In this fast paced and crazy world, free time is a luxury very few of us can come by. If I could just bludge at home, playing games and writing, I’d be a happy man. Sadly, the need to go to work, earn money, buy food and subsequently, stay alive, is simply too great. So it could be said that the lack of available free time is the bane of a gamer’s existence.

FFXIII looks to be a massive adventure, as were the games before it, and no one would bat an eye at the prospect of it being 100+ hours. But who has that kind of time just lying around? Other then kids, stoners, and people still living with their parents (I’m kidding, no hate mail necessary). I know I certainly don’t, and will probably have to break my experience up over a month or two, where hopefully I won’t get distracted by something else and wander off.

Despite my complaining, I’ve still managed to play and finish these games in the past, having clocked exactly 102 hours on FFXII over a period of three weeks. During that time, I was able to finish around 80% of the games available sidequest’s and find majority of the secrets, all on my first playthrough! How did I manage this?

Well, some may say I “cheated” while others may nod and agree it was the best method. This is what this article will discuss. Allow me to introduce you to my best and most useful friend in gaming:

                                                 

 

The Game Guide

 

I love Game Guide. We’re very close. In the past, we’ve spent hours together: me glancing at the screen inbetween reading its pages, it sitting on my lap, quiet and comfortable. We’ve been inseparable during these extended periods. Well, ok, once I’ve completed the game I put Game Guide away, possibly forever, and might even go out to find myself a new one. But such is the way of gamer relationships heh.

Other then FFXII, I have used a game guide for Metal Gear Solid 4, Zelda: Twilight Princess, and most of the Grand Theft Auto games. It’s ok, I can admit it. I am not ashamed. I’m just an Achievist, more then a Discoverer, and there’s nothing wrong with that.



When it comes to gamers who actively seek side quests and secrets in long RPG’s, the player base seems divided into two different groups: the Discoverers and the Achievists.

Discoverers are the true explorers of the gaming world. Often blessed with plenty of that oh-so-precious free time (or just extreme dedication), discoverers will play and replay their favourite games until they have explored every nook and cranny, done every quest, and fought every ultimate enemy. They love to find easter eggs, hidden skills, weapons or cutscenes for themselves. In fact, they see using guides or walkthroughs as a form of cheating, or taking the challenge and fun out a the game.

Now let me make it clear: I admire these people. Applaud them even. Some of the quests strings to obtain uber rare items are so crazy, figuring them out without help is an amazing feat. An achievement within itself, and demonstrates a great amount of skill and perseverance.

What I DON’T like is when Discoverers start to preach/mock the rest of us: the Achievists.

We Achievists aren’t really interested in spending hours upon hours, walking around attacking walls or blindly hoping to stumble upon something. Oh we still love to find secrets… but it’s not the finding that thrills us. It’s the completion of it. Getting results. It doesn’t matter if we discover a secret’s location through a game guide, internet walkthrough, forum or friend; attempting and achieving victory over it is the important part to us.

Does this mean we enjoy the game less? That we don’t get the same level of satisfaction out of it as Discoverers do? Are we inferior to their elite detective skills?

Well, in reality, there’s probably a little truth in all of them. But being an Achievist comes with its own list of perks. As we explore deeper, no doubt the pros and cons of each style will come to the surface.

               



While Discoverers are usually adept at exploring most games, there’ll always be a secret so well hidden or crazy, they’ll never even know it existed. And even if they do find it, sometimes its so difficult (i.e. killing a huge enemy) they won’t be able to get past it simply from lack of knowledge.

As an example: the Hunt in FFXII. For those that don’t know it, the Hunt is comprised of eighty rare and extremely powerful monsters scattered around the world. Some of them are impossibly hard to find, with a ‘stumble upon’ chance of around one in a million. Thanks to my Game Guide, I tracked down and killed around seventy of them (before finishing the game and never going back).

Now, some might see that as cheap, because I was told exactly where to find them, and how to kill them. Me? I’m just thankful I had the chance to actually battle them. I’ve probably seen and fought things that most Discoverers never got to, simply because of the monsters obscure ‘appearance’ requirements. Is that getting the most out of the game? When you never even get to see everything that it has to offer?

We Achievists and our Game Guides get to truly explore everything, because there are no secrets between us. We know all, see all. We know exactly where that special weapon is, and what weakness the resists-everything-bar-one-attack monster possesses. We don’t get any surprises along the way, but we don’t suffer as much frustration either.

Yet, after all that, are the victories sweet? Personally maybe, but if someone asks you about it…

                          


Achievists have next to no bragging rights, other then saying “I did that”. Cause what comes next is “How?” and we answer “Game Guide”. There’s nothing impressive about that.

Discoverers, meanwhile, get to bask in true glory, as everyone showers them with words of disbelief and admiration. “No way! You found that all by yourself, without a walkthrough? That’s insane!” Course, they probably clocked up 200+ hours in the process, but if you’re a social recluse already, the extra attention would make it all worthwhile.

So while I can sit here and boast about me finding and killing seventy monsters in the Hunt, even someone who’s found forty or fifty without help ranks way above me. And no doubt we’ll get lots of tales of just that sort if the right people read this heh.

But still. 200+ hours? Really?

                 


If you have a lot of games in your collection, lots upcoming that you’ll want to get, or a lack of the afore mentioned free time, time management is vital. We Achievists can plan how we tackle certain quests or areas, since we know what it will involve, and how long it’ll generally take. Getting to the end fast, while seeing as much as we can along the way is the goal, and that glorious Game Guide with its well structured list of “Side Missions” helps us do that.


On the flip side; if you’re a poor student, kid, or adult with a mortgage, you might not have many games in your repertoire. Maybe you need to extend your play time for as long as possible, really pump the game hard for hours? A Game Guide would merely ruin that for you, so the Discovering way is better in that regard.

                     


There’s been a few times where I’ve played through the entirety of an RPG (FFVII, IX, X and Terranigma) without using a guide. It was alright. It was enjoyable to find things, but I was always worrying that somewhere out there, there was something fantastic I was missing out on. As an Achievist, I don’t really go looking for these things, since I’m more on just getting through it and enjoying the main story.

After the initial playthrough, I’d open up a walkthrough…. only to discover that around half of it covered stuff that I’d missed. So much stuff. Mountains of it in fact, all sounding interesting, or unveiling missing parts of the story, or hiding some super powerful weapon. What made it worse is that a lot of these secrets had to be found earlier in the game, and simply couldn’t be done before the final fight.

I wouldn’t say I was frustrated, but I was a little disappointed. I knew it meant I’d have to restart all my characters from scratch, grind their levels all over again, and do all the other parts I might not have enjoyed. I had other things to play. I wished I’d done all that the first time around.

That thought has overwhelmed me in the past, and I’ve simply put the game away, never to see all the other cool stuff it offered. Using a Game Guide helps us to avoid that kind of end-game disappointment, and ensures we get through with as little missed as possible. Hey, it's better to spoil the surprises and see these secrets, then to put the game away and never see any at all.


                   


If you like surprises, you’re not going to get that as an Achievist. You know what’s coming, you know how to handle it. You’ll never turn a corner and think “OH! Where’d this giant axe wielding ogre come from? I wonder how I kill him!”

This joy belongs to the Discoverers. Everything is new, unexpected and a challenge to tackle on their own. They get the further bragging rights of saying “Yup, totally surprised me, but I worked him out and won it, easy as.” They get that sense of fulfilment that can only come from facing, thinking, and conquering those kinds of trials by themselves. If you’ve got time to enjoy it, that feeling is well worth it.