So, because I like harping on about it I'll use it as an example. I bought DmC: Devil may Cry the other day, and I opened the game box to read the manual, as you do. You know, get the controls, some backstory, some tips etc (I've never played any of the series you see)

Imagine my disappointment when I got the manual which was literally a two page spread of the controls, and that's it! Nothing else. Now, call me a traditionalist, but I like my game manuals. I read them all the time when I first get a game. Luckily, I ordered the DmC Strategy guide (for I never play a game blind) and that's fine, but it is irking.

What DmC did was forgo a manual, and instead have tutorials littered throughout the early section of the game. Their good, I guess.

So what do you prefer, do you like:


  • A comprehensive game manual?
  • A in-game tutorial, many of them even?
  • A mixture of both?


Discuss the demise of the game manual, and what your preferred method of "teaching" is when playing a game.