• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Is it possible to complete an rpg without a strategy guide?

neptunes

Member
Is it possible to complete an rpg without a strategy guide?

is it?

if not, does BB still offer those cheap $0.01 strategy guides?

huh Wario64?
 

Suikoguy

I whinny my fervor lowly, for his length is not as great as those of the Hylian war stallions
yes, its very easy, unless you want 100%.. then its a little more difficult, if not sometimes impossible.
 

Cloudy

Banned
Umm..yeah lol

Except you mean do EVERYTHING there is to do in the game. In that case, I'd say probably not...
 

neptunes

Member
how do you guys do it? and no I don't mean getting 100%

I mean the often challeginf puzzles and tasks that are associated with most rpg's.

so you're telling me that you guys never need any help at all?
 

neptunes

Member
:( I suddenly feel bad :(

I could have never finished half of the ff series without looking at some gamefaqs.

Xenogears is a different story.
 
I remember playing Lufia II before I had the internet and without a strategy guide. I remember thinking to myself that I would cheat if I could.
 

Cloudy

Banned
Xenogears is a different story.

Probably the last "pretty difficult" rpg that was any good. I needed a walkthrough to do all the last boss fights lol. Nowadays, rpgs are easy as shit :\
 

Ecrofirt

Member
neptunes said:
:( I suddenly feel bad :(

I could have never finished half of the ff series without looking at some gamefaqs.

Xenogears is a different story.

Don't worry. It's ok to be a pussy once and awhile. *snicker*
 

Sinatar

Official GAF Bottom Feeder
I've played TONS of RPG's and NEVER used a strategy guide, and i'm talking the old school PC RPG's, not the sissy J-RPG's. In fact I've never owned a strategy guide for anything, defeats the whole purpose of a game.
 

Stryder

Member
Hmm, I finished FFVII back in the day without any help from guides, I really really really try hard not to look at guides, if I'm ever forced to turn to one I don't really consider that I've completed the RPG myself.
 
Xenogears wasn't hard, but it at least had some semblance of balance unlike FFVII and VIII. It's more fun if you never buy any Omegasols (an item that seems to have been added at the last minute to make the game easier)
 

Mumbles

Member
DeadStar said:
what was so hard about xenogears?

The last Boss, with the four peripheral bosses that each added some nasty attack to the main boss...

Actually, I didn't have a problem with that one. Just waltzed up and killed the main boss, without bothering with anything else.

On the other hand, Star Ocean 2 and Tales of Destiny 2 (US) were too tough for me to beat without using an FAQ.
 

Cloudy

Banned
DeadStar said:
what was so hard about xenogears? It was long, but not particularily difficult...

A few boss battles (mainly the last ones with the way you had to figure out which one you were getting and no time to recharge between the fights (w/o a guide, no way I would've figured that out). Also, the puzzles weren't easy crap like games these days...
 

Charles

Member
I remember that part in Disc 2 of Xenogears when you fall down a pit, but you have to keep walking forward to walk into a secret passage it took me hours to get that one.

However for the most part, RPGs are pretty easy. If you get stuck most of the time it's just a matter of speaking to some npcs for clues.

I'm interested in knowing if anyone played FF1 without a walkthrough, now that was a hard game :(
 

lordmrw

Member
Its definitely doable, the problem is all the extra stuff pretty much requires a faq or strategy guide. They give you the most asinine clues, or actually none at all, and expect you to get this shit.
 

callous

Member
Wtf? I have probably completed around 25 RPGs and I have NEVER consulted a faq for any of them in order for me to be able to do so. I can't imagine why anyone over the age of 6 would have to.


I'm not trying to be an asshole, here. I'm honestly completely boggled by the question.
 

Nerevar

they call me "Man Gravy".
Ecrofirt said:
only pussies use strategy guides.

Seriously, the RPG genre is almost unarguably the easiest genre out there. And you need help to beat those games?

I can understand if you're going for 100%, but just to finish those games? Please.
 

Cloudy

Banned
Bizarro Sun Yat-sen said:
You would never have figured out that you had no time to recharge between the last boss battles?

A few boss battles (mainly the last ones with the way you had to figure out which one you were getting and no time to recharge between the fights (w/o a guide, no way I would've figured that out). Also, the puzzles weren't easy crap like games these days...
 

Ranger X

Member
Here's an advice man: Stop using guides for ANY game right now.
It's like a disease man. Every time you have a question in a game, instead of searching the answer Mr.X always take his guide book.... It's like giving away to your lazyness. Wich leads you to get dumber with games.
If you never use Guides, i can garantie you that you'll be better than most people at videogames and you could become the one who actually make the guides.

Personally i may never have completed an RPG at 100% extra stuff without a guide book or something but there was never an RPG i played that i couldn't finished. (and whatever, most of time i score around 90% the stuff found then i don't bother for the rest)
 

teiresias

Member
The only games I earnestly use a strategy guide in are PC Adventure games like Syberia, King's Quest, etc. Then, the only time I actually use a FAQ is when I'm certain I've just missed something because I refuse to pixel-hunt anymore (anyone who's played PC adventure games knows what the pixel-hunt is), so it's more a matter of not finding something that's too damn obtuse and not a brain-power thing.

I did own the strategy guide to FFVI (when it was released as FFIII in the US), but I didn't use it, I just got it for the art.
 
is it possible to complete any game without Strategy Guides....yeah we have Gamefaqs.com...heheh

It's very easy to, I only buy guides when I'm bored withthe game or If I took a long break from it. Usally it just ends up in my bathroom where I skimm through it every once in a while. I never really used a guide wwhile playing an game. For RPGs I just use it for the monster index when looking for dropped items.

IMO guides just like game packaging has become so watered down it's not funny.Where they used to give you maps and statagies now they take you by the hand and walk you through the game.
 

Gattsu25

Banned
puzzles in RPGs aren't that bad...it's the fucking mazes that every single RPG pre-FFX seemed to include (while some people hated the mainly 'straight-line' maps, i loved the NO FUCKING MAZES)
 
I fucking love dungeons. The lack of them in recent RPGs has been a major turn off for me.

The final boss battle in Xenogears took me two tries. Hardly bad for a final battle in a RPG. I don't see the problem. The obvious rule of thumb is "level up more".

I don't use strategy guides. How I play depends on the RPG. In many cases, I just blow through the game and complete it in a timely manner. Then I go back through and take my time, noticing details a bit more and exploring more thoroughly. It depends. In Persona 2, for example, I'm pretty picky from the start. I try and make sure I have every last thing possible as soon as I can get it.

I sometimes use strategy guides when I go back to a RPG, just to see what I missed. Mostly this just includes the "secrets" page on GameFAQs though.
 

Ranger X

Member
Gattsu25 said:
puzzles in RPGs aren't that bad...it's the fucking mazes that every single RPG pre-FFX seemed to include (while some people hated the mainly 'straight-line' maps, i loved the NO FUCKING MAZES)

MAZES????? do you mean dungeons layouts that are tough as mazes to go through?
I've played so many RPGs and i don't recall a maze or a dungeon that it's difficult to go through orientation wise. (well except some unlogical "magic" ones of course)
 
"I've played TONS of RPG's and NEVER used a strategy guide, and i'm talking the old school PC RPG's, not the sissy J-RPG's. In fact I've never owned a strategy guide for anything, defeats the whole purpose of a game."

what he said.


And hell, the pussy J-RPGs hold your fucking hand the whole way through. How can you NOT beat them without a guide?
 
Top Bottom