I KNEW IT! I think I can get by without the dungon maps. Most of the dungons are really small except a few near the end. They just appear long because you have to run around and figure stuff out.Originally Posted by White Raven
*will get this guide*
I like Game Guides, but I'm cheap so I usually just use Gamefaqs. I'll probably pick up Tales of Symphonia though, I know I probably missed a great deal, and I'm going through a second time so I can get it all this time.
I find online games are very often but not always simply copied from Bradygames guides. Some of them are really good, extraordinarily more indepth and detailed than official guides, but how can you really know if it's going to be or not. For example, there are a lot of 100% In One Game guides for FFX-2 on the internet. There's also one in the Bradygames guide, and it has two flaws in it, one which would prevent you from getting 100%. These FAQs usually appear in list form, and almost every single one of these particular FAQs I've found on the internet *cough*including the one on this site*cough* are all listed in almost the exact same order and all have the exact same two mistakes. I thought that was rather funny. There is one on gamefaqs.com that is rather good, but again how can you know?
So it all depends on how much I plan on using a strategy guide if I need one. If I just need a quick reference, then I'll go online. But if I find myself needing one quite a bit, I'll buy it for the simple ease of flipping through pages rather than scanning a text file. And they have pictures, always a plus. I find the flaws in official guides miniscule at best and easy to compensate for. However, some of the more indepth secrets of some games are left out of some guides. I guess some secrets are just that secret.
chaos: I don't ever need Gaming Guides. Those online guides are just as good, and they have exactly what I need, so, I just stick with those.
Rubedo: But, when I do get Gaming Guides, they are still pretty good. Yet in some cases (Legend of Dragoon), the Online Guides are better.
It all depends on the guide, really.
Some are horrendous like the Final Fantasy IX guide (go to Playonline.com for more details) and some are excellent like the Lunar and Lunar 2 guides.
If the guide is great, then by all means I would recommend purchasing it for a second playthrough of the game. The Lunar guides are by far the best strategy guides I've ever seen. They have everything from maps to funny captions written under in game screens to comics. And of course they have the number 1 most important thing ANY game guide should have: Boss HP.
I have the Final Fantasy X-2 guide and it's pretty bad. The Final Fantasy Official guides usually aren't that good. The X-2 guide completely skips the Bevelle Dungeon.
I usually like to go with unofficial guides. There's this one unofficial Final Fantasy VII guide by some guy named Casey Lowe that is extremely well done. It even came with a poster.
To hell with Battletoads and Double Dragon.
THIS is the ultimate team.
No, there not worth 20 bucks, when you can get a not so fancy one online for free.
I don't buy them anymore I use the Internet.
I've only ever purchased five guides. The first was FFVIII, which I purchased because it was the first Final Fantasy I'd ever played, let alone the first RPG I ever played.
The second I purchased was Majora's Mask, because it came with the set when you ordered the special gold edition cartridge.
The third I purchased was FFX because it was something like 50% off if you bought the game as well, so I figured why not?
The other two are the fall and spring editions of the FFXI guides. I like to have a lot of the stuff that it offers right at my finger tips. Being able to look up a skillchain easily while others are too lazy to have a chart printed up comes in handy. I often end up finding those kind of thing even when I play as a mage.
Also being able to look up any monster for weaknesses and whatnot comes in handy. They've got some crazy stuff in there, for example: the bomb family is weak to fire. Nobody would have guessed that when they engaged a bomb.
As far as their usefulness, I try to only use them on a second playthrough. I like to do things myself the first time around, and then I'll go do everything right on my second. I haven't had a problem with the accuracy of the guides, though I have noticed that they leave little things out. Of course you always get hung up on the little things.
xD I know. A friend of mine bought the FF9 guide, and we all had a laugh out of it. Especially since the playonline.com had the FULL walkthrough and info, and the so-called "guide" was just copy/paste from that website, with a ton of stuff left out. "There's a bunch of stuff you can do here. Go to playonline.com to find out what!"
YES!!! I have a Lunar SSSC guide, and it is the only guide that I have that I still use to this day.If the guide is great, then by all means I would recommend purchasing it for a second playthrough of the game. The Lunar guides are by far the best strategy guides I've ever seen. They have everything from maps to funny captions written under in game screens to comics. And of course they have the number 1 most important thing ANY game guide should have: Boss HP.
Official guides usually suck, especially the FF ones. The last FF guide I bought was also my first: FF7's. FF9's put me off official FF guides for good. For RPGs, usually the best and most complete info can be found from crazed fans at GameFAQs.
I am thinking about getting a Lunar EB guide, though. Especially if it's done by the same people who did SSSC's.
I haven't bought any guides, but if I'm stuck, I go to GameFAQs.
Oh believe me, you WANT the Lunar 2 guide.
Not only is it much longer than the SSC guide, but it also contains comics and an actual bookmarker. It has even more witty humor than the first. Even if you've already completed the game and need no help with it whatsoever it's still just a plain ol good time to look through.
To hell with Battletoads and Double Dragon.
THIS is the ultimate team.
I did, but I ignored it XD
I get the guide books for almost all my games. I like being able to check them every once in a while, so I don't miss anything. The "unoffical" guides are usually worth it, though, because they often give you secret information that the game makers don't want you to know, or want you to find for yourself (which is sometimes nearly impossible).
:shoot:
Why purchase something you can get for free?
:monster2: One, AH! AH! Two, AH AH! Three, AH AH!
I don't need to print and bind the guides I buy, and gamefaqs is useful when I need an occasional information, but if I want a permanant guide, scrolling through text gets painful.
As for guide brands, I recommend the Ultimania guides, which unlike Brady and Prima, are the most in-depth and accurate guides made. The only drawback is that it's in Japanese. The Enterbrain guides (in Japanese too) are also pretty good. I own the Legend of Mana Ultimania guide and Enterbrain's Magical Vacation Complete Guide, and I don't regret these purchases. I got FF:CC and GS2:TLA guides mostly for the maps and data, and I'm getting FF:TA's to have all the data nearby and not have to read printed text or jump to gamefaqs any time I want to find where to get a specific item.
And then there is Death
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