Poll: Idea about game manuals

[niknar266]

So I just got the last of us today and again I notice the current trend of depressingly small game manuals with a handful of pages. Then I get an idea from a Halo 3 poster I have with the controls printed on the back.

Why don't some games just scrap the manual all together and give us a small poster instead with all the controls, legal and copyright info on the back of it. It'd be a nice little extra to get with a game.

 

[Saregon]

I miss the old days. Whenever I bought or got a game for my N64, there was a full manual in there, with some background story, character profiles and so on, in addition to technical info, controls, legal etc. I would always, without fail, read the lore parts of there before starting the game. Still do, whenever a game comes with one (last one I bought which came with a proper manual was Skyrim). They are very nice extras that definitely add to the value for me.

 

[Tom_green_day]

Some games still have good manuals. Assassin's Creed ones do, and same with the Monster Hunter ones. When they give hints abuot the game, or expand the world and stuff. Also when they give maps, that's usually awesome.
I always skip the bits about controls, as they are so easy to learn just from playing. I don't think they need to be taught except for difficult to learn games.

 

[MrWunderful]

I wouldn't be opposed to a digital version included on the game disc/download, that could be accessed from the pause menu, or a main menu.

 

[BeeGeenie]

You do still occasionally find a good manual, but for most games it's hardly necessary, so this is certainly a good option for a lot of games.

You can't beat the good old days though, unique ones like the Wasteland Survival Guide that came with the original Fallout, or the ones that had epic back-story, so you felt like you were getting a free novella.

Now-a-days those would be considered "pre-order" or "special edition" bonuses, instead of just... being awesome for it's own sake.

 

[TehCookie]

I'd prefer ye olde manuals to come back, but that is a better alternative than what we have now. There is nothing more disheartening than getting a game with a thick manual and it turns out it's only three pages in seven different languages. As with a lot of other people so far, I love manuals with the lore or character profiles in them. Before you needed them to flesh out the world due to technical limitations, but I'd still like extra tidbits they couldn't fit into modern games to be in there.

 

[Harlemura]

I'd actually like that. King of Fighters 13 came with a similar thing, a poster that had all the characters and the commands for their special moves, which I thought was really cool. It also had a picture of Mai on the back which I'm guessing is what most people liked the poster for.
I mean, I'd prefer it if we went back to regular manuals, but the poster idea is a good one. Even when you're done with the game, you'll have a little something to put up on your wall.

Regardless, I hope manuals don't disappear completely. I remember Alice: Madness Returns just having some boring Microsoft form full of legal stuff and a little message at the bottom telling you how to find the manual online. I know the online manual would technically serve the same purpose as a physical one, but it's just not the same.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

It's a pretty good idea. I loved how Red Dead Redemption came with a map that had a lot more information than the in-game map. I always had that thing spread out on my floor while hunting

I do miss the old days of bright and colorful manuals (the one for Super Smash Bros Melee was gorgeous) but they're kinda of making a comeback. Vita games and other digital games come with decent digital manuals