Do you read the manual?

[Fifth]

I usually glance through the manual a bit before playing the game.  I like to see if there's anything interesting or vital to know aforehand, but I don't usually read too in-depth, lest I find out too much about all the items/areas/what have you.
If a friend just bought the game and is playing it for the first time, I'll leaf through the manual a bit more and point out little tidbits that he may find interesting/helpful.
After I've played through the game to the point that I no longer worry about the manual spoiling anything unneccessarily, there's usually a time when I'll read through the whole thing and scoop up whatever info it's got left.

So I guess yeah, I do kinda read manuals.  Just in stages.

[Lizard Dude]

Manuals are crap, though, compared to what they were when I was little. We're talking PC games here.

[N64 Chick]

Sure, I read them. The Luigi's Mansion one is rather interesting as it has quite a few little errors.

[DeadAwake]

I had to go with yes, because the question asks if I ever read the manual--and I have read the manual.

[Sqrt2]

I only read the manual if it's a game whose controls I am completely unfamiliar with. Otherwise I tend not to read them unless I'm bored or something.

[The Chef]

I kinda agree with LD on manuals not being made as good as they used to be. I hate when the manual is three pages long, in black and white, and gives half-arsed descriptions for everything.

[Suffix]

I read the manual for the sake of the game sometimes. That is, I read the manual because it came with the game. I remember that the WarioWare Touched manual was really hilarious.

[MaxVance]

Nintendo usually always incorporates tutorials inside there games of today, so there isn't really a point in reading the manuals anymore.

I think a lot of games have those tutorials bacause a lot of people don't read the manual.

[Lizard Dude]

I'm reading the manual for Contact right now and I haven't even touched the game!

[AbercrombieBaseball]

Not only do I always read the manuals, I keep them next to me whenever I play because chances are I either forget the controls or need to look some up.

I got Madden 2007 a bit ago and while it's a great game the manual isn't that good. At least it plays a lot like 2005.

The Super Mario 64 manual was pretty weak. It had no clues on how to even get anywhere in the game! I can still remember playing with that game when I first got it and I couldn't even beat the first level. I went about a week without any stars. Then a friend told me I had to get one of those books if I wanted to beat it. So ten dollars and many pages later I was able to finally get one (and didn't get all 120 until nine years later).

I think the weak manuals may be a way to make money. Books have gotten awfully expensive (I usually pay eight or nine bucks for a paperback these days, used to only be about four to five tops). Since someone like me couldn't beat Super Mario 64 at all without one, I had to get one. Now keep in mind this was 1997 dollars as well, I'm sure those stategy books are about 17 bucks nowadays (but I haven't bought one in a long time so I wouldn't know).

It's even worse with computers. When I got my Macintosh LC back in 1992, it came with a huge, 300 page manual with a tutorial and reference. Also had a great troubleshooting section. My iBook, eight years later, had a little 80 or so page manual. Thankfully I knew enough about how to work a Mac that I didn't need the big tutorial section.

Software, though is worse than video games for manuals. The old programs were great. I have this ancient drawing program copyrighted 1988 for my Mac (I've used it on the old and still use it on the new) called MacDraw II. It had two large manuals. So did MacWrite Pro, my word processor. When I bought my scanner I got Photoshop Elements and I got no manual whatsoever with that. Just a little piece of paper saying how to set the scanner up. Thankfully I found a really good book on Photoshop that I keep under my desk at all times. The Sims is just as bad. The first game, which I got right about when I got that iBook, had a pretty good manual with it. I later bought Hot Date as an expansion pack and it only had a little piece of paper in the CD case.

I'm almost afraid to buy a new car. My Volvo has a nice big thick manual that explains every single control. But it's a few years old. What next, just a diagram showing how to turn on the radio?

[Chupperson Weird]

With any luck, you know how to turn on the radio.

[Lizard Dude]

Yeah, dude, but those preset buttons and stuff are tricky.

[MaxVance]

And also, have you ever tried to set the time on one? It's tough too.

[Glorb]

Oh c'mon, why is everyone picking on AbercrombieBaseball? Sure, his posts are long but well written, and it's nice to get an opinion from someone who isn't a rabid video game nerd.

I'd say the lousiest manual for any game is the one for Home Improvement (SNES) - crappy game, crappy manual. Literally, it was just a piece of paper saying "Real men don't use manuals!".

[Lizard Dude]

Hahahahaha, I like that manual. I'd consider that a plus to the game. It gets you in the mood.