WTF? Nintendos new "electronic manual only" policy

[gbaplayer]

hello,

something is really buggin´me:
i bought a 3ds with pokemon y recently. after opening the package of pokemon y, there was only a short-manual inside (like 6 pages about really nothing important). full manual is only electronical, but i believe it is viewable on the 3ds.

i mean wtf? they want to produce less papers..but there are still some healthy warnings and promotions for other games inside the package.

i really like looking and reading through game manuals and now they destroyed that option.

is pokemon only an exception or do they do this with all new games?

-gbaplayer

[Ed Oscuro]

Well, it makes sense as most of this stuff ends up in landfills. There's not really space in a little rectangle for a full-sized beautiful printed thing, either.

I think the main problem is about permanent physical copies vs. digital distribution only. If it's in the flash memory then I don't see a problem with it. Printed stuff is, for the most part, really extraneous to the experience of the game itself, although as a fellow collector I understand.

How often do you really read manuals, anyway? I find that having the collector mindset is at odds with wanting to thumbing through manuals.

[CStarFlare]

Didn't we have this same thread a few months back about another company? Seems to be a trend.

Doesn't bother me.

[Neathyr]

The removal of manuals is yet another attempt for game companies to make us buy their games digitally for maximum profit, and then eliminate the second-hand market they so despise during the process. Two birds with one stone.

How often do you really read manuals, anyway?

It's not about their usefulness (it kinda is...). Everytime I buy a new game, I get a little excited with what comes with said game. One would look at it as a silly thing, but when I get a lazy package it really... "diminishes", so to speak, the overall experience, thus making me feel like I own an unfinished product.
Not only that, but back when games had little to no story, manuals were the way to provide you with the necessary background, and you were free to fill in the blanks. And most importantly: they are a non-intrusive/optional way for you to know what's going on, unlike the cutscene/QTE-fest we see nowadays. Not to mention the tutorial factor...

One thing I always admired about Atlus' games is that they tend to offer some really well-made physical goods into their package (granted, they are generally included with 1st print copies only, but still), giving you an incentive to buy them. Last I checked, however, they too fell victim to this current trend of eliminating manuals. Which is kind of a sad thing if you ask me.
Capcom and Tecmo were the last ones to provide us with a well-detailed, full color instruction manual, but alas, they don't do that anymore.

[Ed Oscuro]

But if there are adequate instructions in the game, it's not actually incomplete. Time to get our expectations in line, bluntly.

[BrianC]

Companies have been doing this with retail PC games for years. I don't like them as much as print manuals, but at least the e-manuals still deliver the detailed and well written manuals. Not exactly thrilled companies are going this route, but not surprised either and if other systems offer the option for digital manuals, I expect other companies to follow suit.

It's not just Pokémon doing the digital manual with mini or no regular manual. Most other 3DS games do this too.

[Mischief Maker]

The worst are games that don't even have manuals, just in-game tutorials. Maybe that's fine for an action game, but a complex 4X like King Arthur or Dragon Commander?

"What shall we research next, my liege?"

"Whatever, I guess, they all look good. It's not like I even can have a long term goal I'm working towards."

[TransatlanticFoe]

I miss manuals from PC games but have sort of gotten used to it because the disc is basically useless without the shitty DRM application you need for authentication, so the physical package is on life support.

Even console manuals have properly stripped back in the last few years, only RPGs tend to offer anything - and that's only because they sort of have to unless you want half the game to be a glorified tutorial. I have a few Wii manuals where literally half of it (or more) is taken up by the health warnings and manufacturer/publisher info.

Games tend to story-focused these days anyway, so that and any additional character bio or lore would be obsolete in the manual, because it's covered in-game. Controls are sorted with tutorials and as long as you can turn them (or their prompts) off, it doesn't spoil subsequent playthroughs. It's still a bit sad. Manuals are the video game equivalent or album liner notes - often functional but also a chance to roll out a bit of art and add a little depth to the core experience. Funny that the two are going pretty much the same way

[broken harbour]

If you think that's bad just wait until you won't find a disc in the box anymore, like the Wind Waker HD bundle for WiiU. Just a download card.

I honestly think the new generation coming up (PS4, XBone, etc...) will likely be the last consoles based on physical media. After this I think everything will either be streaming or downloads only.

[system11]

I fucking hate the digital future, nothing will last forever then.

As for manuals, I don't mind not having the paper but it should be readable from the title menu - and they rarely are. If they're stored as part of the game or on the media you can never lose it, never find a dead download link, etc.

[Specineff]

I have no problem if they keep the electronic manual WITHIN the game itself. It's the practice of making it available only online to force you to go to their site what irks me. (EA did this with the manual for Dead Space 3). It's just a few more KB of data, keep it in the disc or cart, pls.

[Obiwanshinobi]

"Nothing will last forever" has been true at least since optical drives came into the picture.
What I find most obnoxious is effectively disabled online in console games (MGS3 and PS2/Wii Monster Hunter). Way to alienate people most passionate about the games. Makes me very sceptical about online console gaming.

[Pretas]

What I find most obnoxious is effectively disabled online in console games (MGS3 and PS2/Wii Monster Hunter).

Actually, MGS3's version of MGO was recently resurrected by fans.

[drauch]

I don't remember the last time I've read a game manual. So many interactive tutorials for years now. Seems kinda like a waste at this point. Also, didn't we already have this discussion months back?

[Sinful]

Yeah, my brother just bought the latest Pokemon and he's pissed that Nintendo is doing this now too (I think it started with EA?), since he's a Nintendo fan. Well it's not like game manuals are filled with much artwork these days as in the past (think NES Zleda manuals), one of the main reasons we like manuals. Or are they still doing this outside LE packages?

If people want to save on waste, cut down of flyers, newspapers, MC Donalds Big Mac packages, etc, first, Not with game manuals, lol.


But yeah, for some reason not having the manual makes me and my brother not want to care about physical releases anymore and just pirate everything. I mean, yeah. Why not? It's the same thing. Both in digital form. So why pay for air?

[Fudoh]

Wind Waker HD - standard retail version does not include a manual. What a shame, especially considering that the Cube version had a lovely manual and they would just have to adjust it for the changes.....

[Obiwanshinobi]

I just thought Dragon Quest VIII and the original Wind Waker (PAL versions anyway) came with the most visually pleasing manuals I've browsed through.
Shame Viewtiful Joe manual wasn't as lavishly illustrated, but at least the PS2 PAL version had so good cover artwork that the same picture makes booklet one of the prettiest around.
Regardless of the medium, I believe manuals deserve to thrive on, just for a handful of people who might take a peek on a rainy day. Just... recall all those embarrassing game trailers and ads you've seen/heard for years. Wouldn't you rather see those resources spent on manuals?

P.S. I see Kumiko Suekane of Viewtiful Joe artwork have drawn a nuimber of yaoi stories.

[gbaplayer]

to think that zelda: link between worlds and bravely default flying fairy will also come with e-manuals only...
i wonder why they decided to make e-manuals and not e-promotion flyers and health instructions...

[Obiwanshinobi]

The two I recalled look illuminated.




Art form worth staying, at least vicariously, alive.

[BulletMagnet]

i wonder why they decided to make e-manuals and not e-promotion flyers and health instructions...

I'd guess that those are the bits that they want/need to make sure are seen for advertising and liability purposes respectively.

Art form worth staying, at least vicariously, alive.

That being said, what's stopping anyone from creating attractive/interesting manuals in digital form?

[BrianC]

The 3DS manuals are viewable offline.

[Mortificator]

I fucking hate the digital future, nothing will last forever then.

"Nothing will last forever" has been true at least since optical drives came into the picture.

All hardware will fail and all the media will succumb to bit rot. That's the law of samurai.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Hardware with optical drives (not using disc images off HDD) is likely to erode before emulation becomes an alternative, which isn't really a problem with Game Boy or Pong.
Current gen machines appear to erode from overheating as well, which, considering the scale things go on, is also a new situation on consoles market.
New cars used to be more durable thirty years ago, you know.
Actually reliability is one of the Nintendo hardware's last redeeming features.

That being said, what's stopping anyone from creating attractive/interesting manuals in digital form?

It would be nice of companies selling those games if they supported such endeavours.
Same with online games resurrected by fans - surely not publishers of those games, who have pulled the plug, deserve kudos for fans' hard work.

[TransatlanticFoe]

But yeah, for some reason not having the manual makes me and my brother not want to care about physical releases anymore and just pirate everything. I mean, yeah. Why not? It's the same thing. Both in digital form. So why pay for air?

Because manufacturing and distribution costs are separate from the costs of actually making a game, and you should support the people who made the game? New console games are still the same price now as 20 years ago, so really even if digital distribution only doesn't bring the price down you're still getting a bargain vs. inflation.

"Pirating" after draconian DRM is either turned off, rendering game unplayable, or being so shitty it stops you playing it in the first place - fine. Rest of the time? Support the those making it. Don't like digital only? Walk away then. Don't use it as some moral excuse to get something for nothing.

Anyway, I find it rather entertaining that Nintendo are flogging the WiiU Wind Waker HD bundle with a download code for the game when the console has such woefully inadequate onboard storage for downloadable games.

[SuperGrafx]

Anyway, I find it rather entertaining that Nintendo are flogging the WiiU Wind Waker HD bundle with a download code for the game when the console has such woefully inadequate onboard storage for downloadable games.

Same here.
But you can use an external hard drive for additional storage right?

Either way, I find it odd that in this day/age of cheap storage, the Wii U caps out at 32GB

[CStarFlare]

Hardware with optical drives (not using disc images off HDD) is likely to erode before emulation becomes an alternative, which isn't really a problem with Game Boy or Pong.

I'm not sure this is accurate. From my understanding PS2 emulation isn't terrible these days, and in any case most disc images can easily be played via an HD loader. I hear good things about GC/Wii emulation as well; I have no idea what the status of Xbox emulation is. I don't know if/when X360/PS3 emulation will ever be a thing.

Given that the 360 and PS3 both allow games to be played via the HDD, there is already technology in place for current gen to be played without needing an optical drive. Emulation is quite a ways off, but I expect that discless workarounds for the consoles will fill the void if every DVD drive in the world kicks it.

[Sinful]

What? You don't need a disc drive to emulate stuff like Dreamcast, PS1, Saturn, and PS2 games. I play em right off the hard drive. Sometimes some emulator won't support this, in which case I use a virtual dirve to trick it, but still playing right off the hard drive.

"Pirating" after draconian DRM is either turned off, rendering game unplayable, or being so shitty it stops you playing it in the first place - fine. Rest of the time? Support the those making it. Don't like digital only? Walk away then. Don't use it as some moral excuse to get something for nothing.

Anyway, I find it rather entertaining that Nintendo are flogging the WiiU Wind Waker HD bundle with a download code for the game when the console has such woefully inadequate onboard storage for downloadable games.

I usuallly go out of my way to support my fave companies & genre's (well, only shmup genre needs help). By buying their games brand new at full price/brand new and by buying XBLA & PSN only games. Just that it's very hard to stay motivated to this ideal when I don't see it in physical form. But I mostly buy used games anyways. So I'm mostly supporting the game industry in turn by supporting the lame gamers that only buy & play things that are very brand new only. And as soon as it's even a month old, they're disgusted to even look at it. Hence they return it to trade for another brand new game. I don't really know what these gamers are, but I don't call em gamers. I mean come on, a gamer will usually find a game that he'll like enough to own forvever. These guys don't reallly like games enough to do the same. It's cause of these people that the all digital age will come much sooner. As their numbers are great.

[Astraea FGA Mk. I]

To me the manual and inserts are part of the package, a lot of games have great concept art that you only really get to see in the manual, this displeases me and is diminishing the benefits of having a hard copy (slightly)

[Obiwanshinobi]

Given that the 360 and PS3 both allow games to be played via the HDD, there is already technology in place for current gen to be played without needing an optical drive. Emulation is quite a ways off, but I expect that discless workarounds for the consoles will fill the void if every DVD drive in the world kicks it.

I'm afraid overheating shortens their lifespan all the same.
The Holy Grail is playing PSX, Saturn etc. games on real hardware loading off HDD.

You don't need a disc drive to emulate stuff like Dreamcast, PS1, Saturn, and PS2 games.

Nobody said you need. Optical drives are the Achilles’ heel of REAL hardware.

[TransatlanticFoe]

Anyway, I find it rather entertaining that Nintendo are flogging the WiiU Wind Waker HD bundle with a download code for the game when the console has such woefully inadequate onboard storage for downloadable games.

Same here.
But you can use an external hard drive for additional storage right?

Either way, I find it odd that in this day/age of cheap storage, the Wii U caps out at 32GB

It smacks of both lack of direction within the company (apparent by virtually no Wii games in the year before the WiiU's release, then virtually no WiiU games a year into its lifecycle) and Nintendo being sneaky cheapskates about their hardware costs. Like how you have to buy the 3DS XL power adapter separately. The basics should come with the system - if you're embracing digital distribution as a company, the punter should not have to fork out extra for the storage required (or have a setup like the 360 where you have a basic console with a teeny flash drive and a "proper" model with a fat HDD).

It increasingly looks like the Wii was a massive fluke success and the company has no clue how to follow that up except for shouting "Mario! Zelda! Current gen port!".