Best game packaging style

[clebin]

This may have been done before, but is there a consensus on the best case-style for Spectrum games?

Do you prefer big packaging that shows off the artwork better, or smaller cases that take up less space?
Some styles can end up a bit scruffy, but does that matter if you're after a pristine copy?

I definitely have preferences but obviously different games sometimes deserve different treatment so I've given 2 options. And if in doubt, you can exclude budget games as nobody wants Molecule Man in a giant box...

A nice example of each for reference:

[akeley]

Single jewel: small, but perfectly formed. Everything else is just faffing about

[R-Tape]

Single jewel: small, but perfectly formed. Everything else is just faffing about

Mostly with you on this. All these other shapes and sizes make the shelves look a right jumble sale. I like my Catacombs of Balachor small boxes because of the extras, but in general I don't like the 'size matters' arms race that publishers seemed to be fond of. Looking at my collection, Gunship, Garfield and The Crypt are the worst offenders. Lord of the Rings Game 1 stands out a mile too, but at least that has the excuse of having the book inside it.

[RMartins]

The problem is not really the size, but that it varied a lot !

The same happened to CDs and DVDs cases, with single, double, and with lyrics, and extras, and more CD/DVDs, etc...
There is no shelf specific design to keep these that can cater for all the differences, without becoming space inefficient.

This is why standards are needed, for these things.
But then the marketing guys come along, and want to stand out ... and the cycle repeats.

[uglifruit]

I'm also with the single jewel case, although Beyond's boxes were rather nice. And, despite the game, the Great Space Race did have nice oversize packaging. I didn't mind the larger boxes if there was something in there that justified the size (large manual, or similar).
I despised those late era "Dan dare 3" boxes that were just a bit larger than a cassette for the sake of it (or because it was the same size box used for disk games). Really horrible, I thought.

I enjoyed things like "mini office" with a tiny booklet squeezed in a single jewel case, along with the cassette.

[Juan F. Ramirez]

I remember seeing this inlay in the archive, probably the weirdest one:



Does it really have that shape?

[Audionautas]

Hi

In terms of durability, for me the packaging that have stood the test of time in better shape are the single and double jewel cases. Even if the original plastic case is wore out they are easy to replace, so the double jewel case is my fave.

The clamshells are tricky, if they were made in hard plastic they are really long lasting, like my copy of Monty on the Run that my mom bought 35 years ago, that even today is in mint condition. On the other hand we have the soft plastic clamshell cases like Avalon, Dragontorc, etc. Those ones are much more fragile and haven't stood the test of time so well, especially on the inside spine.

I love cardboard boxes, especially those tiny boxes like Dan Dare III, Deliverance, Myth and others, really cute, but from a collector's point of view it's not easy to find today copies in great condition, on the contrary they are very wore out in most cases. Large cardboard boxes are great too (R-Type, Afterburner...), but it's the same as the small ones. If you're looking for some games in that format today it's not easy to find in great condition.

In Spain we also had a medium cardboard box that it's so fragile, the cardboard is so thin that very few have reached the present time in a decent shape. Some British games like Deliverance, Stunt Car Racer, P-47 and some late Spanish ones like Soviet, Zona 0 or Tour '91 were released that way.

[Morkin]

I quite liked the clamshell and Ultimate boxes. I didn't really dislike any, though the double jewel case sometimes made it difficult to stash away with the singles in some tape boxes, so was probably my least favourite.

It's one thing that I liked about Speccy games, the variety of game boxes.

Nowadays with console games (the non-digital variety), the boxes are unimaginatively uniform. Nice for consistency on your games shelf I guess, but lacking a bit of character.

[animaal]

I really like the Rainbird packaging - The Pawn, Starglider, Carrier Command... would that be big box?

[Mousey]

I really like the Rainbird packaging - The Pawn, Starglider, Carrier Command... would that be big box?

I like those too, especially the Level 9 ones. They are the same size as the big box Ikari Warriors in the photo.

[toot_toot]

I have to say I love the jewel cases. It’s close between the single and the double, but the reason I like them is that they’re perfect for the Spectrum’s storage media - tapes. I mean, after all that’s what they were designed for!

I went for the double mainly because they’re home to some of Bob Wakelin’s best cover art and the double size gives them the space to be really appreciated. It’s also because my eyesight is nowhere near as good as when I was 10, so just a little bit bigger text makes it a lot easier on my eyes!

I do like the mini cardboard boxes of the late 80s, but as it’s been pointed out they don’t seem to keep as well. Maybe because cardboard dries out when it’s been sitting in someone’s loft for 30 years. The other problem is that by the late 80s publishers just had the same box for multiple versions but with a different sticker on the front or side. That meant getting the “screenshot from a better looking version like the Amiga” note on the box next to a screenshot that looked nothing like the Spectrum one. By the time of the small boxes, the design was very generic across multiple 8-bit formats so it doesn’t feel unique to the Spectrum at all, while with Jewel cases they still stuck to each one being for a specific platform.

I liked it when publishers stuck to one style of packaging, which makes it nicer when looking at them these days, but it’s surprising just how many didn’t stick to one style at all. Even Ocean would jump from single jewel, double jewel, clamshell (or was that just the c64?) original big box (Frankie Goes to Hollywood), double jewel, big box for double tape/disk (Robocop), small box (Rainbow Islands). At least the Hit Squad re-releases were consistent!

[cmal]

MainIy for storage reasons, I fancy the smaller packaging like small jewel and small clamshell. I have psytraxx as a small clamshell and it's held up nicely over the years. The small cassette boxes pack nicely into a box without taking up too much room. I do like the big Ultimate type boxes especially if the artwork is good, although not the best for storage.
My worst example of packaging has to be Deus Ex Machina. I have the original box and it's huge. It only has two cassettes inside but one would expect it to contain a VHS cassette along with a manual. The artwork is in black and white.

[akeley]

Admittedly, my original remark was a bit flippant. I can appreciate other format boxes too, it's just that small jewel is my all time favourite, it's just so cute (why on earth is it called "jewel" anyway? could never puzzle it out).

But looking at my shelves now, for sure, the bigger boxes with quality art are quite lovely. I have cardboard Hunter Killer, Last Ninja, Platoon and they all look great. Doubles, like Movie or The Mystery Of Arkham Manor or even some clamshells like Dragontorc or Durrell stuff, though these definitely are usually quite battered.

Sometimes it's funny: I got The Crypt recently and could not believe how bombastic it is, for what it actually contains. I mean, it's not really a killer app (saying that being kind to the 17y.o. S.Renton who wrote it) and yet it's got a packaging of one

[mention]R-Tape[/mention] oh, a book, you say? So that 's why LotR is so big...sadly, mine is missing.

[clebin]

In terms of durability, for me the packaging that have stood the test of time in better shape are the single and double jewel cases. Even if the original plastic case is wore out they are easy to replace, so the double jewel case is my fave.

Yeah, that's a big thing for me. If one your favourites breaks, you can just swap the case with a cover-tape or something. The spines of jewel case and small clamshell spines look great lined up too.

The Ultimate boxes are lovely, but aren't so great from the side. In the picture below you've got 3 Ultimate games and 2 Gargoyle, but you'd never know which. I recently got a copy of Rebelstar Raiders and I like the style - another black box, but the label folds round the spine. Mind you, Crash said "the packaging... is so amateurish it could have come from Merry and Wallis" so what do I know?

[clebin]

Mostly with you on this. All these other shapes and sizes make the shelves look a right jumble sale. I like my Catacombs of Balachor small boxes because of the extras, but in general I don't like the 'size matters' arms race that publishers seemed to be fond of. Looking at my collection, Gunship, Garfield and The Crypt are the worst offenders. Lord of the Rings Game 1 stands out a mile too, but at least that has the excuse of having the book inside it.

That's how I feel about some of the big boxes. 'Arms race' is right and it got ridiculous in the 16-bit era. I can't be bothered collecting Amiga games because they take up so much space. It's appropriate if it's some kind of epic game with a big manual and a few tapes/disks, like Elite on the 8-bits or Civilization on the 16-bits. But when every cartoony platform game has a giant box with one disk rattling around, it gets a bit silly.

[Nitrowing]

I love the big box in the same way I love LPs - the artwork.
The Ultimate black boxes would be my favourite. That UPG went for a double jewel case for Pentagram disappointed me enough that I've bought another copy of Underwurlde so that I can get a new label printed and swap it so that Pentagram matches the others in the series.

[redballoon]

Double jewel case all the way. They took the single cassette and added to it. They’re perfect for storage, large enough to show off the beautiful inlay art, they feel right even with 2 cassettes in them - they’ve got such a right feel, y’know? - and they sound right when stacking ot storing together, something that the single cassette does but pales in comparison to the double.
Sticking games/inlays in brand new jewel cases are just *chef’s kiss* but soooo good with the double.

The cardboard boxes are nice but not built to last. There’s no sensory feedback at all on them and they damage too easily. Course, the larger boxes handle this better due to being sturdier.

So, to summarise, the double jewel case is light years ahead of every other storage media.

Thank you for listening to my TED talk.

[Audionautas]

I liked it when publishers stuck to one style of packaging, which makes it nicer when looking at them these days, but it’s surprising just how many didn’t stick to one style at all. Even Ocean would jump from single jewel, double jewel, clamshell (or was that just the c64?) original big box (Frankie Goes to Hollywood), double jewel, big box for double tape/disk (Robocop), small box (Rainbow Islands). At least the Hit Squad re-releases were consistent!

In my case I love Hewson's '87-'89 double jewel cases cover art and design, so elegant and professional (Impossaball, Ranarama, Gunrunner, Exolon, Cybernoid, Nebulus, Marauder...). First, I love the art of those covers by the late great Steve Weston, but I also love that diagonal lined design in different colours and the lettered blocks for the company logo, they were like a brand identity, totally recognisable. And obviously I love most of those games too. So I felt a bit dissapointed when they decided to discard this design in order to adapt their games to the 16 bit market with the lizard logo and cardboard boxes.

[Ast A. Moore]

why on earth is it called "jewel" anyway? could never puzzle it out

Hmm. I can’t remember now if cassette boxes were referred to as a jewel cases. As for CDs, Wiki gives the following explanation:

According to Philips, the name “jewel case” reflects either the generally high quality of the case design compared to initial attempts, or its appearance. According to one publication, initial attempts at packaging CDs were unsatisfactory. When the new design, by Peter Doodson, was found to be “virtually perfect” it was dubbed the “jewel case.” Another publication quotes Doodson describing that he “specified polished ribs as they pick up the light and shine” and states that the resulting appearance led to the name.

I know the standard inserts were referred to as J-Cards (because of their shape), but I don’t think that J would have contributed to the J in jewel. The only name I’ve heard being used to refer to plastic cassette boxes is the Norelco case/box.

[R-Tape]

@R-Tape oh, a book, you say? So that 's why LotR is so big...sadly, mine is missing.

Aye a copy of The Fellowship of the Ring. This is one of many that arrived in a bundle years ago and I never got around to loading them, let alone reading the book.

Double jewel case all the way. They took the single cassette and added to it. They’re perfect for storage, large enough to show off the beautiful inlay art, they feel right even with 2 cassettes in them - they’ve got such a right feel, y’know? - and they sound right when stacking ot storing together, something that the single cassette does but pales in comparison to the double.
Sticking games/inlays in brand new jewel cases are just *chef’s kiss* but soooo good with the double.

The cardboard boxes are nice but not built to last. There’s no sensory feedback at all on them and they damage too easily. Course, the larger boxes handle this better due to being sturdier.

So, to summarise, the double jewel case is light years ahead of every other storage media.

Thank you for listening to my TED talk.

I'd say the double feels right only with 2 cassettes in them. Having just one rattling around in there feels like making do to me.

[DouglasReynholm]

I remember seeing this inlay in the archive, probably the weirdest one:



Does it really have that shape?

I don't think anyone has answered this Juan, but I owned the game and I'm 99% sure (I have to allow for brain cell depletion since) that it did.

[redballoon]

Why, yes! Yes it does!

I've just dug out my copy and taken this

[redballoon]

I'd say the double feels right only with 2 cassettes in them.