Yeah. I guess for PC gaming it makes much more sense, I think I like to believe with consoles I know where I am and anything I don't know should be easily deducted haha.
i only read it if i am stuck on something just incase it spoils anything in the game like most do with a list of people you will get on your party ( yes am looking at you star ocean) =(
I tend to have a quick flick through the manual prior to playing any game, just to get acquainted with the controls and whatnot. The exceptions are games with a lot of depth, like RPGs. Then I study the manual a little more extensively.
Sometimes I'll flip through the manual while the game installs. It's enjoyable when it looks like they've put some effort into it and it's printed on good paper, full color and detailed with lots of images, etc.
I also sometimes check the manuals out months after having completed the game, just to enjoy the craftsmanship.
Depends on the kind of game for me, shooters and racing games I ignore them to start with, seeing as the controls are generally similar to older games, but with RPGs I'd always read the manual.
If the game as a tutorial, I expect tat tutorial to teach me how to play the game, if it's shit and cannot do that, I assume the manual will be of equally low quality (as it usually is) and simply look on the internet instead.
If it doesnt have a tutorial it's usually self explanatory, or can be deduced from the controller options screen or one glance at page 3, 4 or 5 of the manual (controller layout) and if it has a decent tutorial I dont need to look at the manual.
" What are you, crazy? Of course I read the manual! Although most of them are fairly useless. "
Agreed. I read the manuals almost all the time, but the days of them having much useful information have long gone. I could blame publishers like PRIMA or BRADY, but I don't think the decline of the manual can be blamed on any one reason. The truth is games are expensive to produce these days, so any amount a company can save is worthwhile. Printing out a multi-page document that will likely only be glanced at is a waste of money. Additionally, the internet has provided a community of players who are more than willing (given time) to create better guides at no cost. In addition to game websites, places like Gamefaqs can supply the answers to just about any question a player has. Sadly, these advancements have made game manuals turn into barely more than a controls diagram & a heads-up display explanation.
I read the manual most of the time but not to learn how to play the game. Its usually to look at any art that may be scattered throughout the pages. If its the typical 5 page manual with monotonous instructions on how to put the disc in my console, no thanks.
When I was a kid I always used to read them on my way home from the game store. Now I usually get around to reading them eventually, but rarely before I play the game.
I rarely read them unless they look interesting, like old CRPG manuals which have more than just control explanations. Most games nowadays don't really require reading them as all of them play like the last game in the genre with a few twists at best. Sometimes I do miss vital information though, like not paying attention in No More Heroes and so never upgrading my beam katana prior to finishing it...
Hm... i only look at the controls. But even then some games do display what buttons do what action when the game starts (like a tutorial or loading screen). So, I did but not anymore.
I usually do at some point. I always start the game without reading the manual, but when ever i get to the time of day where Mr. Turtle head wants to poke out i bring the manual with me to the shitter.
I'll usually only check the manual if I'm super stuck on the controls and the game doesn't go out of its way to enlighten me about which button does what function. Otherwise, I'm usually pretty good about being able to figure that stuff on my own fairly quickly, so I don't feel much of a need to check out the manual. The only fairly recent exception to this trend I can think of was when I was still drafting an all-encompassing guide for Persona 4 on this site and wanted some clarification on a few mechanics so I wasn't giving out wonky details based solely on personal observations. But other than that, no, I'm not one to check manuals very often at all.
I just check the first pages of controls or introductions. Games nowadays got in-game-guides. In case of a PC game that's installing then i read as far as i can before it's done.
I get most of my games from Gamefly so I don't have a manual. When I do buy games though, I usually end up reading the manual eventually, but not before I play.
I only occasionally go through the manual. When I do it means it looks really thick and more than just a controller map (hopefully a little background story information), or I'm really bored
yes i do but its more of a glance on the car ride home or while installing. Other than that if its been a long time since i have played the game i check it for the controls or if i get stuck and i could have missed something.
Only if I need to for one reason or another. If there are a lot of controls for something, then yeah sure. If there aren't, then no probably not.
Sadly, manuals are overall pretty crappy now a days. I remember 10 years ago when I would get big thick books with games, now I get a 20 page pamphlet that doesn't tell me much. I don't find them all that interesting really.
Only on RPGs so I can find out what effect each stat or whatever has in battle. I hate not knowing EXACTLY what my "strength" or "luck" is contributing to my character, which sucks for me because in most JRPGs they only give you a vague description.
That's why I like Paper Mario. You know EXACTLY how much damage your going to do and why. hah.
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