Poll: Do people still buy strategy guides?

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I try to avoid them altogether, but if I do get stuck I just us the internet.

 

[SimuLord]

Why, when there's GameFAQs and Let's Play (and retsupurae!), would someone throw perfectly good money down the rabbit hole for a strategy guide?

Not only do I not buy them, I've actually written a few. [http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/4810.html]

 

[busterkeatonrules]

I often buy strategy guides. I enjoy a good read (game-related or otherwise), and it saves me the trouble of turning on the computer whenever I want to look something up.

 

[JenXXXJen]

I do have one, for FFX-2. For some reason the guy at the shop gave it me free with the game I bought. Can't complain.

I have to admit, it was quite fun to look through it, it was well written, loads of good pictures I haven't seen anywhere else, y'know, all that jazz. And since it's for an FF game, the art really was very pretty. I think they are better than most online guides, but the whole having to pay for them (usually) aspect doesn't weigh in their favour.

 

[Parshooter]

The last one I saw anyone own was Fallout 3 which is very understandable but the only game you need it for is Pokemon otherwise Internet works fine.

 

[DrDeath3191]

As long as the Internet exists, I have no need for them.

 

[awsome117]

Recently? No. But, I wouldn't have beaten the first Zelda game without the guide(before you get mad at me, it took me five years to beat the first boss...).

Other than that, I look towards youtube if I am trying to get everything in the game.

 

[A random person]

Nope, I use Gamefaq's like a financially responsible person.

I could see how they'd be an advantage in big, open world RPG's, however.

 

[loremazd]

Depends on the game, in general, it's best to use them for huge open worlds, like Fallout or Oblivion, as there's a bajillion quests.

 

[Void(null)]

Depends on the game, some game guides are little more than enhanced and indepth manuals because the publishers want to cut corners and will only print a very anemic 3 page pamphlet.

For everything else, there is gamefaqs.com

 

[Magnatek]

Why, when there's GameFAQs and Let's Play (and retsupurae!), would someone throw perfectly good money down the rabbit hole for a strategy guide?

Not only do I not buy them, I've actually written a few. [http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/4810.html]

I think I've seen a couple of your top 10 lists. They look somewhat familiar.

OT: I still buy guides, if I need them. I wasn't really sure about the skill tree stuff or item synthesis in Dragon Quest VIII, so I got that one. The same thing goes for weapon synthesis in Rouge Galaxy, as well as finding the keys for the locked treasure chests, which can easily be overlooked. At least, that was before I found the FFIX guide on GameFAQs.

 

[Gigaguy64]

I do.
i wont use it till after iv beaten the game once or i am REALLY stuck.
i mostly buy them because of the artwork and freebie's.

 

[ajb924]

Why, when there's GameFAQs and Let's Play (and retsupurae!), would someone throw perfectly good money down the rabbit hole for a strategy guide?

Not only do I not buy them, I've actually written a few. [http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/4810.html]

I think I've seen a couple of your top 10 lists. They look somewhat familiar.

OT: I still buy guides, if I need them. I wasn't really sure about the skill tree stuff or item synthesis in Dragon Quest VIII, so I got that one. The same thing goes for weapon synthesis in Rouge Galaxy, as well as finding the keys for the locked treasure chests, which can easily be overlooked. At least, that was before I found the FFIX guide on GameFAQs.

God this is like the 9th thread your avatar has caught my eye on today! Mr. H is the shit...

OT: It depends on the game. If i want it I do. I like to have it for the Kingdom Hearts games, and the Zelda ones. Every now and then I'll buy one for a Final Fantasy Tactics game. I usually hate to use the internet because it requires me to pause the game and get out of bed, with a guide i can just put it in my lap and read when I'm stuck. I also like to support the work that goes into them. It would suck if the company's died out....

 

[avelmen1889]

that is what the interwebs is for

 

[Emilin_Rose]

I still buy a couple, purely for an aesthetic standpoint, and in the even my internet is shut off, which it is a lot.

 

[quiet_samurai]

I got a buddy that buys them in a means to have a collection. He also will buy two copies of certain games so he can keep one for the collection and the other to play, so mabey added with the guide the value will go up. I don't use the term nerd very often, but man, that guy is it.

 

[KaZZaP]

Well I bought one for Oblivion so I guess so. I don't regret buying it either I love that book.

 

[CryptoKeyblade]

The only one I use is the Fallout 3 one, but because that guide kicks ass, and helps.

 

[JoeyTheItalian]

I have not purchased a strategy guide since 1996, and that was for the game San Francisco Rush for the N64. Most of the content in a strategy guide can be found online.

 

[Saron]

I don't buy them too often, but for some games, I really enjoy reading through them and seeing what tricks the writers have. I almost wish I had picked one up for Ookami as I might have enjoyed the game otherwise (I tried Gamefaqs, and the one guide I found useful still didn't work that well), but if it's a short game I'll just trudge through it myself.

Though, I'm glad that my family picked up the guide for Resident Evil 5. Yes, you really don't need it can you can look up everything online, but since I was playing with my dad and we had a week before I went back to college, it would have constantly broken up the flow to have one of us pause and look up something we were stuck on. With the book my sister could just look at it and tell us where to go/what to do/how to kill a boss.