The foam insert in PS1 longbox games

[Zing]

Being the obsessive collector that I am (along with quite a few other people that frequent the boards), I like my games to be complete. Totally complete.

I am aware that the PS1 cardboard longbox games came packed with a small foam rectangle. It seems to seperate the manual from the side with the disc, to stop the manual from flying around inside the case.

However, the games that were pressed during the beginning of the transition from the jewel case longbox (Sega CD style) to the cardboard were partially made of plastic. They had a plastic spine. This didn't seem to last long and Sony quickly moved on to full cardboard cases.

Here is a comparison:
http://www.game-rave.com/variant/alpha.jpg

My question is: Did these plastic type cases come with the foam insert?

I assume they did, but I would like a second opinion.

[PapaStu]

Always good to see fellow members (and the co-PlayStation editors site) get linked.

As far as I know, all 3 forms of Longboxed games came with foam inserts. The Jeweled, Ridged, and Paper LB's had them unless they were multi-disked as far as I've been able to discern. Now the Originality and anality really leaks through when you realise that there were two different kinds of foam used (or so ive seen in some of my long boxed games) but to know why there were two kinds of foam or which ones had which (is just beyond me).

[Zing]

I can't clearly remember the jewel case style longboxes having the foam. I think I owned about 4 games total back around the original Playstation release. I can vaguely picture the games having the foam.

I currently own 4 longbox games, two jewel case and two cardboard. All were bought on ebay from different sellers. Only the cardboard ones came with the foam. I also noticed that the two pieces of foam that I have seem to be different.

Ah well, I'm not going to worry about the jewel case ones having the foam since the manuals stay in place. I would like the cardboard/plastic style cases to have foam just to keep the manuals from banging around. There are still a couple more longbox games I need, so maybe I can scavenge a foam or two from EB/Gamestop.

[bargora]

I bought (1) a sealed Novastorm in a plastic longbox and (2) a sealed Jupiter Strike in a cardboard longbox not too long ago. I just checked, and both have a foam insert. Both inserts appear to be of the same material, but the insert in Novastorm is smaller than the one in Jupiter Strike. Note that Novastorm is a two-disc game, while Jupiter Strike is a single disc game.

I also bought a used Philosoma in a cardboard longbox, which came with a foam insert identical to the one that came with Jupiter Strike. All of my other longbox games were bought used and are missing the foam insert, if any came with them to begin with.

You guys are nuts, but in a good way.

[Cauterize]

hahaha i can answer that with a funny story actually....

being in england, all PS1 games had the same boxes...
but when i came across a usa one here i got it!
a long box Fifa 96.... nothing special..

i opened it up and found "some foam"

"whats this crap doing in here" .............i binned it!


Thank god it was only fifa!

[EnemyZero]

yep, i just picked up rayman in the long saturn-style box and i still have the foam

[davidleeroth]

Would anybody happen to know if PAL Saturn game Street Fighter The movie come with the foam insert? (AFAIK it's the only PAL Saturn game that came in a US-style long jewel box thus *ruining* the appearance of my PAL collection )

[SamuraiSmurfette]

it breeds a new descriptor with me:
"mint with foam"
Makes me happy to find these in the wild
there's just something about those longboxes....

[anagrama]

Would anybody happen to know if PAL Saturn game Street Fighter The movie come with the foam insert? (AFAIK it's the only PAL Saturn game that came in a US-style long jewel box thus *ruining* the appearance of my PAL collection )

The 'long-box' PAL MegaCD games in the US-style packaging had the foam inserts, so I would imagine that this also did.

[klausien]

I actually think that this was scattershot. Some did and some didn't. I know that it was that way for the Saturn.

When I was younger I thought the inserts were lame, but now understand their usefulness after having moved around a few times. Saves your stuff.

[Dangerboy]

I can actually add a bit more confusion too.

There were at least three different types of foam used, and the sizes for them are completely random. It was usually based on how thick the manual was (to prevent it from drooping if cases were stored horizontal) and in a small way to keep the CD in place should it come loose.

With the few brand new Long boxes I have been able to acquire, it seems like the cardboard one-piece long boxes always had the thickest foam, since their covers were pliable. If there were mulitlple CDs (D, Wing Commander, etc) There was either a very thing piece to keep them in line, or no piece at all.

So unless you want to track down every long box beand new to get the proper foam insert, you'll be tearing your hair out.

On a related note:

Back when I used to work for a mom and pop game store, a customer was trading in a long box game and when I checked the CD, it was scratched to the point that I couldn't even tell if it would work or not. My facial expression gave me away, and the customer replied,

"I don't know how it got so scratched, I cleaned it all the time with that foam cleaning pad they give you in the case."

Jason
who is all giddy his site is being used

[molnars]

If you look around you can find replacement foam that you can cut. I did it for my Sega CD's also and you can't even tell the difference. The key is to use a paper cutter when you find the right foam to get a straight cut.

[bargora]

If you look around you can find replacement foam that you can cut. I did it for my Sega CD's also and you can't even tell the difference. The key is to use a paper cutter when you find the right foam to get a straight cut.

At long last the Playstation has its own simmering scandal to rank with re-shrinkwrapped SNES games.

"I bot a FIFA 96 from snurplefloss and he sad it was mint but it didn't ahve teh orginal fome!!!"

Pandora's Box is now open for business. Slut!

[The Manimal]

If you look around you can find replacement foam that you can cut. I did it for my Sega CD's also and you can't even tell the difference. The key is to use a paper cutter when you find the right foam to get a straight cut.

At long last the Playstation has its own simmering scandal to rank with re-shrinkwrapped SNES games.

"I bot a FIFA 96 from snurplefloss and he sad it was mint but it didn't ahve teh orginal fome!!!"

Pandora's Box is now open for business. Slut!

[PapaStu]

If you look around you can find replacement foam that you can cut. I did it for my Sega CD's also and you can't even tell the difference. The key is to use a paper cutter when you find the right foam to get a straight cut.

At long last the Playstation has its own simmering scandal to rank with re-shrinkwrapped SNES games.

"I bot a FIFA 96 from snurplefloss and he sad it was mint but it didn't ahve teh orginal fome!!!"

Pandora's Box is now open for business. Slut!

OH NOSE!!1!!11!

Really though, Longboxed PlayStation games are really easy to reseal. The shrink used was nothing special, and the seams.... top and bottom only. The true saving factor is that though some of the rarest PS titles are longboxed only ones, their retail isnt high enough to warrant a reshrinking fiasco. At least until people feel the need to collect the 1270+ PSOne games sealed.

Since the condition of the shrink is going to be your best bet, those that show a little shelf wear are almost allways garanteed new. However I have purchased some (Romance IV and Defcon 5 spring to mind) that looked brand freaking new like it was 1996 all over again. They also have a feel to the plastic that the newer shrink doesnt have.

[maxlords]

Ok....just to make MORE of a mess out of this confusion, I have the following:

Resident Evil (long box, plastic spined cardboard, purchased used) has thin foam insert

Philosoma (long box, all cardboard, purchased used) has thick foam insert

Loaded (long box, all cardboard, purchased new) has NO foam insert!

Those are the only three I have...

[FlufflePuff]

Well, my LB copy of Loaded came with a foam insert.

My copy of Doom has a very thin insert.

In The Hunt (plastic spine) doesn't have one, but it was purchased at a sketchy pawn shop so it very well could have originally had one.

Likewise, my LB (plastic spine) copy of Discworld doesn't have any insert. The spine versions have little tabs to hold the manual in place, so it seems possible that they wouldn't have had the inserts.

[Dangerboy]

Just keep reciting to yourself:

"It was just a piece of foam, we do not need to worry."
"It was just a piece of foam, we do not need to worry."
"It was just a piece of foam, we do not need to worry."
"It was just a piece of foam, we do not need to worry."
"It was just a piece of foam, we do not need to worry."
"It was just a piece of foam, we do not need to worry."
"It was just a piece of foam, we do not need to worry."
"It was just a piece of foam, we do not need to worry."

Because after this working designs and longbox-to-jewel-case variant stuff, I do not care about foam.