Does anyone collect strategy guides?

[maxlords | 36]

I have a fairly substantial strategy guide collection and while I know that guides are mostly a thing of the past, I'm wondering if I'm in the minority here.  Prices seem to be completely random and all over the place, and there's no real list of what's out there.  Some guides were magazine format only too, making them even harder to identify.  I'd love to hear about other guide collections, whether there's a resource for them, and what people think of collecting them! 

[Tabonga | 2,532]

1 hour ago, maxlords said:

I have a fairly substantial strategy guide collection and while I know that guides are mostly a thing of the past, I'm wondering if I'm in the minority here.  Prices seem to be completely random and all over the place, and there's no real list of what's out there.  Some guides were magazine format only too, making them even harder to identify.  I'd love to hear about other guide collections, whether there's a resource for them, and what people think of collecting them! 

I generally bought guides (if I knew they were available) when I bought the games (most of my games I bought either new when they were released or at used game stores when they were still priced lower than the new releases).  I have picked up manyh others over the years off of ebay and at thrift stores. I have no idea how many I have - I have 2 8' shelves full and lots of other scattered in among my regular books.

Depending on the game I would usually play through it once and then replay it with the guide to see what I had missed.

Edited July 19, 2020 by Tabonga

[The Count | 595]

There are a few guys here who collect strat guides seriously. I used to get them for games that I was particularly interested in. I recall using Metal Gear Solid 2, Pokemon Yellow, and OOT especially back then. I believe @acidjaguar had a nice list going.

[Code Monkey | 2,128]

My local store throws them in the free bin, so yes, you're in the minority.

 

[drxandy | 3,279]

I collect them, mainly for games I really like or collections I'm working on. Zelda, n64 stuff, original Xbox, gamecube, RPGs are what I have the most of.

Edited July 19, 2020 by drxandy

[acidjaguar | 258]

Hey @maxlords !  I'm glad you posted, and thanks for the tag @The Count!

 

There are a few of us here that are deep in the strategy guide game.  I'd love to see what you've got in your collection and just chat in general when you have some time, feel free to shoot me a PM!  I've been collecting them since the early 2000s.  Have gotten to just about everything I'm after minus a few stragglers.  I have posted a few lists here with guide lists for different console systems, but still working on others given time is in short supply these days.  

 

 

[RH | 5,199]

I've I could never, ever collect another video game ever again, I'd still collect the paper.  There is so much awesome paper, and much of that is with the strategy guides.  A lot of time and effort was put into a lot of those to not just make a concise walkthrough, but to make a semi-artbook.  I love them.

[Calan87 | 45]

Aside from the guides I got for the games I was playing, I buy Sega CD strategy guides when I see them. (theres not a lot though)

[MegaMan52 | 2,555]

Edited August 6, 2020 by MegaMan52

[maxlords | 36]

9 hours ago, MegaMan52 said:

I have the Final Fantasy one....mint condition, addressed to myself from when I had a subscription!   I love it! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[maxlords | 36]

11 hours ago, acidjaguar said:

Hey @maxlords !  I'm glad you posted, and thanks for the tag @The Count!

 

There are a few of us here that are deep in the strategy guide game.  I'd love to see what you've got in your collection and just chat in general when you have some time, feel free to shoot me a PM!  I've been collecting them since the early 2000s.  Have gotten to just about everything I'm after minus a few stragglers.  I have posted a few lists here with guide lists for different console systems, but still working on others given time is in short supply these days.  

 

 

Nice to know someone is deep in!  My holy grail is the magazine format Tales of Destiny guide.  It's the only one I'm actively looking for that has been utterly impossible!  Here's a few pics.

 

 

[maxlords | 36]

And a couple more

[Tabonga | 2,532]

26 minutes ago, maxlords said:

And a couple more

I have a weird collectible for Rise of the Dragon.  It is a store display* copy of the jewel case version - it has a blank disc and it has a fully paged manual with the covers but the pages are all blank.  It also has the back art for the case,  I have never seen a sega cd case like it for any game other than the one I have. 

*At least that is what I think it is.

[drxandy | 3,279]

 

Edited July 21, 2020 by drxandy

[MiamiSlice | 3,149]

Heck yeah I collect strategy guides. I’ve always been fond of them and if I really like a game I usually want the strategy guide to go with it. My collection is mixed in with gaming magazines and art books:

Some guides actually fetch decent coin, one I’m still hunting for is Gotcha Force, I passed it up a few times last year and now with COVID mania I can’t find it anywhere

 

[Reed Rothchild | 9,913]

I have a decent number.  And some other nice ones once upon a time (Legend of Dragoon, Tactics Ogre, Lunar, Tomba 2, etc)

I have about 1/2 that are shelved.  The other half is still boxed.  I'll get a pic tonight.

[Tanooki | 5,110]

Actually I do and have for years. I prefer them over game faq type ups and ranting fools on youtube you can't just quietly show you the way.  PDFs are a choice, but they're not very handy to tab through when scanned so I get what I can as I can.

 

I've got a lot too, too many to type up.  This list is almost up to date, I have Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon DS nintendo made guide in the mail.  With that one I have 70 of them.

http://tanooki.byethost16.com/strategyguides.html

 

As you'll see below the guides I've got other gaming print media stuff like most of the Worlds of Power books, the 2 Valiant comics hardbacks, all 4 Nintendo Power Advance, some Fun Club, etc.

[B.A. | 1,141]

1 hour ago, Tanooki said:

Actually I do and have for years. I prefer them over game faq type ups and ranting fools on youtube you can't just quietly show you the way.  PDFs are a choice, but they're not very handy to tab through when scanned so I get what I can as I can.

 

I've got a lot too, too many to type up.  This list is almost up to date, I have Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon DS nintendo made guide in the mail.  With that one I have 70 of them.

http://tanooki.byethost16.com/strategyguides.html

 

As you'll see below the guides I've got other gaming print media stuff like most of the Worlds of Power books, the 2 Valiant comics hardbacks, all 4 Nintendo Power Advance, some Fun Club, etc.

But do you have a Faria map?? I kid I kid! 

Collecting guides and hint books is a lot of fun. So many rare and unique early books out there.

[Tanooki | 5,110]

I know, and actually no I don't anymore other than the masters I made as I keep it still viewable off my personal web space.

I got fed up with the game, kept trying to enjoy it for a few years and then just sold it off as a package when I decided to go in another direction and keep only what mattered I'd actually use, about the same time I ended up having pinball and neo geo (and now it's just that and an iCade 60in1 cocktail.)

 

Though when I look back over the years of guides from the Official Nintendo Players Guide and what they did into the 80s through the 90s even the earlier 00s, they did amazing stuff.  I think it got a bit too tricky when 3D set in so it came into generic wire frame like maps and pop up box snap shots, but still very useful, even if a bit less than full level maps/spreads of the 2D era.  I love the guides, even if you don't have the time to sink into the games, you can thumb through and it's like a third person adventure to ride through on the pages.  Some of them have some really amazing art work, fold outs in cases, like Super Metroid which shows a lot of great artistry and attention to detail.

[Bighab | 58]

I love collecting strategy guides. Some of my favorites. The Landstalker one is a Japanese guide. I'm curious if anyone else has other import guides and how useful they are.

 

[Tabonga | 2,532]

@Bighab

Quote

I love collecting strategy guides. Some of my favorites. The Landstalker one is a Japanese guide. I'm curious if anyone else has other import guides and how useful they are.

I only have a few - off the top of my head I have two for Brigandine, one for Brigandine Grand Edition, one for Fleet Commander and one for Nectaris. Can't say as I have found them useful at all.
 

[Speedy_NES | 102]

Another guide collector here. I exclusively collect NES guides though to keep it sane, as I try to amass a set of all books released incl different print runs. @acidjaguar has helped me enormously with getting some of the last guides from North America (thanks Andrew!!). What I enjoy most about collecting guides is that there is still undocumented territory, especially wrt print runs/variants.

 

[fcgamer | 4,997]

As a teenager, if I liked the game, I grabbed the guide, so I could look at it while at school or whatever.   

Nowadays, I don't generally get guides, as I rarely do much modern gaming.

I have a ton of Taiwanense gaming magazines, they are staying with me even if I cashed out, as there's so much interesting information there.

I just got a guide today for Dragon Quest III, gorgeous art inside. A local friend of mine occassionally finds Taiwan-made strategy guides of yesteryear; they're actually quite popular and collectable here, and when my friend finds them, I'll buy them off him, though it's not my main focus.

[Hybrid | 447]

If I were to find one of these I would buy it

[DoctorEncore | 3,691]

I used to collect, mostly for RPGs, but as internet strategy guides became the norm, I lost interest. Also those things are just way too heavy.

That being said, I still have about 20-30 in good condition. If I can find them I'll post a pic.