Special Packaging: makes gamers feel special?

***Cosmonautical*** · 09-20-2009, 11:45 PM

If there's anything the collector in me loves, it's nice packaging. Getting a brand-spanking new game isn't quite the same as it used to be, what with the games coming in their all-purpose plastic cases and manuals being relegated to using stock art with only a few pages. Metroid Prime Trilogy's NTSC release has seen it graced with a very sexy steelbook case, and seeing photos of that's brought on a wave of memories of decent packaging. Anyone else have a favorite box or cartridge?

I don't think anything could ever top the awe with which I beheld the gold and silver original Zelda carts as a kid. They always seemed that much more special to me as a kid. The bright red Maximum Carnage cart for the SNES has always been a real eye-catcher, too. I also remember fondly the Killer Instinct cart, which came in the subtler, but very distinctly badassed black casing.

As far as the box it's packaged in goes, I very distinctly also remember the ridiculously oversized Mario Paint and Super Bomberman boxes for the SNES. They had good reason to be so big - Bomberman contained the 5-player Multitap adaptor, and Mario Paint came with the SNES mouse and plastic "pad".

Robotazy · 09-21-2009, 12:07 AM

I guess the extra packaging is nice, but there's usually no reason for it.

I guess if you wanted to give your game the extra notice it deserves, then by all means.

Still, tbhe Gold OoT Cartridge blew me away the first time I saw it.

**Valigarmander** · 09-21-2009, 12:30 AM

Yeah, something about gold Zelda cartridges and tin Metroid cases makes it stand out amongst the rest of the boring stuff. (Although I heard that MPT might not be sold outside the NA region in the tin case... was that true?)

Maybe it's just the fact that they're different than the rest that makes them seem so special.

Metal Man · 09-21-2009, 01:05 AM

The ultimate game case, for me, was the Sega Genesis plastic clamshell case. Current cases are good, but not good enough--they need more bulk to them.

On the other hand, I loathed nothing more than the disposable, flimsy paper cases of the N64/GBC era.

Metal Mario · 09-21-2009, 01:29 AM

Yeah, I remember that the gold Ocarina of Time cartridge was a big deal. I pre-ordered to get it.

And dude, what the hell was with Nintendo giving up on the little plastic Game Boy game cases? Seriously, they couldn't have cost more than half a penny to manufacture.

Panfan · 09-21-2009, 10:17 AM

holographic gold Majora's Mask is so much cooler than any of my other N64 games.

**Valigarmander** · 09-21-2009, 01:38 PM

I remember when we were younger my sister took glittery nail polish and smeared it over our Banjo-Kazooie cartridge.

To this day it stands out among the rest of our N64 games.

***Marilink*** · 09-21-2009, 08:12 PM

I love me some special packaging. I think that may have just sold me on buying MPT.

I hate the trend of boring instruction manuals that we've fallen into. The best manual I've seen in a while is Scribblenauts. The next one that comes to mind is Zak and Wiki, and it was all because of the fun art they had. Stock images are so lame.

**Valigarmander** · 09-21-2009, 09:18 PM

ALRIGHT, AN INSTRUCTON MANUAL!

*the pages are all monochrome*

D:

PK FIRE! · 09-21-2009, 09:29 PM

I think I saw a Yahoo news article about a gold LoZ cartridge selling for 17,000 dollers. Makes me wish my dad hadn't traded ours way back when in 93.

- You stupid dog.

***Cosmonautical*** · 09-22-2009, 01:34 AM

Sorry dude, but it'd have to be a special instance. The gold-cartridge Zelda is more common than the unfailing grey variety.

BTW, does anyone remember seeing a silver version of the Zelda II cart? That thing was badassed. Unless my memory is totally warped and it never existed. :/

Oh, and just to drop a few more names, the new Metal Slug 7 for the DS shipped in a very slick holographic jacked. So did my copy of Metroid Prime 2, for that matter.

^^ Dude, I want more NINTENDO PLAYER'S GUIDES. Not these crappy things Prima licenses, but something with original art and some cool backstory-type info.

PK FIRE! · 09-22-2009, 01:50 AM

No I phrazed that wrong AI. I had no intention to sell it I wanted to play it through, the kicker is while my NES still works the controllers don't. Though that's no longer a problem as soon as I get wireless intrenet I intend to make use of the VC.

- You stupid dog.

***Booyakasha*** · 09-22-2009, 07:40 AM

^^I still have my awesome NP SMB3 Player's Guide knocking about somewhere. Great, entertaining book. You don't see that kind of care and showmanship in most strat guides (Gamefan's Soul Blade guide and the hardbound Mirror's Edge book that just came out are definitely in the top tier, though).

Been a while since I even looked at an instruction manual. And really, awesome as 'Killer Instincts' black cart was, the inclusion of 'Killer Cuts' was the big bonus for me.

***Cosmonautical*** · 09-22-2009, 08:45 AM

Yeah, I've still got the Killer Cuts disc. I was just listening to it in the car recently, as corny as it is.

^^ Like I said, as awesome as the gold cartridge made me feel about the game as a kid, its battery wasn't fully rechargable, so the gold carts all lost their memory functionality after a few years. I was just pointing out that the big seller would have to be more than a regular gold-cart Zelda, though since those are pretty common. The grey cart usually fetches a higher price, ironically.

PK FIRE! · 09-22-2009, 02:06 PM

Huh I never knew that about the gold carts, grated I never got much a chance to play mine but still that's odd.

I used to have the SMB2 USA instruction book memorized, I don't know why but I did. Though after I got older the entry about Birdo became rather funny.

- You stupid dog.

Chaos Deviot · 09-22-2009, 02:13 PM

The first two Zelda games were initially shipped as Gold colored first, and were quite common, for those who don't understand what he's saying. Finding the grey cartridges is MUCH harder. I know, I've only seen a grey Zelda II cartridge.

Panfan · 09-22-2009, 07:06 PM

I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure my uncle's copy of LoZ is grey. I haven't played it in ages though

09-20-2009, 11:45 PM	#1
*Cosmonautical* Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I rub my tilde all over your asterisk Gender: Posts: 28,100 Thanks: 2,151 Thanked 5,338 Times in 2,433 Posts	Special Packaging: makes gamers feel special? If there's anything the collector in me loves, it's nice packaging. Getting a brand-spanking new game isn't quite the same as it used to be, what with the games coming in their all-purpose plastic cases and manuals being relegated to using stock art with only a few pages. Metroid Prime Trilogy's NTSC release has seen it graced with a very sexy steelbook case, and seeing photos of that's brought on a wave of memories of decent packaging. Anyone else have a favorite box or cartridge? I don't think anything could ever top the awe with which I beheld the gold and silver original Zelda carts as a kid. They always seemed that much more special to me as a kid. The bright red Maximum Carnage cart for the SNES has always been a real eye-catcher, too. I also remember fondly the Killer Instinct cart, which came in the subtler, but very distinctly badassed black casing. As far as the box it's packaged in goes, I very distinctly also remember the ridiculously oversized Mario Paint and Super Bomberman boxes for the SNES. They had good reason to be so big - Bomberman contained the 5-player Multitap adaptor, and Mario Paint came with the SNES mouse and plastic "pad".

09-21-2009, 12:07 AM	#2
Robotazy PRESS ANY KEY TO PANIC! Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: A Tiny Shed Gender: Posts: 16,483 Thanks: 529 Thanked 1,254 Times in 897 Posts Blog Entries: 46	I guess the extra packaging is nice, but there's usually no reason for it. I guess if you wanted to give your game the extra notice it deserves, then by all means. Still, tbhe Gold OoT Cartridge blew me away the first time I saw it.

09-21-2009, 12:30 AM	#3
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,700 Times in 2,580 Posts Blog Entries: 20	Yeah, something about gold Zelda cartridges and tin Metroid cases makes it stand out amongst the rest of the boring stuff. (Although I heard that MPT might not be sold outside the NA region in the tin case... was that true?) Maybe it's just the fact that they're different than the rest that makes them seem so special.

09-21-2009, 01:05 AM	#4
Metal Man Fairy-Slaying Maniac Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: 1592 Miles Away From Here Gender: Posts: 18,062 Thanks: 148 Thanked 683 Times in 482 Posts	The ultimate game case, for me, was the Sega Genesis plastic clamshell case. Current cases are good, but not good enough--they need more bulk to them. On the other hand, I loathed nothing more than the disposable, flimsy paper cases of the N64/GBC era.

09-21-2009, 01:29 AM	#5
Metal Mario Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 1999 Gender: Posts: 16,435 Thanks: 72 Thanked 190 Times in 127 Posts	Yeah, I remember that the gold Ocarina of Time cartridge was a big deal. I pre-ordered to get it. And dude, what the hell was with Nintendo giving up on the little plastic Game Boy game cases? Seriously, they couldn't have cost more than half a penny to manufacture.

09-21-2009, 10:17 AM	#6
Panfan AND HE PRAYS Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Grayskull Gender: Posts: 18,806 Thanks: 1,405 Thanked 2,247 Times in 1,337 Posts Blog Entries: 15	holographic gold Majora's Mask is so much cooler than any of my other N64 games.

09-21-2009, 01:38 PM	#7
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,700 Times in 2,580 Posts Blog Entries: 20	I remember when we were younger my sister took glittery nail polish and smeared it over our Banjo-Kazooie cartridge. To this day it stands out among the rest of our N64 games.

09-21-2009, 08:12 PM	#8
*Marilink* Gotta catch 'em all! Supermod! Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Location, Location. Gender: Posts: 29,118 Thanks: 2,535 Thanked 1,822 Times in 1,007 Posts	I love me some special packaging. I think that may have just sold me on buying MPT. I hate the trend of boring instruction manuals that we've fallen into. The best manual I've seen in a while is Scribblenauts. The next one that comes to mind is Zak and Wiki, and it was all because of the fun art they had. Stock images are so lame.

09-21-2009, 09:18 PM	#9
Valigarmander The Bee's Knees Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: The land of rain and trees (Oregon) Gender: Posts: 29,755 Thanks: 1,649 Thanked 5,700 Times in 2,580 Posts Blog Entries: 20	ALRIGHT, AN INSTRUCTON MANUAL! the pages are all monochrome D:

09-21-2009, 09:29 PM	#10
PK FIRE! Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: On the run. Gender: Posts: 9,544 Thanks: 175 Thanked 150 Times in 120 Posts	I think I saw a Yahoo news article about a gold LoZ cartridge selling for 17,000 dollers. Makes me wish my dad hadn't traded ours way back when in 93. - You stupid dog.

09-22-2009, 01:34 AM	#11
*Cosmonautical* Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I rub my tilde all over your asterisk Gender: Posts: 28,100 Thanks: 2,151 Thanked 5,338 Times in 2,433 Posts	Sorry dude, but it'd have to be a special instance. The gold-cartridge Zelda is more common than the unfailing grey variety. BTW, does anyone remember seeing a silver version of the Zelda II cart? That thing was badassed. Unless my memory is totally warped and it never existed. :/ Oh, and just to drop a few more names, the new Metal Slug 7 for the DS shipped in a very slick holographic jacked. So did my copy of Metroid Prime 2, for that matter. ^^ Dude, I want more NINTENDO PLAYER'S GUIDES. Not these crappy things Prima licenses, but something with original art and some cool backstory-type info.

09-22-2009, 01:50 AM	#12
PK FIRE! Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: On the run. Gender: Posts: 9,544 Thanks: 175 Thanked 150 Times in 120 Posts	No I phrazed that wrong AI. I had no intention to sell it I wanted to play it through, the kicker is while my NES still works the controllers don't. Though that's no longer a problem as soon as I get wireless intrenet I intend to make use of the VC. - You stupid dog.

09-22-2009, 07:40 AM	#13
*Booyakasha* SuperMod of War Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Wisconsinland Gender: Posts: 9,945 Thanks: 157 Thanked 1,481 Times in 763 Posts	^^I still have my awesome NP SMB3 Player's Guide knocking about somewhere. Great, entertaining book. You don't see that kind of care and showmanship in most strat guides (Gamefan's Soul Blade guide and the hardbound Mirror's Edge book that just came out are definitely in the top tier, though). Been a while since I even looked at an instruction manual. And really, awesome as 'Killer Instincts' black cart was, the inclusion of 'Killer Cuts' was the big bonus for me.

09-22-2009, 08:45 AM	#14
*Cosmonautical* Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: I rub my tilde all over your asterisk Gender: Posts: 28,100 Thanks: 2,151 Thanked 5,338 Times in 2,433 Posts	Yeah, I've still got the Killer Cuts disc. I was just listening to it in the car recently, as corny as it is. ^^ Like I said, as awesome as the gold cartridge made me feel about the game as a kid, its battery wasn't fully rechargable, so the gold carts all lost their memory functionality after a few years. I was just pointing out that the big seller would have to be more than a regular gold-cart Zelda, though since those are pretty common. The grey cart usually fetches a higher price, ironically.

09-22-2009, 02:06 PM	#15
PK FIRE! Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: On the run. Gender: Posts: 9,544 Thanks: 175 Thanked 150 Times in 120 Posts	Huh I never knew that about the gold carts, grated I never got much a chance to play mine but still that's odd. I used to have the SMB2 USA instruction book memorized, I don't know why but I did. Though after I got older the entry about Birdo became rather funny. - You stupid dog.

09-22-2009, 02:13 PM	#16
Chaos Deviot The Betrayer Join Date: May 2004 Location: Mt. Moon Gender: Posts: 1,811 Thanks: 171 Thanked 52 Times in 49 Posts Blog Entries: 1	The first two Zelda games were initially shipped as Gold colored first, and were quite common, for those who don't understand what he's saying. Finding the grey cartridges is MUCH harder. I know, I've only seen a grey Zelda II cartridge.

09-22-2009, 07:06 PM	#17
Panfan AND HE PRAYS Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Grayskull Gender: Posts: 18,806 Thanks: 1,405 Thanked 2,247 Times in 1,337 Posts Blog Entries: 15	I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure my uncle's copy of LoZ is grey. I haven't played it in ages though