Computer game boxes (weekly poll)

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This topic in light of the new weekly poll.

The question is: do you keep the boxes in which your computer games come.

I find this interesting because here in the netherlands we haven't had any decent boxes for about 2 years now. Either it arrives in a little box nearly big enough to hold the CD. Or it arrives in a DVD like case, which is IMO the worst for there aren't any manuals which are worth reading this way, either to small or they are in acrobat format written on the CD.

I really miss the days when you had a box with a flap you could unfold which would hold more screenshots or concept art (fallout I box comes in mind) or manuals in full colour 150 pages long, with rings along their back (fallout I manual comes in mind). Boxes full of extra stuff like maps and creature charts (Heroes of Might and Magic II comes to mind)

So my question: Are the boxes/manuals in your country still big/worth reading, or are they also dumbed down for commercial purposes?

 

Boxes and manuals are still worth reading, but aren't that important -DVD boxes are allright IMO (=> smaller manuals, less extra paper stuff).AFAIK, all games nowdays come in DVD boxes (shame that DVD has not yet replaced CD...)

 

We still get boxes, it's only the really old games or a very select few that get shoved in the smaller ones.

 

Yeah, I like games in boxes, and I collect the boxes I bought, they're a nice accesoire on my shelf. But it's sad that the newer games are in this DVD-Boxes, I don't like them that much !

 

I, unfortunately, bought Icewind Dale in the original big box with a nice big manual but Heart of Winter in one of those tiny dvd boxes where it says "Best Buy" all over the case. I really hate myself for buying it in such a box.

I just miss the days where there were BIG, fat and colorfull manuals and perhaps some sticker (Tomb Raider 2 or 3) and a map. The poster you got in Planescape Torment hangs on my wall behind me and the Icewind Dale map is next to me.

And the little box that NWN came in. It was just.. too small for a game that I've been waiting 4 years for, even though the manual is good enough.

 

Yeah, those "Best Buy" boxes are just awful -literally shouting "CHEAP." Yes, we know they are cheap by looking at their price tag, there is no reason why it should shout the same at the visiting friends.

 

Yes, I still have boxes of the games I bought since my first computer. And yeah, they are the big boxes.

I think the older games made better use of the space inside the big box. I remember this one game I have - Spellcraft - they put the installation disks (3.5 inch ones), the manual, the spell sheets, the warranty/troubleshooting stuff and even a poster ALL inside a box whose dimensions are comparable to an encyclopedia.

The newer games (up to 3 years ago in my mind)don't really use the space wisely. All there is inside is a CD and a manual, and this bizzare shaped piece of cardboard so the box doesn't collapse. This is probably why they decided to go with smaller boxes - the big boxes are too empty.

The worst type of "box" IMHO are the ones where the CD is in a little paper? pouch, and it's slipped inside the manual. And that's all.

 

I save all boxes of the games I buy.

And almost all games come in the bigger boxes. At least all the ones I buy. The games in these DVD-like thingies are often shooters and racers and I don't like them. NWN, PS:T, BG-saga, IWD, they all have the bigger boxes, including the gadgets, like the most boring book I ever read that came with BG2. Most Add-ons come in DVD-boxes with a small manual, telling me about enough of the things I want to know.

 

@MoN

I know that BG2 and most RPG's do come in big boxes but that was two years ago. I don't know if you've been in a regular store recently in the netherlands. All the games are in either DVD cases or small boxes. Icewind Dale II among them.

The last six games I bought were in DVD cases, and none of them are shooters, they were either RPG's or strategy. The last big box for me was arcanum.

Oh if you have a store with big boxes......do tell me where

 

Yup, you're right.
I just looked at my pile of boxes and most of them were in big boxes. But the ones I recently bought, were in DVD cases indeed. IWD2 for example, yes. Morrowind is a game of which I don't mind it's in a small box, simply because I like the box. You can fold it out and it's pretty beautiful.

I work at the multimedia part of our litle shop and most games are in DVD boxes. The only CDR-games at the moment I can think of that have bigger boxes are Rollercoaster Tycoon 2, Vice City and some games not worth buying (5 euros or less)

Quite often, people replace CDRoms on the shelves of PS2 or X-box. Much to my annoyment.

I will tell you, Apeman, if I see a nice shop. It could take some time though.

 

Well, here in Canada generaly box are big with a lot of goodies, but the three last I bought: NWN, IWDII, and Morrowind was on small tiny boxe only with a cd case and a small manual. The worst thing is that they add french trouble/know issue and the such but the translation was SO bad...

 

I keep most of the game boxes, and do not really mind that games nowadays come in smaller boxes.

The last game I bought, Neverwinter Nights, came in a small box, but it had (almost) everything inside, what I could hope for. A detailed, nice manual, which has the right size, for easy flipping through the pages. It had a quick reference card, which I could actually care less about. Two identical maps (whatever the use of that may be), but at least a map was inside, for the people who don't know much about the geography of the Forgotten Realms. The only downside of it, is that the cd's didn't came in a plastic box, but instead were all in these paper thingies. This game was fine in the small box, for it even has some nice screen shots on the back.

 

I love BIG boxes like the Diablo Battle Chest. It was named that IIRC...

 

Game boxes? i sill keep my 7 years old Lego playset boxes, 18 years. My family moved 4 times during that period (1 to other town, 3 within the same). My mother isn't a happy person whenever she sees my boxes.

My LA Gear (it was pretty hot back then) shoe box, my first cd-man box, my air jordan boxes, my nintendo box....

i just cannot bear to throw them away.