I like game guides.   Whether store bought or downloadable, I always try to seek out a guide for the games I own.  I have a bookshelf full of guides near my shelf full of games.  Why?  I think I always feel like “what am I missing” if I don’t have a guide.  There are so many hidden items, multiple paths, and so forth in games now, that if I don’t have a guide, I feel like I’m missing out on half the game.  I don’t follow it before I start playing… I generally look at what I’ve done and see what I’ve missed, and if possible go back and check it out.  Sometimes if I’m a bit lost as to where to start I read the first bit.  Or if I’m stuck, or having a hard time getting past a boss fight or something, I’ll read the strategy.  But as much as I like knowing that I’m not missing something, I also like being suprised, and I don’t want to read what’s coming next.  There are many guide options to choose from…

There are not many retail guide makers out there.  Prima Games, BradyGames, and Nintendo Power make up 98% I’d guess.  Rarely do you see competing guides (save for the occasional Pokemon release), and they’re are all pretty much the same in terms of quality.  The authors generally make the difference in how good the guide is.  Don’t pay full price for these unless you are a “have to have it now” kind of person.  Amazon.com frequently sells these for about 30% off retail.  Some store like GameStop/EB Games will also give you a 20% discount off the guide when you buy a new game and guide on the same receipt (though why you’d buy an open case game as “new” from GameStop is beyond me.)

There are plenty of free guides available if you want to go that route.  GameFAQs.com is probably the most popular, with user-created guides and FAQs in text only format.  Some of the big guys like IGN and Gamespot also make online guides, and if you have a paid subscription you can download them in Adobe format.  MyCheats.com has some good chapter by chapter guides, and Gamepressure.com has Adobe guides for download with site free membership.  (A new Bioshock one just went up today.)

Also, the emergence of broadband and places like YouTube and GameVideos.com have made video guides more popular.  I think this is an interesting new way to do a guide, but it’s not as practical if your computer is not in the same room as you do your gaming.  For watching how to handle a hard boss fight or something, it’s invaluable, but for watching an entire game, it’s a bit long.

I’m sure this isn’t comprehensive, but I hope it’ll give you a start if you are interested in getting any game guides.