Official gaming guides are they worth it?

[Chris]

I've always wondered If the Official Gaming Guides were worth it?
What do they offer? Do they actually help you with your game ? are they worth the money? Do they take the fun out of the games?
Anyways, I was just wondering. What do you think ?
:shoot: :weep: :sweatdrop :rock:

[Shlup]

I would rather rely on gaming guides that are painstakingly made by hardcore fans, especially since they often include information you can find directly in the official guides.

[Dingo Jellybean]

I would rather rely on gaming guides that are painstakingly made by hardcore fans, especially since they often include information you can find directly in the official guides.

Thanks for the endorsement.

But most authors create their lists such as monsters/items/magic, etc. off from Brady Guides. However, the actual walkthrough is unique. $15 for a guide is a bit steep, I think $10 is the maximum threshold for a price of a guide. Only because of the actual visualization.

Besides, Brady Games often never checks their guides for accuracy, so I never rely on them. But for a game like GT4, which will come with a guide, it's worth it because there's so much to do for that game. Same thing for GTA:SA.

[Lindy]

Fighting game guides I like for the move lists, or hints on buffering, like the SC2 guide, because I find the GameFAQs move list guides horribly hard to read.

The general content of the guide is a load of rubbish, but the move lists are all correct and there easy to read.

Plus it was only £4.99

[Xander]

I like to get the FF and Kingdom Hearts guides, because they are so cute. ^_^ I like the artwork in them (esp FFX's). I don't use them that much for the game and if I do it's for my second playthrough or something, or extra stuff. But usually I can find stuff out online. I also find them useful for general reference. But mostly just cos I like to collect FF stuff =)

[UltimateSpamGrover]

But usually I can find stuff out online.

Dont get strategy guides, if you can find most of the stuff online

[Del Murder]

I never pay for what I can get for free.

[Erdrick Holmes]

I see Brady and Primagames making tons of walkthroughs to fighting games suchs a Soul Calibur 2 and Guilty Gear X 2. AMATURES WRITE THAT CRAP.

[escobert]

I usually buy em just because i liek to read em and stuff when I'm bored. Also I like to look at the art. *is good at waisting money*

[edczxcvbnm]

I don't get guides too often. Only for games I really really really like. I have the Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Xenosaga(I want gears but I am not paying those ebay prices), Legend of Mana(well worth it) and a few others(I got a lot for free because I use to work at gamestop). I have these guides for collection purposes and I look through them for specific things for the most part. I use my Cross guide EVERY time I play through the game because I get to some point and I know what I have to do next but I always forget to talk to some guy. I don't want to scroll through 300 pages of just text to find that! Its a pain in my ass. On top of that I would have to get online, go to the site, pick out a guide from about 4-10 and look through it. I like the easy of flipping through pages.

I will probably pick of Tales of Symphonia sometime soon. It has a whole HELL of a lot to it that I don't want to go online all the time for(wonder chef, requirements for new skills, what is in item boxes, relationship points, alternate paths, sidequests). I find them nice if I really really like the game and want to do a lot of stuff. Obviously not everything will be right in the guide given how much information there are to some of these games but I think they do a good part for the most part(not prima though...they suck).

I love .hack but I am not buying the guides for those games because the sidequests are thrown in your face and its straight forward.

I don't buy them too often and when I do...I really don't use them that much. Like I said...mainly for collection purposes.

[White Raven]

I will probably pick of Tales of Symphonia sometime soon. It has a whole HELL of a lot to it that I don't want to go online all the time for(wonder chef, requirements for new skills, what is in item boxes, relationship points, alternate paths, sidequests). I find them nice if I really really like the game and want to do a lot of stuff. Obviously not everything will be right in the guide given how much information there are to some of these games but I think they do a good part for the most part(not prima though...they suck).

I highly reccomend getting the Tales of Symphonia srtagey guide. It has complete lists of everything and every sidequest. The only thing it doesn't have are maps of the dungeons, but that I probably for the best anyway.

I got the guide a week after the game got out, so I missed a whole bunch of stuff in the first half of the game.

[Breine]

I don't use guides. I think it spoils the game... Although I do own the official guide to Final Fantasy IX I bought it after playing the game through.

[Rainecloud]

I) They totally ruin the game (unless the game is stupidly and unfairly difficult).
II) As Del said, you can download guides for free which are probably better and more detailed than the official ones.

[Xander]

Dont get strategy guides, if you can find most of the stuff online

Did you read the rest of my post?

I like the artwork in them

just cos I like to collect FF stuff

And I like to have something real not something on a screen too. Okay? *moody*

[chu52]

If you get a good deal for them