Highlights

  • Old video game strategy guides can bring back fond memories of a time before internet guides were common.
  • Strategy guides are now seen as novelty items for collectors, as most information is online.
  • Discovering old gaming relics like strategy guides and rare consoles can evoke nostalgic feelings for gamers.

One lucky gamer recently uncovered a pair of old video game strategy guides for Grand Theft Auto 4 and Halo 3 ODST while moving, bringing back fond memories for both themselves and others. Back before high-speed internet and dedicated gaming websites were widespread, players who found themselves stuck on a particular mission in a game like Grand Theft Auto 4 or simply wanted an extra advantage while playing Halo 3: ODST would have to purchase a special strategy guide containing tips and other useful information.

While these strategy guides are still being sold for hit titles like Elden Ring or The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, most of the information they provide could just as easily be found online, making them more of a novelty item for collectors. Additionally, now that DLC and post-launch updates have become a common part of the gaming landscape, a physical guide that could be helpful at the game’s launch could become obsolete after said game is expanded on. Still, this hasn’t stopped older gamers from looking back at these colorful tomes with warm memories of using them to clear a difficult boss battle or stage.

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Reddit user DrRickStudwell was packing up to move when they discovered a pair of old strategy guides for Grand Theft Auto 4 and Halo 3 ODST tucked away. They shared their discovery on r/gaming, saying that while the books might be considered “worthless,” they still find them to be fun to look through and reminisce about their days using them. Other users would share their own memories about using guides to complete Grand Theft Auto 4, including one player who got one from a magazine that taught them where to find all of the pigeons for a side activity.

Player Finds Old Strategy Guides For Grand Theft Auto 4 And Halo 3: ODST

Old strategy guides aren’t the only buried treasures that players can chance upon at the unlikeliest of times. One gamer found a rare, unopened Satin Silver PlayStation 2 console while cleaning out their garage, while another stumbled across their receipt for a nostalgic Nintendo 64 bundle including the console, an extra controller, and a copy of the 1997 racing game F1 Pole Position 64. Others have found cheat codes tucked away in copies of Half-Life, cheat sheets for Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars hidden in old Nintendo DS cases, and copies of Ms. Pac-Man for the original Game Boy in their old apartment.

These discoveries from gaming’s past are always fascinating, especially when they evoke nostalgic feelings in not only the person who found them, but for whoever they share them with. In an age where most video games don’t even come with a small instruction booklet anymore, finding old strategy guides for titles like Grand Theft Auto 4 and Halo 3: ODST could feel like a blast from the past for the owner who put them to good use back in the day.