GRcade

Were you a fan of the packaging for various budget re-releases or did you go out of your way to avoid them and hunt out the original box?


1997 onwards

Sony had "Platinum" on the PlayStation, which was followed up by Help Charity, Value Series, Bestsellers, White Label, and a number of other lines from third party manufacturers. This was pretty similar to PC, which had titles under the Sold Out, MAD, EA Classics, Best of Atari, PC Gamer presents..., and Premier Collection banners.


branding used between 1997 - 2006

Microsoft had the "Classics: Best Of" range on Xbox, later rebranded as just "Classics" on Xbox 360, and Nintendo introduced "Player's Choice" on N64 and Gamecube, which was also accompanied by a silver trim, later replaced with "Nintendo Selects" on Wii.


branding used from 2003-2006

Sony continued the "Platinum" range onto PlayStation 3, but in addition to the Silver added a very bold Yellow trim to the front of the box. This has since been replaced with "Essentials" and then "Greatest Hits" on PS4.



The packaging didn't bother me - I thought the packaging looked quite smart on the PS1, tbh - more that in an effort to save on manufacturing costs they would often strip out the art on the discs - in the case of Sony, a synergistic but equally rather uninteresting standard silver CD. Xbox tended to keep or rejig the disc art from what I can remember so you weren't really missing out on anything at all, I felt. The yellow addition to the Platinum range on PS3 is properly hideous though. Yes, it stands out, but only in the same way that police tape does after someone has been brutally murdered.

Never really bothered me. I tended to buy stuff on release. If I did pick something up later, the savings offset any worry about the povvo-shaming cover. But yeah, that PS3 range looked terrible.

Couldn't give a flying strawberry float as long as the game worked

Couldn't care less. I actually love the PlayStation Platinum cases, peak nostalgia

HATE them, used to go out of my way to find an original copy on the shelf when buying used. If there was only a platinum one, I'd just leave it.

I've got one platinum game (wipeout) and it annoys me so much.

Hated them and back when I was collecting games I wouldn’t touch those.

Definitely prefer the original release, but I still have quite a few.

Another reason I don't think it's bothered me, certainly on PlayStation, is because Sony have had a tendency to piss about with their packaging anyway. Some PS1 games came in cardboard boxes, in late 1996 they actually ran out of cases so they put everything in converted music boxes, then they introduced the black label in spring 1997, on PS2 the cases were in various colours, and on PS3 the logo completely changed.

I'm always pretty okay with budget label branding. In particular, the original PlayStation Platinum silver packaging design looked great. As long as there is a degree of design uniformity, I often like them.

On the Xbox 360 I didn't like the budget branding so much as MS constantly tinkered with the colouring and layout - it felt like every game released was a bit different.

A shout out to older gamers here who remember the 1980s home computer budget labels; I loved the designs of the Mastertronic and Hit Squad games. Seeing a collection of those lined up was a treat!

jawa_ wrote:I'm always pretty okay with budget label branding. In particular, the original PlayStation Platinum silver packaging design looked great. As long as there is a degree of design uniformity, I often like them.

On the Xbox 360 I didn't like the budget branding so much as MS constantly tinkered with the colouring and layout - it felt like every game released was a bit different.

A shout out to older gamers here who remember the 1980s home computer budget labels; I loved the designs of the Mastertronic and Hit Squad games. Seeing a collection of those lined up was a treat!

They sold a million!

KK wrote:Another reason I don't think it's bothered me, certainly on PlayStation, is because Sony have had a tendency to piss about with their packaging anyway. Some PS1 games came in cardboard boxes, in late 1996 then actually ran out of cases so they put everything in converted music boxes, then they introduced the black label in spring 1997, on PS2 the cases were in various colours, and on PS3 the logo completely changed.

I’d forgotten about the cardboard cases. Warhawk was one, wasn’t it? And I bought an NBA game in a blue cardboard case with a basketball-orange moulded rubber front.

Victor Mildew wrote:They sold a million!

Dang, yes! I bought the first one for my C64 and that's how I first played Jet Set Willy .

rinks wrote:...And I bought an NBA game in a blue cardboard case with a basketball-orange moulded rubber front.

Yeah, Total NBA 97! I bought the 96 version that had a lenticular cover... man that was cool .

rinks wrote:

KK wrote:Another reason I don't think it's bothered me, certainly on PlayStation, is because Sony have had a tendency to piss about with their packaging anyway. Some PS1 games came in cardboard boxes, in late 1996 then actually ran out of cases so they put everything in converted music boxes, then they introduced the black label in spring 1997, on PS2 the cases were in various colours, and on PS3 the logo completely changed.

I’d forgotten about the cardboard cases. Warhawk was one, wasn’t it? And I bought an NBA game in a blue cardboard case with a basketball-orange moulded rubber front.

Yes warhawk had a digipack style cardboard case.

Mortal Kombat 3 was another one in a cardboard box.

Sony also altered the case sizing on Platinum games in 1997 into 1998 (the manual only just fit). This case had a thicker, black plastic trim and can be seen on Ridge Racer, Destruction Derby and Tekken 2.

KK wrote:...Sony also altered the case sizing on Platinum games in 1997 into 1998 (the manual only just fit). This case had a thicker, black plastic trim and can be seen on Ridge Racer, Destruction Derby and Tekken 2.

That's a good shout, KK, although it wasn't just Platinum-branded games. I have a few black-branded games that have that thicker black plastic edge.

jawa_ wrote:

KK wrote:...Sony also altered the case sizing on Platinum games in 1997 into 1998 (the manual only just fit). This case had a thicker, black plastic trim and can be seen on Ridge Racer, Destruction Derby and Tekken 2.

That's a good shout, KK, although it wasn't just Platinum-branded games. I have a few black-branded games that have that thicker black plastic edge.

I think there may have even been two or three versions of this style of case: one with the PlayStation branding, one without, and one that was dark grey. I don't have the title any more to go check, but I have a vague recollection that it was brought back again in 2000 (Micro Maniacs?).

Then if you purchased ex-rentals or sometimes upgraded to a purchase in Blockbuster you had a completely different case again (solid, black or blue plastic, clear textured plastic for the sleeve). The way it worked was if you rented the game and then wanted to purchase it, you'd get the rental price taken off the full game and the rental discs and sleeve were swapped out for the real one. Well, I say real one - the sleeve wrapped all the way around.

Uniformity eh, who needs it. Probably a combination of sourcing issues and Sony just making it up as they went along. Who was there at the time, Phil Harrison? Let's blame him.

I didn't really mind what packaging a game came in, it working was the main thing! The original version/case artwork did look better though.

jawa_ wrote:

rinks wrote:...And I bought an NBA game in a blue cardboard case with a basketball-orange moulded rubber front.

Yeah, Total NBA 97! I bought the 96 version that had a lenticular cover... man that was cool .

Spot on! And here it is:

Look at my collection, even when the box construction is the same there's STILL inconsistencies within the black bar placement, or if it's even there at all