Do You Read the Manuals or Just Pop In the Game?

[Ascending Wordsmith]

I remember back in the late 80's when I used to rent NES games from Video Village, a no longer existant chain of movie rental stores. They had a decent selection of titles, but my favorite rental was Ice Hockey. The game was so simple (and fun) that I didn't need to even pick up the manual for the game. To control the players and the goalie, the d-pad was used. Shooting, passing, and fighting were all done with the pressing of either two buttons. I learned the mechanics by just popping in the game. Manual? I think not!

My first time reading the manual for a game came when I rented UN Squadron for the SNES. I just popped in the cart and the first few stages just demolished me. Stealth aircraft and nuclear submarines killed me faster than I could press the start button. After a consultation of the manual, I got better. Now, I can decimate the game without dying.

So, are you a reader, or do you just jump headlong into the game? OR do you just briefly consult the manual from time to time?

[hamburgler]

sometimes, but not all the time when a play a new game.

[Captain Wrong]

Manuals, pfffttt.

I usually read them after the fact of if a game seems unusually hard.

[Achika]

I never read manuals until I started to play Gundam Side Story 0079 for DC. Since then, I casually browse through the manual if I have a moment before putting the game in.

[kainemaxwell]

I pop the game in first to get a feel for it and see if it works before reading the manual myself.

[nesman85]

i sometimes skim through them a bit to find out the controls and stuff before i start playing.

[Chunky]

I have not looked at a manual in awhile. Playing Gallop Racer, i should have read it.

I should learn to read.

[Arrrhalomynn]

I always use my manual for 'complicated' games like morrowind or baldur's gate. It's pretty much impossible to start a decent game without knowing what you're doing.
Shooters or racing games rarely. It depends on my mood.

[Mr. NEStalgia]

It really just depends on how long the trip home from the store is. :P

-=Mr. NEStalgia=-

[THXII38]

I usually load the game, go straight to OPTIONS and configure controller, and see what the controls are. BAck out without changing, and if there is a practice level have a quick play about. Then jump straight in.


I did really need a manual for Civ2 and also Sim City 2000. I must say with PC games I detest .pdf files, and always want a hard copy.


What I like about a lot of my PS2 games is that they have built in tutorials to learn the game. Max Payne for instance did...

[Rogmeister]

It depends on the game. Generally, I will try without reading it first and then, if I feel I need a few tips, I'll glance at it. One recent example is Outlaw Golf for the GameCube. I had a tough time telling which way the ball will break in my putting...a quick check and I found one of the buttons (X) will show you. You can only use it 3 times per hole, though. For other games, I don't bother. After all, it's unlikely you'll get a baseball game these days with an all-new control scheme...

[GENESISNES]

i only read the manuals on the way home for something to do... and also, to see how to do something if my game is complicated. Most of the time though, the manual doesn't describe my problem.

[Anonymous]

I stopped reading manuals after they started putting things like "After Aeris Dies at the end of disc one, the controls for the mini game are as follows" in the instructions.

Now I only read them after I am pretty far in the game. If I need them, I only read the little chart with the button layout.

[Trixie]

With four shoulder buttons, four regular buttons, two analog thumbsticks, directional pad, start and select buttons to manage, you better believe I read the instructions! I don't usually stumble across spoliers in the instructions, but I would be upset if I did! >:(

[deadtech]

IMO, in almost every single case, if you HAVE to read the manual of a game, I DO NOT want to play it. I like games that are (as has been said before) "simple to learn, difficult to master".

That may just be me though.

-deadtech