Strategy guides...huh?

Dendaman

Dendaman

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First off I want to make it clear that I'm not attempting to troll of any sorts, but something that has always confused me are strategy guides...why is there such a big market for them? For example, you can look up people's trade lists on here, and a handful of them will have a massive amount of guides for sale/trade. With gamefaqs so well known, I can only believe that these are for those who detest reading walls of text/prefer photos to go along with their walkthroughs, or for collection sake.

Idk, maybe it's just preference, but aside from those penny deals I can't justify spending $15-20 on content that is largely available online for free. Thoughts?
 
It is a lot easier to use a guide than look up at gamefaqs. Plus most people are looking for guides for RPG and not random sport game or license game.
 
i don't see the point in pretty much every game that comes out anymore seems to have a strategy guide with it.
i only use strategy guides for the longer/deeper rpgs. final fnatasy, elder scrolls, those kinds. i use them because i don't have a laptop and would have to keep running back and forth between my tv and the comp when ever i needed to look stuff up. also strategy guides tend to have maps in them, not all faqs online do.
 
You're assuming people spent $15-20 on them.

I can't speak for all of those lists you've looked at, but the majority of them all got their guides for a penny a piece. If you're a fan of a particular game, that's easily worth it for easy viewing and for the chance at some nice concept art/diagrams/character profiles.
 
As its been said i have about 200 guides - most were penny guides and a handful of LE or collector guides i bought. Some guides with maps, stat lists, etc are MUCH easier to use then gamefaqs. Others are just better organized and indexed.

It also doesn't require you to have a computer in the same room. Pretty much no one is going to pay $20 for a copy of Madden's guide but I ordered the FFXIII LE guide for $20.
 
For me, I'd rather have a guide, but usually only when they get cheap. When I buy a game, I usually don't buy the guide immediately unless there is an LE/CE. I use Gamefaqs until I buy a guide. I just find it easier to keep in the game when looking at a physical guide rather than going from in-game graphics, then reading black and white text. It's all about the experience I guess.
 
I would rather have a guide, but only for certain games where you really need a guide. I do have a computer in the same room as the TV so I can just glance over to the computer's 22 inch screen but there is an advantage to using guides. I usually buy my guides from ebay or the used section on amazon for $4-5 shipped. The only guides I buy retail are Pokemon guides but Amazon usually discounts those from the retail price as soon as they come out which is good.
 
strategy guides have been around since the NES days (maybe even earlier than that). its a perfect way to spend more on the game you already bought. you spend $60 on a game these days and if you want the guide, spend another $15-$35 on a guide. ultimately making the game upto $95.

the internet changed the way the gamer plays their games these days. you can now view guides through gamefaqs and other sites that offers the same thing. you can even find guides on youtube these days. the official guides usually just have an initial run these days because of all of that. but the great thing about that is the guides are only available for a certain time. once theyre out of print, some of them tend to go up in value. theres also a market for (die hard) collectors out there whos willing to spend money on guides. those are the same people that would buy the licensed faceplates, the controllers, skins, etc. etc.
 
[quote name='phear3d']
theres also a market for (die hard) collectors out there whos willing to spend money on guides. those are the same people that would buy the licensed faceplates, the controllers, skins, etc. etc.[/QUOTE]

Sure is... I've paid some pretty premium prices for some older guides I've wanted.
 
Take the Tales of Vesperia guide I brought amazon at launch for $13, it is now worth at least triple that. You bet I am getting the guide for the next Tales game. I really don't have a problem spending $15 on an RPG guide
 
A lot of guides are totally pointless, and over-produced. Even the good ones are usually full of fluff to increase the page count, not to mention plenty of misspellings.

Still, when I have a guide for a game I was going to play anyway, I greatly prefer using it over Gamefaqs (ctrl-F'ing through a 500 page plain text document praying there are no typos, etc.) or Youtube (trying to find the exact part of a 95-part video walkthrough filmed on a camera phone).

But that's the thing, when reading the book I miss the ability to use ctrl-f. So I think instead of releasing these oversized books they should focus on making the guides in a more interactive digital format. Maybe just a web site format (html files with images and other media) that you could pay to gain access to or even download as a local copy. Hell, they could sell it on CD's or memory sticks.

Actually I don't know if any publisher is already doing this, but they should be. Giant-ass PDF files don't count.
 
The most I've spent on a non-hardcover guide was $10, and those are rare and in between (Disgaea, Persona 3, Persona 4). I've spent $10 on a few LE hard covers, and the only one that I've paid more than $10 for was the FFXIII LE guide. They're for collection purposes, because if you look at RPG games on ebay, game+guide bundles usually go for a significantly higher price. Not saying I'm looking to sell any, but it does increase the value of my collection paying
 
Because most of the general public are idiots and are unaware of Gamefaqs.

Then there are the collectors who have money to burn or don't have money to burn but buy them anyway because they're collectors.
 
[quote name='N3UROP0D']A lot of guides are totally pointless, and over-produced. Even the good ones are usually full of fluff to increase the page count, not to mention plenty of misspellings.

Still, when I have a guide for a game I was going to play anyway, I greatly prefer using it over Gamefaqs (ctrl-F'ing through a 500 page plain text document praying there are no typos, etc.) or Youtube (trying to find the exact part of a 95-part video walkthrough filmed on a camera phone).

But that's the thing, when reading the book I miss the ability to use ctrl-f. So I think instead of releasing these oversized books they should focus on making the guides in a more interactive digital format. Maybe just a web site format (html files with images and other media) that you could pay to gain access to or even download as a local copy. Hell, they could sell it on CD's or memory sticks.

Actually I don't know if any publisher is already doing this, but they should be. Giant-ass PDF files don't count.[/QUOTE]


Actually that would be a great 'bonus' for people that buy the game new. Perhaps a publisher could setup a website where you make an account and then register codes that come with the game for a full strategy guide that is web integrated. While they might lose some money on guide revenue, they would have another reason for gamers to buy new.
 
[quote name='Dendaman']Idk, maybe it's just preference, but aside from those penny deals I can't justify spending $15-20 on content that is largely available online for free. Thoughts?[/QUOTE]

While I am with you on this, in that I almost never spend money on guides (I might have bought 5 guides in 20+ years of gaming), I can understand why some people do. Those reasons have already been greatly detailed here, so I won't go into it.
 
I used to buy guides (rarely mind you) but now I just use gamefaqs, ctrl-f and I usually find what I need to know in the same amount of time it would take to get the guide, turn the light on, and do it that way. Less shit to store too. I think people buy them just to have them, which is ridiculous.
 
[quote name='62t']Take the Tales of Vesperia guide I brought amazon at launch for $13, it is now worth at least triple that. [/QUOTE]

Huh. I never knew it was worth anything. I picked it up on a whim with a bunch of other guides when Hollywood Video closed up their Game Crazy. I paid about $4 for it. Pretty good condition, too. Minimal shelf wear.

The only active auction for it on ebay is 13 bids in and up to $56! I'm gonna hang onto my copy for a while.
 
[quote name='LaraCroftsLeftBoob']i don't have a laptop and would have to keep running back and forth between my tv and the comp when ever i needed to look stuff up.[/QUOTE]

This is definitely my biggest push towards paper strategy guides. Even if the computer's in the same room (like at my fiance's), it's pause, go to the computer, scroll to the part you need, go back, un-pause... at least with the book I get to stay put and flip through.

Honestly, I don't often use either option. If I get stuck, I do try to figure it out myself. If I'm playing an RPG and can't beat a boss, I just go grind for awhile then try again. I don't particularly care about getting 100% in my games, so I don't need a guide- Little Big Planet being the only exception in recent years (still working on ace-ing all the levels on that one.) Actually, out of dozen or so guides I own, Little Big Planet's the only one I actually bought. The rest were gifts or part of some bundle at a flea market/yard sale.
 
If I buy one, it's for the pretty pictures and/or "collector's item" appeal only. For actual game assistance, GameFAQs and Xbox360Achievements.org are easier and usually more accurate and complete than any paper guide.
 
For those looking for digital guides gamestop sells digital copies of some guides (for the same price as the hardcopy guide), so in that case your probably better off buying the real guide which you can likely find on sale or on ebay or amazon cheaply.

Another thing I have run into and I don't know how many people will make use of it but disney has detailed guides for all their games on their website. Here is an example but the guides for other games are much more detailed:

http://disneyinteractivestudios.cus...detail/a_id/3147/kw/ultimate band/r_id/102047

I guess they got too many calls from children who are stuck in games so they put up this resource to help with that.
 
[quote name='Chairman_LMAO']Huh. I never knew it was worth anything. I picked it up on a whim with a bunch of other guides when Hollywood Video closed up their Game Crazy. I paid about $4 for it. Pretty good condition, too. Minimal shelf wear.

The only active auction for it on ebay is 13 bids in and up to $56! I'm gonna hang onto my copy for a while.[/QUOTE]

Just sell it... It topped off at $120 back around September. That's what I sold 3 of mine for. It's now dropped down to about $65-$80 worth. I don't think it'll ever go back up.
 
[quote name='DuelLadyS']This is definitely my biggest push towards paper strategy guides. Even if the computer's in the same room (like at my fiance's), it's pause, go to the computer, scroll to the part you need, go back, un-pause... at least with the book I get to stay put and flip through.

Honestly, I don't often use either option. If I get stuck, I do try to figure it out myself. If I'm playing an RPG and can't beat a boss, I just go grind for awhile then try again. I don't particularly care about getting 100% in my games, so I don't need a guide- Little Big Planet being the only exception in recent years (still working on ace-ing all the levels on that one.) Actually, out of dozen or so guides I own, Little Big Planet's the only one I actually bought. The rest were gifts or part of some bundle at a flea market/yard sale.[/QUOTE]

Lucky for me, my computer is sitting right next to me when I'm playing a game on my PS3, so I can just turn to the left and type in what I need an answer to and there it is.

However, I have bought a few guides at MSRP over the past 5 years(since finding out stores penny them:shock:), but those were for ones that I(rightly) knew I would never find once they pennied: GTA IV and Little Big Planet.

Otherwise, I try to do without or I trade for what I want on the trading forum.
 
It's like comic books. I prefer thumbing through the pages, looking at the pictures and maps that text guides do not have.
 
[quote name='SaraAB']For those looking for digital guides gamestop sells digital copies of some guides (for the same price as the hardcopy guide), so in that case your probably better off buying the real guide which you can likely find on sale or on ebay or amazon cheaply.

Another thing I have run into and I don't know how many people will make use of it but disney has detailed guides for all their games on their website. Here is an example but the guides for other games are much more detailed:

http://disneyinteractivestudios.cus...detail/a_id/3147/kw/ultimate band/r_id/102047

I guess they got too many calls from children who are stuck in games so they put up this resource to help with that.[/QUOTE]

That's just what I was saying. Aren't those digital guides GS has just huge PDF-files? I'll admit I've never bought one, but why would I when they're just big, clunky files that cost the same amount and are less useful than the paper books?

Disney's got the right idea there, even if it is pretty basic stuff. Actually I thought of another good example. Atlus had their official Demon's Souls wiki. Sure, there was already a great unofficial wiki when the game came out, but they definitely had the right idea. Not to mention the rather nice guide that came with the deluxe edition which was only like $10 more.
 
I like certain guides for how they're written (just like how old Nintendo Powers were more adventuresome on their pages) but I don't think I've bought one at face value for ten years or so.

I think the most ridiculous thing I've done to get a guide goes a little like this. Back in 2002, I went on a government / university sponsored trip to the library of congress, and to make a long story short I photocopied a hardbound Fallout 2 strategy guide (hardbound like this book is valuable human knowledge right up there with nuclear medicine) 235 pages, the tour group was giving me ugly looks so I couldn't get maps. Now that I think about it, am I the only person with a strategy guide photocopy from the library of Congress? Hmm, I could ebay my pages and buy a real guide...
 
Actually, this is great, on the first page I can see the Library of Congress seals on the inside flap.
 
The only guides I've bought in the last couple of years are the ones that come as part of a big package from Rosenqueen. The last couple of guides I bought on purpose were for Silent Hill 1 and 2. It was years before I realized there was a UFO ending and two other weapons in Silent Hill because there is no mention of them in the guide. There's a secret ending in Silent Hill 2 that requires you to get 4 items. The PS2 guide only gives you the location of three items. I didn't see the point in paying money for guides when I was going to have to use Gamefaqs anyways. I guess if you get a lot of penny guides it's not bad, but I can't justify paying good money for them.
 
[quote name='N3UROP0D']That's just what I was saying. Aren't those digital guides GS has just huge PDF-files? I'll admit I've never bought one, but why would I when they're just big, clunky files that cost the same amount and are less useful than the paper books?

Disney's got the right idea there, even if it is pretty basic stuff. Actually I thought of another good example. Atlus had their official Demon's Souls wiki. Sure, there was already a great unofficial wiki when the game came out, but they definitely had the right idea. Not to mention the rather nice guide that came with the deluxe edition which was only like $10 more.[/QUOTE]

As far as I know the GS guides are just huge PDF files, which means you would have to use your computer to view them. The hardcopy version would be cheaper to buy and if you want to use your computer you could just use gamefaqs. Most of the guides available in digital form on GS are just guides you could get off amazon for like a couple bucks.

Even though my PC is right next to my TV its still better to pick up a book for me.

I think there are a few other official online guides out there for atlus games, I remember finding a guide for a trauma center game a long time ago.
 
For me, if I know that I'm going to use the guide, I'd much prefer to buy the actual book. Thats why I have some of the newer Tomb Raider guides. Then there are the CE hardcover books that I get just because I'm a fan of the series. Sure, I'll use them, but if I didn't get them, I probably wouldn't mind. Like the Resident Evil 5 and Metal Gear Solid 4 guides. And then there are the penny guides I get for games that I have and might use... sometime... eventually... if ever. There's no reason for me to have say, the Afro Samurai, Brawl, or Madworld guides, outside of the fact that I have the games.

Otherwise, I'll just look up stuff on the interwebs. I've been finishing up Bioshock recently and there were a few time I checked up on Gamefaqs to see what I had to/should do. If I played the game earlier, I probably would have tried to get the guide for it, but now, I'll just check what i need on GF and be done with it.
 
[quote name='Indigo_Streetlight']I like certain guides for how they're written (just like how old Nintendo Powers were more adventuresome on their pages) but I don't think I've bought one at face value for ten years or so.

I think the most ridiculous thing I've done to get a guide goes a little like this. Back in 2002, I went on a government / university sponsored trip to the library of congress, and to make a long story short I photocopied a hardbound Fallout 2 strategy guide (hardbound like this book is valuable human knowledge right up there with nuclear medicine) 235 pages, the tour group was giving me ugly looks so I couldn't get maps. Now that I think about it, am I the only person with a strategy guide photocopy from the library of Congress? Hmm, I could ebay my pages and buy a real guide...[/QUOTE]

:lol:

That is pretty hardcore.
 
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