THE BORE

General => Video Game Bored => Topic started by: demi on September 05, 2007, 04:02:32 PM

Title: Which game has had the cheapest, or chintziest manual?
Post by: demi on September 05, 2007, 04:02:32 PM
I probably spelled chintziest wrong, or if its even a word.

But I just picked up Medal of Honor: Airborne for the credits, and of course, EA leaves them out. Instead, I am stuck with is what could be the cheapest and thinnest instruction booklet ever. I swear, this thing is only five pages long.

Wait, lemme count

Ok, 9 pages technically according to the number in the bottom right. It's also grey, no color at all. Even Two Worlds took the trouble to make the manual all colorful.

It feels extremely thin and light.
Title: Re: Which game has had the cheapest, or chintziest manual?
Post by: TakingBackSunday on September 05, 2007, 04:11:51 PM
Well, any EA game.  They suck at manuals.
Title: Re: Which game has had the cheapest, or chintziest manual?
Post by: Fragamemnon on September 05, 2007, 04:19:32 PM
The manual for the recent NFS games (Most Wanted, Carbon) was like six pages.

I think they know that no one reads them for shooters or action games anymore. I blame the manuals themselves for that, though-had they taken the effort to make them WORTH reading, then people might read them!

Title: Re: Which game has had the cheapest, or chintziest manual?
Post by: HyperZoneWasAwesome on September 05, 2007, 04:21:16 PM
Good Manuals >>>>> Long, Drawn-Out Tutorials
Title: Re: Which game has had the cheapest, or chintziest manual?
Post by: demi on September 05, 2007, 04:22:20 PM
At least Prime 3 had the courtesy to leave in the credits.
Title: Re: Which game has had the cheapest, or chintziest manual?
Post by: Mupepe on September 05, 2007, 04:54:51 PM
I haven't read a manual since the PS1 era when I would read them on my way home from the store before I got to actually play them.
Title: Re: Which game has had the cheapest, or chintziest manual?
Post by: bluemax on September 05, 2007, 05:15:28 PM
Almost every EA Sports game manual on the PS2 and beyond. They don't even include all of the controls in them let alone other useful information.
Title: Re: Which game has had the cheapest, or chintziest manual?
Post by: Rman on September 05, 2007, 06:10:14 PM
For some reason I just can't stand black and white printed manuals.  It always looks cheap.  I remember getting hold of an import copy of Tekken 2 for PSone and that manual blew the american out of the water.  That was case many Japanese localized games.

Working Designs manuals were godly.  Nintendo used to include card-board full color quick reference guides for their early N64 games which were awesome.

But to answer the OP, many of Sony's first party for the PSOne were cheap, poorly design, and terribly written.  Crash Bandicoot I'm looking at you, along with Rally Cross and that infernal Blasto.
Title: Re: Which game has had the cheapest, or chintziest manual?
Post by: ToxicAdam on September 06, 2007, 04:35:49 PM
You know what I used to love in some older manuals? How they would have walkthroughs for the early portion of the game. Not that it was needed ... but sometimes it would contain certain secrets that aren't really apparant within the first few hours of playing (Like searching certain areas for loot or alternate uses for other items .. things like that).

Plus, it gave you more insight into the story/world of the game .. instead of the cheesy one page backstory most games had.
Title: Re: Which game has had the cheapest, or chintziest manual?
Post by: tiesto on September 06, 2007, 04:38:03 PM
Yeah, many of the older games, especially RPGs (both PC and console) used to come with some awesome manuals, maps, monster charts, etc. I really miss those days.
Title: Re: Which game has had the cheapest, or chintziest manual?
Post by: The Sceneman on September 06, 2007, 06:40:26 PM
I honestly dont get why not all manuals have full credits in them I mean wtf