Use walkthoughs or not?

If I play the game a second time (or more), if I am unable to progress and would quit the game and if I play only part of the game and just bypass other aspects of the game.

Those are the 3 big reasons as to why I would use a walkthrought, pretty much in that order. I am more likely to quit a game then use a walkthrought, so the fact I use 1 should be considered an honor, as it means I enjoy the game enough to paliete to a weakness in it and do something boring (check for a walkthrought) in order to appreciate the game more.

If I use a walkthrought twice a year, this is exceptionnal.

It really depends on the game, what else I'm doing, etc. Same goes for cheats with me.

I game to see new things, to uncover a story, etc. Challenge and the like is not my 1st priority. If I have the time and desire then I don't use any of those things, but at a time of year like this when there are so many new games asking for my attention you will find me resorting to those things a little sooner than I would otherwise. Like I said, my goal is not the sense of accomplishment in beating a game, it is experiencingthe environment, story, etc.

No, using a guide tends to turn a game like STALKER into being about "completion" and "finding powerful items" instead of being about enjoying the gaming experience. Guides are nice if you get stuck in the same area for a while, but if you're doing a game like Twilight Princess, are you really getting "stuck", or are you not truly exploring the game?

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That said, I dislike things in a game that essentially *require* a walkthrough - for a sidequest, fine, but for the main game, if there's some so obscure, unintuitive, and needlessly complex that no one could reasonably figure it out on their own, that must be done to progress, then the game design has broken down.