[DSix]

Make time go faster on the world map in Mount & Blade: Warband blew my mind when I saw somebody do it. He also was made aware by somebody else.

HOLYSHITWHAT THE FUCK?! I played 50+ hours and never knew this. So much time wasted looking at my char running slowly through the world map ._.

[Aranath]

I didn't know how to properly duel in RDR for a while, resulting in me winning by pumping a full clip into my opponent. I later figured out I was doing it wrong on the later, more difficult duels.

Same here, except I usually lost the damn duels. I ended up skipping every duel challenge through most of my first playthrough until I finally read up on how to do them and watched a few videos on YouTube. I'm currently in the middle of a second playthrough of RDR and I really think the game does a crappy job of explaining how to properly duel. I could be mistaken but I don't think the game ever actually explains about placing your shots when the reticule is white and not red.

[Nibel]

I think the first time I properly figured out how to use the Junction system was actually the fifth or so time I've played though Final Fantasy VIII.

Haha, same here! :D

[Myriadis]

I never knew that you can get new jobs by getting abilities in two jobs in Final Fantasy Tactics Advance.

[MrTeachwell]

Oh wow there're probably a ton, the first one that comes to mind if the GF system in FF8 I had no idea that you had to set skills for them to learn (even though I'm pretty sure there was a tutorial that explained it I somehow missed that).

[kurahador]

Ys Seven. I just knew that you can do Flash Guard when there was like 2 boses left.

And thx to Gaf recommendation, I was playing it on Hard.

fml

[gwarm01]

I'm glad I'm not the only person who didn't get the importance of junctioning in FF8. I skipped the tutorial because I was a know-it-all, and then I didn't want to junction my strongest magic because I wanted to use it instead. So I spent the entire game using GFs for every single battle until I figured out how to use Squall's limit break every single battle.

Playing FF8 many years later I was able to appreciate the game much more.

[jsnepo]

Resident Evil 5

I didn't know you can store items and equipment in the item box before in every chapter.

[Neifirst]

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

I didn't realize that you could refill your life bar simply by sitting on a random stool until I read about it online. I'd go around chopping grass to get hearts forever before heading into a boss...

[NEOPARADIGM]

I didn't realize that the circle button refills your health in Dead Space until the tail end of my platinum (3rd) run; had been doing it manually through the menu.

[SteveWD40]

I was halfway through Mirrors Edge until I finally figured out how to wall run properly and not jump off halfway...

[ThankeeSai]

Mine seems a bit tame in comparison to others, but I played Skyrim for about 50 hours before I knew you could hotlink 2 items to left/right on the d-pad.

:|

[sonicmj1]

To this day, I still haven't figured out how that works :(

You can adjust the stick so it's pointing down and a little to the right or left, and he'll keep reeling in the same as if the fish was in the middle. It's incredibly simple, but I was worried that using the stick then would allow the fish to escape, so I never tried it.

[Woo-Fu]

I was ~90% of the way through Oblivion before figuring out your character could jump. There were a lot of buildings I couldn't even get into. :P

[Captain Smoker]

Thread of: Didn't read the manual

:P

[Shrike_Priest]

Mirror's Edge.

Tried picking up a weapon once or twice but it didn't work and since there was no button prompt I figured that disarms were the only way to acquire a weapon and when the ammo was out you were out of luck.

Until the sniper-segment where I realized you HAD to pick up the rifle, I'd never done it.

I'm thinking my second time through is going to be a lot easier.

[Übermatik]

"What do you mean I can long jump in Super Mario 3D Land? I'm already in S-7 and you tell me this now?"

Seriously? Damn, if Mario can crouch, you can be sure he can long jump. Fist thing I do with every Mario game is master the controls.

[ugoo18]

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword I didn't realize that you could refill your life bar simply by sitting on a random stool until I read about it online. I'd go around chopping grass to get hearts forever before heading into a boss...

Huh i didn't know you could do that and i finished normal and hero mode 0_0

All that time wasted heart searching...

[Flipyap]

How to activate the gag ball statues in Brutal Legend the ones that upgrade your health. I went through almost the whole game thinking I needed some special solo for that...

I had a similar experience with the lore statues.

[Jean Valjean]

How come was Sonic 3 not mentioned yet?!

[7threst]

Heavenly Sword transformed from the worst game ever into a decent hack and slash after I figured out that you can turn off sixaxis in the menu and control everything with sticks.

Tell me you're joking... god I feel stupid now.... :(

[The Silver]

Didn't know you could run in RE4 until like 1/3 into the game.

[ugoo18]

Banjo Tooie when i was younger.


Somehow was distracted while Jamjars was explaining the fire egg as a result i didn't see the fire egg symbol above the gate to the next area following Glitter Gulch mine. I spent more than 3 weeks (Yes weeks, i wasn't able to play games for that long when i was younger so it usually took me awhile to finish a game) crisscrossing every single portion of that area and the mine itself looking for hidden pathways. I finally figured it out in a dream -_- (In my dream i was playing the game and that symbol kept popping up till i shot it and the gate opened).

[Navidson REC]

I didn't know how to properly duel in RDR for a while, resulting in me winning by pumping a full clip into my opponent. I later figured out I was doing it wrong on the later, more difficult duels.

I still haven't figured it out, ha. I managed to dodge most optional duels and somehow won the mandatory ones by pressing every button imaginable as often as possible.

Mirror's Edge. Tried picking up a weapon once or twice but it didn't work and since there was no button prompt I figured that disarms were the only way to acquire a weapon and when the ammo was out you were out of luck. Until the sniper-segment where I realized you HAD to pick up the rifle, I'd never done it. I'm thinking my second time through is going to be a lot easier.

I made it a point to not use any weapons the first (and, so far, only) time I played the game. Partly because of the achievement, partly because I simply didn't feel like shooting anyone. I enjoyed simply running a lot more and felt that this maintained a much better pace.

[shinkansen.3000]

Grandia



I realized just before the final boss that I needed to use different weapons to learn more different skills. I always kept using the same kind of weapon for each character and that almost put me in an impossible to win situation, grinding at that point would have been useless. I managed to beat him by using a very complex tactic and a good amount of luck. It took me 2 tries only luckily.

The first time I played Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Subsistence, I never did CQC, I didn't even know you had to hold O for CQC. 6 years later I'm playing the HD Version and going 'HOLY SHIT' because I missed out on this awesomeness.

This too, I realized how to use CQC after a friend showed me, I already beat the game 3 times by then...

[double jump]

world and charter tendency in demons souls
and this was after playing threw the game like 4 times.
I didn't understand tendency until I was trying to platinum the game.

[cj_iwakura]

I didn't realize about the Blunt/Pierce/Slash mechanic in Vagrant Story until the endgame.

I just used the progressively higher percentage damages to kill things until then.

[Currygan]

fast travel in Oblivion

took me 135 hours to get that...

[MMaRsu]

How come was Sonic 3 not mentioned yet?!

Cause it was in the beginning

[Empty Space]

In before Fallout 3/New Vegas hacking symbols.

What?

[CarbonatedFalcon]

This is what we get for not including instruction manuals anymore.

:/

[Iceblade]

I had no idea you could change your Keyblade in Kingdom Hearts II. Was using the default Keyblade for most of the game.

[Jean Valjean]

Cause it was in the beginning

Not really, if you didn't know how to pass that part, that was the end of the game...

[Lace]

A friend of mind played through all of Batman: Arkham City without the grapnel boost. Our exchange was pretty funny when I asked him about it. Same. I found out almost near the end. You have to like, lightly press and hold O, right?

I did this exact thing. Finished up the game and while cleaning up all the side missions I missed discovered the grapnel boost ability. Stopped playing and just starred at my screen thinking f me.

[Prophet Steve]

HOLYSHITWHAT THE FUCK?! I played 50+ hours and never knew this. So much time wasted looking at my char running slowly through the world map ._.

Another one bites the dust.

[Ragus]

My friend didn't know, that you could use quick travel in Skyrim. When I told him about it, he had already invested 30 hours in that game

[KarmaCow]

What?

There are also things you can do with the characters that are not part of words. Clicking on matching brackets (i.e. () [] {} <>, even with other characters between, but not a whole word between) can remove a dud password or reset the number of remaining guesses to four. The brackets must be of the same type and on the same line. Although you cannot match brackets with a whole word between them, you can match brackets separated by the dots that appear when a dud word is removed ( <.......> ). Also, two or more opening brackets can be matched to a single closing bracket ("[ [ ]" on a line gives you two chances), but the opposite is not true ("[ ] ]" only gives you one chance). When you scroll across this type of entry from left-to-right, the entire entry will be highlighted letting you know if you've found one or not.

.

[Kilgore Trout]

I didn't figure out until after I'd already between the game once that crouching in Far Cry 2 allowed you to move silently. This finally explained how why I couldn't sneak up on anyone with a machete before.

[Lace]

I had no idea you could change your Keyblade in Kingdom Hearts II. Was using the default Keyblade for most of the game.

Wow I can't imagine playing like that. What made you realize?

[JonStark]

Didn't knew about fast travel in Arcanum and died li,e a thousand time trying to reach Tarente from the town of the Crash.

Then I discovered it and it changed to the best game ever.

Every Arcanum player will know what I'm talking about.

[encephalon]

I never really dodged anything in RE3. I'm always dong this sort of thing.

[Laughing Banana]

Tiny and Big - this game would be MUCH more fun if I knew that I can cut boulders in half when they are thrown at me. Now I'm so pissed that I want to replay it. Heavenly Sword transformed from the worst game ever into a decent hack and slash after I figured out that you can turn off sixaxis in the menu and control everything with sticks. your examples?

.....what the fuck.

Including the dreadful arrow/cannonball guiding?

[Empty Space]

There are also things you can do with the characters that are not part of words. Clicking on matching brackets (i.e. () [] {} <>, even with other characters between, but not a whole word between) can remove a dud password or reset the number of remaining guesses to four. The brackets must be of the same type and on the same line. Although you cannot match brackets with a whole word between them, you can match brackets separated by the dots that appear when a dud word is removed ( <.......> ). Also, two or more opening brackets can be matched to a single closing bracket ("[ [ ]" on a line gives you two chances), but the opposite is not true ("[ ] ]" only gives you one chance). When you scroll across this type of entry from left-to-right, the entire entry will be highlighted letting you know if you've found one or not.

Well this illuminating and I now feel dumb.

[Easy_D]

Didn't knew about fast travel in Arcanum and died li,e a thousand time trying to reach Tarente from the town of the Crash. Then I discovered it and it changed to the best game ever. Every Arcanum player will know what I'm talking about.

Nope, I discovered fast travel instantly.

[Iceblade]

Wow I can't imagine playing like that. What made you realize?

I don't recall! I think I must've just been messing around with the menu one day and pressed a button here or there and suddenly found out that you could do it.

I think I never figured it out before then because, as far as I recall, the game only ever tells you that you're receiving "Keychains" after beating each world, and I must've assumed that those were just vanity badges or something.

[gwarm01]

How come was Sonic 3 not mentioned yet?!

I love that this moment was ubiquitous in the childhood of Sega kids. Before the age of the internet, when many of us were just little kids, we were all facing this damn spinning block and had no idea what to do. I originally thought it was some sort of jump-timing puzzles, so I spent a lot of time trying to get past it by jumping.

What were you thinking, Sonic Team? Also why did you make it so hard to input the level select code?

[JonStark]

Nope, I discovered fast travel instantly.

I meant the pain of not knowing it :D

[Empty Space]

I don't recall! I think I must've just been messing around with the menu one day and pressed a button here or there and suddenly found out that you could do it. I think I never figured it out before then because, as far as I recall, the game only ever tells you that you're receiving "Keychains" after being each world, and I must've assumed that those were just vanity badges or something.

I recall having this exact same problem with the first one and I hadn't looked at some screens I wouldn't have figured it out either. The game makes it sound like the keychains are accessories or key story items and not weapons.

[pmj]

In Dark Souls I learned of the existence of parrying and performed my first parry on the end boss. This mechanic isn't at all vital for success in this game, but I felt silly all the same.

Usually, though, I know that there are some mechanics that I don't understand, but stubbornly refuse to figure them out and instead push on without them, even if it makes the game harder. Like a few others, it seems, I never learned how to duel in RDR.

[Seanspeed]

fast travel in Oblivion took me 135 hours to get that...

Crazy. The amount of times you probably found yourself overuncumbered and no easy way to drop off your loot real quick? I'd run out of patience with that, I think.