Is using a strategy guide cheating??

Archangel

Archangel

Wings of razors
Joined
Jan 30, 2007
Messages
541
Location
Wandering in my mind
Gil
0
I started this thread in response to my "cheat or not to cheat" comments..I feel that using a strategy guide the first time through is in a since cheating. Maybe not in the same regard as a gameshark or other manners of hacking a game but it still has ALL THE ANSWERS. Don't get me wrong i love to use the guide to get all the extras and without it i feel you really miss out. So the question remains.....IS using a strategy guide Cheating??
 
Sever Off said:
I started this thread in response to my "cheat or not to cheat" comments..I feel that using a strategy guide the first time through is in a since cheating. Maybe not in the same regard as a gameshark or other manners of hacking a game but it still has ALL THE ANSWERS. Don't get me wrong i love to use the guide to get all the extras and without it i feel you really miss out. So the question remains.....IS using a strategy guide Cheating??
Click to expand...

It all depends on you.

If you get that dirty feeling inside of you, yes.

If not, no.

There is no right answer...I would say play the game the best way you enjoy it....The only person you can cheat is yourself for not playing it the way you enjoy playing it.
 
Last edited:
I'd say...using a GAMEshark is more along the lines of cheating.
It's not like the strategy guide is going to max out your stats. lol.
 
I agree that the first time through is more fun without a SG, but...if you're looking to get 100% completion, they're a real help. ^_^
 
I think if it was called a strategy cheat then yes but then its called a strategy guide which means it's not a cheat, but a guide, and lets face it who is going to find everything the first time they play ? lol

I personally play the game 1st without it then use the guide to play again and get what I missed the last time
 
FFJiddy is absolutely right, do what you enjoy my friend, thats what FF is all about.

Personally, I know that there is no way that I am going to be able to discover everything in the game but I also don't want the plot to be spoiled, so I play through the game once and then use a strategy guide.

Thats just me though, if anyone wants to buy a game and start reading a book, hey no problem. Love the game YOUR way.
 
Last edited:
I'm a completion freak so before I start a game I get on the interent and find all of the stuff that's "missable". Then I'll play the game as normal, and when I'm done I'll usually use some sort of guide to finish all of the other sidequest type stuff. I do this because I usually don't have time to play one game more than once. I'll usually come back to a certain game later and just play for the hell of it, but probably not for quite a while.

In the end it's up to the player, the purpose of a game is to have fun. It's only cheating if you believe it is.
 
"In the end it's up to the player, the purpose of a game is to have fun. It's only cheating if you believe it is."


Well said ChaosVincent45

"Thats just me though, if anyone wants to buy a game and start reading a book, hey no problem. Love the game YOUR way."

And again well said Valentine

FFJiddy had it right as well. I think this question is answered, (at least for me) .... much thanks guys
 
Considering on how many things there are to miss completely because you don't get any in game hints in this game: No, much less than using a guide for any other game at least.
 
I don't think it's cheating at all. Well, really depends on how a person looks at it. You're just trying to get the most out of the game, which is what players should do, and let's face it...you'll definitely miss out on several hidden things if a strategy guide is not used. So, that is why I use it when I play an RPG game.
 
i say if you have fun with a guide, then just play it. It doesn't really matter if its cheating or not.
 
I agree with most of the people that most gamers want to get the most out of the game the first time so that they don't have to go back and do everything again, but really using a strategy guide is cheating. Just like on a test if you copy of the person next to you your cheating, if you use someone else's thoughts to get through the game then you're cheating. Now I do not think using a guide is wrong, on the contrary I like using them every once and awhile. But I consider it cheating because you are not completing the game with your own thoughts, hence cheating. I know that some people do not have the time to complete the game 100% after they already beat it, but just because you have an excuse doesn't mean your not cheating
 
If you use it because you are genuinely stuck and only use it for that part of the game then it's not cheating, if you use it because you can't be arsed doing it yourself then it's cheating.
 
I don't believe using a strategy guide is cheating, but that may be because I use them.

I don't think I'm cheating myself out on playing the game when I use strategy guides to get through areas. I mean, yeah, I might be losing out on some things by not exploring the game by myself, but in many games, having a strategy guide only takes the edge off the difficulty.
To tell the truth, even though I do use the guide, I only really use it when I feel unsure about what to do next, and sometimes I get stuck even with the guide. Otherwise, there have been long tracts of time where I've gone without looking at it.

I suppose I'm just trying to defend myself, but I go along with many of the people here in saying that if you think it's cheating, then it is in your case. If you believe it isn't, then it isn't.

Anyway, thanks to this thread, I think I may just try using my guide less. My Spring Break is up in two weeks, and I'm planning on getting a new game for that week. I'll try playing through the game first w/o the guide.
I know it wasn't the topic's intention, but thanks for the idea.
 
using a strategy guide is not cheating its just like using some help i suggest using it when your in troble anyway it ruins everything the difficulty and the suspence
 
cheating is when you either enter a code or use a cheat disc or use a preloaded save from someone else
 
I believe that cheating is not as liberal as most of you are making it. You either cheat or you don't cheat, and I see the opinion of, well if you don't think your missing out on some of the game then your not cheating. The reality is though that you are cheating when you use a strategy guide. You're not beating the game with your own thoughts therefore cheating. I see all of your opinions though so I think I just have to respectfully disagree with you all
 
That maybe but if it was cheating wouldnt it be a 'cheat' book rather than a strategy guide ?

Basic definition of cheat: to gain something dishonestly
Basic definition of guide: to lead or direct

Just my opinion of course, but 2 totally different things basically
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top