Imports and Spine Cards

[Junkyrdsalesman]

Hey there everybody, i want to start importing games but i want to buy complete copies, spine card and all. So i searched up Echo Night 2 and i was unable to find a copy with a spine card. Do all Japanese PS1 and Saturn games come with a spine card? here's an Echo Night 2 auction for reference

http://page8.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/h59289453

[Aussie2B]

To the best of my knowledge, yes, they all had, except maybe for games in special collector's/limited edition packaging.

Personally, I wouldn't consider a game incomplete just because it doesn't have the spine card. I'd liken spine cards to the plastic wrap or, perhaps more accurately, the stickers that used to be along the top of the case of disc-based games in the US. It's a nice bonus to have, but it's still just disposable packaging designed only to assist in displaying a game for sale. It's not a feature of the product, it's not something intended to be kept like a case or a manual.

[bb_hood]

I think one reason for spine cards is that the back inserts dont get faded while they sit on the shelf. I have a few pc-engine games that have totally faded into a different color.

[Aussie2B]

You mean in the store? Yeah, I suppose that's an extra benefit. Doesn't really work so well after the plastic wrap comes off, though, not unless you just tuck it around the game on the shelf and never pull your games out. Unless a game of mine is in some kind of plastic slip that will hold the spine card in place, I just flatten it out and slide it against the manual on the inside.

[Junkyrdsalesman]

Thanks for the insight everybody, i think i may have found the answer. Echo Night 2 is part of the 'PSOne Books' series that they had in Japan, i think that these games may not have come with a spine card because of their budget price tag. If anyone can confirm this or has more information that would be great.

here's some info on the series
http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q4-2001/103001c.html

[Guyra]

I have a couple of PSone Books releases, and they both have spine cards. (King's Field and King's Field II, from the developers of the Echo Night series, From Software.)

[Junkyrdsalesman]

I have a couple of PSone Books releases, and they both have spine cards. (King's Field and King's Field II, from the developers of the Echo Night series, From Software.)

thanks for confirming this, it was just a theory i had. i suppose that i just need to wait for one w/ a spine card to pop up online

[Guyra]

As far as I know, all Japanese PS1 games comes with spine cards, with the possible exception of special editions. But I'm no expert.

You could try amazon.co.jp, but there you usually don't see whether or not they have spine cards, so you kind of just have to take a chance. :/

[Aussie2B]

No, PSone Books releases still have spine cards. Like I said, spine cards help stores display information and sell products while saving space, so it's not something they would leave out to save money. They'd be more likely to go cheap on the game's packaging, which is exactly the case with PSone Books releases. Those are budget re-releases, so all of those games are available in their original, full price form (think green Greatest Hits versus black label PS1 games). In fact, spine cards are all the more essential for PSone Books releases because the games are in slim cases with no back or spine insert (and the manuals are separate in the plastic). Without a spine card, there would be no way to identify a PSone Books game without pulling it out or displaying it with the cover facing out.

[Parodius Duh!]

spine card has the upc on it, thats about the only purpose they serve. EVERY Single release game has one unless it was a special package, Metal Slug packed with the Ram cart for saturn is an example, cause it comes with a box (The game itself in the box doesnt even have a back insert in the jewel case)


Psone books are just re-releases of older titles. And Yes, they all came with spine cards.

[Junkyrdsalesman]

This information is very helpful, so Echo Night 2 (and all other PSOne Books) are pretty much like a second release (like GH or PS's the best?) and i just found a copy with a spine card

http://page2.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/b95690058

[Parodius Duh!]

This information is very helpful, so Echo Night 2 (and all other PSOne Books) are pretty much like a second release (like GH or PS's the best?)

They are more like third re-re-releases.

It goes Original First Release - "The Best" Editions - Then "Psone Books" of which only very FEW titles were released in the psonebooks line, and as stated these games have an original first release and in most cases a second "The Best" Edition as well.

[FoxNtd]

I also am no expert on spine cards (i.e. 帯) but I noticed these two things about them after having imported a bunch of games across different platforms:

1) The spine must have a UPC/bar code on it since the artwork is apparently not required to have it. I think Sony games particularly have the redundancy of showing a UPC/bar code on the back artwork anyway. Saturn games from what I recall don't do this as much. Just an observation from games I currently own.

2) The title of the game MUST be written in Japanese on the spine card, even if the artwork writes a name in English only. For example, Valkyrie Profile is in English even on the case's spine but the spine card expresses it in katakana (ヴァルキリープロファイル, if I recall correctly.) Every single spine card I have seen so far, ESPECIALLY for games whose titles are in English (any language that's not Japanese, really), always exhibit this trait.

It seems only standard CD jewel case games have them, but I really wouldn't know if this is definitively correct. So PCE CDs, Saturn, PS, etc. are games with spines. DVD case style games don't have them since the info is on the artwork at that point, I guess. PS2, Wii, etc. no more spine cards. Come to think of it, I guess we'll never see new spine cards again since they're no longer needed and/or regulations of the formatting of the packaging for sale in Japan has changed.

Lastly I don't consider the spine card to be kept for the game to be CIB. If a game still has it, that's nice, I'll keep it there with the manual, but I'd never avoid a copy of a game simply because the spine is lost.

Everything is based on observation. Anything I said could be wrong.

[Parodius Duh!]

Here ya go:

First:


Second:


Third:

[FoxNtd]

Huh, I haven't see "PSone Books" re-releases before. That red color reminds me of the "Sega Collection" reprints of SS games. (I think the emblem for this says セガコレ for short, heh.)

Too bad the SS version of 悪魔城ドラキュラX月下の夜想曲 didn't have reprints like this.. Was the PS version that much more popular over there to warrant three print runs?

[Junkyrdsalesman]

Thanks for the help, i feel a little bit more comfortable importing now. it would be interesting to see a complete PSOne Books collection somewhere, i'm sure someone out there has done it

[Parodius Duh!]

I really dont know anyone that would want to collect all the psonebooks, they are crap if you ask me, 1st releases all the way baby woooooooo!


Anyway only Rockman 1-6, FROM software titles, and a select few Konami titles are psonebooks.


Just about every ps1 game has a "Best" Edition, some of which are even harder to find than the original first release.

[Junkyrdsalesman]

I really dont know anyone that would want to collect all the psonebooks, they are crap if you ask me, 1st releases all the way baby woooooooo!


Anyway only Rockman 1-6, FROM software titles, and a select few Konami titles are psonebooks.


Just about every ps1 game has a "Best" Edition, some of which are even harder to find than the original first release.

yeah i aim for first releases as well. i just can't stand the ugly GH's labels

[theclaw]

Huh, I haven't see "PSone Books" re-releases before. That red color reminds me of the "Sega Collection" reprints of SS games. (I think the emblem for this says セガコレ for short, heh.)

Too bad the SS version of 悪魔城ドラキュラX月下の夜想曲 didn't have reprints like this.. Was the PS version that much more popular over there to warrant three print runs?

I don't know of any SS numbers.

Think the failure was PAL PS.

[Aussie2B]

Anyway only Rockman 1-6, FROM software titles, and a select few Konami titles are psonebooks.

Just about every ps1 game has a "Best" Edition, some of which are even harder to find than the original first release.

There are way more PSone Books releases than that:

http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-14-71-cu-49-en.html

And I'm pretty sure there are tons of games that never had any kind of re-release, "Playstation the Best" or otherwise. Like Greatest Hits, it was basically a reflection of if the game was particularly successful.

As for spine cards these days, the Solatorobo Collector's Edition for DS that I imported at launch about a year ago has a huge spine card, so there are still some games that have them.

Spine cards are on tons of different kinds of products in Japan, though, not just games. Music CDs, drama CDs, books, etc.