Guides, FAQs, Cheats, Walkthroughs

I was wondering how many of you used aids to get through games. I’ve known people who won’t play through games unless they have a guide right next to them. And others who never play without every cheat on. So do you use aids, or do you play 100% honestly.

I never use cheats, that instantly makes games unenjoyable for me. However I find that I am using walkthroughs more and more. Largely when I’m faced with some obtuse puzzle that I’m sure the developer thought was very clever. A good example was the lights on the floor puzzle in kotor, I didn’t even try. Just hopped online and looked up the movements, that kind of stuff just isn’t fun to me at all. And I don’t feel like wasting an hour trying to figure it out.

Sometimes I will look at walkthroughs if I’m fighting an impossibly difficult boss. But these are rarely helpful, and even if they are I don’t really enjoy using them. Kind of sucks the enjoyment out of it.
So do you use them at all?

Generally I'll do them when i'm stuck and have no idea where to go next. FFIII DS and Phoenix Wright 2 were especially bad at this at times.

I find that anytime a game absolutely REQUIRES you to check an FAQ in order to do some kind of completely obscure shit, it's generally a sign of broken design. Point and click adventure games are really bad about this.

With 3.5% left on Bully the other night, yes. Some of the things required for 100%, while very easy, I'd never have thought of. Buy 500 cans of soda? I think I bought 10 throughout the course of the game, maybe.

James

If you're really, frustratingly stuck and walking away and coming back won't help, walkthroughs are nice for a little boost. Just gotta be careful not to look ahead or glimpse spoilers, that is, if you care.

From time to time (like, um years apart usually) I'll buy guides with pretty books or useful info. I liked the Versus Books Tekken 3 guide so much I bought two copies, and I think they did the SF3NG guide I loved so much. Don't know where my copy is now. The guide that was released alongside SFAC for PS2 is great too. I would like a KOF XI one but I don't think anyone else in the US cares.

I bought the Persona 3 and Disgaea 2 DoubleJump guides, but I haven't actually looked through either. The Persona 3 one is mostly for not missing stuff on the next playthrough. The Disgaea 2 one is for, uh, we'll talk about that when I actually open the game.

DoubleJump also did a PDF guide for Generation of Chaos that actually made the game playable. This was useful too.

I use them all the time when I get stuck in an RPG. I have very little patience for wandering around lost in a large dungeon or not knowing what town to visit next. As a rule I don't use them off the bat, because that takes all the fun out of it, and I do explore a bit before resorting to one. But if I'm going to get frustrated, yeah, I'll peak at one to get to the next point.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nomi

I use them all the time when I get stuck in an RPG. I have very little patience for wandering around lost in a large dungeon or not knowing what town to visit next. As a rule I don't use them off the bat, because that takes all the fun out of it, and I do explore a bit before resorting to one. But if I'm going to get frustrated, yeah, I'll peak at one to get to the next point.

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Sounds like what I do too, or those ridiculous achievements only an insane genius had figured out a way to do much faster than brute force.

I do what I need to get the fun out of the game. If I'm stuck, I'm off to Gamefaqs without a second thought.



But most of what I play can't be helped with a FAQ in any meaningful way. Like Rock Band or Magical Drop III.

I normally only look at faqs if I'm stuck in a game. In the olden days, I would just play and play until I figure it out, but I really don't have time to sit for an hour figuring out a puzzle. So, I get a little help.

I pretty much nver resort to a cheat or glitch though, unless it's just for some temorary mindless fun (like running through Doom in God mode with a chainsaw.)

*edit*
I still use the 30 lives code in NES Contra. I'll never be good at that game.

I generally use them for strategies in multiplayer games.
All other games these days are pretty easy to beat. There hasnt been that many "challenging" games out there. Except maybe Devil May Cry 3 of course. (The original non-wussy edition)