Don't forget the manual to the game!

Games Other Halo
1

I remember a time, a great many years ago, where video games were “relatively” new. These games came with great thick manuals, describing not just controls, but giving insight into the universe you were about to join. They would give you the back story, tell you about major characters or factions, even pointing out what the weapons did and what they were good against.

Over the years, things… changed. Manuals were becoming thinner,the information was dropping, and they basically were a waste of time. Fast forward to 2011-2012, and manuals are almost non-existant-pointing out health and safety and dangers of online play.

Now, during late 2012, i can say with great sadness, that manuals are dead. The paper ones in the case at least. Borderlands 2, Battlefield 3, Resident Evil 6 and many others do NOT come with a manual.

I can’t be the only one who would read every ounce of a manual on the way home from the store to just get a feeling of the game, of what it was like. I must of read the halo manuals, especially Halo 2’s limited edition one,like over 100 times. They were INTERESTING. Not a piece of paper, but something awesome.

If you’re reading this 343i, then please don’t skimp on the manual, please make it filled to the brim with information, just like old times. For the limited edition, why not make it in the form of a different faction, like ONI instead of the UNSC?

Lets get manuals good again. I don’t like looking at screens and scrolling around, when a mini book can be filled with the information.

2

I always found the manual useless, yes it’s good to read when your bored, but it mostly tells us what we already know and stuff that can be easily searched online. Also it’s cheaper to not to print them now days anyway.

3

I agree, many times have I read manuals when I was unable to play certain games. I am certainly sad to see manuals go and be replaced by “Online Manuals” at randomgamename’s website. I wonder how people who still don’t have the internet feel. I wonder if people without Internet even feel anything at all?

Also, slightly off topic; I miss game cartidges. I miss being able to drop a game and not go “Oh Yoink! I think its unplayable. Time to go buy another”. Also, I’m always afraid to break discs when I take them out of their cases.

4

I liked the manuals. They were always awesome to read while the game loads up.

Nobody really reads them nowadays though, especially with the current ADD generation. Plus it’s cheaper to save ink and paper.

Oh well. :frowning:

5

I totally agree!

Mass Effect 2, Gears of War 2 manuals: yoinkload of content that told me a lot about the game before I even knew anything about them

Mass Effect 3 manual: nonexistent

Gears of War 3 manual: only 2 or so pages, they told me to read the rest on their website

6

I like having a manual. Opening the case and seeing the art on the opposite side of the disc was just nice to have.

CEA’s manual was 6 pages excluding the cover, so I am reluctant to say Halo 4 probably won’t include a real manual. Even Halo CE and 2 on PC had bigger manuals. =/

7

Please tell me I’m not the only person who uses the manuals just for sniffing…

8

> Please don’t tell me I’m the only person who uses the manuals just for sniffing…

My ODST manual and Johnson card still smell new. It’s great!

9

> Please tell me I’m not the only person who uses the manuals just for sniffing…

Dat new manual smell :smiley:

10

I was just saying this! I opened my copy of halo CEA today to clean up some achievements and gave a sad sigh when i looked at what manuals have become. And the sad part is that it has a lot more in it than most manuals today. The main reason for the decline is the whole “going green” movement but i used to treat manuals like I do my books. Now I treat them like them paper notices u get from a new console

11

> I was just saying this! I opened my copy of halo CEA today to clean up some achievements and gave a sad sigh when i looked at what manuals have become. And the sad part is that it has a lot more in it than most manuals today. The main reason for the decline is the whole “going green” movement but i used to treat manuals like I do my books. Now I treat them like them paper notices u get from a new console

At least CEA’s manual was in color.

12

> > Please tell me I’m not the only person who uses the manuals just for sniffing…
>
> Dat new manual smell :smiley:

Im guilty for smelling manuals… lmao

13

I hope Halo 4’s manual will be decent. Perhaps, as Microsoft’s flagship game it will. I really hope so.

14

> > > Please tell me I’m not the only person who uses the manuals just for sniffing…
> >
> > Dat new manual smell :smiley:
>
> Im guilty for smelling manuals… lmao

They sure do smell great, don’t they?

15

> > > > Please tell me I’m not the only person who uses the manuals just for sniffing…
> > >
> > > Dat new manual smell :smiley:
> >
> > Im guilty for smelling manuals… lmao
>
> They sure do smell great, don’t they?

Oh my god that smell is so epic. Guilty as charged.

16

Doubt it will be anything significant. The last two Microsoft published games I bought (Halo Anniversary and Gears of War 3) have both had one or two page manuals with nothing but health warnings in them.

17

Halo has always had awesome Manuals(Dat awesome Halo 2 one :D), Halo 4 better have some.

18

i too miss manuals but with the internet if i want more back story or weapon stats i can look there so manuals are kinda becoming redundant of course the internet will never replace manuals completely in my eyes

19

I miss the bigger manuals. I always liked reading them, especially on the jon :P.

We need more big manuals. Not too big though, the original World of Warcraft manual was absolutely massive lol.

20

Yep Manuals used to be fun to look at now there just boring.