Strategy guides, who needs them?

If there is one thing I can’t stand with video games its frustration. There are enough things in life to be frustrated about that I don’t want to feel that way when I’m trying to be entertained. This blog talks about the way video games make you spend more money if you want to avoid the inevitable frustration that seems to be packaged into the game. There are some games that scream strategy guide and some games that don’t, let’s look at a few from each category.



So I picked up Oblivion (good move) and the strategy guide that went with it (questionable at best) in order to get what I thought was the most out of the game. The guide costs just as much as the game and in the onset was worth every penny. The guide had tons of useful information that made the game frankly easier. In retrospect however I think my friends have way more fun playing the game because they don’t know what’s coming next. The guide for oblivion is bigger than the bible and has more pictures to boot; if you can’t beat the game with that book then you are different and strange, or maybe illiterate.

The real trouble began when I realized my time with Oblivion was officially over. Sure I could play through the game again but the itch wasn’t there. The reasons for this is for another blog entirely, but suffice to say I had had my fill. The rally cool guide I paid for became my first issue; it went from being a really cool accessory, to a book I had no hope of getting rid of outside of ebay. Now it’s just taking up space on my shelf, while my game is back at the Gamestop. Strategy Guide 1, Dante 0.

Having already been burned by the lack of resale value on a strategy guide, I decided to try my hand at a game guide free. I jumped feet first into Star Ocean: The Last Hope with no previous Star Ocean experience. This is the first time I realized that the Strategy Guide makers and game developers must be working in cahoots. There is almost no way to beat the game without some sort of help.

The maps are next to useless, like looking at a Thomas Guide with no street names. The NPC’s (non player characters) are of no practical help and are so non-distinct you have no hope of knowing who you’re talking to.  And the game doesn’t help you at all keep track of where you are versus where you need to go. I was warned earlier that I should get the strategy guide because I would need it, and that friend was right.

My problem is simply this: Is it fair for game developers to be lazy in the making of a game because they know a strategy guide is coming? That’s what it feels like. If Star Ocean addressed some of these issues the game wouldn’t need a strategy guide.

I’ll be the first to admit that there is a great sense of accomplishment working puzzles and such out on your own, but I don’t have all the time in the world running around aimlessly with no ability to save in sight. I don’t mind puzzles as long as there is a function that tells me that I already went left, now it’s time to go right. The lack of anything that will help the player along in the game screams strategy guide and I think it’s a cruel way to make an extra buck or two.

At the very least, retailers like Gamestop should redo their policy on strategy guides, they should buy back undamaged guides much in the same way they buy back games, much like a college bookstore. I’d be willing to bet that they would sell more guides because gamers won’t be stuck with the guide long after discarding the game.

Fable 2 is an example of a game that does it right. Sure, there is a strategy guide, but do you need it? No, the game is very playable from Jump Street and provides an adequate challenge without forcing you to strangle yourself with your controller. In fact, if you feel you need a guide to beat Fable 2 you should have your gamers license revoked (don’t run, I won’t tell anybody you bought the guide for Fable 2….). I think from now on, all game reviews should take whether you need a guide for the game into consideration, and the guides should always be at least half the price of a used copy of the game it’s for, or at least we should be allowed to return said guide when we return the game.

In the end role playing games are a lot of fun no matter what you want to call them, but there should be a fine line between challenging and poor workmanship. Shame on the makers of Star Ocean: TLH (looking at you Square) for being outright lazy with the games guts, and thanks to the web for its free walkthroughs and strategy guides to balance an underhanded tactic.


Source