I called a few back in the day for clues. Sonic 3, Tomb Raider 4 (I think), Overblood (lol) were a few games that stumped me as a baby child. This was long before I had internet let alone a PC that could connect.
It was something like 5-6 bucks per minute a total rip off to have someone tell you you’re a dummy for not looking up and pressing ‘A’.
I bought strategy guides instead. I still have a few of them!
I had guides too, well a few, depending on if my parents wanted to buy it. The best guides I had were for FFVII the unofficial guide with the anime artwork and poster and the Shenmue guide.
FVII the unofficial guide
Please tell me it has like five adjectives that start with “un-”, including unauthorized and unofficial, surrounded by a stylized explosion on the cover.
Olds know you had to prioritize dial up time for playing games rather than reading about them. Reading strategy guides written before the game was released by people who never had the opportunity to actually play it online before writing while my parents are on the phone and trying to sneak forums in during computer class to try to catch up on the meta.
We still buy them! My family has a lot of fun going through the art and maps and lore.
The official Elden ring strategy guide has a higher good reads score than Ulysses by James Joyce.
If you were 18+ there was also special numbers you could call to have the sexy time over the phone with a lady. But like I said, I was baby
those phone lines got funnier to me when i learned that one of my mum’s friends worked one for some extra money
she was a very happily married woman in her 50s who would be answering the line while doing housework when her kids were at school lol
Oh Ms. Cleo! She was so good, wish I had the chance to get my fortune read.
Area code 900 premium-rate telephone numbers. My family was too poor? cheap? savvy? to ever call one.
Hell yeah i do. I called one, once, got my ass lit up after my folks got the bill too.
I distinctly recall the tip line with smug face in the game… brochure? guide? instructions? pamphlet? Wtf do you call the thing they don’t include with physical games these days.
I also distinctly recall not being allowed to call it.
