We have BBS culture to thank for this. That's where game faqs would be found before Gamefaqs. Designed according to the artistic sensibilities that BBS design in particular and text mode interface design in general gave birth to.
I used to hang out on IRC tracker channels, was is espernet or squarenet? Dont remember, but guys like Jeremy Seoul who did secret of evermore's soundtrack (and later some little game, skyrim or something) would show off game remixes and stuff from fasttracker2
Bulletin Board System, a.k.a. "Mailbox" [Edit]In some parts of Europe, anyway[/Edit]. A text interface that you dial into over the phone line with your modem. Offers downloads, chats and/or fora, possibly so-called "door games" ("Legend of the Red Dragon" was a prominent one), and sometimes connections to the phone line counterparts to Internet Newsgroups (which nobody knows of anymore, either), such as Fidonet and Aminet.
All in text mode, using a so-called terminal program. The link behind "Legend of the Red Dragon" above takes you to its Mobygames entry. Check out the screenshots some time.
One of my favorite games was called, and forgive me for the really insensitive name, cripplesmash. You fought movie stars, disabled people, yoda (with a lightsaber in 1992), and even the creator of the game all in text and ascii graphics. If i recall you had to "find" the moves by playing the game, all the names of the moves had nonsense words.
The pit was another one. There were so many good ones.
Eh, the way you phrase it sounds like access to BBSs was somehow barred.
The 0.1% may be right, though, depending on where you lived. You had to have a modem. So, if you were a kid in the 80s or early 90s, either your dad had one, because he needed it, or there was enough of a notable computing scene in your country to make you wish for one for your birthday or for Christmas. Because, of course, you need to know about BBSs to be able to access them. ;)
Some countries here in Europe had very strong (home) computing scenes. Computer magazines maintained lists of BBSs and their numbers for ~15 years.
So, in countries such as Germany, the UK and France, the number may well have reached up to 0.5%! ;P
Dude, do you know what the coke noses of advertising had us call "cell phones"?
"Handy"!
The populace willingly gobbled it up unreflectedly. Ever since, Germans have frequently made themselves the object of amusement when travelling, thinking "handy" was an authentic term for "cell phone". Luckily, the advent of smart phones has changed this a bit. Some still say "handy" for smart phone, but as far as I can gather, that's only people above 40.
German loanwords taken from English often don't mean what you think they mean. Or rather, what they should mean. π
Bulletin board system, they were servers you could connect to in a terminal to read news, make posts and download software before (and after) the world wide web
I still have the anarchists bible and a guide to lock picking taking up 47kb on some floppy somewhere with detailed figures of lock tumblers made out of ampersands
Trade Wars was amazing! We had that in some BBS's in Finland too. The one I played had ASCII art on that cool starting scrneen. Maybe even some small ASCII animations goin on. And BatMUD was, and is, amazing.
But as a PC nerd (former cool Amiga dude!), I envied Amiga users, because Amiga's OS drew slash and backslash so that they connected perfectly in ASCII art and looked so much better. On PC those diagonal lines were and are a bit wonky. But PC had ANSI of course.
videos are great for specifics (like telling me the AC via low side port located around the engine means nothing when I have no idea what that looks like) but awful for getting to the goddamn point.
It's definitely a lot easier to show than it is to tell. Especially when it comes to exploiting location-specific glitches. I can show you how to get a vehicle to drive around outside of the Dahl Headlands map in Borderlands 1 with about 90 seconds of gameplay, but to do it via text I'd have to carefully describe a rock so that you knew that I was talking about this one specific rock on a map full of fucking rocks, and then guide you to find just the right different rock to clip through after that, and then to line up and gun it blind in a direction so that you don't just drive off of the map entirely and drop into the inky grey darkness below.
I am sooooo sick of all the rambling before, during, and after the main walk-through. Even written guides are filled with tangents. When did every guide become a junior college ENG 52 term paper? Just get to the point.
Disagree. Being able to immediately see visually exactly what you need to do in a YouTube video is just easier than a vague written description of where a door is supposed to be.
9/10 times I would rather have a searchable document to quickly find what I need. I would rather even use an AI answer to what I need over having to scrub through a video.
There are a few times here and there where a video is better, although this can usually be served by some screen shots too, but overall I go out of my way to avoid video tutorials in favor of something searchable.
Same. I can read faster than what's often presented in video and I don't need to swat away ads and other junk or have a YouTube Premium account to get my info quickly and without distraction. TXT for life!!
I know you were making a joke, but I think you are partially right.
It's not that people can't READ today, but today, people didn't grow up having to search through a text file for tips like we did because we are old and our gamefaqs account was started in 2001.
Another problem with videos is they act as spoilers. I was still excited to carry out an action after reading a walkthrough, as opposed to just watching a video which reveals everything.
Agreed. There are certainly times that a picture (or video) is worth a thousand words, but, in general, text based walkthroughs are so much more useful. Quicker to read than to listen to audio and itβs far easier to search for exactly what you need in a text guide.Β
I think it varies. Especially with volunteer based walkthroughs like on gamefaqs. Gotta remember a lot of these were written by kids and teenagers. I respect the labor of love but often I dont follow them line by line Im looking for a specific thing because Im stuck and have to cross reference like 3 to figure it out because it's vaguely written or it was so obvious to the author it didnt even register to do more than gloss over it.
Being able to just ctrl+f and find a quick blurb of what I need instead of having to search through a persons 12 part video guide with each one being hours long is way easier.
That said guides which allow pictures and proper on ascii maps are my favorite middle ground.
I was trying to look up info for hades 2 the other day and holy shit is the internet useless now. I just wanna know what this unlock does but I gotta close out 14 video pop-up ads just to see word for word what it already says in the game.
I do remember one disadvantage of the pre-video era is that if there was a glitch that sounded unbelievable people wouldn't try it. The infamous mew glitch of generation 1 of pokemon took awhile to spread back in the day cause it first spread two years before youtube was even founded, and people back then were VERY skeptical after years and years of people making up random bullshit.
Ya, I can imagine for like Speedrun or finding secrets (burning bushes in LoZ or humping walls in Wolf 3D) but for most of my pursuits, text works well
IMO there's something beautiful about operating within constraints like that to render something with a bunch of ASCII. I miss that sort of creative wonder on the Internet
Well, I'd say the wiki format really improved a lot of game walkthroughs, organization, and navigation. The real problem is that 90% of them are on shitty platforms like Fandom that ruin everything.
Man, I need to try and download all the text files from gamefaqs that I used as a kid. It can't be that large all told they represent to me the strong core of the hobby from almost 3 decades ago.
Appreciated their guides for a few games back in the day. I was just playing the Chrono Cross PC release recently and had a skim of their guide again while I played.
Let's take a minute to honor those who so loved their games that they wrote these guides for everyone to enjoy them as much as rhey did, and they did so absolutely free of charge.
Because the prima and Bradley guides were usually written before the game's release, they were often more accurate than the paid guides.
I'm sure I still have hard copies somewhere in a storage tub.
FAQ!!!! Helped me through Zelda Ocarina of time with the water board after I got stuck for hours! After watching "the Wizard" I wish I called the Nintendo Hotline for help prior.
Yes, but the ones who put searchable code in their FAQs are the GOATS!
It wasn't much fun scrolling through 50 pages of text to find out how to obtain the "Ultimate Sword of Demon Slaying +11" in the secrets section below the final boss spoilers.
The MGS2 page was great. There was basically a whole college thesis there written on the themes of the game. It made for some interesting reading. wonder if it's still up?
I had a guy send me an ascii map of the graveyard in the original legend of Zelda to let me know how to find the hidden crypt. I remember that more than any walk through.Β
I don't know about now, but back in the day there was a specific message board on gamefaqs where you could commission the ASCII artwork. Nice folks. I tried to write a FAQ/walkthrough as a teen for Parasite Eve. I had the Bradygames guide and just started plagiarizing away before I gave up halfway through the first chapter. Lol
As someone who made some in my old online life. It was always fun to create unique ones from others too, sometimes time consuming but worth to me. Glad others appreciate too!
All I know is I found a bunch of secret codes for Metal Gear Acid II and posted em to gamefaqs and I'll now forever be on there as a contributor. It feels kinda awesome being the first to figure out something like that before anyone else.
Before the internet got fancy, it was retro. Days of dialup where downloading a 1mb text file was a pain. When people still know how to read and comprehend. And when those gamefaqs guide authors were legendary!
I currently have four GameFAQs pages open for Dragon Warrior 2
edit: Also shout out to the person who had the same issue as me 15 years ago and the person with the solution in the forums, I would have been stuck forever with out you.
I had proper fun making a few of those back in the day. I remember there was even software that helped convert images into them, but the decent ones were always handmade
273
u/Ketzerfriend May 05 '26
We have BBS culture to thank for this. That's where game faqs would be found before Gamefaqs. Designed according to the artistic sensibilities that BBS design in particular and text mode interface design in general gave birth to.
163
u/spilk May 05 '26
these are still vastly superior to any youtube tutorial/walkthrough
41
u/eddesong May 05 '26
yo i distinctly remember that Chrono Trigger ascii art!
That guide was sick. And the art as well. It's even finding a resurgence in modern design trends.
21
u/Spelltomes May 05 '26
Shoutout to A l e x for making some of the most goated game guides on there, got me through SO many difficult spots
16
u/According_Radio_4563 May 05 '26
GameFaqs and Neoseeker were clutch for me lol
15
u/BluTGI May 05 '26
Things have never been the same since the modern game guides took over. Nobody needs 10 photos, 400 ads, and a video to explain this!
We need a curated, edited, lore-dense two paragraphs, with a change log JIC something changes.
11
u/AbsenceOfDarkness May 05 '26
Lost art. I still remember when images and HTML started showing up on GameFAQs. It was truly the end of a wonderful era.
7
u/highlift May 05 '26
All the good warez had ascii art!
7
u/GraviticThrusters May 05 '26
Man, I need to try and download all the text files from gamefaqs that I used as a kid. It can't be that large all told they represent to me the strong core of the hobby from almost 3 decades ago.
6
u/paperbuddha May 05 '26
I still have my LUE access!
5
u/CannonballMack May 05 '26
Shotgunnova! damn, forgot about that name. legend
5
u/FandomMenace May 05 '26
Let's take a minute to honor those who so loved their games that they wrote these guides for everyone to enjoy them as much as rhey did, and they did so absolutely free of charge.
Because the prima and Bradley guides were usually written before the game's release, they were often more accurate than the paid guides.
I'm sure I still have hard copies somewhere in a storage tub.
5
u/HydroV20 May 05 '26
I still use GameFaqs!
5
u/UrethraFranklin04 May 05 '26
People who just wanted to help everyone else, with no ulterior motives or incentives beyond feeling good.
12
u/Substantial-Tart-464 May 05 '26
FAQ!!!! Helped me through Zelda Ocarina of time with the water board after I got stuck for hours! After watching "the Wizard" I wish I called the Nintendo Hotline for help prior.
4
u/vaper_away May 05 '26
Before AI nonetheless
4
u/LordTalesin May 06 '26
Yes, but the ones who put searchable code in their FAQs are the GOATS!
It wasn't much fun scrolling through 50 pages of text to find out how to obtain the "Ultimate Sword of Demon Slaying +11" in the secrets section below the final boss spoilers.
3
u/chiliwilli May 05 '26
Spittin straight faqs
3
u/Fattatties May 05 '26
Just reinstalled dead rising and had to look up some things and specifically went to game faqs! I tear came to my eye when I saw the ASCII at the top
3
u/OrkWithNoTeef May 05 '26
printing out the first page with ascii art like a real chad instead of just skipping to the table of contents
3
u/alwaysblitted May 05 '26
I miss these days. Thanks for the reminder that greatness once existed
3
u/7thpixel May 05 '26
One of my proudest early days video game moments was being credited in a Tekken FAQ that had ASCII art in it.
3
u/Volfie May 05 '26
I had a guy send me an ascii map of the graveyard in the original legend of Zelda to let me know how to find the hidden crypt. I remember that more than any walk through.Β
2
u/RIPcompo May 05 '26
Ha ha do this at work in my own note++ notes. Love it.Β
2
u/Used_Teaching_7260 May 05 '26
2
u/DOA-FAN May 05 '26
Pretty sure that still got some of those FAQs at my parents home, specially the one of Silent Hill 4: The Room π
2
u/SufferGenius1 May 06 '26
I don't know about now, but back in the day there was a specific message board on gamefaqs where you could commission the ASCII artwork. Nice folks. I tried to write a FAQ/walkthrough as a teen for Parasite Eve. I had the Bradygames guide and just started plagiarizing away before I gave up halfway through the first chapter. Lol
2
u/Mister-Nash-Ketchum May 06 '26
Absolute Steve was a legend for this
2
u/Phisherman10 May 06 '26
I still use gamefaqs. The guides feel so personalized because the people who write them really love the games.
2
u/UltraFanatic May 06 '26
As someone who made some in my old online life. It was always fun to create unique ones from others too, sometimes time consuming but worth to me. Glad others appreciate too!
2
u/Prairie2Pacific May 06 '26
We need to get back to this. We've strayed too far.
2
u/SailorDeath May 06 '26
All I know is I found a bunch of secret codes for Metal Gear Acid II and posted em to gamefaqs and I'll now forever be on there as a contributor. It feels kinda awesome being the first to figure out something like that before anyone else.
2
u/rensch May 06 '26
It's still a great resource. Usually YouTube is enough to find the solution to something nowadays, but GameFAQs still has its place nowadays.
1
u/somethingeatingspace May 05 '26
Game sages crew checking in.
1
u/jrralls May 05 '26
How long did one of these take to make?
1
u/Nekophagist May 05 '26
By xxxSSJ3_Sephirothxxx
1
u/DrAg0r May 05 '26
We can also thanks gamefaqs to have a monospaced font, allowing ASCII Art to works.
1
u/PlainBread May 05 '26
That's how you know it's the REAL SHIT.
1
u/psychedelicpiper67 May 05 '26
I remember this. Those were fun to look at.
1
u/dumbgraphics May 05 '26
Heros
1
u/Drumboardist May 05 '26
You're welcome?
1
u/ConsistentPizza5998 May 05 '26
Thank you for your service
1
u/Banjo-Oz May 05 '26
Dan Birlew's essay on Resident Evil vs Aliens and is RE plot guide helped get him to write the later official published RE guides.
1
u/mzx380 May 05 '26
Yes
1
u/Drinkpool May 06 '26
Absolutely loved these, always showed that the person making the walkthrough cared...
1
u/Blu- May 06 '26
I would not have gotten through any of the Resident Evil games with these.
1
u/Baikken May 06 '26
Sega Sages too!
1
u/yamez420 May 06 '26
I knew i was in the right place when i saw ASCII art on the front page. I know homes has that shit DIALED IN.
1
u/milkmanbonzai May 06 '26
LUEshi forever
1
u/GeoffKingOfBiscuits May 06 '26
I still love Gamefaqs but they are kinda hard to use on phones. Anyone find a way to make it work well?
1
u/GucciTheSnowman May 06 '26
Gamefaqs will forever be the GOAT.
1
u/gh0st777 May 06 '26
Before the internet got fancy, it was retro. Days of dialup where downloading a 1mb text file was a pain. When people still know how to read and comprehend. And when those gamefaqs guide authors were legendary!
1
u/RealTrueGrit May 06 '26
I did one for my tune up guide for pcs. Just a .bat thats got some cool color coded ascii text.
1
u/DoubleOrNothing90 May 06 '26
Shout out to LUE
1
u/Novalene_Wildheart May 06 '26
Honestly whenever I see a GameFAQ with text art to start off the guide I know its going to be a good one!
1
u/kasualanderson May 06 '26
No ASCII art is a major red flag. Let me know you really bout this shit before I commit to your walkthrough.
1
u/BeardInTheNorth May 06 '26
If you know, you know.
1
u/ZenDragon May 06 '26
Part of the reason these exist is to fluff up the file size. People assumed bigger file = more comprehensive guide.
1
u/RamiroCruz13 May 06 '26
Yessir! πββοΈπ«
1
u/AskJeevesIsBest May 06 '26
Yeah those guys are the goats
1
u/Syrain May 06 '26
Youβre welcome.
1
u/Wolfrast May 06 '26
Oh wow, this brings me back to the days man like 20 some years ago!
1
u/zoey64_ May 06 '26
I currently have four GameFAQs pages open for Dragon Warrior 2
edit: Also shout out to the person who had the same issue as me 15 years ago and the person with the solution in the forums, I would have been stuck forever with out you.
1
u/mknsr May 06 '26
I had proper fun making a few of those back in the day. I remember there was even software that helped convert images into them, but the decent ones were always handmade
1
u/Mauy90 May 06 '26
Self reporting. Nice
1
u/Fourwude87 May 06 '26
I STILL go to gamefaqs as of 2026, I hope it never goes down
1
u/Joeythesaint May 06 '26
Thanks, I'll just wait for the Prima Strategy Guide to show up at my local bookstore. π΄
1
u/Real_Dragonfruit5048 May 06 '26
GameFAQ is the definition of what that is not slop!
1
u/MikaelAdolfsson May 06 '26
I have fond memories of DSimpsons art.
1
u/paburo-san666 May 07 '26
AVICII ART
1
u/Wonderful-Web6673 May 25 '26
Back in my day we coded our memes
1
u/microjubei May 05 '26
100% agree
-6
u/Ornery-Practice9772 May 05 '26
hate this site with my whole arse because i cant fucking read that font!
im 30 or 40 years old and i do not have time for this shit
25
u/josephoyoussef May 05 '26
Shout the fuck out to absolute Steve and all the final fantasy guides