Explore
 Lists  Reviews  Images  Update feed
Categories
MoviesTV ShowsMusicBooksGamesDVDs/Blu-RayPeopleArt & DesignPlacesWeb TV & PodcastsToys & CollectiblesComic Book SeriesBeautyAnimals   View more categories »
Listal logo

The War on Manuals

Ashley Winchester 10 years, 10 months ago at Jun 2 21:40 -
So I picked up Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon on the 3DS since I recently completed the first game on the Cube and was kind of irked by the game's "manual."

The manual for this sucker is just a double folded piece of paper with the control scheme on it. I was kind of hoping for more than this as the manual for the first game is really clever.

I know that the internet age makes accessing information on games incredibly easy but am I the only one that thinks the manual is a dying art form? I like having manuals for my games... I mean I don't have one for many of my NES/SNES/GB games (having the manual is a nice bonus for the games on these systems but I know many of these were lost over the years by their owners and a manual will substantially raise a game's value) but I consider the manual part of the game/package which is why I require them for newer/CD based games.

Anyway, I know I be making a big deal out of this but I really regret how unimportant the manual seems to be to some developers/companies these days.
Mackenzi 10 years, 10 months ago at Jun 3 22:05 -
I regret it too! I guess I can see how their importance is falling, I mean most games have tutorial levels that work pretty much the same way. And thanks to online guides those tips and pointers are still easily accessible. But I love manuals for the extra content- describing characters and backstory and places in the game, adding more to the canon than just what's in the game, and all the neat official game art that comes with it.
I also love the world maps that come with some games. I just got Red Dead Redemption and I was surprised to see a map and manual, I dunno why I wasn't expecting it but it was such a great surprise! The map's up on my wall now. And I still have my Jak & Daxter: The Precurser Legacy map as well. Every game should come with a big foldout map. :)
ape 10 years, 9 months ago at Jun 6 11:36 -
I actually collect manuals - my friend works at a used media store and they just threw out manuals and boxes when they got 'em. Now they all get sent over to me partially so I can complete some of my cartridge-only games, but also because much like old video game magazines, they're just fun to flip through - especially for the older games where you'd get some neat artwork and screenshots scattered around.

While I'd prefer a physical copy of the manual, I do enjoy the Playstation Vita's take on manuals. You don't get a physical manual at all, but the game card itself has a digital version of the manual, and many of them remind me of the manuals of old, and are just plain fun to look through. It's nice to see that not everyone has given up on the art of creating a nice, entertaining manual....Even if it is in digital form.
astro_man23 10 years, 9 months ago at Jun 29 16:18 -
I always prefer a physical one, myself. I just finally got a copy of Silent Hill: Downpour and took a glance at the manual. All B&W and completely useless. No interesting game facts, no character or story synopses, just 5 pages of blah, two of which are the health warning stuff in every game manual. Not exactly starting out on the right foot, but hopefully the game is still solid fun.

What can I say? I'm a girl who loves a big girthy manual.