The packaging to original XBOX games looks tacky to me

[TSTR]

Regardless of color preference, I think we can all agree that Eco-cases suck ass. Whoever came up with that idea oughta have a few holes put in them.

[CRTGAMER]

Regardless of color preference, I think we can all agree that Eco-cases suck ass. Whoever came up with that idea oughta have a few holes put in them.

You are not kidding, I especially ask for a swap out at the Gamestop used rack when given a choice. That Eco case flexes and grabs the disc too tightly, I jewel file the center holder to avoid cracking the disc upon removal.

The same for getting rid of the paper game manual, laziness on the publisher or a cost cut Eco claim.

[Anayo]

Regardless of color preference, I think we can all agree that Eco-cases suck ass. Whoever came up with that idea oughta have a few holes put in them.

You are not kidding, I especially ask for a swap out at the Gamestop used rack when given a choice. That Eco case flexes and grabs the disc too tightly, I jewel file the center holder to avoid cracking the disc upon removal.

The same for getting rid of the paper game manual, laziness on the publisher or a cost cut Eco claim.

I know I'm going against the grain here, but I've always felt manuals had been unnecessary since the Playstation days. Playing Atari 2600 games (which were before my time) really put that into perspective for me, since the paper the manual was printed on had more information capacity than the game cartridge itself, so you kinda needed it unless your game was 100% self-explanatory. I feel like lamenting the decline of manuals is actually over the loss of a cosmetic decoration. If game makers wanted to appease that audience, they should look into replacing manuals with art booklets.

[isiolia]

I'd mostly agree. Newer games tend to roll information into the game - tutorials, on-screen prompts, controller configuration screens, move lists, whatever.

At this point, it's basically just smart. Platforms and publishers tend to support digital sales, so having that information present within the game itself (or from the console interface) is necessary. If they're already doing that, a paper manual is redundant. Maybe it does shave costs down, but I think a lot more of it is simply offering the same product for both markets.

That said, I like to have the manual if the game came with one to begin with. These days though, if I open a new game up and there's nothing but a disc in there, I don't think much of it. Chances are if I really want more (and didn't buy the collector's edition despite that), there's an artbook available, soundtrack, etc. Stuff that wasn't often there to buy back in the day.

[CRTGAMER]

I'd mostly agree. Newer games tend to roll information into the game - tutorials, on-screen prompts, controller configuration screens, move lists, whatever.

At this point, it's basically just smart. Platforms and publishers tend to support digital sales, so having that information present within the game itself (or from the console interface) is necessary. If they're already doing that, a paper manual is redundant. Maybe it does shave costs down, but I think a lot more of it is simply offering the same product for both markets.

That said, I like to have the manual if the game came with one to begin with. These days though, if I open a new game up and there's nothing but a disc in there, I don't think much of it. Chances are if I really want more (and didn't buy the collector's edition despite that), there's an artbook available, soundtrack, etc. Stuff that wasn't often there to buy back in the day.

An in game manual is okay and of course makes sense for a download game. I prefer the paper manual when possible as you mentioned for the artwork. The digital manuals that are locked as an online streaming view are crap; will eventually be gone as the console support drops.

[noiseredux]

I always thought the original Xbox games were just a bit much. But somehow the 360 ones looked better - I think because that white border on the top of the art made them look nice and uniformed.

[Anayo]

I always thought the original Xbox games were just a bit much. But somehow the 360 ones looked better - I think because that white border on the top of the art made them look nice and uniformed.

Yeah, the 360 ones look more classy and subdued for some reason.

[casterofdreams]

Regardless of color preference, I think we can all agree that Eco-cases suck ass. Whoever came up with that idea oughta have a few holes put in them.

A bigger sticking point for me was when Nintendo did the same thing with their DS cases. They made the cases thinner and got rid of the slot for the GBA games.

Other companies cut plastic out of their cases but still kept everything normal. Nintendo took it a step further and removed functionality.

All in the name of reducing plastic!!!

Possibly.

Grrrrrrr!!!

[Anayo]

I had noticed the same thing with disposable water bottles, and it pisses me off. Some of them are so thin and brittle they feel as though they'll break.