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[jroc74]

I never use one thru the entire game. But I do use them. Especially if I'm stuck for months.

Usually when I use it for a part I was stuck at I'm good most of the rest of the game...unless its a RPG...or open world game....

But the entire game.....first play through...I might as well just look at it on Youtube...

As far as multiple endings and collectibles, this is why I try to stay out of game threads until I played a good chunk of it. Thats just another reason to continue playing or play again.

I think I might have to use one for the entire game of LA Noire....maybe...

 

[Despera]

Most games aren't particularly dependent on the element of surprise. And people don't want to miss out on content.

Yet most have at least a couple of surprises thrown in, and you wouldn't know for sure unless you've been through the game at least once.

 

[JCX]

I usually only do this for RPGs, since some have annoying points of no return.

 

[SmashN'Grab]

I guess if you're stuck, then there's no harm in looking something up to help you get to the next part. But, using it to get all the way through seems excessive. To me, it defeats the point of playing the game.

However, I realise that many people today don't actually seem to enjoy the act of playing games. It's the completion of each game that's important. The clearing of a backlog.

I still think that the idea of a form of DLC for all modern titles that unlocks all achievements/trophies and gives you a 100% complete save game would make a killing. Backlogs cleared, instantly. The obstacle of playing, eradicated. It is the future, mark my words.

 

[Bomber Bob]

Sometimes I use a walkthrough the entire way through a game

I do too

 

[jonno394]

I played through Grim Fandango with a walk through pretty much open throughout once I got to the petrified forest. Only looked at it when I struggled to solve the puzzles within a few minutes, but I really only wanted to read/hear the dialogue and see the story progress anyway, so the puzzles were just getting in the way!

 

[Catdaddy]

I'll use them for mainly for collectibles, weapon stats and to help with some open world games. The last guide I bought was the DA:I e-guide, it was only $10 and been real helpful, and I can use it on my tablet.

 

[aravuus]

But following a walkthrough the entire time defeats the purpose of going out on an adventure. What you're doing is nothing but signing up for a tour, effectively eliminating the element of surprise.

No it doesn't? I don't understand how knowing which turn to take in a dungeon or which button to press in a puzzle would eliminate the element of surprise.

Guides tell you where to go, not what's gonna happen.

 

[Fisty]

I used a guide through both Demons and Dark Souls.

A guide telling me theres 2 black knights, 2 ghosts, and a giant blob in the next room doesnt keep me from getting killed by them multiple times.

I mostly just used them for the most efficient order of quests.

 

[Tomasoares]

Isn't that The Order pic a spoiler?

 

[matrix-cat]

I just finished I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream today, and, while I found it surprisingly playable for a 20 year old adventure game, I would never have made any progress without alt-tabbing to Gamefaqs every few minutes or so. Same thing with The Longest Journey (I can't believe anyone actually worked out the rubber duck floatie puzzle on their own), and pretty much every other old point and click.

 

[FrontalMonk]

No it doesn't? I don't understand how knowing which turn to take in a dungeon or which button to press in a puzzle would eliminate the element of surprise.

Guides tell you where to go, not what's gonna happen.

Good guides do, but not all of them are. That said, it's kinda refreshing to know that I'm not alone on this. I use walkthroughs incredibly often when I get stuck on a puzzle or something. I used to be that kid who always used Game Genie growing up, but after a while I realized I wasn't having as much fun as I could if I went through them the hard way.

 

[espher]

I use spoiler-free (or mostly spoiler-free) walkthroughs now when going through RPGs in my backlog.

 

[aravuus]

Good guides do, but not all of them are. That said, it's kinda refreshing to know that I'm not alone on this. I use walkthroughs incredibly often when I get stuck on a puzzle or something. I used to be that kid who always used Game Genie growing up, but after a while I realized I wasn't having as much fun as I could if I went through them the hard way.

Well sure, there are guides that contain descriptions of everything that's happening on the screen, which is something I'll never understand. Like why the fuck are you taking your time to tell me what's happening in the cut scene when I'm about to watch it myself anyway? That said, I doubt there's a single game that doesn't have at least one guide that avoids this kind of bs.

 

[Talax]

The only game I'm doing that with is LR:FFXIII and I hate the game for forcing me to do that. Putting a time limit on a game really is the worst sin ever.

 

[Linearskillz]

JRPGs are notorious for having missable side quests and awkward to reach "true endings" so I almost always try to find a spoiler-free guide. Missables are so annoying, ain't nobody got time for that!

 

[Despera]

No it doesn't? I don't understand how knowing which turn to take in a dungeon or which button to press in a puzzle would eliminate the element of surprise.

Guides tell you where to go, not what's gonna happen.

In some cases what you say is true. But in OP's case they were following a walkthrough to get the true/best ending and find out character locations for recruitment purposes. In Suikoden for example there are 100+ characters you can recruit and some of them require a particular method in order for them to join you. Following a guide indeed eliminates any chance for experimentation and any surprise that could happen in the process, and there are some for the player to experience.

 

[Sinfamy]

I used a walkthrough for Penumbra Overture and Black Plague.
I'm not going to decode Morse code, sorry.

 

[woopWOOP]

Think I used a walkthrough for Zelda 2 from beginning to end. Made the game a lot more enjoyable.
Also Metroid after running around aimlessly for hours searching for the high jump powerup. Turned out it was hidden by bombing a tile at the corner of a room, two times in a row. Decided I'd just follow the guide after that.

 

[mdubs]

This bothers me particularly in Persona 3 because I want to see the best ending, but that's very difficult in a single playthrough and probably impossible without a guide. On the other hand, I don't have time to consider playing it twice.

Uhh you mean Persona 4 right? Persona 3 only has two endings, and its incredibly obvious how to choose each one

 

[rjinaz]

Play how you want to play OP. I don't have the patience anymore for trying to figure things out on my own, so more often than not, I play with a guide. I know people have their own reasons for not using them, but it's just them doing what they enjoy more. I enjoy using a guide more.

 

[Chinbo37]

Ya I usually do it on games that have missables. Thats why I enjoy games that dont have missables lol.

But ya for JRPGs I usually always refer to a guide at least a couple of times.

 

[b0bbyJ03]

funny that I'm seeing this thread now. I've been thinking about guides and why I don't use them. I've been playing games since I was 5 and I'm 34 now and I've never bought or used a guide. Not even for the original zelda when I was 8 (probably why i didn't beat it til i was like 12) but I'm thinking that with the limited time i have to play things now i might just start using them. I've tried RPGs before but have never really loved one enough to see it all the way through (I love the idea of the RPG but i tend to get bored walking long distances and talking to all the NPCs in a village, etc). Regardless, I'm determined to finally see one through when The Witcher 3 releases. That game just looks too awesome to not experience so I think it will be the first time I go out and purchase myself a guide. What do you guys generally recommend? using an online wiki? or is it better to purchase a full guide?

 

[FaintDeftone]

I always use guides for Zelda games so I don't miss out on heart containers and hidden items. Plus if I get stuck on a dungeon I can take a peek and see what I'm missing. No biggy.

 

[Zing]

People who use guides still want to actually play the game too

I'd argue that people who use a guide in this fashion want to have played the game, rather than play the game.

 

[Alavard]

There's no shame in using a guide.

Especially during the PS2 era, JRPGs had a habit of hiding an awful lot of things you were unlikely to ever find without a guide.

- Final Fantasy X: Good luck finding out how to obtain the ultimate weapons and power them up with the crests and sigils. And if you manage that, good luck finding all the sigils themselves. Most require completion of a mini-game of some sort, with a few not even mentioning what the reward is or how many points you need in the mini-game.

- Final Fantasy XII: The monster hunts would be sheer hell without a guide of some sort. And then there's the zodiac spear, which becomes impossible to get if you open any of ~13 specific treasure chests in the game (which don't warn you in any way).

- Romancing SaGa: Fight too many regular battles and you actually close off or open up new sidequests with no warning.

- The Xenosaga Saga trilogy: The combat system for ep 2 was very badly explained in the game itself, and all of the games had a huge amount of items you could only get from stealing from certain bosses. In some of the games the 'steal' ability itself was quite hidden, either being hard to find, or only be activated when you performed a specific combo of abilities.

Those are just a few that come to mind. It's crazy when you compare them to earlier RPGs like Final Fantasy VII, in which you could pretty much discover everything without a guide, just through exploration of the world. I mean, maybe you'd have trouble with Ruby/Emerald Weapon (and only because they're hard, not because there's only one way to beat them or something like that), and you might not understand the fine points of Chocobo breeding, but other than that...

 

[Anas]

Can't live without 'em

Spoiler

I take no credit for this image

Are they for real?
Is like putting a photo of a bathroom and writing under it " put your shit down "

 

[88Titan88]

I love point n click adventures, but a large amout of them is much more enjoyable if you keep a walkthrough ready for the very frequent cases of bullshit puzzles/pixel-hunting.

 

[Beatrix]

No shame I did it for Suikoden 5 myself. If you find yourself having fun then theres nothing wrong with it. Play games the way you want to.

 

[Smiles and Cries]

I never finish a good 80% of the games I buy so a walkthrough helps when I want to finish a long one to feel I got my money's worth exploring everything

 

[CaptainSlow]

Played through Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake that way.

There's no way I would have figured out some of the stuff in that game with having a guide. I would have rage quitted by then, especially at this part...

 

[draetenth]

I always use a walkthrough for RPGS. I always feel compelled to get the best/true/good ending and don't want to waste 50 hours to learn that I missed it because I didn't complete some quest in a certain order at a certain time...

I understand we aren't meant to know that and it's to encourage multiple playthroughs, but I simply have too many games to play. If the game is good, I will play it again and using a walkthrough won't prevent that.

I also always feel the need to min/max/power game. I don't know why, but I do enjoy it. However, I don't have time to test things out so I just go to the GameFAQs boards and just search for "best" to look for the best/optimal setup, best team, and the useful/best grinding spots (I don't mind grinding, but there are areas where it's quicker/better to grind than others - like knowing where Metal Monsters are in Dragon Quest).

Plus, it's easy to find a good spot to stop for the night with a walkthrough. No more let me fight just one more boss before bed... oh he has a million hp/20 forms/oh I need to fight 5 consecutive fights... I will just save and quit before that happens...