Big bucks in game strat guides. But why?
by Vladimir Cole 
{ Mar 5th 2006 at 6:30PM }
Hardcore gamers tend to think that game strategy guides are for players who lack natural skill, patience, common sense, or all of the above. A New York Times article that examines the creation of these guides is unlikely to redeem them from gamer disdain. The Times argues that guides are becoming a necessary part of figuring out increasingly complex game challenges.
Who'da thunk that finishing a game would require a book? Perhaps that's why most games are not played to completion.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Slashbunny @ Mar 5th 2006 6:39PM
Current games are too hard? Pfft! I've beaten more and more games as time goes on. Modern games aren't hard. Robotron is hard. :P
Dylan Withers @ Mar 5th 2006 6:41PM
When you use a strategy guide, it takes away from the game. You lose out on the experience the developers were trying to create. You also have more self satisfaction when you overcome a hard boss or whatnot on your own.
Alex @ Mar 5th 2006 6:44PM
I used strategy guides a lot when I was younger, but I haven't bought one for years now. Part of it is that they often spoil the fun of a game...honestly, do you really want every puzzle in the latest Zelda game explained to you? While they sometimes come in handy for bailing you out of the occasional tough spot, I've found that Google is often a much more cost effective solution.
Rhine @ Mar 5th 2006 6:47PM
I have completed every game I gotten this generation and found them to be incredibly easy compared to games back in the good old days (except for ninja gaiden). I dont think game are getting more complex I think ppl are just getting stupider
Tim @ Mar 5th 2006 6:58PM
I've used guides before, but on Gamefaqs. Or asking for help on a forum.
I guess a paper guide would be good for someone without the internet.
The point is, sometimes you just can't figure something out. In Metal Gear Solid 2 I totally missed something and couldn't progress, I didn't understand why I kept going in circles. And this wasn't a temporary thing. The day after, I loaded up my save to hopefully figure it out, and I just couldn't do it.
The frustration of something like that is incredible, and when you find out how stupid you've been the whole time it's a little bit depressing. That's why if I can't figure something out within probably half an hour, I'll close my game and look for help on the internet.
It's not worth the stress, it's just a game.
Crummy @ Mar 5th 2006 7:03PM
There's no way in hell I'd waste my money on a strategy (unless it came packaged with a collectors edition or something similar). However... having said that, like #4 I'm not averse to checking GameFAQ's. I just don't like puzzle elements of a lot of games. I still loved Metroid Prime 2, thought it was an awesome game, even though I used an FAQ for a lot of it.
SetupWeasel @ Mar 5th 2006 7:06PM
"When you use a strategy guide, it takes away from the game. You lose out on the experience the developers were trying to create."
1) Sometimes the developers (and localizers) make mistakes.
2) Sometimes what someone thinks is trivial while coding a game becomes a huge burden to a player that didn't spend 2 years making the game.
3) Sometimes I don't care what the developers want. I just want to find that goddamned mountain so I can advance the fucking story before I throw the game out the fucking window.
Most game developers are not masters, and even the masters mess up.
Brody Brooks @ Mar 5th 2006 7:12PM
I find the only times that are appropriate for a good strategy guide on your desk are open-ended games that have all kinds of possible directions and nothing in the game pointing to them. Some examples of this are The Sims 2 and Animal Crossing: Wild World. The universe has a lot of rules to it and you want to make sure you get as much out of the game as possible, and a guide can tell you all the different things you can do in the game, clearly stated.
Jay @ Mar 5th 2006 7:18PM
I had a mate many years back, he used to buy a Tomb Raider game and the guide. Then sit there reading the guide first. I swear he lost loads of the game's feeling. Especially in an explorers game like TR. Oh well. I played without a guide and It was fantastic. Till Tomb Raider 3.
Hunting_Phoenix @ Mar 5th 2006 7:29PM
I have been getting guides lately for older games I've yet to play through at the used book store. Why? Because my wife likes to have the guide while I play through.
Sometimes she jumps the gun and spoils things, but she's been much better as of late. The extra ~$5 for the guide is worth the enjoyment she gets out of feeling involved too.
I don't know why she doesn't play more...I try to get her to particpate that way...
Sean @ Mar 5th 2006 7:31PM
I have two sides to strategy guides. As stated in a post by 'SetupWeasel', it can be a little irritating when you're in the middle of the game and have no idea where to go/do. Being in that same spot for weeks can bring a sudden death to that game.
However, when I have this problem, I either ask the question online or find some online strategies.
Or, if there is none that can help online and no online stratagies yet, i'll go into a store and take a look in a strategy guide to see what I need to do without buying it. ;)
No way in hell would I spend $15 on a strategy guide.
So, as far as buying them? Very pointless if you're a retarded gamer who needs to see what's to come etc. etc. Looking at the online free ones/asking a question on forums for a specific problem that you've had with the game after 'countless hours' attempting to complete, seems reasonable.
Aaron @ Mar 5th 2006 7:32PM
I like the penny guides (thanks cheap ass gamer!)...
GOD @ Mar 5th 2006 7:41PM
My opinion is like #4 and #7. While I rarely use a guide there are times when I am just STUCK. And while a guide can "take away from the game," running around in circles for 2 hours trying to figure out where to go, IMO takes away even more. The only game I've actively used a guide in was GTA:SA. Not to figure out puzzles, but the maps were a great help. I love the game but I don't want to spend 6 hours searching through every backyard looking for body armor or something. That game is just too big to remember where everything is.
Jago @ Mar 5th 2006 7:46PM
The ONLY times I have used a strategy guide has been when I was either stuck or needed help finding the last remaining items. I used a guide for SM64 to find the last couple of stars and in FFX and Xenogears when I was lost and couldn't figure out where to go.
Seroth @ Mar 5th 2006 7:47PM
I normally don't buy game guides to help me get through the game. That's what GameFAQs is for. :P
I mainly buy game guides if they offer neat things like portable lists of items like the Animal Crossing guides and such. It also had lots of cool designs and stuff that you could put into the game. And pretty pictures! :P
I also remember having a Nintendo Power guide to Mario Paint. Obviously, Mario Paint isn't really a game you need a guide, too, but the guide was really cool! It provided you with lots of cool stamps and stuff that you could put in the game. It also went into detail about doing stuff like recording your work onto a VHS using a VCR and stuff beyond that.
Pixelantes Anonymous @ Mar 5th 2006 7:56PM
The strategy guides are nothing but a money-grabbing scam by game publishers' who are nickle-and-diming gamers with lousy manuals. Anyone who's seen a MicroProse game manual knows what I'm talking about.
All the strategy guides I've seen are 75% of stuff that should've been in the manual, but wasn't, and 25% of questionable tips that you can find for free on the Internet anyway.
These things need to go. And Prima needs to go out of business.
Mike @ Mar 5th 2006 8:02PM
Well... a Strategy guide for Windwaker for GCN was totally necessary. There was no way i'd find all those damn treasure chests without it.
But the game itself was easy :P
Todd @ Mar 5th 2006 8:03PM
A point that most people are missing so far is that the vast majority of people who buy games in the first place aren't hardcore gamers. They don't keep up with the industry & they don't post on gaming forums. The way they find out about games is through word of mouth or advertisements. While everyone here seems to think that these people are too stupid not to see how to get past a certain point in a game it's simply not the case. Casual gamers aren't exposed to all the different logic problems used in games as gamers are. They don't always understand some of the problems posed in games. Sure sometimes they don't see the big picture to a simple problem, however sometimes they think way too much and waste time on something that gets them nowhere. It's definitely not because these people are stupid, it's because they aren't exposed to as many games and see how most games work. They either over think or under think problems. Either will just end up destroying the fun for them.
The bottom line for these people is:
Buying a strategy guide is buying peace of mind.
MrP @ Mar 5th 2006 8:08PM
Speaking as someone who rarely bothers to read the manual before playing a game these days, I can say that for the most part, guides take away from the game.
However, we have to remember that not all gamers today started gaming fifteen years ago. Some of'em are just figuring out how to use a joypad. Imagine someone like that sitting down to play, say, Metal Gear Solid 3 or Metroid Prime 2. MP2 is a game that pretty much -requires- a guide unless you want to spend 60 hours completing it. The backtracking in it wouldn't be that tiresome if it wasn't for the enemies constantly harassing you, sometimes shutting you inside of a room you've passed at least five times before until you've blasted those goddamned Space Pirates away again. When exploring new places, enemies are interesting and fun to fight. When backtracking, enemies are an annoyance, and when you're not sure where exactly you're supposed to go (and while the map system's good, it's far from perfect), they're HELLA annoying. Using a guide to look up where one's supposed to go next among all the possible options, makes the game so much more enjoyable.
However, at that point, one might as well use a GameFAQs guide or something. Printed guides come with screenshots and other hard-to-miss spoilers.
Branewalker @ Mar 5th 2006 8:12PM
Like most people here, I think paying $15 for a game guide is just plain dumb when GameFAQs has the info for free. Guides are useful for when the developers don't tune the difficulty just right, and that is quite often. I too have played a few games that come to a screeching halt because I don't know where to go next. But I do give it a try before I run to the FAQ.
As far as not finishing games? Sometimes I just get bored. Give me a *shorter* game that is more fleshed-out, fine-tuned, and fun to play, and I'll replay that thing even if it's the same EVERY TIME. ICO: short, static puzzles, with some slightly repetetive combat. The puzzles in the game were perfectly tuned though (Didn't need a FAQ, though I came close a few times the first time through). I ave played through that game so many times though, because the exposition of the story is so amazing and the atmosphere is fantastic. The marketing problem with the game was they couldn't fill the back with a bullet-point list of features.
Iced_Eagle @ Mar 5th 2006 8:43PM
I actually don't finish most of my games because they just don't have the lasting appeal, and just seem to get boring quickly.
I wouldn't buy a strategy guide... I'd go on like IGN, GameFAQ's, or anything that is free.
marc b @ Mar 5th 2006 8:45PM
Let me throw another point of view into the mix
First, disclaimer. I am old school. No, im not old school like super nintendo, or even nes. Im OLD school.
Like Vic20. Commodore 64 and Amiga right through to the current gen. Ive seen and played a ton of games. If anyone wants to label me as stupid or crap, thats their perogative.
I buy game guides.
Hear me out. I spend all day in front of a computer with my job. I work in a design agency. And let me tell you - 15 bucks for the amount of work, screenshots, glossy pages and throughful layout is a drop in the ocean when you consider the games cost around $50. I for one appreciate the hard work that goes into them and i dont consider them a waste of money from that side (if you have seen the brady ffx-2 or the prima zelda windwaker then im sure you will agree..)
Second, i sit in front of a computer ALL DAY. i dont want to be running to one if i need to find a solution or a hint (and i realise i could print it out and use that, but trying to find things in a 100 page printout is tough)
Third, i dont read them before i play, and rarely the first time through. If i do use it first time, its because im stuck or i am unsure how it will affect me later in the game.
Fourth, if i pay that much money - i want EVERYTHING i can get from it. Playing the second time around with a guide is a very fun and easy way to play and get everything possible from a game. sometimes this means alternate endings, or new cutscenes. I consider the 15 dollars to be well spent.
I dont think you can lump guides as a waste of time as a whole. I also think its ludicrous that a form of ENTERTAINMENT and ENJOYMENT should have conditions placed on it in order to make it relevant. The key here is the word enjoyment, which is subjective. If thats how you ENJOY to play, then thats your choice.
Why should we say games should or have to be played in a certain way in order to justify our cred?
JPRacer @ Mar 5th 2006 8:49PM
Complexity and difficulty are two differents things. Games today are more complex than past-generations games. Just look at the number of buttons on the original NES controller and on the PS2, Xbox one.
The difficulty of today's games seems to be less than old games because of game's style. In the old days, everything was 2d and what matter most was your reflexes (I'm talking mainly about action games). Now with the shift to 3d and more realistic environements, reflex is important but good thinking seems more important (need a more tactical approach).
The part where you must find the item X to open door Y don't seems to have change much over time, the difficulty change is more about the way you fight your ennemies.
I think games are more complex today but less difficult because we use more of our brain than reflxes. Look at game like Ninja Gaiden and Devil May Cry, need fast reflexes but not too much thinking = difficult games. Look at Rainbow Six or Splinter Cell, less reflexes needed but more tactical = less difficult (but more complex (and realistic)).
So games that are difficult usualy need good reflexes and are usualy less complex and have a sort of 2d type game mechanic. Complex games usualy need a more tactical approach and are considered less difficult.
As for game guides I usualy buy them after I finish a game that I really liked to see everything I missed and to look at nice pictures and tables.
Brian @ Mar 5th 2006 8:54PM
Everyone once in awhile I get a strategy guide, but they're never for getting me through challenges. I get them for information. For instance, I own the Super Smash Bros. Melee strategy guide -- it tells me how to get all of the trophies. I own the Animal Crossing strategy guide -- it goes into depth about Feng Shui, and talks about all the impossible-to-find-out-on-your-own things.
There is always GameFAQs, but I prefer the satisfaction of a physical medium. Sort of like Steam -- I could download Half-Life 2 on Steam for cheap, or pay like $10 more for a physical, retail box. I much prefer the retail box.
??? @ Mar 5th 2006 8:55PM
If you insist on a guide,try out TIPS AND TRICKS mag each month; they have some pretty good walk-thru gems at 1/3 the cost.Might be somewhat limited,tho but worth a look.
crashedpc @ Mar 5th 2006 9:13PM
For some games, a strategy guide might be useful. I'm thinking of the Shin Megami Tensei series; particularly Nocturne. The guide for that is something around 300 pages or so, and it's because it's so damn complex (charts for monster sacrfices/races/recruiting, stats, rares, replays, extra dungeons/bosses, I think 4 endings for a 60+ hour long RPG, etc etc). When I'm playing a game like that, having a hardcopy by my side is useful, especially if I don't feel like printing out several hundred pages of FAQ. With that in mind, I'm talking about a very specific game in a particular genre. Games like MGS3, DMC3, or heck, even most RPGs don't require a hardcopy guide to play through. Exploration is fun.
Crazylink @ Mar 5th 2006 9:22PM
The only guides I buy are for zelda games for the sake of having them. If I need help on a game and don't own the guide I'd just go to Gamefaqs.com or something like that.
PayTheMan @ Mar 5th 2006 9:34PM
I believe it's just a marketing ploy put on by the strat companies. Just a couple weeks ago there was a "video game" segment on the rock radio station here in the bay area. A "hardcore gamer" named Steve Masters called in to talk about the "latest games" like Full Auto. After spewing some crap he was obviously paid to do, he talked about strat guides and how "hardcore gamers" use them to get the "extra ammo".
PayTheMan @ Mar 5th 2006 9:37PM
I forgot to add that Mr. Masters made sure to mention Brady Games and Prima several times. A couple of real gaming people called in and said they and their friends actually never use guides. If they need help they go to gamefaqs and just search the stuff they need.
Alex K. @ Mar 5th 2006 9:41PM
disregarding noobishness, gamefaqs.com is free anyway!
Clay @ Mar 5th 2006 10:09PM
If you had to have a guide to finish Quake 4, I doubt you have a pulse. End of story.
100 movies for your ipod @ Mar 5th 2006 10:16PM
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Sean @ Mar 5th 2006 10:29PM
I'm gonna go oldschool and mention how awesome the little white Magic-Pen hint books were back in the mid 80's (for King's Quest on my Apple][)
Especially the fake-clues that were like "How do I kill the giant bear?" and you'd reveal the answer which said "You need the magic spoon" and the next box would say "There is no giant bear.. are you just highlighting everything?"
LaughingTarget @ Mar 5th 2006 11:31PM
Publishers love strategy guides. If you buy a guide, you beat the game MUCH faster, which means the player will go out and buy a new game quicker, meaning more sales over the year.
Strat guides are useless, be they pay for the print version or the free ones on the net. They only contribute to sales volume.
Nin10dude @ Mar 5th 2006 11:48PM
I only use guides when I'm REALLY stuck, and even then, I just go to GameFAQs.
Kajex @ Mar 6th 2006 12:15AM
Gamefaqs.com is gamer made- you can count on a gamer to know exactly how to communicate to another gamer through the words and directions they use. Here are a few reasons why I'd prefer Gamefaqs.com over most gaming guides:
1. Clarity- most FAQ writers are much better at clearly discussing the secrets behind whatever they are talking about. To this day, I have yet to find a gaming guide that didn't clearly label directions to the last step.
2. Organization- I'm talking about the crap Prima prints: it's laughable and pathetic. City of Villains doesn't even label its character classes correctly, and mixed them up. I have yet to see them produce an actual clear 3-D map for any game they have done- the one for Jedi Academy was done with a cheat, and looks laughably bad. They only went so far in Guild Wars listing the quests they had available, decreasing less and less until there is almost nothing left. And Star Wars: Battle Front 2 still isn't telling me why all rebel troops die so easily on the Death Star map, or why the reinforcement counts decrease so fast.
3. Updates- Especially for MMO's, they can't do this- even when they do, they don't do it right.
Nick Dunn @ Mar 6th 2006 12:27AM
The only strategy guide I ever bought was the fallout 2 one. Very well made, but unfortunately some of the things it talks about are either not in the game or incorrect. It was definitely worth the $20 my brother and I paid.
Donald @ Mar 6th 2006 12:48AM
A digital guide is always going to outshine a paper guide simply because it *can* be updated easily later on, as Kajex mentioned.
However, as a former writer for GameFAQs, I will admit to having used published guides as a source - I buy them so you don't have to. At the very least, if you know a game back and forth, you can pick apart the guide for comic relief.
szimm @ Mar 6th 2006 3:25AM
well, if you ask me, games are becoming easier and easier, more and more straightforward. in 1990, an ingame tutorial was a rare sight. now its almost a given.
szimm @ Mar 6th 2006 3:30AM
i hate when someone else is spoiling the game for me. its like playing solitaire with someone looking over your shoulder, telling you where to put the cards. where is the satisfaction in that? thats just robot work.
sharpfish @ Mar 6th 2006 5:12AM
Haven't read all the comments above so if I'm repeating stuff you'll have to excuse me.
A couple of points:
.The game itself should be the sole source of discovery. If the game can not provide you with enough value/fun then it's flawed. Of course additional story media is welcome as free pack in with the game.
.Using the guides is akin to reading gamefaqs (except gamefaqs doesn't cost $10 a pop) if you read them chances are you WILL spoil the fun of discovery or learning from mistakes
.If they are released by the same company as the games then it reeks of cash-in. Also it could say something about the game itself if it needs a 100 page "guide" to get anywhere - maybe they even design in overly tricky aspects to force (or tempt) less intuative gamers into buying.
.Just play already ;)
Matt Drewry @ Mar 6th 2006 8:15AM
I've only ever bought one guide. Generally I agree with the comments that they spoil the experience or the info could be found elsewhere. The game I bought it for was Pro Evolution Soccer 5 (Winning Eleven in the States) because sure the game is easy to learn, but knowing when to push the right buttons is the key to mastering it, and I'd got sick of feeling as if the console was 'fixing' the matches somehow.
I've played every version of Pro Evolution/Superstar Soccer dating back to the debut on SNES, so it's not like I'm new to the franchise!
This 217 page guide really is worth every penny to get the most out the game, and to understand all the nuances and variables. It probably saves me money too, from broken controllers shattered out of frustration!!
Joey @ Mar 6th 2006 9:48AM
Because some people are just too ignorant to know about gamefaqs.com
CuddleFish @ Mar 6th 2006 10:15AM
This hasn't been mentioned yet but I like the video walkthroughs available on the internet. I beat Perfect Dark Zero and now I'm trying to beat it on the harder difficulty levels and watching an expert run through a level and then trying it myself doesn't take away anything from the game to me. Regarding regular guides, like many have said before I resort to them only if I'm stuck and then I use the free guides on the internet.
aparrish @ Mar 6th 2006 10:31AM
Add a me too to the folks who bought the Animal Crossing strategy guide - it's indispensable. Almost seems like the game was designed with the strategy guide in mind.
Another game that was much more fun for me with the strategy guide is Final Fantasy Tactics Advance - I didn't look at the walkthroughs for each mission, but I really depended on the item lists and the job charts. Without the guide the game would probably have been pretty boring.
Also, online guides are pretty meh. It's much more handy to drag around a printed, bound, nicely laid-out strategy guide and keep it on the couch next to you, or in your backpack, or whatever, than it is to drag around your laptop or print-outs of some 360 kilobyte monstrosity written by a twelve-year-old.