How many of you guys buy the guides for the many different pokemon games?

[Jellicent♀]

I do this QUITE frequently. Sometimes the guides have more useful information that any other website, so using them is always helpful and fun, especially the one that came out for D/P, with moveset suggestion all the way in the back for some of the most popular Pokemon.

I had one of the original Crystal version guides. It had a Pokedex in the back that had SO MAN misprints it was ridiculous. xD

 

[Rodeo]

I rarely ever buy the guides anymore. When I was younger I used to buy them all the time for the helpful tips and area guides. Now, if I have the extra cash, I'll buy a guide for the collector value.

 

[RedJ]

I vowed after Black and White to never buy a guide for a Pokemon game ever again.

When I buy a guide, I expect it to have actual information that I can use, especially lists of what Pokemon trainers will use. The guides used to do that, but now they only do it for Gym Leaders, Team battles, and basically important battles. I personally find it incredibly annoying to throw out a Pokemon that's weak against some random trainer's Pokemon, which I then have to call back, and now my Pokemon are only getting half experience unless I saved before the battle.

Oh, and they started selling the guides and PokeDexs separately. I rarely have the money for the guide when I first get the game, so I wasn't able to get the collector's edition guide for B/W, which had both included inside it. I remember the size of Platinum's guide, and I understand they're likely doing that to avoid killing so many treeshigh printing costs or something like that, but I do love having all the information in front of me at once without having to go get on the computer to look it up.

 

[NeoPsychedelia]

I buy them for a bit of light reading. :P

 

[Asuf]

I've only used one for Firered, it was very well worth it though, I also had a 'Pokedex' book for 3rd Gen, which also helped out, I didn't actually have Internet back then and I was quite young and never knew how to use a computer.

 

[XtinaIsMeLuvinWWE]

I only ever had the one and I think it had info on Pokémon Snap and Red/Blue :)

Now I just use the internet if I need to cause I haven't bought new games in a while but I liked physically having the guide to flick through :)

 

[Mr Cat Dog]

I bought guides for Gold and Sapphire versions, and was very very glad I did! In many ways, the guides facilitated my love of the games by introducing me to Base Stats and allowing for a sabermetric-style analysis of choosing Pokemon to go into a team. Before then, I just went with what I thought looked good and had a nice type! The RS guide was also verrrrrrry helpful with regards to the Braille to unlock the 3 Regis. Don't know how I would have survived without it, in all honesty!

For the most recent set of games (SoulSilver/Black), on the other hand, I still have assistance, but this time it's from GameFAQs and Bulbapedia. For one, they're free! And, for the most part, they have even more information than the official strategy guides did all those years ago. I can't see myself going back to a strategy guide any time soon, thanks to these websites.

 

[Deliciousfruit233]

I never got the strategy guides. When I was younger, I would just run through the game blindly and do everything I missed after the E4. Then I discovered Serebii, which makes strategy guides pretty much useless.

 

[Cherrim]

I have the official guide for R/B which included a full Pokedex, then I have two different guides for G/S (one official, one... BradyGames?), I have the official guide for R/S, the guide for Platinum, and the National Dex guides for D/P and HG/SS. I decided once they officially split the guides into scenario and pokedex that I'd only pick up the pokedex but even that started to get too expensive for something I never touched (in favour of just visiting Bulbapedia) so I don't buy them anymore. But that's okay because my roommate buys guides even for games he'll never play... so I just use his if I need them!

 

[Ho-Oh]

I got Crystal's guide, uhh, R/S', hmm, idk I feel like I had G/S'? Um, I got B/W's... and yeah, that's all. lol. Never really used them much but they were things to collect. OH B/W'S = COLLECTOR EDITION ONE.