Dreamcast jewel cases -- a question

[slapdash]

Okay, take one of your Dreamcast games off the shelf, and open it up. Look to the lower left corner of the case by the disc, still on the lowered part (not to the part that rises left of the lid). On many/most cases, there's a rectangle imprinted into the case (I think there's a similar one upper right too). Now, in some of them there's something etched into that rectangle. Mostly just say "CD" or somesuch, but I got one that has a little etched rendering of the guy in that famous stereo ad (so famous I can't think of the company -- Pioneer?) in his chair with the sound from the speakers blowing his hair and even his drink back while Ride of the Valkyries plays.

Okay, after all that... Has anyone else seen any with the guy etched, or even "CD"? I ask because I got a DC game, supposedly new, but I wonder if it's not the original CD case, which leads me to wonder if it's new at all. But if anyone has similar things from games that were bought shrinkwrapped, then I know this is normal, and Sega apparently just bought CD cases from a variety of manufacturers instead of making their own. I went through a random sampling of my games and didn't find any others. Maybe if I get bored I'll go through all of them...

[johnny arcade]

I've never seen that, but the ad you're thinking of has got to be for Maxell. And they are pretty well known for selling blank recordable media.

[swvcc]

I don't think it's new....I just bought a 12 pack of blank jewel cases at KMart (Maxell brand) and they are exactly as you described.

-Scott

[slapdash]

I've never seen that, but the ad you're thinking of has got to be for Maxell. And they are pretty well known for selling blank recordable media.

Well, it's not a CDR, if that's what you mean, but I can see where maybe the case could have come from a CDR. Does anyone have Maxell CDRs laying around and could check?


I don't think it's new....I just bought a 12 pack of blank jewel cases at KMart (Maxell brand) and they are exactly as you described.

I didn't mean to ask if they're "new" cases, but rather did any Dreamcast games get released in those cases. I.e., did Sega use any Maxell cases to package their games.

So, has anybody seen any DC games (bought new) come in Maxell cases?

[Captain Wrong]

I've never seen any DC games new or used in a case like you described. Was this game sealed when you bought it? I can't think of any reason it'd have a tray from a Maxell case except that the previous owner replaced it. The hubs on those clear plastic trays can be brittle at times and often need replacing.

[slapdash]

I've never seen any DC games new or used in a case like you described. Was this game sealed when you bought it? I can't think of any reason it'd have a tray from a Maxell case except that the previous owner replaced it. The hubs on those clear plastic trays can be brittle at times and often need replacing.

That's the crux of the matter... I bought it supposedly "new, but with shrinkwrap removed", but now I'm wondering if there wasn't more done. I asked, and the seller said no, which is why I'm asking here. The person is very polite, and has offered to replace it for a shrinkwrapped one, and refunded postage for a small initial slipup I wouldn't have even thought twice about, so I don't think they're hosing me on purpose, but I'm still debating sending it back. Oh well, I guess I'll decide soon, one way or another.

[geelw]

you simply got what was advertised. what MOST likely happened was the ORIGINAL case was cracked, and rather than send you the game in that condition, the seller replaced it, not knowing you'd check and notice that it wasn't an original case!

i actually prefer if a seller does this (and lets me know), and i've sold games that i've re-packed (but NOT as new) because of cracked cases or busted cd spindles. there's nothing worse than getting a game and hearing it rattle around in the cd case before you even open the package... :shock:

[GENESISNES]

I ALWAYS get broken CD spindles from funcoland. it pisses me off.

[slapdash]

you simply got what was advertised.

No, not really.


what MOST likely happened was the ORIGINAL case was cracked, and rather than send you the game in that condition, the seller replaced it, not knowing you'd check and notice that it wasn't an original case!

Which is dishonest.

When I read "game is brand new", then EVERYTHING about it should be untouched.

Note that the seller is the one who was probably duped, from whoever sold it to them. The seller has been exceedingly polite and helpful. But it's not what I expected, and I'm trying to ask if anyone else has seen this kind of thing before so I can decide if even the seller really got scammed or not.

[Nature Boy]

For what it's worth: I grabbed two of my DC games that I purchased new and shrinkwrapped, and in both cases that little rectangle was totally empty.

If I were you I'd definitely conclude that the switcheroo was made. However it wouldn't bother me unless the artwork was copied. I've bought used from a place before not realizing that they used a colour photocopier to make it look like the original packaging. Whenever I go to that store now I closely inspect their used stuff - the copied stuff is a lot less crisp.

[slapdash]

For what it's worth: I grabbed two of my DC games that I purchased new and shrinkwrapped, and in both cases that little rectangle was totally empty.

Yeah... So far I've seen four variations -- no rectangle, empty rectangle, "CD" or "audio CD" or somesuch (maybe another swapout), and the Maxell guy. There may be others, as I assume it's up to the jewel case manufacturers to design as they wish. I wonder why Sega didn't have it imprinted with the Sega logo or the Dreamcast swirl?


If I were you I'd definitely conclude that the switcheroo was made. However it wouldn't bother me unless the artwork was copied.

It bothers me greatly if that wasn't made clear. Mind you, the game is the important thing, then docs, and lastly case -- by a large margin. But, it makes me suspicious.


I've bought used from a place before not realizing that they used a colour photocopier to make it look like the original packaging. Whenever I go to that store now I closely inspect their used stuff - the copied stuff is a lot less crisp.

Oof, haven't seen that. A local GameStop has a couple color copies, but they're obvious because they're just title cards -- it's immediately obvious that they're not docs, so I don't feel like they're trying to fool me. And most have either no card, or a generic title card with the name written in marker. (Pisser though, they had a smattering of rare games that I haven't had any luck finding new, and I WAS a bit tempted).

[Captain Wrong]

Re: colored copied artwork. I've seen quite a few of these at Funcos around here. Seems to be a trend.

Most bizarre thing I've seen was a sealed Space Channel 5 at Meijers with odviously copied artwork. This was back when the game was new, so the only thing I can think of was someone has a sealer and sealed the artwork in a case to return it for cash. Given the quality of employees I've run into there, it wouldn't suprize me to find out this worked.