Walkthroughs: Yes or No?

[isiolia]

I can't say I'd ever oppose using one, other than to avoid spoilers. To me, it's all about enjoyment. I like making forward progress. If something is keeping me from doing that, I'm not going to hesitate in looking up a strategy.

That said, unless I'm not sure what's what in the character creation or something, I won't tend to look up too much before starting a game. Maybe if I'm either very intent on just pushing through the game, or know ahead of time that there's some element I need to start on early (like if I was to replay Valkyrie Profile, I'd look at a guide to get the full ending/bonus dungeon).


Somewhat related though, I'm of the opinion that if you're going to play an MMO, you should be prepared to take advantage of the (typically vast) information available online.

[GameMasterGuy]

I occasionally use one. The rule I follow is that I have to be stuck at the same part for at least an hour.

[Zing]

I play through games using only the materials originally included with the game. Every game I acquire for my collection always has all of the maps and charts.

I do remember my roommate playing through Final Fantasy VII and almost strictly following a walkthrough.

[Hazerd]

If i get stuck i scramble to Gamefaqs to look up what the fuck im suppose to do, but other than that, trying to follow a written guide without pictures for a whole game is eye-gouging painful.

[TEKTORO]

So far Dark Souls is the only game I had to peek at some hints just to give me some idea if I was doing things right.I usually never need spoilers for a game but I often collect guides for all my games as a novelty item.

[Valkyrie-Favor]

Depends on the RPG. Not required for Valkyrie Profile or Tactics Ogre-style games, and most standard Final Fantasy-style games really don't need them either. If you want to play the first Zelda in a decent amount of time, walkthroughs are prerequisite. Also nice with FF1 where there is no map.

Also if the game is in Japanese and you can't speak the language, walkthrough is required.

[Zing]

If you want to play the first Zelda in a decent amount of time, walkthroughs are prerequisite. Also nice with FF1 where there is no map.

The first Zelda is actually very simple once you know that each screen has exactly one doorway somewhere. I thought this was mentioned in the manual?

Final Fantasy came with a paper map, and also has an in-game world map.

[mobiusclimber]

I used to only use walkthrus on the second playthru of a game. Now that I'm a full-fledged adult (married w/ children), I'm lucky if I get ONE playthru of a game, so if I get stuck I tend to jump on gamefaqs to figure out where to go next or what to do next. I try to limit this when it comes to handheld gaming (which I do on the bus) since I can't get instant gratification anyway, but some times I really am just too stuck to not look up the solution online. But I think it does take away some of the enjoyment of just exploring (I'm finding this very true of DQVI, which has several "worlds" to explore and really feels rewarding when you stumble across new places).

[eskil]

I think there's no shame in using a walkthrough, but I don't always use them either. Sometimes I just like to dick around, look for sidequests etc. and then another time, I'm just completely lost. So it depends on my mood/situation as well I'd say.

[Michi]

I use one if I get really stuck or frustrated. I do pick them up if I see them at thrift stores and I like the game, but I don't always use them. Unless it's a Zelda game.....gotta get all those heart pieces, damn it.