Strategy Guides - Your Thoughts?

MCWHAMMER · #1 03-16-2008, 07:27 AM

I wanted to guage everyones thoughts on Strategy guides/FAQ's/Walkthroughs. What are your feelings towards them? Do you frequently buy them - and if you do, do you buy them with the game, or later when you get stuck?

My personal feelings towards them are mixed. See, back when the internet didn't exist, and/or wasn't a viable option for finding help on videogames (Dial Up), Strategy Guides and gaming magazines were your only source for help. So I'd imagine that BradyGames (Strategy Guide writers) were loving life back then. Now, not so much.

I usually just bought a game way back then on its own, because I didn't have enough money for the strategy guide too. And it goes without saying that a lot of the games I bought never got finished. It just depended on the game.

Nowadays, thinking back, the most recent strategy guide I bought was for GTA: San Andreas... the day that game came out. My reasons for buying that one? Well, Grand Theft Auto is my favorite videogame series of all time, and I knew that I'd be playing it for months on end, not buying any other games while I worked through it. Mostly though, I bought it for the free poster inside!!

And you know what? The Strategy Guide was completely unhelpful. I got stuck on certain levels, and could not get past them thanks to that lousy guide.

As time has progressed, I see no reason to buy a strategy guide book with a game, no matter what kind of poster is inside. The internet can easily get you through the tough parts of a game without spending a dime. Plus, sometimes you can get personalized help like we have at Absolute Playstation, and that's the best kind of help you can hope to get.

Your thoughts?

**Lyndon M STAFF** · #2 03-16-2008, 09:07 AM

These days publishing a strategy guide in print form is pretty much useless- there are enough guides out there written by gamers, for gamers for free that you can find the help you need for almost any game on the internet. Combine that with sites where you can ask questions about the games (such as ourselves ) and buying the guides seems like throwing the money away.

The guides should only be a last resort when you can't make your way through.

sfjp · #3 03-16-2008, 09:16 AM

plezse add to the questionare just dont buy them. ive never bought one why do that when you have google but generally i get much more satisfaction working it out for my self. it ruins it if you know whats coming next.

**Rob C STAFF** · #4 03-16-2008, 11:49 AM

I agree with Lyn, now with the internet there is pretty much no use of buying a strategy guide, when there are plenty for free with just the click of a button.
Still if i saw one cheap enough for a game i was stuck on it wouldnt deter me from buying one as they always come in handy and save having to get on the PC if its not turned on. It would only really tempt me actually if it was to get every collectible etc......

Still, i generally tend to work things out like Sfjp, i only look on the net to find out where certain collectibles are etc...So it hasnt really been an issue for me really...I can see that they are not as popular as they probably used to be.

MCWHAMMER · #5 03-16-2008, 12:13 PM

The poll was kind of supposed to be multiple-choice, but it wouldn't let me edit it of course.

I forgot to mention one of my complaints, Strategy Guides cost too much. If they want to compete with the internet free version, they will have to drastically drop the price on them. You're paying 60 bucks for a game and then they want 20 more out of you for something you could search for on the internet.

Does it make you guys mad when you have to actually look up a FAQ for a game? Makes me mad, because it usually means that the game didn't explain something well enough, or either they ramped up the difficulty for no reason. This happened to me recently with the game "LOST: Via Domus". Very aggravating game. I beat it, but I had to use a walkthrough to figure out a complex box full of fuses and circuits.

**Rob C STAFF** · #6 03-16-2008, 12:42 PM

Weird they only cost around £5.00 over here in the Uk. And you can find them for cheaper than that most likely. I would definitely not buy one for over £7.00 or something like $12.00....

tonygillis · #7 03-16-2008, 09:24 PM

I agree with everything everyone has said, but then again, there is always MMORPG's that I can see people buying guides for. Any other type of game however and its really a big waste of money. Even MMORPG's could be argued that you can find all the info you want online, however these guides should be more detailed then any online one.

**Rob C STAFF** · #8 03-17-2008, 04:45 PM

Quote:

however these guides should be more detailed then any online one.

That is definitely what they should be aiming for, thats if they want to generate any business at all.

waxler9311 · #9 03-17-2008, 10:27 PM

I have never bought one myself but I have used one. I don't really see the point to them with sites out there like Gamefaqs to help gamers for free. The last one I used was for a FF game that turned out to be somewhat useful but most of the things it tells you to do is common sense. The only part that I really needed help with was finding some of the hidden items for weapons and even then the guild couldn't help me.

jdm1108 · #10 04-12-2008, 10:59 AM

I buy guides for almost all of my games. I got in this habit on the first Tomb Raider. I always try to play the game to completion on my own, then I go back with the guide to get it done 100% ( all secrets, pickups, etc ) .

Also if a buddy is stuck and calls for help on a game I haven't played in a long time, I can just look it up for him instead of trying to replay the game to where he's at.

Also, there are art galleries, sketches, posters, all sorts of things in them.

**Rob C STAFF** · #11 04-12-2008, 01:24 PM

Yeah but apart from the art galleries, sketches, posters etc - everything else can be done online for free.

Still i see what you mean and i would still buy one occasionally if it was the right price..

sfjp · #12 04-14-2008, 12:52 AM

rpg's i would prefer having a book or for people like me who's co puter is in a completley differant room i guess its easier just to have the book next to you rather than go from one room to another.

**Rob C STAFF** · #13 04-14-2008, 04:29 PM

Convienience is key.....

pokerdon · #14 04-16-2008, 02:10 PM

have bought guides before, RPG's only though, FF and DQ games that demand 100% completion, and i mean all missions, quests etc, not just seeing the end sequence.

**Rob C STAFF** · #15 04-16-2008, 03:10 PM

I've been looking at DQ games lately, never seem to have got into them? They look pretty cool. Are they as good as FF, i heard they are.

FFXII is an awesome game BTW, just got into it and it plays well on the PS3...

-=Gladius=- · #16 04-17-2008, 04:44 PM

I have bought stategy guides for 2 games, FF10 and Zelda majoras mask. I didnt use the ff one much, just didnt really care enough to go and get every summon and all the perfect weapons, but i used the zelda one a lot. Now days internet its gettign better and better and wwith things like interactive maps the strategy guide loseing its best part of having lots of pictures.

pokerdon · #17 04-22-2008, 09:44 AM

The last DQ game on PS2 was awesome, and VERY big, will keep you going a LONG time, nearly as long as FFX11.
I would recommend it to anyone remotely interested in RPG's, so there you go Rob go get.

**Rob C STAFF** · #18 04-22-2008, 01:09 PM

Lol, yeah i've been looking at it and really like the look of DQ. I'll shop around and see if theres a reasonably priced copy somewhere...

View Poll Results: Your thoughts on Strategy Guides? (Multiple Choice)
I buy them often.	1	12.50%
I only buy them if I think I'll need them.	0	0%
I only buy them if they come with a free Goodie!	1	12.50%
I don't buy them unless I get stuck.	1	12.50%
I never buy them, that's what Absolute Playstation is for :P	5	62.50%
Games shouldn't be so hard that you need a Strategy Guide.	0	0%
Voters: 8. You may not vote on this poll

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