The Video Game Critic

[QUOTE=Adamant]The Gameboy boxes, hands down.
No, not those crummy cardboard things, I'm talking about those pale plastic boxes that came with each new game, completely covering them, protecting them against absolutely everything. They are see-through, so they can be used for any game you'd like. They fit perfectly in those Game Boy carrying case things. Can easily be carried in any random pocket. They won't open no matter how hard you drop/throw them, yet they open easily when you want them to. They can take a lot of damage. You can easily fit a small post-it note with game passwords in one along with a cart, and not risk it falling out when you remove the cart. Beautiful.

Why did you take the away, Nintendo? Whyyy?[/QUOTE]

The NES and early SNES games contained plastic containers to slip over the ends of cartridges. Then, during the SNES era, Nintendo began putting on a type of coating on the cartridge ends to protect them and omitted the plastic ends. I imagine this is why Gameboy cases are gone. Now all portable cartridges, just like the SNES cartridges, began to have the coating.

Anyhow, the best media is pure digital (like the VC games). Physically removing cartridges and storing them is something I am glad to see gone. The best game packaging would be the jewel boxes of the Origin PC games. You could open up an Ultima box and find, fictional books actinng as manuals, numerous guides, disks (of course), a trinket of some sort, along with a very nice cloth map. No console game has really had anything like that.

Genesis cartridges are great, Genesis cases are greater.  I can say this despite the fact that I have a box of carts but only one case.

Y'all are right: the original GameBoy clear cartridge protectors are superb.  Every one of my GameBoy cartridges sits in a shoebox, encased in its clear plastic protector.

Matter of fact, the original GameBoy cartridges are cool, too.  The games they house are not much less sophisticated than the 8-bit NES carts, yet in comparison with those sandwich-sized monstrosities the GameBoy carts seem as diminuitive as postage-stamps.

As I type, I'm realizing how well Nintendo packages their stuff.  The GameCube cases are wonderfully effective, holding the two miniature discs on the right and the instruction manual on the left.

But for the sake of utility, I like the Playstation's no-frills CD jewel cases.  These are always getting cracked and broken (when stepped on--ahem), but are easy as pie to replace.  The dollar store sells jewel cases 5 (or more) for a dollar.  "Slip" (read: stuff) the instruction manual into the left side and you've got an instant cover.  Even the game stores' habitual selling of discs in those worthless slipsleeves is easily remedied.

Now if they'd just stop selling xBox/PS2/GameCube games in generic cases with those stupid colorful hiphop-inspired paper slipsleeves with the game's name scribbled on in permanent marker.

I enjoy Sega's packaging, from the master system to the early genesis titles with the white/black with the grid to the genesis, sega cd and 32x with the different coloured diagonal lines along the edge of the case (heck even the Satrun cases used white and offwhite lines). This really ties my collection together.



My favourate is the Sega Cd/ Sega Saturn Packaging. I know that they are fragile, a few of mine are cracked, but the size, look and feel really does it for me. I love how the instruction booklets are so tall, as well as the cover art.

I am an old schooler (Mclain Elementary, 1972), and I always thought the sleek silver IMAGIC Atari 2600 game cases were the best. The box art had imaginative special effects-shots considering the time frame; like in Star Voyager they basically rebuilt a Star Wars Millenium Falcon model (thicker and upside down) and had it on this FANTASTIC space background. Demon Attack had silver spray painted rubber dinosaurs. It was all cheap, but considering that, it REALLY looked good! Very IMAGInative! And the box felt like silver and opened like a slipcase, almost like the cart was an expensive piece of jewlery. Loved it!

Colse second would be Sega plastic cases. Always good!

I used to love the Genesis cases, back when all the other companies just gave you paper boxes, but now I prefer just having the loose carts in a box. The cases take up a lot of space.

Also, I nearly forgot this, I love the DS cases. They're really sturdy, but they're small enough for me to throw a bunch in a backpack if I'm going somewhere.