CheatPlanet's Top 5 FAQ Submitters

VampireHorde
Recent FAQs: Family Guy, God of War, Dead or Alive Ultimate

Why do you write FAQs? What got you started?
I write FAQs because there are so many thingsto learn about ina game when you write one, and it shows how much knowledge you have ofthat particular game. Whatinspired me into writing theseguides was the fact that I myself had so many questions aboutcertain games andfound no help of any kind, because many guides out there are so half-assed that it upsets me.

What is the most difficult game you've written a guide for?
There really isn't a game in particular but specificgenres that I find difficult to write for: Fighting games and Sports games. I wrote a full FAQ for both discsofDead or Alive Ultimate for Xbox and it took me nearly three weeks to finish simply because there are so many moves and maneuvers to type per character. The same thing goes for all sports games. I applaud anyone that can write a full, in-depth FAQ for ANY sports title.

“…let me just say that you don't want to upset the Final Fantasy fanboys”

What kind of response do you get from readers?
The FAQ that I've gotten lots of positive response from was my Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory FAQ. I spent so much time refining that FAQ and the effort was worth it. As for strange e-mails, let me just say that you don't want to upset the Final Fantasy fanboys. I wrote a nasty plot hole FAQ for Final Fantasy X-2 back in 2003 and I got SO many weird and funky death threats for it, it was funny as hell.

What makes an FAQ good?
A good writer knows that an FAQ goes in-depth and tells you everything you need to know about a game, no matter whether it's only one part or the whole thing. Writing an FAQ isn't about typing these long paragraphs and then submitting it. It's breaking down the important elements and giving an explanation for each one (which I'm guilty of not doing sometimes). My style consists of writing only the important parts. Less is more.

Are you planning on writing more? Any specific games that you’re looking forward to?
I definitely will be writing more FAQ's in the coming year. I hope to get first dibs on the next Splinter Cell or Team Ninja game.

GamesRadarTylerWilde
Associate Editor, Digital at PC Gamer