☆ An Ode To The Humble Video Game Manual ☆ #Retrogaming #GamersUnite #Gamer #Gamers

How Cool Is The Metal Gear Solid Manual!!

I'm not sure if I was alone in this, but buying a new video game meant that I would always extend the anticipation of my first play by reading the game manual from cover to cover.

 

Not only did it extend that pre game feeling of excitement it also meant you got to soak up any backstory (if there was one) and learn what the controls were for the game.

I loved that first read through. Maybe it was because it always took me about 6 months to save up for a game and I just wanted to savour every part of the video game experience?

 

It just felt good for me to thumb through those crisp pages and built up the anticipation to fever pitch levels before I played the actual game (which was sometimes a let down!)

 

Now the game manual seems to be less and less of necessity in today's world of online materials and instead many games come pre-packaged with a solitary sheet of paper with a web address on it to visit if you require further information on how to control the game.

 

Then once your in the game you have the option to usually view an on screen manual. The thing is, by this point all you want to do is play the game as you've now seen the opening titles and want to start exploring, jumping, fighting, shooting,running solving and whatever else your game world then offers for you to partake in.

 

It seems that nowadays I fill this gap by buying the strategy guide in order to give me something physical to read when I'm not playing the games. I'm a big fan of the Fallout Guides as they act like a companion on your long journey through the wasteland.

 

BUT it's not the same as the little friend you'd have inside the game box back in the days of control manuals ….

 

Even though I undertsand the environmental impact of printing things on paper I still miss the days of the chunky control manual ……..

Do You Miss The Golden Era Of The Humble Game Manuals?

Were You A Get Straight Into The Game Person Or A Manual Reader?