...that Future Press is printing a guide for this game? They have a very high pedigree, and are known for mastering games (Bayonetta, Pokemon) and I was hoping they would eventually take a shot at the game. But for them to be releasing their guide in tandem with Dark Souls I am now officially sold on the game. Am I alone in this?

http://www.future-press.com/index.php?sect=books&book=115

......I certainly hope a strategy guide making you buy a game is an isolated incident...

Nope, don't care.

@Doctorchimp said:

......I certainly hope a strategy guide making you buy a game is an isolated incident...

Yeah I am excited that Futurepress is doing this, their guides are collector's items themselves. Was already excited for Dark Souls but now I cannot wait to get my hands on the guide either.

The only thing I want more is Skyrim.

Don't really care, sorry. :3

I think Dark Souls is the type of game to best play without a guide, at least for the first time through. It would be cool to have though after on additional play throughs

@ghostofst4rm4n: If I found $25 in my pocket right now, I would order the guide instantly. Since that's probably not going to happen, I'm going to have to skip it for now.

I enjoyed collecting guides years back. But, over time, I realized that I preferred destroying games that I liked, and then only purchasing the guide if I felt like I wanted more physical material to play with. I'm going to do my best to play through Dark Souls mostly blind the first time, and then use either Wikis or that guide later on.

There are too many games I want in these next couple of months. It would have be either the Dark Souls guide or half of Skyrim paid down, and not both.

If you're using a guide for Dark Souls, you're doing it wrong.

@SirPsychoSexy said:

I think Dark Souls is the type of game to best play without a guide, at least for the first time through. It would be cool to have though after on additional play throughs

I agree, a guide would kill some of the experience.

@Doctorchimp said:

......I certainly hope a strategy guide making you buy a game is an isolated incident...

I think it's great. I might just get it, and I never buy guides. And no, I don't plan on using it on my first playthrough, except maybe to look up the occasional weapon upgrade path.

@iDarktread: This site has it for < $18/€13, with free shipping worldwide (and they accept PayPal).

Very tempting, actually. I have to admit, when I found out the guide that comes with the special edition was going to be digital (.pdf) I was pretty disappointed. Now I just might buy this. We'll see. I'll play the game a bit first, and see if I feel like having the guide would enhance my experience.

Yeah the lack of a physical guide is pretty sad on namco's part. I might pick a copy of this up myself if only for the nice cover art and ability to easily look up weapon stats/data without having to constantly roll back and forth between pc and ps3.

Are these guides ever sold in stores? I'd kinda like to see some actual pages before I buy. Also, I happen to have a 25 dollar gamestop gift card.

I am somewhat more excited for the fact that this guide will also happen to not have fading ink, like the first print run of the Demon's Souls guide for the game.

No, just for the game.

I never use guides.

I breezed through demon's souls largely because i spoiled myself on forum spoilers and youtube clips. I am trying my hardest to avoid the same scenario for Dark Souls.  
Can't say i really see the appeal of a handwritten guide in this day and age where patches can make any info  obsolete mere days after release  
  
Think the only game manual i have ever bought was the one for SC2 because having never played strategy games before the online was so overwhelming

@Nate said:

Are these guides ever sold in stores? I'd kinda like to see some actual pages before I buy. Also, I happen to have a 25 dollar gamestop gift card.

I answered my own question. Just in case others were wondering too - yes, it will be sold in stores. http://www.gamestop.com/strategy-guides/dark-souls-official-strategy-guide/93066

I don't normally like to shop at Gamestop, but this might be a good use of my gift card. First I want to see how detailed the .pdf strategy guide is.

Why buy a guide when you can use the internet?

Better question: Who gets a guide for Dark Souls? Kinda defeats the purpose.

@PepitoneConQueso said:

Why buy a guide when you can use the internet?

Better question: Who gets a guide for Dark Souls? Kinda defeats the purpose.

Why get off my couch to walk to the computer in a different room of my house to check on the internet?

Better question: What game is so hard and obtuse that buying a guide could actually enhance the experience for me?

@Nate said:

@PepitoneConQueso said:

Why buy a guide when you can use the internet?

Better question: Who gets a guide for Dark Souls? Kinda defeats the purpose.

Why get off my couch to walk to the computer in a different room of my house to check on the internet?

Better question: What game is so hard and obtuse that buying a guide could actually enhance the experience for me?

Dark Souls.

why fart on a ghost?

@Questionable: Well buy with confidence because the chance that From Software will patch this game or make DLC is riding right around 0%. After two years of release Demon's Souls still only got patched once and that was only to remove a single exploit, it didn't change any mechanics or game content.

@Nate said:

@PepitoneConQueso said:

Why buy a guide when you can use the internet?

Better question: Who gets a guide for Dark Souls? Kinda defeats the purpose.

Why get off my couch to walk to the computer in a different room of my house to check on the internet?

Better question: What game is so hard and obtuse that buying a guide could actually enhance the experience for me?

Dark Souls.

@MonetaryDread said:

@Doctorchimp said:

......I certainly hope a strategy guide making you buy a game is an isolated incident...

I've never bought a guide. This time I might. I would staple any kind of walk through shut to avoid the hateful game-ruining crap that is the general goal of a guide, but it will be very tempting to get a good list of weapons and spells/miracles to help plan a character build.

I'll probably wait for the wiki to shape up I guess since I don't want to go on a planning binge before a first play, but if ever there was a tempting guide - this is it.