I love those huge manuals, they really give the impression that a game has alot of content.
The first thing I always do when I get a new game, is open the manual, and start reading whatever interesting stuff they put in it. The best ones are those with alot of backstory in them. I love reading up on the story in a game, and I also love reading about all of the great features the game has.
In my opinion, a game feels very "cheap," if they don't even bother to write a decent manual. The initial impression means alot, I want to be sure it is a great game I'm playing. And a good manual gives a great impression!
