The other day I bought Halo 4 (Japanese version). I was surprised to see it came on two discs and no F**king manual. What a rip off I thought. Anyway, I installed the first disc then tried to install the 2nd disc. Guess what, it wouldn't install. I had no idea why since it doesn't mention anything on the packing or on the disc. I found out by asking online that it was for the online play missions. How the fuck was I supposed to know that with no manual? This no manual crap because it's eco is pure bull shit. The game still cost the same money yet I get less in the packing. Still, at least I never had to put up with one of those cheap ass American cases with holes cut in to it.
Some newer software has the manual in a .pdf format somewhere on the disk. My new PC didn't come with hardly any paperwork for short of quick start guides and warranty junk. Found the manual in a hidden partition on the HDD. What a rip off...
That's dumb. Wasn't the disc itself labeled or anything? I wonder why they need a whole separate disc for that in the first place. What are your impressions of Halo 4 so far?
Lol, I'm just as annoyed as you are Mark. Even just a simple controller map would be good to refer to when you're new to a game, but this, this just takes the cake.
That's pretty common with PCs though. At least they normally tell you the manual is on the disc. Nope, all the disc say is Disc 2. It does have different art on it but nothing to say it isn't the 2nd game disc. Resident Evil 6 says Language disc and Forza 4 says Map Disc but Halo 4 just says Disc 2 As for the game, well mine is in Japanese but has English subtitles which is odd. Not that I'm complaining though. The language used is all Sci-fi so I need the English subtitles. I just wish I could change the language in to English. As for how it plays, well at first I didn't think much of it but now that I'm up to the 3rd chapter I'm really getting in to it. This is the first Halo I've ever played so it's all new to me. It's incredibly smooth that's for sure. It must be running at 60fps and according to the Japanese packing it runs in 1080p unlike most games which are 720p. Too right. There's nothing at all apart from warnings and copyright shit printed on the inside of the front cover. Trully taking the piss now.
LUCKY! I lost quite a few discs from an in-town move because of those! This environmental B.S. is just used as an excuse to cut manufacturing costs! Just like these new food/beverage containers...Less Plastic...and LESS WHATEVER I WAS BUYING TOO! My thought is, if someone wants to use that crap to save the environment, feel free...just don't force me to! Kind of like other things in life...if you want something or want to pay into something get it/buy it/pay in yourself...I should NOT be forced to pay for or buy into it though! Ahem...
lol sounds crap ! i have got a few games like this some i even thought the manual was missing =s turns out manuals are fading into nothing these days like fear 3 pal xbox 360 has next to nothing and dont get me started on ps vita game manuals barely anything there from what i have seen i may stay generations behind if manuals get phased out completely
I got the same nasty surprise when I got Halo 4 last week (yet to play, it's in the pile with the other 19 or so games for PS3/XBOX360 I am yet to play). I remember someone covering this topic before here and thought "Nah this is a flagship game, surely it will have something" The inside cover says "If a manual for this game is available go to the Microsoft site". So I did that, no manual for it of course!
I never read 360 game manuals anyway. Games have had in game instructions for a long time and they are usually easy to figure out. I don't like those weak cases since they crack too easily and offer no protection for the disc but I'm fine with ditching printed manuals. Printed maps can be cool to look at but if a modern game doesn't have an in game map then it's doing it wrong.
Doesn't need a manual for that, just one phrase on the outside cover/box. TBH, I quite understand all this discussion about the need of a manual serving completeness purposes, but last time I actually opened up and READ one was for Shinobi X while sipping a pint at the bar... (cuz I was bored and wanted to see if there was any artwork). Slightly related: I can however relate to audio discs' need for lyrics in the booklet. Just bought me one (been a long long while) from a local band and was pretty disappointed that it was just a printed leaflet with 1 pic.
For those who don't have internet access (yes there are a few still) won't be able to view the manual...
I also felt dissapointed by this lack of manual. I bought Forza Horizon and it doesn't come with manual too. At least has been a long time since I don't buy a game that comes in those horrible eco cases. But, some WiiU games (I don't know for sure if it will be on all games) will come in those kind of shitty cases.
Never thought you'd be into a Halo game to be honest Wish they'd start using Blu-Ray style cases instead of DVD ones, since those are smaller and therefore use less plastic. To me it makes a lot more sense than cutting holes in DVD cases.
Yeah, I agree, manuals are pretty obsolete if the game has good in-game instructions, so I don't mind not having them. Obviously it should have said something on the discs in this case. It's quite annoying that there's still papers with advertising etc included in the games though :/ I agree with bluray style covers being better, takes less space and less plastic. DVD covers are a useless waste of space, especially concidering they are designed to not be *too* much smaller than VHS cassettes.
Eco-cases, no manual, online passes, digital distribution... all that and no price reduction. The corporate decisions are destroying the game business these days.
See it's that last bit I have a big problem with. Digital distribution is great overall except for the fact preserving our culture for the future might become extremely difficult or even impossible without laser etching stone tablets. If a digital copy of a game was half the price of a pressed disc I might jump at that and buy a used copy later instead I wait for a used copy to drop down in price and simply deal with the fact I can't play it today. While I rarely read manuals the second I crack open the box I do like to read manuals of games past for amusement and interesting tidbits. Registration cards from the 32bit era are always good as they show what was considered to be a platform popular enough to ask the end user if they actually own it.
Registration cards are always good for a nostalgic chuckle. Whether it's early PSX game companies asking me if I plan to buy any games for my SNES or Jaguar in the next 6 months, or SNK asking me when I want to purchase King of Fighters R2 and a NGPC rather than if I want to purchase KOFR2 and a NGPC.
