Imports - stopped getting them?

[Swaain]

Even if I own quite a lot of import games, I don't consider myself an import gamer "per se" as I'm fairly agnostic when it comes to preferences for import / domestic releases (the same goes for cross-platform releases, by the way : I have no allegiance whatsoever to any platform or console manufacturer...). I just try to pick the "best" version of the games I want to play and/or keep in my collection. Criteria include playability, of course, but also technical specs - 50/60 problems and black borders are a big no-no, and the possibility to play on a (modded) console that has rgb out is important - but I'll also take into account elements like authenticity and quality of conversions (for arcade games), cultural issues like censorship (I'll definitely import if it means more blood and "bounce"), extra features, quality of presentation and box-art. Availability and price are less of an issue, as I like "hunting" for stuff in retroshops, on forums and through internet contacts.

Over the years, I've collected games for quite a few consoles; most of these collections, however, are "hybrids", comprised of games for various platforms and originating from the three main regions (excluding Brazil and China - heh!). Sometimes even "series collections" are hybrids - eg., Metal Gear Solid : I've got three versions of the original game (US, PAL + JP Integral) while 2, 2', 3 and 3' are PAL only; Final Fantasy 7 & 8 started out in PAL, but 9 in US; lately I've added US versions of 7 and 8. X is JP only (International v.) while X-2, XI and XII are US - pending the JP release of XII Zodiac Job System. As for Ys - currently I own 1 & 2 on US PC Engine, JP saturn and JP PS2, 3 on US Megadrive, 4 on JP PC Engine and JP SNES, 6 on JP PS2 and I'm looking to add JP PC versions of 1&2, 3, 6 and origins.

As a matter of fact, this style of collecting suits me well and I cannot see it change anytime soon. It's true that I'll have to start cutting down on expenses, and with the latest generation of consoles importing has become a lot less "necessary", but I'll always feel the urge to sample the next more or less obscure Japanese title, or that game that's been out in the US for ages while the folks at NoE are sitting on their lazy asses.

[MarioMark]

I still get the odd import, it's just died down a lot for me lately because it was mainly the Nintendo and SEGA stuff I went for. Now SEGA don't make hardware and there's nothing on the Wii, it's hard at the moment. Thanks to the PS3 being region free, I'm sure we'll all be importing more again when the games start to come out for it.

I think one of my favourite times for importing was when PSO Episode 1&2 came out in USA for the GameCube. I remember spending loads on that week. There was the game, Ascii Keyboard (which was about ?60 alone), 251 Memory Card and a BroadBand Adaptor. Good times!

[Strolls]

DS boxes are surely the most asthetically pleasing of any game? They are perfectly functional, and small enough that you can fit HUNDREDS of them on shelves too. DS is the only gaming I actually half care about so I like it to all look nice.
How do DS boxes differ from other game boxes? Does no collection of games look good?

DS cases are much much larger than any of my other cases in terms of the contents-to-case ratio.

I like the simple clear plastic of both the DS & PS3 cases, but considering the size of the cart inside, DS cases are taking the mickey. I appreciate that shelf-space and visibility is important to manufacturers, but even so Nintendo could at least have made DS cases a little thinner.

Should I take the books and CDs, and DVDs down from my shelves too?

Don't get me started!! The size of a book is proportional to it's contents. You don't find book publishers filling novels with empty space just to make them look larger on the shelf.

The size of media cases became messed-up with the release of DVDs. A CD's jewel case is the perfect size to accommodate the disk and a booklet; it is of good solid plastic strong enough to protect the cover-art and has the advantage (over, say, a cardboard slip sleeve) that it has a spine wide enough on which to print the title so that it can be read on the shelf. Laserdisk sleeves were likewise efficient; I never owned any myself - I think their sleeves were cardboard, like those of LPs, but collectors could put clear vinyl covers over them for protection?

So when they released DVDs they decided to put them in bigger boxes so we'd think we were getting something extra special. WTF? I'd like that big box of air, please! Oh? And it comes with a movie in it? COOL! I'm sure this goes back to the cost of DVDs when they were first released - they were considered a bit of a "prestige" format and, at a time when that was real money, movie buffs would spend hundreds on a player. A single film was ?20 (maybe ?25?), twice as much as a VHS tape. Naturally enthusiasts had to be encouraged to feel they were getting something "more" for their money, and if DVDs were packaged in the jewel cases used for regular CDs they wouldn't have stood out so well on consumer's bookshelves - at that time amaray cases helped you keep ahead of the Joneses and announced to your guests and visitors that you had a big collection of DVDs, this cutting-edge technology.

Now there's no chance in hell of media companies shipping HD-DVDs or Blu-Rays in smaller cases because it'd make these "next-gen" formats subtly seem like a "downgrade" to consumers browsing the shelves in HMV & the Virgin Megastore, but nevertheless these cases are a waste. They take up about three times as much space on our shelves than CD jewel cases do and there's a corresponding shipping inefficiency in the supply chain.

Stroller.

[Lyris]

and if DVDs were packaged in the jewel cases used for regular CDs they wouldn't have stood out so well on consumer's bookshelves

Actually in Japan, some earlier DVDs (and I think some are even now) were packaged in jewel cases. I remember reading that a new case design was chosen purely to differentiate the new format from Audio CDs.

[Pavey]

Now there's no chance in hell of media companies shipping HD-DVDs or Blu-Rays in smaller cases because it'd make these "next-gen" formats subtly seem like a "downgrade" to consumers browsing the shelves in HMV & the Virgin Megastore,

But they do, don't they, unless i have misunderstood.

[Sane]

Yeah US HD DVD cases are quite nice I think, they're smaller and thinner than DVD cases. The PAL ones I have are thicker for some incomprehensible reason, like with the DS cases.

[Strolls]

Now there's no chance in hell of media companies shipping HD-DVDs or Blu-Rays in smaller cases because it'd make these "next-gen" formats subtly seem like a "downgrade" to consumers browsing the shelves in HMV & the Virgin Megastore,

But they do, don't they, unless i have misunderstood.

Ah! i have to admit I've never had my grubby hands on either a Blu-Ray or a HD-DVD.

From the pack-shots I've seen on places like Amazon I'd assumed they came in a case the same size as DVDs. Looking again, maybe they're the same size as PS3 cases? The PS3 disk cases are an improvement on those used for the Wii & last-gen consoles, but not far enough for my taste.

Stroller.

[J0e Musashi]

DS cases rock! The JPN ones only mind.

[Mayhem]

Europe DS cases are like that to fit the sometimes hugely thick multilanguage manuals...

[BaudAttitude]

So when they released DVDs they decided to put them in bigger boxes so we'd think we were getting something extra special. WTF? I'd like that big box of air, please! Oh? And it comes with a movie in it? COOL! I'm sure this goes back to the cost of DVDs when they were first released - they were considered a bit of a "prestige" format and, at a time when that was real money, movie buffs would spend hundreds on a player. A single film was ?20 (maybe ?25?), twice as much as a VHS tape. Naturally enthusiasts had to be encouraged to feel they were getting something "more" for their money, and if DVDs were packaged in the jewel cases used for regular CDs they wouldn't have stood out so well on consumer's bookshelves - at that time amaray cases helped you keep ahead of the Joneses and announced to your guests and visitors that you had a big collection of DVDs, this cutting-edge technology.

Some studios did release DVDs in jewel cases during the early days of the format; I recall Sony, Universal, and Pioneer all doing so. Pioneer kind of hedged their bets, though, you got a jewel case inside a cardboard sleeve, like the old longboxes they used to stick on CDs.

My wife was working in video retail at the time - keep in mind that, when DVD came out, laserdisc had been around for almost two decades - and she offers the following reason that stores really liked keep cases:

Customers would come in to the store, browse around a bit, find the laserdisc section, flip through the laserdiscs, come up to the register and ask:

"Do you have any soundtracks that aren't records?"

...

Putting them in a different sized case not only made them pop out as a "hey, these are new!" item, it saved an awful lot of "hey, I bought this soundtrack and it won't play in my CD player!" kind of problems.

[sj33]

Ah! i have to admit I've never had my grubby hands on either a Blu-Ray or a HD-DVD.

From the pack-shots I've seen on places like Amazon I'd assumed they came in a case the same size as DVDs. Looking again, maybe they're the same size as PS3 cases? The PS3 disk cases are an improvement on those used for the Wii & last-gen consoles, but not far enough for my taste.

Stroller.

Blu-Ray and HD-DVD cases are the same as PS3 cases, except thinner (bar UK Blu-Ray cases, which are as thick as PS3 game cases).

I really think these 'thinner' style cases are ideal, taking up much less shelf space than PS3 games, and I wish PS3 games/UK Blu-Rays used them.

[tyler]

I have US PS3 and US Wii. Xbox has always been PAL for me mainly to keep LIVE use simple. My JPN imports have definitely dropped off though since Gamecube where I had a lot of JPN games. Looking back though the Gamecube was my first JPN import experience really, getting JPN GC on the launch of Mario Sunshine.

I got Minna No Golf 5 for PS3 this week though, I think that was my first JPN import in a year.

[jim g]

Considering in the Megradrive, Super Famicom and PSONE days over 90% of what I bought then was import, USA and JAP. In fact I used to get 2 or 3 deiveries a week from Tronix (whom I have buying from since 1996). Nowadays, very few and I guess with 60hz full screen no longer the problemit was years ago I will import less.

Minna No Golf PS3 is my latest also! (hopefully it will be here soon).

[Salsa Party Animal]

I think it is a shame DVD box are too big and not good enogh as DVD tend to get scratched too easily.

I got about 200 games and maybe 500 DVD if they are 1/2 cm thinner and maybe 5cm less height. I would have lot more storage room. It is a shame. HD DVD boxset is not bad start. But there must be better protection of disc.