One of the many side effects that go along with my gaming habit (among others) is my love of collectibles. If money was no object my inner geek would quite happily spend its days in Forbidden Planet buying figurines, comics and anything with ‘Limited Edition’ stamped on it. Although I have managed to curb my expenses for this habit as much as I can, when it comes to games (and especially RPG’s) there is one thing I cannot do without: strategy guides.
It’s a bit of a tricky area really as although it’s not necessarily a ‘collectible’ it’s a part of my collection that often gets picked up before the game does.
It all started with Final Fantasy 7. I originally bought a second hand copy in Cash Converters what now seems like many moons ago and naturally I was soon hooked! It wasn’t until somewhere near the beginning of Disc 2 that I started to get myself incredibly frustrated with the notion of Materia and how to properly equip it. Back in those days there was no Gamefaqs.com or the like, so there was only one thing for it – down I trundled to the shopping centre and scoured the shelves for a game guide. Thankfully I found a copy of the Brady Games book and I instantly fell in love with it, and them!
Not only did their guide give me a much better insight into how to equip my items and collectibles with more ease and skill, but it gave me everything I needed to know about ANYTHING in the world of Final Fantasy 7. Another aspect of my adoration was the artwork, and I instantly began copying images and stills from the game… when I wasn’t clocking up hours of playing the actual game of course.
And so my obsession with the strategy guide was born, but… there is another tricky problem.
Where exactly does this lie in the eyes of cheating? Undoubtedly I am getting help, but I also believe that unless you are going out of your way to bring something out of the games coding that isn’t naturally there (hello extra life/weapon unlockers, I’m looking your way!) are you really cheating your way through a game?
To come to terms with my potential guilt, I’ve decided to look upon my Final Fantasy guide collection as merely ‘Gaming Sat Navs’. Would I have continued my journey through Final Fantasy 7 if I hadn’t got my map out? I’m more inclined to think I would have turned around and gone home, no matter how excited I was about where I was going. As a result I have undergone far more journeys than I thought I would, because I feel like something is there to nudge me in the right direction as and when I need it, and even take me on some scenic detours along the way to pick up ultimate weapons and ribbons.
Some may argue that my experiences are tainted, but am I any less in love with the games? Not on your Nelly! Have I ended up playing multiple times because the experience was so gratifying, thorough and not entirely frustratingly difficult to figure out? Definitely! I’ve seen all there is to see in my Final Fantasy collection (multiple times!) and wouldn’t change my experience for the world. There is a reason these games don’t have difficulty settings; it’s not how much of a struggle you had to get to the end but the exciting journey you had getting there that makes you take it again and again. And you even get to look at the pretty pictures!
That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!
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