No Instruction Booklet?

[Pogo27]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bgamer90

Haha yep, same here. Sad that more than likely in a few years from now kids will never get to experience that.

Well first, kids today aren't reading nearly as much of anything anyway.

But with that said, there's a LOT more info on the Internet these days. The video game industry simply isn't what it was back then.

When I was a kid, I heard of new games through word of mouth, and there was rarely such thing as a midnight release. Today, kids know just about everything there is to know about a game months before its release.

[BadAssHskr]

Quote: Originally Posted by fantasysportsguy

I'm probably much older than many of you, so let me really blow your mind. I remember back in the mid-90's when I was doing a lot of PC flight sims, I had a game, that came with a 3-ring hard backed binder filled with the games 400-page manual, 6 maps in full detail, and several glossy control sheets, that detailed keyboard shortcuts, etc. Those were the glory days of gaming as far as I am concerned. Games weren't super flashy, but they wowed you with depth and content and and publishers actually gave a damn about giving the customer a complete experience. Sadly, I doubt those games and days will ever appear again.

i remember those manuals too, and they always intimidated the hell out of me.

[fantasysportsguy]

I admit, they weren't for the faint of heart, but there was something to be said for reading the manual, really learning the game, and THEN starting to play it. When you realized you weren't overwhelmed, and actually got into learning the game, it was much less intimidating to read them. I miss them actually.

[Broncos86]

As a kid, nothing beat the smell of a brand new manual.

[XtremeDunkz]

I remember the days of waiting for Madden to come out before I ever came on the internet to find out info (Madden 03-06). There was no midnight release or even a guarantee the store would get the game on time. The first I would see of the new features were on the back of the box and in the manual. I would sit there and play the game for 10 hours straight when I got home for the first time looking at everything.

With all these blogs and videos, knowing everything the game has to offer months before the game even comes out..and then playing the demo for weeks before, playing the actual game for the first time is not nearly as exciting as it used to be.

[TimLawNYC]

I've also always been a huge fan of the "ritual" of reading the manual for a new game before I play it. That said, there is, perhaps, something to be said for the fact that now games really don't need manuals because the game itself will teach you to play as it goes (usually in the first level), so you can just pop the game right in and get to it rather than waiting to read through the booklet first.

[Pogo27]

Quote: Originally Posted by TimLawNYC

That said, there is, perhaps, something to be said for the fact that now games really don't need manuals because the game itself will teach you to play as it goes (usually in the first level), so you can just pop the game right in and get to it rather than waiting to read through the booklet first.

Yep, this.

I mean, I'm a pretty old school gamer. Had a gaming system and video games in my house since Super Mario World on SNES. I know what everyone is talking about here with manuals and all.

But somewhere along the line, someone came up with the really great idea of gradually introducing the gamer to the controls as they play through a handful of introductory (yet not inherently tutorial) levels. That someone is a genius.

It allows me to get into the game directly. While I'm adjusting to the mechanics of the game, I'm also learning the controls. I don't have to spend time reading the manual, and then play these introductory levels to help adjust me with the mechanics of the game. Learning the controls and the mechanics has been streamlined all in one.

With NCAA, there isn't really introductory levels, but all the controls are in the game for you to go look at, and honestly, what percentage of people playing NCAA 12 have been playing for numerous years now? What percentage of people have at least played a football game before for long enough to have the controls down (since the controls are basically the same as Madden too)?

I mean, the percentage of people who actually need to look up the controls is getting smaller and smaller every year.

[Cardot]

Quote: Originally Posted by JohnnyWadd

Don't care especially on a sports game but I remember being younger on the car ride home after getting a game and how much fun it was reading through a decent manual. Good times.

Add me to the list of other AARP gamers that miss the days of the 30+ page manual for a sports game. I also had the same ritual during the car ride home. But even after playing a game for months, it was fun to go back through the manual to see if there were any nuggets of info that I might have been missing all that time.

Yes, the same info (and more) is available online....but just not quite the same as having that manual in your hands.