Videogames companies' help "hotlines"...

Snark · Post by **Snark** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 10:44 pm

Has anyone ever CALLED those things? You know, in the instruction booklet in the 8-bit - 16 bit era, there was usually a number you could call:... "Stuck in a game, need a hint?" or something like that.

I just can't seriously imagine someone actually calling to say: "So yeah, I'm like really having a big problem jumping in the place where's a big pool of lava in the second part of the third stage..." or "I'm stuck after getting the artifact in the dungeon and after talking to John Smith in the village"...

And then the poor guy or girl at the end of the line would have to play along like: "Err..could you be more specific?" Or "You just have to really want to make that jump!" Lol wtf

adventure_of_link · Post by **adventure_of_link** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:36 pm

yeah I've called them once for when I needed help in legend of zelda: a link to the past

these days though, we have internets and walkthroughs

indignation · Post by **indignation** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 1:37 am

I used to want to be one of the guys at the call center, because that job used to lead to video game testing, and I wanted to play video games all day

blackmyst · Post by **blackmyst** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 1:40 am

Haha yeah I called the Nintendo Hotline or whatever it was called once, when I was trying to get the last star in Mario64. Turned out I already found them all, I just forgot to save once after getting one. And once for Terranigma, when I was trying to find some optional ultimate weapon or whatever, but they had no info on that apparently, just the plain walkthrough.

They were nice to talk to, and in the case of Mario64 they knew exactly what I meant all the time, probably just because the game was new and popular though.

Funny thing, I remember my friend called them about Terranigma as well, some time before I did, and he actually ended up helping them get past a certain point in the game (if you're wondering, I believe it was the part in the fake desert ghost town with the zombies where you had to enter a building from the top side, and you were supposed to be hinted towards the invisible entrance by the zombies going in). I guess that game just wasn't high on their priority list or something.

Snark · Post by **Snark** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 2:07 am

blackmyst wrote:Haha yeah I called the Nintendo Hotline or whatever it was called once, when I was trying to get the last star in Mario64. Turned out I already found them all, I just forgot to save once after getting one. And once for Terranigma, when I was trying to find some optional ultimate weapon or whatever, but they had no info on that apparently, just the plain walkthrough.

They were nice to talk to, and in the case of Mario64 they knew exactly what I meant all the time, probably just because the game was new and popular though.

Funny thing, I remember my friend called them about Terranigma as well, some time before I did, and he actually ended up helping them get past a certain point in the game (if you're wondering, I believe it was the part in the fake desert ghost town with the zombies where you had to enter a building from the top side, and you were supposed to be hinted towards the invisible entrance by the zombies going in). I guess that game just wasn't high on their priority list or something.

Interesting. Thanks for confirming those "help lines" actually existed heh.

I can see how they could advice someone from going to point A to point B, but I would have wondered how they responded when someone asked about defeating bosses and such...

Panzer88 · Post by **Panzer88** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 3:30 am

yeah back in the day that, magazines, and word of mouth were the only way to get info. I remember my brother calling them up to ask what the code for the last level on the Sonic 1 & Knuckles blue stages levels, they told him they didn't think it ended.

I don't remember a ton of it because I was littler but my brother just said that they used to call them up all the time.

corronchilejano · Post by **corronchilejano** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 5:15 am

I had a friend in my hometown that had the only subscription in the whole neighborhood to a Nintendo Magazine (here called "Club Nintendo"). His line was practically a hotline, since he memorized almost everything he saw there. Codes, walkthroughs, everything.

FitzRoy · Post by **FitzRoy** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 5:38 am

Yep, when I was a kid I called the Nintendo Power one for Zelda. Course, they never immediately knew the answer to anything

For whatever reason, I remember asking about wanting to get in a lake that you couldn't get into because I was convinced there was a secret weapon or something there. lol.

blackmyst · Post by **blackmyst** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 11:42 am

Snark wrote:Interesting. Thanks for confirming those "help lines" actually existed heh.

I can see how they could advice someone from going to point A to point B, but I would have wondered how they responded when someone asked about defeating bosses and such...

Well like I said, I think it all depended on whether that particular helpline person was familiar with the game themselves, nobody could have played absolutely all of them. In the case of SM64, it had just come out and everyone was obviously calling about it, so I guess they all finished the game 100% and they knew everything. It was just like talking to a friend about the game really, they were very friendly and knowledgeable, with immediate answers.

But another time I called about something related to the second quest in Zelda 1, and I don't think the girl on the other end was even aware this quest existed, she probably thought I was still talking about the first one, the answers I got had nothing to do with what I asked. :P So in that particular case they probably only had the walkthrough text in front of them.

/checks a recent Nintendo booklet

Hah, they still exist, it seems! Maybe I'll call them again just for old time's sake... nah.

Panzer88 · Post by **Panzer88** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 11:58 am

yeah it all depended on the company and the individual. sometimes they were really helpful and sometimes you felt like you knew more than them. Games like Donkey Kong Country were cool because you could get hints for secrets in games using banana coins without buying a guide or anything, but the hints weren't forced down your throat either.

Demios · Post by **Demios** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 3:20 am

there were not 1900 numbers? I never paid any mind to them.

Panzer88 · Post by **Panzer88** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 4:43 am

but mom... I was just calling the video game hotline... yeah... I wasn't calling any bad numbers.... honest.

Post by **grinvader** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 2:34 pm

call 1-800-GOD-SUCKS-AT-TETRIS

Johan_H · Post by **Johan_H** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 4:02 pm

My bro called them a couple of times. I remember them always being correct and fast.