I try and beat the game on my own first. Most playthroughs after that, though, I use a walkthrough to complete the game 100%.
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I try and beat the game on my own first. Most playthroughs after that, though, I use a walkthrough to complete the game 100%.
I didn't use any walkthrough when going through FF I and II Dawn of Souls. But after that, I did start using wlakthroughs because there were so many good stuff you could miss in later FFs. Most of the time I only play through it once with a walkthrough, because I remember everything when playing it again. Except for the Playstation ones, because they're so large.
Strangely enough, I didn't use a walkthrough when going through XII, except for a few moments (like the Great Crystal or how to get certain items for hunts). I think that was because there's no point in going after treasure chests in XII, aside from the Zodiac Spear, so no need of a walkthrough to warn me if a dungeon has great stuff to aquire.
I always play games by myself first. Then, if it's so awesome that I know I'll never get rid of it (eg. FF7, FF9, FF12) then I'll buy the walkthrough to get the most out of it.
Over and over again. :)
Like everyone else, I don't use a walk through the first time through a game or even the second. Hell, I only buy strategy guides if they were given to me cause my family purchased it with the game or if the title in question has some good artwork that I can view in the strategy guide.
Yes, I use walkthroughs. I like to experience as much of the full game as possible, therefore I don't want to miss any hidden bosses, dungeons, etc. Then there are games (I don't think any FF games fall under this category too much) where you really have to use a guide, because the secrets are so hidden or vaguely alluded to that the only way anyone would stumble across them is by accident or dumb luck. That annoys me.
Also, if I'm not sure where to go next or whatever, I find I'm better off using a guide than trying to do it by myself. The rewarding feeling of figuring something out myself does not even remotely compensate for the hours of pointlessly wandering from one edge of the map to the next, visiting every town and talking to every NPC until I find whatever I needed to unlock the next part of the game. I prefer to have fun when I'm playing a game, call me crazy.
When i started FF I did not have a walkthrough, but with FFX my older brother bought one for the game and we really only used it to find secrets and rare items. I have also purchased a guide for XII for the same reason as it's impossible to discover the majority of the secrets and sidequests without one.
I'll probably get one for XIII too.
It's half and half in voting right now.
Originally I didn't but I started using them more and more because I wanted to cover every secret in the games... leave no stone unturned so to speak.
I even gotten into the habit now of using multiple ones at once, since some cover things others don't, and vice versa.
It's gotten quite vexing I have to say... almost like an addiction. I wish I could just play through the game unaided and discover things for myself... it might be less complete but I feel like it would be more fun.
I used to have an excelently written one for FFVII (I wish I could find it, as it's the only one I can't find, and it was my first one.), which I read and it helped me, I also used one for FFVIII, which kind of ruined one scene for me, but I'm sure it happend to eveyone else (Seifer).
Rarely. Only for getting those hard-to-get equipment/items/characters etc. and in FF's only after first playthrough.
Only for things that people would never realistically figure out on their own without spending craploads of time sorting it out with a lot of trial and error - ie, Chocobo Breeding etc.
Never on the first playthrough (okay, some exceptions). If it's a game I really like, I'll usually get the strategy guide after because I like having that physical material owned and with the game.
The second time is good to get everything you missed.
When it comes to FF, games like I, IV, VI, VII, VIII, IX, XII, my brain essentially is the walkthrough for it.
Yes, I use a walkthrough when I play through a game. My main goal is to catch things that may be missed on the first playthrough because I will likely only have enough time to play a game once before shelving it and moving on to another game.
^Ditto.
Also, there's always some things in these games that always make me ask, "how the crap would anyone figure these things out without a walkthrough?" Stuff like the zodiac spear, the Calm Lands mini game, the location of the Baaj Temple, etc.
i only use the the guides to look at the maps to see where items etc are and if there are any extra stuff you can do for the rest, i use my brain otherwise its not a challenge, it would be too easy :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D