Do You Use Walkthroughs?

While playing Baldur's Gate recently, I realized that I kind of hinge on walkthroughs a bit while playing games, especially RPGs. I don't even use them for strategies or help, really. I just use them so I know I'm getting the most out of a playthrough: that I'm doing all sidequests, that I'm getting the most out of items, and that I'm really not missing anything. While I do end up with a complete playthrough of a game, it makes me lose out on a lot of exploration I would have otherwise, and, as I'm prepared for most things, takes out the drama for most things, as well as player creativity. For example, one of my fondest memories playing games was in the final boss in Fire Emblem, in which my team was battered and mostly dead, and I had few viable options as to beating the boss. However, I then came up with a perfect strategy (which, in hindsight, wasn't that fiendish or anything) and managed to demolish the boss. Also, in my hunt for a perfect playthrough of Mass Effect 2, I lost a lot of the tension from the suicide mission, as I knew exactly what I needed to do to go through without a hitch, and that everyone would probably be coming out alive. That being said, whenever I do try to play a game while straying away from walkthroughs, I usually end up stuck or missing out on huge parts of the game. Had I not used a walkthrough for Persona 3, I never would have been able to go as deep into the summoning system as I did, and without one for Persona 4, odds are I would've missed out on the game's True ending, which would've cost me at least another 6 hours of gameplay. While I stray away from walkthroughs for relatively linear games, I can't imagine playing a big RPG without one, although part of me envies those who can.

What are your opinions on walkthroughs? Do they ruin player-character empathy, or do they enrich a player's experience? Is it the developer's job to make walkthroughs completely unnecessary for their game--perhaps through player handholding--or should that depth be there only for those who seek it out?

For collectibles I do.

Only if I am going for a platinum and I don't want to be bothered searching for collectibles. For example uncharted, heavy rain and rocket birds. Even when I do use them, its only on the second or third play through. I like to go in fresh the first time.

I used one to get all the masks in Majora's Mask, and I also share your habit of using a guide in long ass rpg's that I only plan on playing once so I get to see as much content as possible (gimme all them s-links) without having to risk screwing something up or hunt for it on my own because that would take me for-fucking-ever as I'm terrible at that stuff plus I'm slow playing through games anyway.

I like that games have the hidden stuff for people who want it, and I'm glad that walkthroughs exist for non crazy people like me who want to find that shit but seriously aren't crazy. (at least not in that way but possibly in other ways) I guess it's in how you use them, as I really enjoyed Majora's Mask when I played it with the guide, but didn't like it when I was trying to figure that stuff out on my own the first time I played it and gave up on the game.

Not on my first time through a game, unless I get seriously stuck/frustrated on a certain part, then I will look up that particular part. Once I have finished the first play through, I may or may not use a guide for collectibles and/or general information.

I will occasionally for RPGs, especially for something like Dark Souls. I don't use it for every little detail, but sometimes I'll use it to point me in the right direction or if there's an item I should get that could make things easier or more exciting. I just don't have the time anymore to trial-and-error every little thing.

I used to rely on them heavily some years ago, and it took me twice as long to complete a game.

For classic and games without translation, I readily use walkthroughs. For modern games though I chose to not look at them and consider it a design flaw if you need one to beat a game. Everything from the rule sets to world lay out should be properly designed to be solved by the player with just the feedback from the game. If it is not then there is something off about the game.

No takes the fun away.

If I feel like getting cool stuff I would've missed otherwise. Or if I get frustrated. *Looks at Dark Souls*

Only if the game is filled with irrevocable decisions that can screw the player out of loot.

Because looting treasure chests in the sewers of FFXII

Like a lot of people are saying I use walkthroughs for getting collectables/extras after beating a game or in some cases when I am stuck in a game (i.e. a really tough boss mechanic or something in the level design that isn't explained well enough). It happens once in a while and frankly, I don't think looking up such a small percentage of a game's content is cheating, because I will usually play the rest of the game without a guide.

A really good example of this just happened to me actually, I was playing through the last act of Sonic Adventure 2: Battle and I got stuck on that underwater Knuckles portion. After quite a few tries, and having to restart from the beginning of the act doing the Tails, Eggman, and Rouge sections over again, I looked up a very small part of the level so I could proceed. I've done the same thing in quite a few games, like looking up where Death is located on the reverse side of the castle in Castlevania: Symphony of The Night. When you're so close to the end of a game like that it can get frustrating to exhaust every possibility so I think it's fine to look it up after a while.

That being said, I see nothing wrong with using a guide for an entire game if you prefer it. I've done it for plenty of games where I just wanted to see the story, or see the game all the way to the end.

I will if I'm trying to quickly get through a rental just so I can progress with the story faster. Or in need of collectables for some tasty chievos.

@Red: CRPGS are a little different than, say, Portal. I was just having a conversation on here with a guy playing PS:T for the first time. Not using a walkthrough on that game, you will more than likely mess things up for yourself and/or miss some of the most compelling content.

Sometimes. If I'm playing a RPG, after I'm done with a play session I'll usually fire up a walkthrough just to see how they progressed in the game and what tactics they used. Another example would be something like the Monster Hunter series because I'm not wasting my time going down a weapon path that I have no need for/combining random things until I get what I want/attacking an enemy until I figure out its weakness etc.

sometimes when i get stuck in a game. once i am done with that part that i am stuck stop using it.

For regular game play no, but when I'm doing some achievement/trophy hunting I do.

Never on a first playthrough, when I rarely do.

I used to buy strategy guides all the time. Mostly just for the pictures. Now I just use walk-throughs just to save time.

I use them on trying to figure out if I'm close to certain breaks in the story (esp. in rpgs where some side missions close off when going from one act to another), some flimsy adventure games (ie. NCIS or CSI) where I want to just tear through it or hunting collectibles before or after finishing the main part of the game. Though unless it's an adventure game where I want to save time on looking for items, I try to just glaze over the basics so I can get the who/where/when without spoiling too much.