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The last time you bought a Strategy Guide?
- Thread starter Arcayne
- Start date
Infernal Monkey
Member
These.
They were like $3 each or something. I didn't even own any of the SNES games featured in them at the time, but I loved flipping through and reading them anyway.
Also I'm kind of amazed I was able to find images of these on the internet. I couldn't even remember the names.
They were like $3 each or something. I didn't even own any of the SNES games featured in them at the time, but I loved flipping through and reading them anyway.
Also I'm kind of amazed I was able to find images of these on the internet. I couldn't even remember the names.
JimmyRustler
Member
Must have been the Oblivion Guide - which was a huge mistake because I hardly used it. TES just isn't fun to play when you know where to go. And I could never replay any TES.
Will buy the DS2 guide next week though because a) it's fun to play even with a guide and b) I was to find everything in that game.
Will buy the DS2 guide next week though because a) it's fun to play even with a guide and b) I was to find everything in that game.
EvilKatarn
Member
Yeah. It was Dark Souls 1. And that's it, I don't have any other guides.
I think most people who buy Dark Souls guides get it as a reference handbook or just a cool thing to sift through. Not to delicately help them through the game once and then toss the book and the game away.
Jawmuncher
Member
Bought the Dark Souls 2 strategy guide just this month.
Probably won't even need it but it's just so sexy.
Probably won't even need it but it's just so sexy.
Sevket-Erhat
Member
Assassin's Creeed III Strategy Guide just for collecting purposes
I bought some World of Warcraft prima guides when I first started playing in BC. Was outdated then but I mainly wanted them so I could have something to read when I was away from the game. I still have the map atlas book I think. Maybe the monster book too but not sure what happened to the others. Actually now they would be more interesting to me because the game they describe (pre-Cata) doesn't exist anymore. I should try to find them for nostalgias sake.
D
Deleted member 74300
Unconfirmed Member
I guess Twilight Princess.
criesofthepast
Member
MGS4. The official one with the limited edition shinkawa lithograph signed by kojima. 
Wonder if it is worth anything or will be one day? Yumi kikuchi signed it as well unfortunately. Might devalue it a bit. Lol
Last one I ever bought and that will most likely be for forever. Too much clutter collecting all this junk.
Wonder if it is worth anything or will be one day? Yumi kikuchi signed it as well unfortunately. Might devalue it a bit. Lol
Last one I ever bought and that will most likely be for forever. Too much clutter collecting all this junk.
Led_Zeppelin
Member
Mortal Kombat 3 back in 1996. I needed to know how to do the animalities on the Megadrive. Shit was really worthy.
digita1alchemy
Member
The Wonderful 101. I love the game, so I want to eventually 100% it, but I don't have time to search every nook and cranny for hidden characters and such.
bobone
Member
I really enjoy the newer style of strategy guides, which are basically collectors items as opposed to real walkthroughs like they used to be.
Most have concept are, extra lore, interviews, etc. that is great if you're really into the game.
Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2, Skyrim, Final Fantasy 13-2, Pokemon Black 2 most recently
Most have concept are, extra lore, interviews, etc. that is great if you're really into the game.
Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2, Skyrim, Final Fantasy 13-2, Pokemon Black 2 most recently
I think my last guide was for Donkey Kong 64 back around late 99 or early 2000. I'd had internet since late 98, so I mainly just used that at the time though.
I had a fair number of them during the 16-bit era though (all 3 DKC games, Mario All-Stars, World, RPG and Yoshi's Island, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Bubsy 1 & 2, Mortal Kombat 1 & 2, Super Street Fighter 2, and probably a few others I'm forgetting)
Although I no longer have any of those, I do still have a general Game Boy cheats/info guide from around 1991, which covers a bunch of early games, including a full walkthrough of Super Mario Land and a bunch of Tetris tips. Most games just had basic info and passwords though...
I had a fair number of them during the 16-bit era though (all 3 DKC games, Mario All-Stars, World, RPG and Yoshi's Island, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Bubsy 1 & 2, Mortal Kombat 1 & 2, Super Street Fighter 2, and probably a few others I'm forgetting)
Although I no longer have any of those, I do still have a general Game Boy cheats/info guide from around 1991, which covers a bunch of early games, including a full walkthrough of Super Mario Land and a bunch of Tetris tips. Most games just had basic info and passwords though...
Future Press did an amazing job with their Dark Souls strategy guide (even if a lot of the stats were patched out from under them), so I happily picked up the Dark Souls II guide as well. So far I'm mostly using it to check item properties and stat upgrades rather than as a full on walk through, but I'm glad to have it handy when playing. If nothing else, 460 page hardcover strategy guides have a wonderfully solid feel to them which is reassuring when trying to cope with particularly difficult boss fights in DS2.
Before that, some of the only strategy guides I'd purchased had been the Megaten ones from Doublejump Books: Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, Persona 3, and Persona 4. Those were top notch guides, digest sized to match the DVD cases and, especially in the case of the Nocturne guide, impressively thick and packed to the brim with stats and so forth. Alas, the company is no longer publishing new guides but they still exist as Onionbat Books and are keeping their older guides in print in digital formats.
Finally, going back to my squandered youth, I always loved having the original volume of Shay Addams' Quest for Clues handy, which proved invaluable for getting through more than a few Infocom games where I was completely stuck. Addams had already pioneered the strategy guide with the QuestBusters newsletter and Quest for Clues compiled the guides for dozens of classic PC games in a single, glorious volume. I had such fond memories of that book that I recently snagged a cheap used copy of Quest for Clues II and had a grand time flipping through it and basically wallowing in nostalgia.
FnordChan
Before that, some of the only strategy guides I'd purchased had been the Megaten ones from Doublejump Books: Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, Persona 3, and Persona 4. Those were top notch guides, digest sized to match the DVD cases and, especially in the case of the Nocturne guide, impressively thick and packed to the brim with stats and so forth. Alas, the company is no longer publishing new guides but they still exist as Onionbat Books and are keeping their older guides in print in digital formats.
Finally, going back to my squandered youth, I always loved having the original volume of Shay Addams' Quest for Clues handy, which proved invaluable for getting through more than a few Infocom games where I was completely stuck. Addams had already pioneered the strategy guide with the QuestBusters newsletter and Quest for Clues compiled the guides for dozens of classic PC games in a single, glorious volume. I had such fond memories of that book that I recently snagged a cheap used copy of Quest for Clues II and had a grand time flipping through it and basically wallowing in nostalgia.
FnordChan
swazzyswess
Member
By stat upgrades, do you mean stats for weapon upgrade paths? I still haven't looked at it a ton but I didn't see those upgrade stats, which disappointed me because I used that section of the Dark Souls 1 guide a lot.
NervousXtian
Thought Emoji Movie was good. Take that as you will.
Dark Souls.. not really as a walk through.. as some of the stuff was dated pretty by the time it released.. but because it was so nice.
Bending_Unit_22
Member
Civ III back in 2002. I didn't buy it to help with the game but as something to read and think about while I was in the army training for 10 months almost completely cut off from computers and the internet.
Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever bought a strategy guide to help with a game. I bought some when I was a very poor kid in the early/mid 90's to vicariously enjoy computer games since I had no hope of owning one.
Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever bought a strategy guide to help with a game. I bought some when I was a very poor kid in the early/mid 90's to vicariously enjoy computer games since I had no hope of owning one.
I'm playing a pure sorcery build, so I haven't consulted the weapon guide at all. I'd assume there's one buried in there somewhere, though, so perhaps someone with the guide handy could clarify that. Instead, I've been mostly referring to it when leveling in a "Hrm, how many points do I have to raise Attunement before I get another spell slot?" sort of way.
FnordChan
I typically don't buy strategy guides. I have gotten a few here and there when they are on sale or cheap. I did get the Titanfall one, however. I got it for reference about the different weapons and challenges, stuff that I could have gotten off GAF for sure. However, I prefer having a hard copy that I can peruse without being connected. Kind of a fun/interesting read to thumb through from time to time.
Dandy Crocodile
Member
Most recently were the guides for Pokemon X/Y (fucking useless since it didn't include any postgame and half the Pokemon's images weren't included since they hadn't been officially revealed) and the Animal Crossing: New Leaf guide.
backflip10019
Member
Dragon Warrior VIII. And I needed it.
ThatStupidLion
Member
not counting magazine subscriptions....
phantasy star 2 or 3 for genesis...was the last one i can recall. maybe the only two my brother and i ever bought.
phantasy star 2 or 3 for genesis...was the last one i can recall. maybe the only two my brother and i ever bought.
UrbanDandy
Member
The last guide I bought was Max Payne 3, but I usually get the LE guides cause of the art works. Now, I don't have enough $ to them like I usually do.
Baron Von Beans
Member
Last time I bought a strat guide was the CE edition of GTA V's guide. Was able to procur it from Amazon for $15, free shipping. No brainer for me. Also seemed fitting since I have the San Andreas guide...I actually have used it for a few of the collectibles, because it's far quicker to look at a page in an open book for some things than to peruse the interwebs. Plus, the GTA CE guide had that beautiful lithograph print! I'm a sucker for extras xD
But I love strat guides. I have a buddy that works at Gamestop, and he always hooks it up when they penny those things out. Heck, when I was a young'in, I would buy strategy guides to all the Street Fighter games (starting at SFII, through Alpha 2) just to look at all the character colors, moves, combos, and especially artwork. I rarely used the guides ever, but it was still cool to have them.
But I love strat guides. I have a buddy that works at Gamestop, and he always hooks it up when they penny those things out. Heck, when I was a young'in, I would buy strategy guides to all the Street Fighter games (starting at SFII, through Alpha 2) just to look at all the character colors, moves, combos, and especially artwork. I rarely used the guides ever, but it was still cool to have them.
Dee Dah Dave
Member
San Andreas I think to help with 100% completion. Not much need for them nowadays when you can just have an ipad and the internet at the side of you.
ZombiePlatypus
Member
The one for FFX-2. None HD, OG release.
Only springed for it cause of the artbook as I was already pretty sour with Bradygames and the idea of guides in general. The racket they ran with the mess that was the official Final Fantasy IX Guide was pure bullshit.
Not really opposed to buying guides at this point, but only if it has a substantial artbook/soundtrack/other physical component. If I need a straight walkthrough, there's no shortage of that online. For free. Without a goddamn $20 POS book telling me to go online to look it up.
Only springed for it cause of the artbook as I was already pretty sour with Bradygames and the idea of guides in general. The racket they ran with the mess that was the official Final Fantasy IX Guide was pure bullshit.
Not really opposed to buying guides at this point, but only if it has a substantial artbook/soundtrack/other physical component. If I need a straight walkthrough, there's no shortage of that online. For free. Without a goddamn $20 POS book telling me to go online to look it up.
Alcoholikaust
Member
Dark Souls 2 of course!
John Harker
Definitely doesn't make things up as he goes along.
Dark Souls 1, Dark Souls 2, and proud of it.
I genuneitly consider them to be 'part of the experience' - the amount of lore they contain is pretty awesome. The background info, etc. I find it like a bible to the world
I genuneitly consider them to be 'part of the experience' - the amount of lore they contain is pretty awesome. The background info, etc. I find it like a bible to the world
Haha, I guess I outta elaborate that I went to Walmart to buy more wipes and cat food by request of my gf, but my own purpose for saying "hell yes, I'll pick up cat food and wipe rightey now" was to check out if Walmart had the guide. Lol. I told her about it afterwards and she ordered the guide through amazon. Otherwise, I'd goto Best Buy thanks to your post, lol.