spines

[LimitedEditionMuseum]

Can someone explain what these are, dealing with Dreamcast and other import games. Why do people not want a game unless its included?

[Bojay1997]

Can someone explain what these are, dealing with Dreamcast and other import games. Why do people not want a game unless its included?

They are called Obi cards and they were originally used to make imported albums able to be sold in Japan by providing a Kanji/Japanese translation of the name of the album, track listing, etc...Over time, they became standard on almost all recorded media in Japan and typically have information like bar codes, MSRP and publisher information. People want them because it's considered part of the factory packaging.

[pacmanhat]

I believe this is referring to a small piece of paper (paper is probably not the best word for it, but anything better is escaping me) that lies on the outside of some imported game cases. Usually these will contain a barcode and other information. Since they are above the game case but under the packaging, they are often discarded and can be pretty hard to find. It's certainly arguable that a game that originally came with a spine isn't complete with out it.

There's a good example on the right side of this photo (http://imgur.com/z6eoT). Hope this helps. :)

[theclaw]

It makes games more presentable at retail. The end users I don't think are expected to find much if any use for them, particularly since most cases don't have a specialized storage area inside.

[NayusDante]

I usually find them stored flattened behind the front insert, under the right holder nubs.

[xelement5x]

Spine card lover here, I find them all over the place on CD cases sometimes, but a lot of people tuck them behind the manual normally, some people stick them behind the tray but that doesn't really work if the tray is clear. Some have actually been glued to the outside of the case to simulate the original look without worrying about them falling off all the time.

I use CD bags to keep the spines in their original position without looking too weird, plus it keeps the case nice and avoids scuffing. I'm not normally too hardcore about getting JP games with them, but do prefer them.

Another thing that some people consider important to the "factory original" packaging are the registration or anketto cards, I find those tucked away in the manual really frequently actually.

[LimitedEditionMuseum]

Thanks guys and thanks Pac for the link. So it comes on the disc cover, not glued, but under the shrinkwrap so when you unseal the game, it just falls off?

[theclaw]

Yes. Opening the game with spine attached isn't a good idea. That'd naturally bend and degrade it over time.