How do you strategize?

How addicted to strategy guides are you? Do you have to have one next to you and open through your entire first playthrough and reading every page? Do you like to have it there in case you want to reference something as you play along? Do you like to play through the game once on your own and then reference the guide to see what you missed? Are you anti-strategy guides and do you like to build large bonfires with them and dance to the anti-strategy guide gods?

Personally, I like to play through a game once, then go back through a guide and see what I missed. I feel that using the guide the first time takes out all of the discovery and adventure in a game. Of course, when today's games take 100+ hours to unlock everything, it does get tempting to use the guide the first time through as two 100+ playthroughs of a game don't appeal to me as much as two 30+ hour playthroughs.

I don't like them very much. I've bought a few, though usually it's because they're really cheap, or have a poster I want or something. The only one I really bought for the games was the the LoZ Collector's Edition disc, but that had four games on it, so I thought it was a pretty good bargain. I typically only resort to looking at guides or walkthroughs online if I'm really stuck, or just want to find some extra sidequests that I haven't discovered on my own.

I only look at strategy guides if I'm stuck, if I'm doing stuff not story related (Like Jiminy's Journal in KH2) or if I'm playing through a game that requires you to do certain things to stop you from missing out on stuff (Like Suikoden or something).

In any of those cases I'll find a guide on GameFAQs and keep it open while I play.

I never sit and read a full strategy guide for my first play-through a game. Any subsequent playthroughs I may look stuff up to see what I missed (usually RPG's). I very rarely touch Strategy guides for FPS's or Action games. I sometimes look it up for RPG's, especially if I've been away for a while and have no clue as to what I was doing previously (for example with Tales of Phantasia I had literally no idea where the hell I was meant to go having not played for over three months).

Edit: I never use official book guides, only online ones.

I refuse to pay $20 for something I can get online for free.

I usually don't use one for the main game unless I'm stuck. I always use them to look up sidequests and things the second time through the game.

I just reference strategy guides mainly for maps. Unless it's Suikoden, in which case I'd like an entire detailed walkthrough so I can get all 108 characters on my first playthrough.

Or if I want my damn Zodiac Spear. >:o

I dont really use strategy guides, because all the games i Play dont require one. Also i cant afford them.

I dont buy guides, but if I need to look at a guide on the net, my Laptop sits on my lap while playing.

I do the whole beat it, then check out the guide. That way nothing ever gets ruined for me while playing.

THat one has some nice art work... I'll buy it!

I geuss I use them occassionally to get what I missed after I've beaten the game once, but I get frustrated with the maps and return them to my art box.

I'm gay for big fancy strategy guides like anime geeks are for big wooden boxes to house the eight DVDs of Samurai Action-Comedy #3781.

As for actually using them, not so much.

Although this topic has been done many times, I will repeat that I use strategy guides, especially for RPGs, for the reference tables that they have for things such as weapons/armor/skills and maps. Very useful handy information

THE JACKEL

I don't really bye them I don't want to spend the extra money but if I do get it I'll use it to check which town has which items so i know what to get before hand and also for maps.

But if I get them and don't need them (like my collecters strategy guid for FF12) I just look through the pages to find a pretty pictures. Unfortunatly the Ff12 strategy guid has no pictures I want to look at so its just stays there in the backround to look cool. And thats all that matters.:cool:

uuuuuhhh.... Celine Dion? :riiight:

I own one for FFX, only for recipes for customization or something.