Eons before you kids watched Let’s Plays and streams on Twitch and even before the dinosaur ages of Gamefaqs, we got our tips and tricks from magazines and strategy guides. Generally, official strategy guides published through Brady Games, most notably Square, were the best, but when that option wasn’t available, you went to Prima.
Sadly, Prima Guides’ parent company DK has confirmed that the publication will be shutting down, bringing a close to a foundation of gaming history that has lasted almost as long as the industry itself. Prima got its start back in 1990 and has been helping games get through their challenges ever since. In 2015, Prima became the last man standing after purchasing Brady Games outright, but in an era of the Internet, finding an audience for gaming hint books is no doubt very difficult.
Aside from collectors, who else can you target when all your information is online for free?
Regardless, strategy guides hold a near and dear corner of my heart during my favorite gaming years. I still have Prima guides for both Pokémon Red and Pokémon Yellow, but even more sentimental to me is my Alundra Prima guide. Those Gilded Falcons man… with Prima, I would have been lost!
For you old folks, like me, who still turn to the tried and true format of “text” to get a few pointers, this is a sad close to a staple of gaming history that has touched many lives.
