Irritating packaging anomalies: The bane of anal collectors!

[Wavelflack]

I don't mean collectors of anuses ("anii"?)..

I was just typing up a reply to the "how do you organize you collection" thread, and it got me thinking about particular anomalies in packaging, printing, or manufacturing can really fuck up the symmetry and order of your picture-perfect collection. A few examples:

1. DOOM (32X)--As far as I know, this is the only 32X title the has "32X" written upside down on the spine. In other words, if you lay the box down so the "DOOM" text is right side up, "32X" is upside down. It pisses me off to no end that I have this nice row of yellow 32X boxes, all with the stripes aligned, text and logos of a uniform direction, etc. You get to Doom, and you have a choice: Either have the stripes and logo in line, or have 32X in line. You can't have all three! besides which, the 32X logo is placed higher (and fucking backwards) than it is on any other box. Blegh...

2. ASTAL (Saturn)--Not much to say about this one, other than "I wonder what that game is???". To those who don't own this game, I'll let you in on the secret: There is nothing printed on the spine. No name, no logo. Just a blank field of Saturn grey stripes. It grates on me because it always looks like "Saturn filler" in my collection. I'm waiting for one of my friends to say "Huh? You couldn't find enough legitimate Saturn games on your own, so now you're resorting to putting in blanks?"

3. XONOX carts--I like stacking my carts. 2600 carts stack nicely, vertically AND horizontally, until you incorporate a Xonox cart. Now you get to make another choice: Do you make the Xonox cart protrude from the stack, thus allowing the surrounding carts to squeeze in along the cart's "normal sized" area? Or do you push it against the wall, and create a 1/2 inch gap on either side of that stack? Choices, choices...


Your examples?

[Oobgarm]

In regards to Astal:

I've noticed that City Crisis on PS2 is the same way--but only on the first print run. Later versions have a yellow title on the spine.

[jhd7]

"Annoying" is a better word than "infuriating," at least for me. Yes, my few Xonox CV carts mess things up too. In regards to the NES, there are several out-of-the-ordinary boxes: Stack Up, Carmen Sandiego, Maxi-15, Arkanoid, the Aladdin games, HES clamshell games, and a few others.

My NES games are lying on edge on the shelf with the box top visible. A few games have the manufacturer listed on the boxtop rather than the game title, but only one top is completely blank: Black Bass.

On a related note, VHS movies have dumb packaging: the box opening is on the bottom. So when you pull a box off the shelf, the tape often drops out the bottom.

Jeff D

[Keir]

I had all my boxed Atari games lined up nicely on a shelf. Then I got California Games (the box is about 2" taller than a standard Atari box). I had to move them all to a different shelf! Damn Epyx games! >

[Nature Boy]

I'm with ya on this one. I love how my VCS collection looks except for those damn M Network carts. The base is not the same size as the rest of the cart, so if you stack 'em they start collapsing after about 3. Plus my one Konami cart is so much longer than the rest it ruins the look.

BTW: Is it *possible* to be a collector of any repute without being anal about this stuff? I organize everything, games, CDs, DVDs, books, you name it...

[CrazyImpmon]

I'd have the Xonox double ender elsewhere. And I do have 2 annoying issues:

Cannonball Run DVD (title is upside down on spine)
and Atari 31 in 1, no end label.

[digitalpress]

Just took a peek at my Sega CD collection:

Revengers of Vengeance: Is it just mine... or is this the ONLY game that doesn't have a spine label - PERIOD? Mine is sealed in plastic too, so it's either been re-shrunk or this is a very serious fuck up.

BC Racers: Just like your Astal on Saturn, Wavelflack. No TITLE on the spine. Jesus, who was handling the marketing for these places, Marcel Marceau?

I'm sure I've got more. Air Cars for Jaguar (no official box printed) and the RealTec games for Genesis (boxes obviously thinner than the rest) SPRING to mind, but there are so many more.

[Sega Hitman]

These aren't really "packaging" anomalies, but why the hell does it say "Jaleco" on Bases Loaded? That infuriaties me to no end. The game certainly is not "Jaleco", why the hell would they put that on the end label?

Also, all copies of GEN Wheel of Fortune I've come across have no text on the end label. Gametek blows.

-Hitman-

[Dobie]

Jaleco on the Bases Loaded is a good one. Another one from the NES that irritates me to no end are the games that put that IMPOSSIBLY small text on the end label. Games like Tiny Toon Adventures Cartoon Studio, Chessmaster, or Heavy Shreddin'. They put this logo meant for BIG text, and cram it into 1/16th of the area on the end label, leaving the rest unused. Grrrrrrr. >

[CrazyImpmon]

Let's not forget Camerica carts! Half a dozen titles, and none of them have any frickin' end label! 7 more from Aladdin system.

[portnoyd]

These aren't really "packaging" anomalies, but why the hell does it say "Jaleco" on Bases Loaded? That infuriaties me to no end. The game certainly is not "Jaleco", why the hell would they put that on the end label?

Also, all copies of GEN Wheel of Fortune I've come across have no text on the end label. Gametek blows.

-Hitman-

And the worst thing about Based Loaded? They actually made a revision to that orange "JALECO" label! This time it STILL says Jaleco, but this time in smaller letters, and with their logo, in blue text. Bah! City Connection is the same way.

dave

[nesman85]

genesis- nba hang time- name on end label written upside down.
snes- george forman's ko boxing- plain black end label with no name.
it also pisses me off that genesis carts aren't all the same size, so that is the only collecton i can't group alphabetically, i have to have the tall ones in their own area grouped together. i don't keep my genesis games in boxes because not all of them are the plastic kind and i hate to keep games in their cardboard boxes.

[video_game_addict]

I prefer to keep all my games in their original boxes, but there was this one game in my 5200 collection that pissed me off to no end. Bounty Bob Strikes Back was over twice the size of all my other boxes. I threw it away so it's not a problem anymore.








:P

[GENESISNES]

lock 'n' chase for 2600. i think it was posted above.

jeapordy and wheel of fortune for genesis. no name of the game on the top of the cart.

yeah, i was pretty pissed when i noticed the 32X label was upsidedown on the box! try putting it first or last in a row. it kinda helps.

i dont have it, but the nuon dvd game tetris worlds has NO case at all. just a disc in a sleeve.

[dreamcaster]

I don't think you have this problem in the US with your N64 game boxes, as all of yours have the same coloured theme (red on the right lid, green on the bottom, blue on the top and yellow on the left). This is the same in Australia for our first-party games, but all of third party games have their own packaging style. This means you'll have a lot of yellow ended games on your shelf, but it's broken up by numerous different colours (purple, black and blue are the main offenders in my collection.

You're right, this is pretty anal...

[Starcade]

Well, I have a big problem with my complete copy of Rampart for the NEs, the "R" in the title is missing!! No, it is not some kind of torn of missing, it just isn't there, it bugs me to death for some reason! >