Poll: Do you Read Video game instruction manuals?
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There are video game instruction manuals? Hunh, news to me. I guess I've never had a need for them since most games have a halfway decent tutorial.
No, because they don't exists anymore! Seriously, have you looked at most of the manuals lately? They are bare-basic things: Turn on power, insert game, choose between playing the story or playing multiplayer, here's a quick picture of the screen to show you what's what, and lastly this is all the legal stuff that we KNOW you don't read, but we have to put it in anyway.
What happened to manuals that gave you backstory about opening events? Character Bios? Little hints? What spells do what, and to whom? I miss those days. These new manuals make me depressed. I loved getting a new game, tearing open the package and flipping through the manual when I was kid.
What happened to manuals that gave you backstory about opening events? Character Bios? Little hints? What spells do what, and to whom? I miss those days. These new manuals make me depressed. I loved getting a new game, tearing open the package and flipping through the manual when I was kid.
Exactly. All console games have pretty much the same controls nowadays, and anything to do with hit points, combos, mana, experience, mini-maps and whatnot is explained in a nice helpful tutorial in-game. The games industry should do its part to save the rainforests and stop shipping pointless manuals with games.bussinrounds said:
I read every manual before I play.
It kind of irritates me that some games have manuals that are basically a folded piece of paper saying to check the digital manual on the disk. I like physical copies and I like it when they have things like character bios, skills, etc.
It kind of irritates me that some games have manuals that are basically a folded piece of paper saying to check the digital manual on the disk. I like physical copies and I like it when they have things like character bios, skills, etc.
I haven't actually removed a manual from a new game in years. I used to read them back in the day as a kid when they were long with a bunch of info and full color. But, oddly enough if I'm buying a used game it irritates me if the manual is missing even though I would never remove it.
I normally read them once quickly to see what they contain, then go back and read in detail about anything that caught my attention (like game specifics, race backstories, character specialisations, etc).PatSilverFox said:
OT: Almost all the time. I like to know what the controls are, or what the pre-story is, or what weapons/spells/characters/talents do what, or the more subtle intricacies of the combat system that you'd miss out on just from the basic in-game tutorials they give.
Entirely depends. I haven't recently, because I've gotten a lot of games on steam. If I'm waiting for it to install, maybe I will. If it's like the oblivion one and all nice and pwettiful, then I'll read it regardless.
As I download a lot of games from Steam this is often not an option, it's just not the same reading them online.
However even for boxed games, manuals aren't what they used to be. Games often come with little more than a sheet of paper telling you how to install them, and where to get some documentation files.
However even for boxed games, manuals aren't what they used to be. Games often come with little more than a sheet of paper telling you how to install them, and where to get some documentation files.
A lot of manuals now-a-days are pretty crap. They used to have some Lore in them, or backstory. Maybe some character details. I don't read them nearly as much as I did when I was younger.
I still have my Oblivion guide around somewhere, and I've actually read that a few times. Not sure why.
P.S. Captcha, I don't have umlauts.
I still have my Oblivion guide around somewhere, and I've actually read that a few times. Not sure why.
P.S. Captcha, I don't have umlauts.
I normally sit and read the manual whilst the games installing, it gives me something to do and gets me excited about the game.
For example, old CoD manuals (don't know about the new ones, I own them on Steam) had information on all the weapons in the manual.
For example, old CoD manuals (don't know about the new ones, I own them on Steam) had information on all the weapons in the manual.
Actually read them? Well, depends on the game. When I got CoD Black Ops I didn't bother with the manual, obviously, but with Brink I did, just to name something.
What I do do is at least open them up and page through them. The sweet smell of a new videogame especially it's manual...
What I do do is at least open them up and page through them. The sweet smell of a new videogame especially it's manual...
I usually just skim through it looking for art. I have read one for pure entertainment value though, I have one of the castle shikigami games for the ps2 and the translation was so poor that it became quite humorous.
As for looking for game related info, not so much.
As for looking for game related info, not so much.
When games used to have more than "how to put the game in the console" and "These buttons do this" i did. No more though.
My view is that when you need to use the manual, there is something not done right in terms of level design. At least in most cases.
Usually, when I have to read the manual, it is because I am having trouble figuring out how to use the controls, or what to do. That's what the tutorials are supposed to do...
Usually, when I have to read the manual, it is because I am having trouble figuring out how to use the controls, or what to do. That's what the tutorials are supposed to do...
