Mourning the death of the manual.

[krissy]

man my ff7 manual is TATTERED

so much use

it meant more to me as a kid but it's kind of sad that kids nowadays aren't getting the same kind of manuals if what this thread says is correct. i got two nice ones in english and french with my copy of ff13. color and everything. pre bent so you didn't feel bad sticking your bits straight into it.

wait i think i said that a little wrong.

[NorthernChaosGod]

I remember having detailed manuals was something of an anti-piracy measure. I can remember checking out a few walkthroughs that actually would answer questions about controls with "buy the damn game and read the manual".

[Pike]

I remember having detailed manuals was something of an anti-piracy measure. I can remember checking out a few walkthroughs that actually would answer questions about controls with "buy the damn game and read the manual".

I recall some Commodore 64 games from way back in the day that did this. They'd have sections that you could not pass unless you entered a code from the manual. Cracked games were huge back then. (We had a bunch )

[NorthernChaosGod]

That's pretty dickish. xD

Didn't Metal Gear Solid do something similar? smurfing Codec frequency actually on the game case.

[Kossage]

Yeah, I miss good ol' manuals too. The feeling of reading them on the way home, getting to know characters and gameplay mechanics, all of this before even playing the game. Two manuals in particular that left a fond memory on me were Starcraft and Age of Empires.

Starcraft's manual containted useful information about the gameplay elements but also made it in an interesting way, constantly delivering subtle exposition of the races themselves, their history as well as the factions within them. Those little tidbits (such as the function of different Zerg broods) helped me immerse myself in the game's world and understand that I was going to enter into a grand adventure with a detailed, fascinating history behind it.

Ditto for AoE which also included a big book about the histories of the different civilizations; a history buff like me devoured that thing almost in one sitting even though I was still learning elementary English. It was such a nice extra for a gamer and was quite an entertaining read.

[Pike]

That's pretty dickish. xD

Didn't Metal Gear Solid do something similar? smurfing Codec frequency actually on the game case.

That was great.

Or you just could've looked up each codec one by one until you found the right one. I think some people did that. xD

[Sephex]

Or you just could've looked up each codec one by one until you found the right one. I think some people did that. xD

I know for a fact that edczxcvbnm told me he did this...when the case was in the same room he was in. He didn't feel like finding it.

[krissy]

i think it's 140.15
like off the top of my head i know this.

let me go check

f yeah it totally is

[GhandiOwnsYou]

I have to say that I'm all over the map about this. I don't think we are witnessing the DEATH of the game manual, but the death of the STANDARD game manual.

On the one hand, you've got the games that come with no manual. Mirrors Edge is the first one that comes to mind. Nothing, Zip, Nada in the box but a disc. I'm respect this more than the next type, because at least they have their theory about moving forward. They can stick to their guns of going fully digital, and eliminating paper-waste or something.

This is opposed to THESE games.

I mean really. (This particular game gets a pass, but only because it's Portal.) It REALLY grates me when I pull out a manual, and it's 5 pages. Usually a controller scheme, a HUD description, an ad, an Epilepsy warning, and something about a customer support number. It gets on my tits, because someone obviously said at some point "Hey, someone take about ten minutes and do a game manual. We don't really give a crap, but we need something to put under the tabs other than a flyer for The Uncharted Call of Halo 62 and an online pass code." If you're going to insult me with this leaflet, then just don't print anything and pretend like example 1.

Then you've got the multitude of games that have normal, if slightly lackluster manuals. I think this is more a product of the times though. When you look through an NES manual, this was their place to show off the game designers vision. It showed you what the Mario in THEIR mind looked like. You got look at the world's aesthetic through a game manual that you couldn't get through 8 or 16 bit graphics. Also, the games were FAR simpler. New manuals of the same length have to dedicate FAR more pages to the explanation of game mechanics and they have the benefit of powerful enough graphics to put this detailed vision IN the game instead of on the paper. It's the natural evolution.

But then, and this is where I just love modern games, you have THESE beauties.

Often times for a pittance you can upgrade a game to come with enough swag to make an PSX game weep. I think this is where the game manufacturers got smart. The 3-price model is becoming more and more popular, with a standard "I just want to play the game" box, a "I miss having some physical media" box for ten bucks or so more, and your "MY GOD IF I DON'T HAVE A PLATINUM MASTER SWORD I WILL EFFING DIE" Fangasm money pit. Granted, it's coming from a guy who buys Vinyl albums instead of MP3's because I like the nostalgia of physical media, large inserts and album covers, but I'm more than willing to pay an extra $10 bucks for a good game to get a quality box and some schwag with it. Used to be I would even spring for the super fan sets occasionally (...until I did so for Duke Nukem Forever. I hate myself so much for that. So much.)

So yeah, I guess it sucks to not be able to count on getting a decent manual, but I think we're just at a point where the games are so fleshed out that an old school manual would feel repetitive. Necessary evil for the games we get to play now.

[Jiro]

If you give me a manual in electronic form, then I won't destroy you. If you give me the three page smurfers that tell you a) the copyright b) the controller layout and then c) the control scheme in black and white then I will tit on your face until you die. Instead of continuing here about how much I love manuals, I will ask you to reread Vivi22's posts.

[Depression Moon]

I never cared for them. 90% of the time I never bothered to read any bit of them. They just give me info I can get from playing the game anyway.

[blackmage_nuke]

Anything that has a setup or installation time should have a manual so theres something to read while we wait. I enjoy the extra art though sometimes the manuals contain spoilers

[Quindiana Jones]

The conclusion is that every bad thing that has happened to games as a medium and gaming as an industry is due to EA and Activision, so they must be destroyed.

Time to get my boycott boots on.

[Vyk]

If only that wouldn't destroy the gaming industry, I'd be right behind you. Unfortunately their deep pockets are required for the production costs If only there were a better economic way for developers to get their games out. Digital distribution is probably the most viable. But then we'd still be missing the manual. Not a big fan of the PDF thing. What am I supposed to read when I have to poop right after buying a game...

[krissy]

um duh, plan your poops AROUND new game purchases.