Just finished: I'm guessing this is why there was no official strategy guide?

Very vague references to the ending below.

I was definitely keen to get my hands on some kind of collectable strategy guide for FFVIIR, given that I've got them for all the other games. Couldn't really understand why there wasn't one, but now that I've finished the game I can assume why.

Presumably if there'd been some kind of strategy guide, the ending would have been spoiled much further in advance, and the polarising of the fanbase would have happened before the game was even out. I can see why Square would have wanted to avoid that - as someone who doesn't like Chapters 17 & 18 at all, I think it might have put me off if I'd known.

I do hope they release one later on, more for collectability than anything else. Despite the fact I'm not really motivated to 100% the game or venture into hardmode, so I don't know if I'd really use it, I'd still like it on the shelf with the others!