klausien
05-19-2006, 08:27 AM
Having recently gotten Tool's 10,000 Days, I started thinking about which games I had where the packaging actually adds to the experience. Nothing really approaches the intensity of the the album's stereoscopic lenses, but I singled out one that really does it for me.
When SFII came out for the SNES, I couldn't wait to get my mitts on it. SFII was an addiction for most at the time, and the chance to practice and play at home was a revelation. The SNES game was fantastic and lived up to expectations for the most part, but one thing truly sucked: the Box Art. It was bad enough that it had to be on a US SNES cart brick, but the art is so hideous that it detracts from the experience. If I remember correctly, the manual was also B&W (I might be wrong). All of this is an insult to the spectacular piece of software it houses. It may be a bit superficial, but it really does matter, especially when the game was $70. I will never understand why American marketing departments feel they need to do this to us. (Well, I guess it is more a Japanese misunderstanding of Americans)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v695/klausien/11_1_b.jpg
The japanese version is cool though:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v695/klausien/91772848a.jpg
The lack of finesse with the American SNES SFII contrasts perfectly with my personal favorite packaging: Street Fighter II Dash for the PC Engine. I have had non-gamer friends comment on how great the packaging is. It is stylish and sophisticated. An excellent color scheme permeates this release. That light Champion Edition blue and a complementary light gray is everywhere, even on the spine card, and the cover art is a recognizable SFII piece as opposed to an American bastardization. The manual is large and in full color. Color manuals are basically the rule in Japan, but it adds to the package. The double CD case is totally unecessary, but truly luxurious. It being white and housing the HuCard in the case style with the indentation and pins that hold the Hu slipcase is gravy. It does help that I have an affinity for white CD trays, but you have to admit its cool. The final piece is the actual HuCard itself. It has that little raised section to fit the extra memory and just feels, not to sound corny, special. It helps that the conversion is so great (second only to the SNES version of Turbo in my book), but this package really makes the game feel like the treasure it is.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v695/klausien/fd_1.jpg
Kind of ridiculous, I know, but rarely does a game get such VIP treatment in a standard release. The whole thing feels like a collectors' edition.
As for some current games, the US Halo 2 LE is a pretty cool package, as is the LE Doom 3 for XBox. I'm a sucker for metal DVD cases.
When SFII came out for the SNES, I couldn't wait to get my mitts on it. SFII was an addiction for most at the time, and the chance to practice and play at home was a revelation. The SNES game was fantastic and lived up to expectations for the most part, but one thing truly sucked: the Box Art. It was bad enough that it had to be on a US SNES cart brick, but the art is so hideous that it detracts from the experience. If I remember correctly, the manual was also B&W (I might be wrong). All of this is an insult to the spectacular piece of software it houses. It may be a bit superficial, but it really does matter, especially when the game was $70. I will never understand why American marketing departments feel they need to do this to us. (Well, I guess it is more a Japanese misunderstanding of Americans)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v695/klausien/11_1_b.jpg
The japanese version is cool though:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v695/klausien/91772848a.jpg
The lack of finesse with the American SNES SFII contrasts perfectly with my personal favorite packaging: Street Fighter II Dash for the PC Engine. I have had non-gamer friends comment on how great the packaging is. It is stylish and sophisticated. An excellent color scheme permeates this release. That light Champion Edition blue and a complementary light gray is everywhere, even on the spine card, and the cover art is a recognizable SFII piece as opposed to an American bastardization. The manual is large and in full color. Color manuals are basically the rule in Japan, but it adds to the package. The double CD case is totally unecessary, but truly luxurious. It being white and housing the HuCard in the case style with the indentation and pins that hold the Hu slipcase is gravy. It does help that I have an affinity for white CD trays, but you have to admit its cool. The final piece is the actual HuCard itself. It has that little raised section to fit the extra memory and just feels, not to sound corny, special. It helps that the conversion is so great (second only to the SNES version of Turbo in my book), but this package really makes the game feel like the treasure it is.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v695/klausien/fd_1.jpg
Kind of ridiculous, I know, but rarely does a game get such VIP treatment in a standard release. The whole thing feels like a collectors' edition.
As for some current games, the US Halo 2 LE is a pretty cool package, as is the LE Doom 3 for XBox. I'm a sucker for metal DVD cases.