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The Daily Grind: How dependent are you on internet guides?
Allow me to indulge in my old-timey voice. Back in the day, we didn't have no dang internets to hold our hands through every twist and turn of them videotronic games. No, we got through by the pluck in our spines, the sheer focus of 10-hour gaming sessions, and the frantic calls to our friends begging for help to pass a level. OK, even by those early days, we were pretty weak when it came to tough spots in games, but still -- it was nothing compared to what we see today. Times have changed, but our desire to bypass difficult sections of games has not. If we can't cheat our way past it, we'll gladly leap to any aid that presents itself, whether it's a strategy guide, a walkthrough, or an elaborate database devoted to cataloguing every step of every quest in our MMOs. Today is an honesty check for you: How dependent are you on spoilers to get through quests when you get stuck? Do you try to puzzle things out for yourself, or is your first instinct to tab out and look up the solution? For bonus discussion, does this mean that it's impossible for devs to really surprise us anymore? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Steam launches in-game Prima strategy guides
You're likely accustomed to hearing a certain pitch when purchasing a game at GameStop. It goes like this: "Would you like to buy the strategy guide for this too?" And, of course, you have your canned response. Something like, "The answer is still no -- just like last week and the week before that, and every other time I've been in this stinking store, Mike." Or perhaps just, "No, thank you." Now, thanks to the wonders of the internet, you can play out this same dramatic non-transaction online. Valve has announced that digital versions of Prima strategy guides are now being sold through Steam. Readable inside or outside of the games, the guides include the expected tips and tricks. Unlike their printed counterparts, they also include videos. To celebrate the launch of Prima guides on Steam, the first set -- including Splinter Cell Coviction, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Just Cause 2, Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Awakening -- can be purchased for $10 per guide, 50 percent off the normal $20 price. In other news, we'd like to announce the continued existence of one digital strategy guide search engine. This innovative service lets users search for almost any game ever created and includes guides, videos and even historical information. The best part: It's absolutely free. Just follow this link and start searching!
