that were screwed up and half went back to cover price while the other half remained pennied. But that's rare.

If anything, I'd say to try for one of the pennied guides at your local BB again and keep a close eye on the screen. If they scan the right hand side barcode on the back, the guides should ring up a penny without any type of work on the part of the cashier.
 
[quote name='lobito72']BB's around here are keeping the pennied guides out with price stickers on them with their own UPC codes!
[/QUOTE]

Your BB must suck, then... One BB I went to last week had 15 or 20 Gears 2 guides still on shelf and my others still have guides from previous drops, as well. I only pick up 2 of each guide when they drop, so the rest just sit there.
 
Well since it's bumped, I checked every available outlet for info for either, next Monday or anytime in June, and came up empty again. There are 3 collectors guides I'm dying to get and wish they would hurry up and drop them.

FYI not all Best Buy employees are hella lazy...
 
Thanks Shieryda for the headsup on the HPB sale! Maybe I can snag something nice there soon (they had a mint condition FFTa2 guide for $8 that I have my eye on. 20% is better than nuthin)
 
[
I take it you have not read the first post AT ALL, right? If you had, you would've seen that we have a guide trade clearinghouse thread where people who ARE successful in getting the guides when they penny list them and post what they want in exchange for them.
Yes I did read the post, and yes I have gone to all 3 BB near me when there was a drop and 4 GS, no luck at any of them since the beginning of the year. So I don't believe it is me not doing the work as it is either a CAG in the Cleveland area getting there first or employees actually doing their jobs (manager most likely).
Click to expand...
But if you expect someone to just give you a guide they got for a penny after going through the hassle of going to the store and so on, you've got another thing coming.
I am not expecting the actual "physical" guide but the "virtual" download. You can already find these on the net for Zelda:TP and I got the "Cliff notes" for SMG at IGN. All I was trying to say is that with the situation what it has been the last few months where people are reporting finding less and less because of "corporate pressure" if this keeps up perhaps the only places to find cheap copies will be Half price books, etc. and I obviously forgot to mention trading on here as you pointed out. I also think people will keep downloading the guides on the net as they do already and PERHAPS a fellow CAG with a philanthropist heart might do this as well or simply start a new thread with links to the guides. Which on second thought might simply be an easy way for corporate to find sites and shut them down. maybe I'll just :whistle2:#
Click to expand...
 
For the first time since the February drop, guides have disappeared from the site! I KNEW I wasn't going insane!
Anyway, here they are:

Army Of Two: The 40th Day
Cheat Code Overload Winter 2009
Codes And Cheats Winter 2010
Darksiders
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Madden NFL 10
Mario And Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Sky
The Saboteur
 
I haven't seen anything on a pre-pull so hopefully they will drop like they used to. I work on Sunday night so hopefully I'll find some info. I may be able to be at the store at 10am EST Monday. Gotta check with the wife first.
 
[quote name='loxthefox']For the first time since the February drop, guides have disappeared from the site! I KNEW I wasn't going insane!
Anyway, here they are:

Army Of Two: The 40th Day
Cheat Code Overload Winter 2009
Codes And Cheats Winter 2010
Darksiders
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Madden NFL 10
Mario And Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Sky
The Saboteur[/QUOTE]
I'll have to try for Darksiders, since I just got the game again from a HWV closing sale and I wanna figure out how to get each of those chests that're up on high ledges that I couldn't get before.
 
[quote name='callmewoof']I'm assuming those are for bestbuy? Or gamestop?[/QUOTE]

Just looked @ both Best Buy & Gamestop website. Most of these guides are still on the Gamestop website, missing from Best Buy.

Short answer: this list is for Best Buy.
 
[quote name='donniedroc']Just looked @ both Best Buy & Gamestop website. Most of these guides are still on the Gamestop website, missing from Best Buy.

Short answer: this list is for Best Buy.[/QUOTE]



How DARE you use your brane!



 
Does that mean anything though? dragon age origins CE has been long gone from the website, it's still full price the last time I checked.
 
[quote name='Zippon']

How DARE you use your brane!



[/QUOTE]Had to quote this to keep it from being edited out.

It's brain, last time I checked on the dictionary.
 
stopped by a BB at lunch, all guides still on shelf, Saboteur was $9.99 when rang up, so nothing happening yet (as if we expected it..)
 
I don't think there will be a drop on Monday. Guides disappear from the site all the time (How long has Animal Crossing: City Folk been gone without a drop?) and I can only ever think of one instance of a guide drop at BB during the last Monday of the month (and it was only one guide). I'll check the thread on Monday, but I'm not getting my hopes up. If there was going to be a drop this month, I think it would have happened already. I do have my hopes up for next month, though. A drop is long overdue.
 
[quote name='kroadmeister']amazon has the bayonetta CE for $30-35. Seems like a great deal, I'll see how long it takes to come.[/QUOTE]

The Bayonetta guide is a nobrainer for anyone who is a big fan of the game. Seriously.
 
[quote name='token2k6']stopped by a BB at lunch, all guides still on shelf, Saboteur was $9.99 when rang up, so nothing happening yet (as if we expected it..)[/QUOTE]
Not that it's surprising but ditto on the east coast.
 
I found a Fallout 3 GOTY hardcover at BB today and jumped on it. However, after bringing it to the register, I discovered that it didn't have a UPC tag on it. The clerk took it back for a price check and when she came back, she said it was $26.99. D'oh!
It's at the BB in Elk Grove, CA if anyone can figure out how to get it for the penny.
 
[quote name='nuahs77']I found a Fallout 3 GOTY hardcover at BB today and jumped on it. However, after bringing it to the register, I discovered that it didn't have a UPC tag on it. The clerk took it back for a price check and when she came back, she said it was $26.99. D'oh!
It's at the BB in Elk Grove, CA if anyone can figure out how to get it for the penny.[/QUOTE]
Only pennied at Gamestop not BB.
 
All those guides that were pulled from the site are all still Active so I doubt they'll drop. They could change over night though. I don't get why the guides don't change in price like everything else on Sundays.
 
[quote name='Zippon']

How DARE you use your brane!



[/QUOTE]

[quote name='shrike4242']Had to quote this to keep it from being edited out.

It's brain, last time I checked on the dictionary.[/QUOTE]

I thought the misspelling to be intentional.
 
[quote name='Frosty The Batman']All those guides that were pulled from the site are all still Active so I doubt they'll drop. They could change over night though. I don't get why the guides don't change in price like everything else on Sundays.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the heads up nonetheless, Frosty. It's too bad I couldn't have been hired at BB, though then I'd have been having friends and friends of friends abusing the ever loving shit out of promos for me.:lol:
 
Cap'n_RDM;7249455]I thought the misspelling to be intentional.[/QUOTE] Yeah said:
and[/U] was yelling at someone for using said organ. ;)

I figured it was more entertaining than saying, "Good job for using your head! Others should do the same."
Click to expand...
 
I was able to pick up a few guides earlier today courtesy of best buy :)

4 Copies of Grand Theft Auto IV
2 Copies of FarCry 2
2 Copies of Saw

Im going to trade in 3 copies of gta and 2 copies of FarCry 2 to amazon for about $11, not bad for $.05.

If anyone wants the copies of saw, pm me. dont mind giving them away for free, but you will just need to cover shipping. or if anyone knows of a place to trade them into, if you could let me know, I would really appreciate it. Thanks.
 
[quote name='jdb230']
Im going to trade in 3 copies of gta and 2 copies of FarCry 2 to amazon for about $11, not bad for $.05.
[/QUOTE]
Huh, never thought before to check if Amazon pays anything for game guides (as opposed to selling them through the Marketplace). Time to go through my extras! Looks like they will only let you trade in 3 max of any guide (just like any of their other trade ins, makes sense).
 
[quote name='jdb230']I was able to pick up a few guides earlier today courtesy of best buy :)

4 Copies of Grand Theft Auto IV
2 Copies of FarCry 2
2 Copies of Saw

Im going to trade in 3 copies of gta and 2 copies of FarCry 2 to amazon for about $11, not bad for $.05.

If anyone wants the copies of saw, pm me. dont mind giving them away for free, but you will just need to cover shipping. or if anyone knows of a place to trade them into, if you could let me know, I would really appreciate it. Thanks.[/QUOTE]
Amazon takes guide trades? Since when?
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Amazon takes guide trades? Since when?[/QUOTE]

I just recently found out last week but it's been live for a couple weeks supposedly. I've already sent out 15+ guides for a total of $90.xx that I'm still waiting to get cleared.
 
[quote name='knightsdwn']I just recently found out last week but it's been live for a couple weeks supposedly. I've already sent out 15+ guides for a total of $90.xx that I'm still waiting to get cleared.[/QUOTE]

Where exactly on their site is this found at? I just checked but all I found was the game trade thing.
 
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