Hey, remember when strategy guides actually mattered?
In a lot of ways, I'd say they still matter, despite the information flowing across the Internet. And for collectors, nothing beats a beautiful guide to go along with a favorite game.
As a rule of thumb, I always bought the official strategy guide with any new Final Fantasy . It wasn't only because I wanted the collectible; it's also because, if you were a completionist like me, you basically had no choice. And I didn't mind in the slightest. I loved sitting down to play with my crisp new guide at my side. Now, though, those guides are old and weathered, so maybe it's time to replace 'em…
If you're like me, you might want the Final Fantasy Box Set: Official Game Guide, which is now scheduled to be released on March 17, 2015. As Game Idealist notes, it's a month later than originally intended, but that's okay. You can pre-order at Amazon if you're so inclined.
The set includes redesigned strategy guides with new high-resolution screenshots for Final Fantasy VII , Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy IX . Fans will also get three holographic prints. Maybe some people don't care but having this great set for the amazing PlayStation trio of FF titles is pretty darn attractive to many long-time followers of the legendary franchise.
Oh I may get this. My FFVIII guide is in tatters and the one I own for IX is that crappy half arsed one they release that basically told you there was a secret but to connect to PlayOnline to get the answer. That's was during dialup days so yea, I never used it.
If this goes for a reasonable price, I may have to give in to this, I have guides for every main FF from VII onwards. I actually find them far more helpful than online guides. Usually at release there aren't any good ones anyway. I remember seeing nothing for Lightning Returns this year and the guide we got had specif detail on each side-quest and what time you needed to be where.
Strategy guides used to as useful as they were awesome. Now the're still pretty awesome but far from necessary. I found the original FFVII on ebay a couple of years ago. I keep it in a safe place and only look through it every now and then.