the first time I played the N64 Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, I got stuck in the first temple as Grown Up Link. I musta spent 4 hours running in circles looking for another bloody key! finally, I ran out to the local supermarket and bought the strategy guide. when I got back, the answer to moving forward was so simple that I had to shmack myself in the head with the guide several times. Of course, it's not something that was terribly obvious and would have thought to do, but still. Fortunately, I had the guide already for the palace in Lake Hylia. even with the guide, that temple drove me about nuts!!!!

but guides do tend to provide replay value. instead of playing the game through a couple times and selling it, you find things that you never knew existed and so you go back through and try to find them yourself. but there's still this one weapon that I can never get an enemy to drop in Castlevania SOTN. I know who drops it and where, and got it once, but died right afterwards and hadn't an opportunity to save. poor me.