zombi's Doom Collection - Updated: 2/23/13 (Graded Final Doom Added!)

Not really relevant to the thread but something I felt like sharing anyway:-

What happened to games shipping in interesting-looking boxes with thick manuals, instead of boring DVD cases with a 3-page "manuals" inside? And Saturn Doom's box art is hardly the greatest artefact of 90's game box art, but as a product it looks so much more appealing than a generic case that all other games on all platforms are sold in. And don't get me started on the loss of the encyclopaedia-thick boxes that PC games once came in.

I mean, I think I know why DVD cases are used; they're durable and presumably cheaper to manufacture. But still. Both box art and game packaging used to be so much cooler.

scalliano said:

I see the US version also has the PC Final Doom shots on the back.

Idiots.

To me, such an egregious mistake only adds to it's charm.

scalliano said:

I see the US version also has the PC Final Doom shots on the back.

Idiots.

Yeah, don't get me started. I could write a book on everything wrong with that port. How do you fuck up Doom? A total let-down.

DoomUK said:

but as a product it looks so much more appealing than a generic case that all other games on all platforms are sold in.

Oh god. The Saturn (and early Playstation "Longbox") game packaging is horrendous. They needed foam inserts to keep the disc from popping out and they are too tall to fit on most shelves. Even as a fan of physical products I much prefer the standard CD jewel case, DVD keep case, or Blu-ray keep case. Having things standard like that makes it MUCH easier to store.

I'm kind of with you on the disappearing manuals, but honestly I would prefer it to just be replaced with an art book, poster, or something. Most people just ignored the manuals. Somehow even though we keep game boxes now, people still seem to discard manuals since it's not unusual for them to be missing in second hand copies.

Use3D said:

Yeah, don't get me started. I could write a book on everything wrong with that port. How do you fuck up Doom? A total let-down.

And to top it off, from what I hear the Saturn port of Hexen was quite good.

Blzut3 said:

And to top it off, from what I hear the Saturn port of Hexen was quite good.

Yes very much, I play it often.

Blzut3 said:

Having things standard like that makes it MUCH easier to store.

But the result is a boring line of identically-proportioned cases on your shelf :P

I dunno, buying a physical copy of a game doesn't have the same appeal for me as it did in the old days.

DoomUK said:

Not really relevant to the thread but something I felt like sharing anyway:-

What happened to games shipping in interesting-looking boxes with thick manuals, instead of boring DVD cases with a 3-page "manuals" inside? And Saturn Doom's box art is hardly the greatest artefact of 90's game box art, but as a product it looks so much more appealing than a generic case that all other games on all platforms are sold in. And don't get me started on the loss of the encyclopaedia-thick boxes that PC games once came in.

No one read the manuals and there was nothing special about cases back then either. Saturn Doom came in the same exact case that every other Saturn game came in. Most things that would've been in the manual are told to the player in-game now, which is a much better way of doing things.

DoomUK said:

I dunno, buying a physical copy of a game doesn't have the same appeal for me as it did in the old days.

You're older and nostalgic now.

Thanks Kaiser, You sir are legend! I actually like TC because it has a different look. If I want to play old school Doom64 I just fire up the N64. I really started out just wanting to download the TC because of the extra levels I never got to play. But when playing the TC it made Doom64 feel new again!

Really wish DOOM 64 II got to be made. I grew up on Doom64 and Hexen on N64. Classic days.

You have to watch out though, sometimes people plastic seal already opened copies of games to make them seem new.

Avoozl said:

You have to watch out though, sometimes people plastic seal already opened copies of games to make them seem new.

It is usually fairly obvious when something like that has been done.

I know what to look for ;)

Zombi, once my two copies of Doom shareware return from VGA, I'll be sure to share with the thread. Thanks for sharing yours.

Sweet! I can't wait to see'em!

zombi said:

I know what to look for ;)

If I may ask, such as what? No two (factory) plastic seals are identical, surely.

DoomUK said:

If I may ask, such as what? No two (factory) plastic seals are identical, surely.

Each console and region typically have their own way way of sealing games. Horizontal/Vertical seams, Y-folds, etc. Also, there are also can be signs of obvious tampering and resealing if it is not legitimate.

Also, if you send a sealed game to the grading authority (VGA) and it is inspected and graded, then that is further confirmation that you have a legitimate factory-sealed game.

DoomUK said:

What happened to games shipping in interesting-looking boxes with thick manuals, instead of boring DVD cases with a 3-page "manuals" inside?

Collector's editions at twice the regular price.

DoomUK said:

What happened to games shipping in interesting-looking boxes with thick manuals, instead of boring DVD cases with a 3-page "manuals" inside? And Saturn Doom's box art is hardly the greatest artefact of 90's game box art, but as a product it looks so much more appealing than a generic case that all other games on all platforms are sold in. And don't get me started on the loss of the encyclopaedia-thick boxes that PC games once came in.

To be honest I think it's an improvement that we now have DVD cases rather than big unnecessary bulky cardboard boxes. I remember back in the '90s when every single game came in one of those boxes - they took up so much space and of course nobody wants to just throw something like that away. You can probably fit at least three DVD cases in the same space. The fact that DVD cases are a standard size helps as well - you can pack more boxes tightly together, and use standard shelving designed for holding DVDs.

Other than convenience for the gamer it's also a matter of price points - a big box costs more to ship, is more expensive for games stores (who can fit fewer games on their shelves), etc. Being made of plastic I expect they're more durable as well.

So in pretty much every respect, DVD cases are superior. That said, I can understand the feeling of nostalgia about the old big boxes - there's something that feels more special about it, just like a vinyl LP feels a bit more special than a CD, and a CD feels a bit more special than a collection of MP3s. But just like in the music world, we're seeing special edition packs for people who really appreciate that kind of thing (eg. the Duke Nukem "Balls of Steel" pack or the Doom 3 Collector's Edition). The bonus is that special editions like that are specifically designed to be special, so can be much more interesting to collectors than just a big cardboard box.

fraggle said:

Being made of plastic I expect they're more durable as well.

Forgot about this. One reason I would never want to see game packages revert. It's bad enough that "collector's editions" in the music industry are now the cheap digipacks. (I know I'm not alone on this one either.) Of course it's probably the misguided vinyl nostalgia that is driving the industry in that direction. Yay for unreadable spines!

Got a couple things in the mail today...


Doom (SNES) was graded at an 85+

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/trioxin/Video%20Game%20Collection/doom_snes_vga_front7.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/trioxin/Video%20Game%20Collection/doom_snes_vga_back.jpg


and...

a sealed copy of Doom for the Sega 32X

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/trioxin/Video%20Game%20Collection/doom_32X_front.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/trioxin/Video%20Game%20Collection/doom_32X_back.jpg

This is getting a little ridiculous...

More Doom! Great condition at an unbelievable price.

Final Doom (PS1):

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/trioxin/Video%20Game%20Collection/finaldoom_ps13.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/trioxin/Video%20Game%20Collection/finaldoom_ps12.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/trioxin/Video%20Game%20Collection/finaldoom_ps14.jpg

Doom - GH (PS1):

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/trioxin/Video%20Game%20Collection/doom_ps1_gh2.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/trioxin/Video%20Game%20Collection/doom_ps1_gh3.jpg
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/trioxin/Video%20Game%20Collection/doom_ps1_gh4.jpg

Geez, where the hell are you even finding all of these sealed copies? It's so aweosme!

American ps1 games look horrible in comparison to PAL ones :/

Clonehunter said:

Geez, where the hell are you even finding all of these sealed copies? It's so aweosme!

Oh...ya know...here and there... :P

Ragnor said:

American ps1 games look horrible in comparison to PAL ones :/

Depends really. Maybe not for PS1 games, but for almost any other console, PAL art is dreadful.

Ragnor said:

American ps1 games look horrible in comparison to PAL ones :/

Don't know whether it was "better" or not, but I recall the original PAL release of PSX Doom coming in one of those dual CD cases with two separate compartments. Maybe that was just in the UK though.

zombi said:

PAL art is dreadful.

I can get behind this when comparing the NTSC and PAL copies of PowerSlave cover art.

Doom's artwork is identical between PAL and NTSC releases actually,its more the style of the case itself. But aside from that, many NTSC games had really horrific artwork changes compared to PAL/Japan. But thats not the point I was making, more the design of the case itself. PAL cases were much sturdier and very uniform in design, and instead of "Greatest Hits" we had "Platinum", where the black was replaced with silver. The one downside to Platinum was the disc itself lost the artwork and was all silver with text :/

I hate those slim ntsc ps1 jewel cases, always end up hiding them behind fatter pal cases because remind me of pc loose jewel copies too much

zombi said:

Depends really. Maybe not for PS1 games, but for almost any other console, PAL art is dreadful.

What I don't understand is why US boxart is almost compelled to make characters look more miserable and angsty, regardless of how light and/or cartoony the game is. This has infected some PAL releases, but not all.

I have a reasonable whack of JP/US imports for the PS1, and don't mind the fact that they come in the standard CD jewel cases, it's the likes of US Saturn games whose cases are just too big and unnecessary (PAL Saturn boxes are also oversized, but not as much).

zombi, it seems that you and I have been snapping up all of the high-end, sealed Doom NTSC releases. I even bid on the very copy of Final Doom that you now possess!

Here are some of my recent grabs:

http://i49.tinypic.com/nv5tl1.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/21133bq.jpg
http://i46.tinypic.com/ogckm8.jpg
http://i49.tinypic.com/30c6e5c.jpg

As I mentioned, some of these titles are out for grading, so I'll be sure to share when they come back.

Excellent game hunting - congratulations on your awesome finds!

Very cool finds.

Nothing like some friendly competition. ;)

zombi, it seems you and I have additional shared history.

Today, I did some research on my sealed copy of Mario Paint.

Well, it is indeed a small world after all, because I now own the exact copy of Mario Paint that you once owned.

http://i45.tinypic.com/2hmk2l2.jpg

Notice the dent on the front of the box near the top right corner.

I came across a post you made a few months ago on a different forum.

What a coincidence!

I'm starting to regret not buying that unopened box copy of Final Doom I saw on ebay a few weeks ago, I just didn't think full price was worth it for an older game. :P