**INCLUDES DISK ONLY IN SLEEVE** Tested, works

[MajorTomServo]

We've all seen listings like that on Amazon/eBay/Craigslist. For you, is it a deal breaker when games don't come in their original case? What if it's significantly cheaper? Or what if it's a cartridge-based game without a case, like a DS, Mega Drive/Genesis, or Vita game?

Discuss.

 

[chuckey]

I don' usually shop on craigslist or ebay for games(I just don't trust them) but I do know what you mean. I don't know about most people but I like having the original case(along with a manual if possible). It just feels right to me. I know the game itself is what matters but that extra fluff just fits nicely on a shelf.

 

[alphamalet]

90% of the times, yes, it is a deal breaker. I like to think of games as art, and I would like to be able to have the composition of art that makes up the way the game is meant to be presented on my shelf.

If it's a cartridge, I can do without the box since most of the time those are ridiculous to find, but I make a point of getting the box art of any disc media.

 

[teqrevisited]

I don't buy loose discs. I try to get the other stuff for cartridges but it's not important enough to warrant the prices for most of them. Sometimes you can save money by buying the contents separately but it's never guaranteed. When I've got money to burn you can bet I'll be buying them with everything included though.

 

[Daymo]

I do prefer the manual with a game, but if it's much cheaper without it I'll buy it. I do want the original case though and don't really trust some one enough to buy it without it, like if you can't keep the case, I don't believe that the disk will be in great condition. (unless the game is old and/or it's a giant PC box.)

 

[The_Lost_King]

That is usually a dealbreaking for me. If I am getting a physical copy I would kind of like the case too. Though, if it is significantly cheaper(as in more than $10) I might buy it.

 

[Caiphus]

It would only be a bit of a deal breaker because I would be suspicious that the game would not work, despite their claims to the contrary. I just wouldn't want to go through the hassle of trying to get a refund on one of those sites.

Otherwise, I don't really care that I'm not getting box art. I buy most of my games off Steam anyway.

 

[krazykidd]

Wait . Manuas still comes with games ? * checks "injustice : gods among us " box * This is what you call a manual ? Damn youngin's know nothing about what a real manual is .

OT: Not a deal breaker for me , as long as it comes in SOMETHING ( any kind of case will work ), and the disc isn't scratched .

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

Only GBA games because those never really came with boxes meant to last to begin with.
I'd prefer a manual if I can get one, but it's not necessary. I walked out of Gamestop because they had a copy of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon for the DS, but admitted they no longer keep the boxes for used DS games. They told me I'd end up paying twice as much for the game online if I wanted the box, (which wasn't a lie because Fire Emblem games skyrocket in price once they go out of production), I said "Okay" and left. Then I bought it with the box online.

There was one instance when I bought a GBA game from Amazon, paying the price for a genuine copy and believing I'd be receiving a genuine copy and ended up receiving a bootleg (don't get me started on plushies, those are even worse). I explained to the seller that the cartridge didn't work, making up some BS reason that it could just be old and the battery dead (rather than outright accusing him of selling a bootleg) and I got a full refund with no hassle. Sometimes the sellers really just aren't even aware they're selling bootlegs. I was able to find a genuine copy from a different seller that also included the manual and a free art book, so things turned out well in the long run.

Wait . Manuas still comes with games ? * checks "injustice : gods among us " box * This is what you call a manual ? Damn youngin's know nothing about what a real manual is .

A good way to win some respect points with me is to print the manual in color. So many devs don't consider that a necessary expense, so when they spend the little more to do that, I know they care about the smaller details.

 

[Trivun]

For me it's a deal breaker, always. Partly because I like to have the actual box, and partly because if someone can't be bothered to keep the original case then how can I be expected to trust them with taking good care of the item (whether it's a game or something else) that they're trying to sell me? There's a reason that things are packaged, after all, not just for the sake of looking pretty. GBA games are a very rare exception but I almost never play GBA games anyway, I either emulate the ones I already own or used to own, or else buy the updated DS versions if applicable, or go without. I'll only buy a GBA game if it's something I can't legitimately get in another format and have never previously bought and owned (since I don't see an issue with emulating something I used to own as long as I bought the original legitimately, since that's not exactly pirating if the company already honestly had my money for it at some stage, right?).

 

[Darks63]

I guess it could go either way for me. On one hand if they take as good care of their stuff as I do then maybe i would buy the game. On the other hand if they did not keep it in a safe location away from the sun and allowed it to be scratched up then no. The problem is that you can't really tell how the person is with their stuff so i would guess my answer would be no.

The other issue you deal with disks being in sleeves instead of their boxes is greater cd rot.

 

[Lilani]

I prefer some sort of a solid case, though the original case is not important to me. It goes straight to my disc portfolio, anyway. I still keep the box of course, but all of my discs live in a big ol book with all of my other games and DVDs.

 

[A Weakgeek]

my disc portfolio

Those cloth things that have several pages of plastic pockets to put discs in? People still use those? Havent seen one in years.

 

[Stryc9]

I don' usually shop on craigslist or ebay for games(I just don't trust them) but I do know what you mean. I don't know about most people but I like having the original case(along with a manual if possible). It just feels right to me. I know the game itself is what matters but that extra fluff just fits nicely on a shelf.

I can't speak for Craigslist but I've bought quite a few older games off of eBay in the past without any problems. As for the issue of the disc being in a sleeve, for me it's not preferable but I'll accept it if it's the only option at a reasonable price. Sometimes people on eBay can have an over-inflated view of what the stuff they're selling is worth and you have to be careful but often times you can find some great deals on there.

my disc portfolio

Those cloth things that have several pages of plastic pockets to put discs in? People still use those? Havent seen one in years.

Yes people still use those. I have several of them for holding games and other media. You can still buy them and they are quite useful.

 

[evenest]

I don't often turn to ebay or craigslist to buy games. The only time that I bought a game on ebay was when I wanted the Roberta Williams collection. It didn't have any of the materials that came with the game, and I had to write to Sierra On-line to get a copy of a manual which required a lengthy back and forth between me and the company I was told to contact to get a replacement. It was, at the time, the only way for me to get a legitimate version of the collection.

I would like to point out that just because a game doesn't come in a sleeve or have the original artwork does not immediately indicate that the game wasn't taken care of. If I kept the cases for all the cds and games that I have purchased since the late eighties, I wouldn't have any room to live in my house. Those cases were long ago recycled in favor of using aluminum cd cases and (faux) leather cases. I can store more in a smaller area, keep them safe and still have room to move about the place.

 

[Lilani]

my disc portfolio

Those cloth things that have several pages of plastic pockets to put discs in? People still use those? Havent seen one in years.

Yup. I actually got it out of necessity. I went on a long-distance internship a few years ago and I wanted to bring my DVD collection. So rather than transporting a huge box full of DVD cases halfway across the country, I got the portfolio so I could transport the discs in a much smaller and safer package. And after I got back, I saw no reason to go back to using all those stupid boxes. So now whenever I get a new game or DVD, it goes into the portfolio.

 

[A Weakgeek]

my disc portfolio

Those cloth things that have several pages of plastic pockets to put discs in? People still use those? Havent seen one in years.

Yup. I actually got it out of necessity. I went on a long-distance internship a few years ago and I wanted to bring my DVD collection. So rather than transporting a huge box full of DVD cases halfway across the country, I got the portfolio so I could transport the discs in a much smaller and safer package. And after I got back, I saw no reason to go back to using all those stupid boxes. So now whenever I get a new game or DVD, it goes into the portfolio.

It's been so long since I last saw one (PS1 era) I had completely forgotten about em. Maybe I should try and find one for myself. I love having an organized shelf where I have the dvd cases in a specific order, so I actually hate taking out a case to play a game

 

[Gothproxy]

For me, it is a deal breaker if it does not come in its original case. It's not that the case is all that important (I will usually change the case to a better looking one I buy at MicroCenter, for my collection) but it's the fact that if a game is only in a sleeve then I am left with the idea that the disc will not be in the best shape that I want it to be in.

I work, part-time, at a local GameStop and putting games in just sleeves for our PS2 games makes sense from a retailer's view (it frees up a lot of space), but if I buy a PS2 game like that, I can actually see the condition of the disc before I buy it (even though there is still the 30-day guarantee). With buying a game online, I cannot see the disc itself to know how good it looks so buying it with its case is purely psychological, but important nonetheless.

 

[Exius Xavarus]

No case is a deal breaker. I prefer having instruction manuals because I can live without them *if* I have to. But no case, no deal. If you can't be bothered to keep the case, I can't be bothered to trust that you take care of your games.

I can deal without cartridge boxes because, well...cartridge box.

 

[elvor0]

my disc portfolio

Those cloth things that have several pages of plastic pockets to put discs in? People still use those? Havent seen one in years.

Err, why wouldn't they? If you don't really care about having cases on the shelf, is something that takes up roughly one case worth of space not significantly better? We still use discs to a large extent especially on consoles, so their use will have only /increased/ what with a larger install base.