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kedawa
11-21-2005, 10:54 PM
I have this silly book from 1982 called Break a Million at Pac-Man and I got to wondering, what is the first strategy guide ever for a video game?

I'm guessing it would be something similar to this book, and would cover an arcade game, or maybe an Atari 2600 game.

I haven't seen any other strategy guides this old, but there must be some that are even older, say late '70's.
SoulBlazer
11-22-2005, 02:29 AM
Well, if you mean 'official' stuff, as in, done by the company or people hired by the company, I'm thinking Prima started that in the mid 80's with computer games. Branching out to console games in the late 80's and increasing the number of guides they published.

Unofficial guides, though, like the one you mentioned....I've seen one for Space Invaders from 1977, and I'm sure some exist for pinball games. ;)
Ed Oscuro
11-22-2005, 02:32 AM
What's the oldest one known for a console game?
SoulBlazer
11-22-2005, 02:35 AM
Console game....hmmm.....I want to say the guides that Nintendo started to publish in the late 1980's......I'm trying to recall the first one they did in their series. Final Fantasy and SBMB 3 came out in 1990 but I think Ninja Giaden II was first, in 1989.....or did that game not come out till 1991? It's late.... :D
Snapple
11-22-2005, 02:38 AM
Before I opened this thread, I was going to say Final Fantasy, but gosh, I didn't realize they went back THAT far. I didn't realize people need to buy an entire book to play Space Invaders and Pac-Man.
SoulBlazer
11-22-2005, 02:40 AM
Wait, Nintendo published a version of Dragon Warrior with a hint guide, so I guess that pushes it back to 1988.

And I had a 'how to beat Ms. Pac Man' book as a kid, circa 1982. They WERE very helpfull with advice on how to maximize your game time and rack up points. :)
kedawa
11-22-2005, 07:58 AM
The one I have was published around the same time Ms. Pac-Man came out, so all it has is a short section on that game, which is a shame, because I prefer Ms.
poloplayr
11-22-2005, 08:03 AM
Probably something scribbled on a cave wall about how to avoid bears.
Ed Oscuro
11-22-2005, 10:32 AM
Wait, Nintendo published a version of Dragon Warrior with a hint guide, so I guess that pushes it back to 1988.
I've seen guides for the '86 FDS games Zelda and Akumajo Dracula, so those probably are at least two years older. Don't have either, though. Huh, I should really check that out. I personally don't have anything much older than '92/'93 (if the Landstalker guide came out first).
Scoots
11-22-2005, 11:15 AM
here's one for console games, circa 1982:

http://cgi.ebay.com/HOW-TO-MASTER-HOME-VIDEO-GAMES-1982_W0QQitemZ4586556118QQcategoryZ378QQrdZ1QQcmdZ ViewItem

i have the same one, but for arcade games.

edit:
here's some others you might be into:

http://search.half.ebay.com/video-games_W0QQsortZ30376QQmZbooksQQpgZ6QQqueryZQ22vide oQ20gamesQ22QQsoZ2
SoulBlazer
11-22-2005, 02:25 PM
You're right, Ed....see what happens with late night posting? LOL I HAVE those SMB and Zelda guides, and they DO date back to 1986.....so I guess those would be the first 'official' console hint guides.
kevin_psx
11-22-2005, 03:44 PM
There's one available for Pitfall. Shows you the hidden routes in the tunnels and how to beat the game.

Is that official? What makes a book official or not official?
Captain Wrong
11-22-2005, 03:52 PM
Before I opened this thread, I was going to say Final Fantasy, but gosh, I didn't realize they went back THAT far. I didn't realize people need to buy an entire book to play Space Invaders and Pac-Man.

Yeah. Just like any other game, if you want to be good at those, it helps to have a strategy. I remember lots of beat Pac-Man or win at videogame books from that time. There was one I used to get from the library often that covered mostly home games. That was the first place I'd ever heard of the Bally Astrocade.
thehistorian
11-22-2005, 04:43 PM
in the Oldest ever category... somewhere I have an Official guide for Scott Adam's text adventures.
tom
11-22-2005, 05:27 PM
And don't forget those Infocom hint books, those started in the early 80s.
jcheatle
11-22-2005, 09:32 PM
I know it's not the oldest, but I had a copy of Mastering Pac Man by Ken Uston from 1981 or 82. Picked up for a quarter at the Goodwill at school. Of course, my friend usurped it once he bought a Pac Man machine for his home arcade. :)
DonMarco
11-24-2005, 11:10 AM
What about for PC and non-console Games? The earliest guide I have is for Simcity by Sybex (1991). That can't be the earliest though.
milhouseOFpain
11-24-2005, 02:17 PM
Tips and Tricks has a section on guides this month. I remember they say that a guide for Pacman is generally regarded as the first guide.
tom
11-24-2005, 05:26 PM
In the 80s, the Gold Box games from SSI had hint books for PC RPG titles (Pool of Radiance and such). That's earlier than Sim City.
tom
11-24-2005, 05:34 PM
Just looked through my Video related book selections:

from Electronic Games the magazine, Arnie Katz and Bill Kunkel:

'The Players Strategy Guide to Atari VCS Home Video Games'
and it dates June 1982

features VCS


and I have another from a German source:

'So gewinnt man gegen Video- und Computerspiele' by Christine Kerler

features VCS, Intellivision, Philips Videopac and Interton
and it dates 1982
norkusa
11-24-2005, 07:04 PM
The first "official" console strategy guide that I can think of is The Official Nintendo Player's Guide. That came out in 1987.