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I Want My Paper Manuals Back

CosmicQueso said:
Game prices have not kept pace with the rate of inflation.

You know, one of the most basic of economic principles.
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No, what proof do you have that the stoppage of including game manuals is factored in to pubs and devs keeping the price steady over the past few generations. Because it couldn't possibly be that they have done so because $50 to $60, at least the US, is the sweet spot for the past ten to fifteen years and they are aware that their consumers wouldn't be willing to step up ten dollars every generation?
 
I'm old school and still miss manuals. Was very disappointed when GTAV didn't have one - they usually have the best. I tend to go back and read old manuals for fun. Working Designs and DS games had great manuals.
 
I really like manuals, especially the meaty ones from the 80s and 90s for PC games that you HAD to read if you wanted to understand the game's nuances. I would bring the manual to school and read snippets during lunch break, and then go back home and apply the knowledge (this was especially true for RPGs and turn-based strategy games).

I think that - since nearly every game nowadays has a mandatory tutorial level - the devs figured that it didn't make sense to explain everything again in a manual that most customers weren't going to read anyway. I appreciate that game companies are willing to compromise by including the digital manual. For instance, I know PS Vita and Wii U games include the manual, which can be accessed in the menu even when the game is running. TBH, I'm drawing a blank if 3DS, PS4, and X1 include digital manuals, but at least they didn't completely get rid of the manual.
 
I like pressing the ? button the live screen area for Vita games and getting a legit digital manual with no downloading involved. Close enough for me. I'd take paper manuals again though, especially thick deluxe ones like Working Designs used to do... but not if it prevented some games from even getting physical releases.
 
I realized that I missed manuals when going through the digital PS1 manuals on my Vita. I miss having the comprehensive info and artwork to look at while playing.
 
i think smaller companies still do it. atlus had full color manuals for catherine and dragon's crown. nisa still makes manuals for all of their games (except the vita ones).
 
Thing about Ultima IV and games of that era having all those goods on PC...was because they basically were special editions. The regular release...was people "copying that floppy"
 
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I don't know about the Fallout 3 manual, but it was probably garbage in comparison.
 
Tetranet said:
Tons of paper are wasted on meaningless shit like ad flyers that get thrown without even being read, bureaucratic crap, the list is endless.

Game manuals are a source of happiness, how can you consider the minimal amount of paper required a hazard is beyond me.
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Minimal amount? Think how's many trees would by chopped up to supply manuals for the latest Call of Duty. It's not worth it.
 
Bought my first ps4 game yesterday and was mighty disappointed to find no manual.

Realistically, I only used to read them once or twice, so it's not a huge deal. Old habits die hard though.
 
I loved when deep and engaging games had a nice manual. It seemed to add to the experience. I loved the Laurence Holland/Lucasfilm WWII flight sim games where you could read in depth about the history or the war, air-to-air tactics, history of the planes, bios of some of the famous pilots, etc. It fleshed out the game and made it a much richer experience. You also actually learned something. Crazy, I know. ;-)

Developers could make nice digital manuals that could add the the experience of the game, but they generally don't. The developer will usually just dumb down the gameplay. Sometimes gameplay mechanics aren't even in the lame digital manuals that some developers provide and if you miss it or forget it in the tutorial level, you have to hunt it down on the internet or YouTube.

It's sad when old 8/16-bit rpg's have deeper gameplay mechanics than modern RPG's. Selling to a wider audience sometimes kinda sucks. Such a waste of advanced hardware.
 
I never need them, they were nice to look at as a kid. I still remember manual for Crono Trigger, FFVI. I'm nostalgic about them, but I certainly don't miss them.
 
My fondest booklet memory is of zelda 2's booklet.

Nintendo did have the best booklets. there was always some cool artwork in them.
 
animlboogy said:
With games like Might and Magic X, Original Sin and Underrail out there I can barely manage to get a sentence out about "the sorry state of RPGs" anymore. Things are genuinely amazing again.

New takes on Gold Box or Realms of Arkania style RPGs are really all we're missing.
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Ya, it's not all doom and gloom. There are some bright points of light out there, especially with the rise of Kickstarter, as there is a segment of gamers yearning for deeper gameplay. The return of the space combat sim and other "old school" rpgs. Just imagine how awesome Mass Effect 3 could have been though if it would of had the deep gameplay of Starfilght though? Or if the latest Shadowrun would of had a larger budget and have been published by Microsoft?
 
Whoa at all the save the trees/planet posts because of the little booklets in game cases. I'd bet money those of you posting that buy one or more of the following: posters, magazines, books, notebooks/writing pads, pencils, wood furniture, wood for building, and so on. So stop with the save the twees, save the pwanet bullshit. Want to help the planet? Eradicate the human race.

And yes, I miss the booklets in game cases. Mostly for smelling or reading on the toilet.
 
Majanew said:
Whoa at all the save the trees/planet posts because of the little booklets in game cases. I'd bet money those of you posting that buy one or more of the following: posters, magazines, books, notebooks/writing pads, pencils, wood furniture, wood for building, and so on. So stop with the save the twees, save the pwanet bullshit. Want to help the planet? Eradicate the human race.

And yes, I miss the booklets in game cases. Mostly for smelling or reading on the toilet.
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We got tablets and smartphones now. No need for some crappy black and white manual to accompany our toilet time.
 
I think the last game I got with an actual manual in it was Persona 4: Arena, and I was genuinely surprised to see it. A part of me definitely misses them, but it's something I've kind of learned to live without.
 
I've noticed this seems more regular with games in North America. The few times I've imported NTSC games they haven't had manuals while here I can't actually recall the last game that I bought here that didn't have one.
 
entrement said:
We got tablets and smartphones now. No need for some crappy black and white manual to accompany our toilet time.
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Oh, I agree. It was mostly when I was younger and technology wasn't where it is today. Now I take my galaxy with me when I drop a deuce. And GameInformer when it first comes in the mail. If I forget to bring anything, I'll grab a bottle of shampoo/body wash to read if I'm going to be a while.
 
Meh. Digital manuals are better anyway. Not the shitty ones that came with TLoU and Beyond Two Souls though where you have to install on it and can only view it when you're not playing anything. Nah Vita and the Wii U do them awesomely. You can access the manual anytime by pressing the home button.
 
fuzzyreactor said:
they really are a waste of resources. good riddance i say
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Everything we use is a waste of resources. Why single out videogame manuals? Half the stuff in your house that you bought probably came from trees and other things that affect the planet.

Edit-

Majanew said:
Whoa at all the save the trees/planet posts because of the little booklets in game cases. I'd bet money those of you posting that buy one or more of the following: posters, magazines, books, notebooks/writing pads, pencils, wood furniture, wood for building, and so on. So stop with the save the twees, save the pwanet bullshit. Want to help the planet? Eradicate the human race.

And yes, I miss the booklets in game cases. Mostly for smelling or reading on the toilet.
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This right here.
 
I can sort of understand why some may want them but I'm glad they're gone to be honest. I'd rather packaging was kept to an absolute minimum (I download games whenever possible) and the information contained in a booklet can be contained in a small digital file. I'd actually rather they got rid of all the extra crap, things like figures, posters, etc are completely meaningless to me.

I know that isn't for everybody but that's what works for me.
 
I really miss paper manuals. Especially nice color ones. To this day, I occasionally bust out some of my SNES, PS2, GC, etc manuals and flip through them. Sometimes that's the spark I need to fire up an old game and jump back in.

Oh, and I don't buy the argument that they aren't needed today. Checking digital manuals on most systems is much slower and clunkier than just glancing down at a paper manual when playing a game. And, no, for the love god all the manual info should NOT be in the game's tutorial. Haven't the Souls games taught us that excessively long tutorials are not the answer?
 
I'm excited for the day when no company includes a paper manual in their game boxes. I wish they would go further and reduce the entirety of packaging to a cardboard sleeve, made of recycled materials, with art on the front and back.

There's 50GB of storage on game discs now, not to mention we have smartphones and tablets. Companies can release digital manuals on their website or pack them on the disc itself.
 
Some of the best manuals came with the Wario Ware games.

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It was like reading a newspaper or magazine article about video games and it was hilarious. Really got you into the mood for playing.
 
Reading a manual before and during installation of a game was blissful. I wish I could have bottle that excitement and put it to something productive. :p
 
I do remember enjoying reading paper manuals, but they're completely unnecessary nowadays.

Don't care for them anymore, and if one came with a game, I probably wouldn't read it anyway.
 
Digital manuals included with Sonic Jam (Saturn) was one of the coolest thing ever back then.

Besides, smelly old paper books should be replaced by ebooks as soon as possible. Kindle is the way to go.
 
Mully said:
I'm okay without 'em. Manuals have become tutorials and are embedded in start menus.
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A lot of people argue that much of the stifled hand-holding and introductory exposition that they hate is a direct result of trying to integrate what used to be an instruction manual into the game's normal play mode.

Separate tutorials in a menu almost feel like a tacky, dissonant thing so developers often move away from that too. Since instruction manuals disappear in the used market, it kind of makes sense... but then that's it's own subject by itself.

I think instantly accessible digital manuals work pretty well as a solution. Even if a paper manual is made for collectors, it should still be tucked into the actual product.
 
I am a fan of paper manuals, but I don't mind if it's digital. Most games these days don't even need manuals tbh.

The last great manual I remember belongs to Red dead redemption. Colored and filled with details and artworks. And of course a nice map didn't hurt.
 
You and me both, brother.

I don't buy the nonsense about saving paper.. I mean.. are you freaking kidding me?
Are you actually serious? It's about them saving money, let's not be silly here. We live in a world with paper books, piles and piles of junk mail, etc etc.. And you're telling me that for the product I'm paying 60 dollars for, but you have no problem getting half that price or less, a year later, you can't include a paper manual?

And eco case my foot. Again, it's about them saving money and using saviors of nature as an excuse.

There's absolutely no shame in including a paper manual or wanting one.

They just realized they could get away with less, and so that's what they do.
 
DidntKnowJack said:
I dont think that's any more ridiculous then believing video game companies are ditching paper manuals because they care about the earth, rather than cutting costs anyway they can. Which is fine, save your three cents a copy, but don't give me some bullshit line about saving the fucking trees, EA.
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You must be crazy if you think it's just a video game company thing.

Everyone is cutting back to reduce resource usage.
 
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