Big boxes or jewel cases

[Aggie Tsubi]

Just curious what you guys think about the vastly different packaging types for PC-FX. I feel torn myself. There's something very visually striking and appealing about the big boxes, even more so than the long boxes for Sega CD, Saturn, and PlayStation, especially if you have a decent number of them lined up on a shelf. In comparison, the jewel cases just don't stand out much at all. But a big box takes up so much space, more than any other non-special edition boxed games in my collection. For such an obscure, under-appreciated system, a PC-FX collection really demands a good chunk of space and attention. Of course, there's also the matter of importing, and it sucks that PC-FX big boxes cost more to ship. On the bright side, they're probably less likely to get damaged. I've noticed that the clear plastic sometimes gets kind of mottled too, making it harder to see underneath, so that's a disappointment. And the general lack of uniformity sucks, so you can't nicely store all your PC-FX games in alphabetical order.

I'm probably putting too much thought into this, haha, but, hey, it's a new topic of discussion.

[BlueBMW]

I've always been a big fan of cool game packaging.  I think the PC-FX big boxes are way cooler than the jewel case packaging.

[esteban]

I appreciate big and small things of all types.

I don't have a PC-FX, though, sadly.

[tpivette]

I prefer the big boxes. They demand attention when lined up on my shelf. Plus they're are only around 60 or so PC-FX games, so the sheer size isn't too bad when in that small of quanity. If there were 500+ titles like the PC Engine, that'd be a different story.

The jewel cases are boring. It looks as though I started storing PCE games next to my big box PC-FX stuff to those who haven't heard of the system

[Necromancer]

The big boxes and big art are nice, but I prefer the compactness and practicality (easy to replace when damaged) of the jewel cases.

[filler]

I voted big boxes, BUT that is only in relation to the specific question of which I prefer for the PC-FX. I like them because they look nice on the shelf and they are just so unique compared to everything else. That said I think it was sensible for the industry in general move to smaller, more universal boxes.

This got me thinking, it was kind of a weird move since the PCE stuff was always in CD cases. They resemble PC game boxes for the FM Towns and PC-98. When you pair that with the style of the PC-FX console, and the style of the games, it seems NEC was trying to appeal to the Japanese PC gamer with a home console. I'd never thought of it like that before.

[Aggie Tsubi]

Yeah, it does make sense in that regard. A system that looks like a mini PC tower, tons of games with mouse support, a lot of games that were ported from PC or in the genres popular on Japanese PCs (dating sims, digital comics, etc.), big cases like PC games had, all in all it does seem like NEC was attempting to turn Japanese PC gamers into home console gamers. I mean, it definitely doesn't seem like they were targeting their established PC Engine fan base, considering the huge shift in goals and genre trends.

[_joshuaTurbo]

The big boxes and big art are nice, but I prefer the compactness and practicality (easy to replace when damaged) of the jewel cases.

I'd say both, but I enjoy that the PCFX ran with these for a while.  It differentiated them from PCE softs.  I wish the entire library had the big boxes, but offered the jewel cases inside if we wanted to store them that way for easier accessibility. 

Regardless, I don't currently own any games or a console.   

[esteban]

I voted big boxes, BUT that is only in relation to the specific question of which I prefer for the PC-FX. I like them because they look nice on the shelf and they are just so unique compared to everything else. That said I think it was sensible for the industry in general move to smaller, more universal boxes.

This got me thinking, it was kind of a weird move since the PCE stuff was always in CD cases. They resemble PC game boxes for the FM Towns and PC-98. When you pair that with the style of the PC-FX console, and the style of the games, it seems NEC was trying to appeal to the Japanese PC gamer with a home console. I'd never thought of it like that before.

Yeah, it does make sense in that regard. A system that looks like a mini PC tower, tons of games with mouse support, a lot of games that were ported from PC or in the genres popular on Japanese PCs (dating sims, digital comics, etc.), big cases like PC games had, all in all it does seem like NEC was attempting to turn Japanese PC gamers into home console gamers. I mean, it definitely doesn't seem like they were targeting their established PC Engine fan base, considering the huge shift in goals and genre trends.

Ha! This actually is an interesting aspect of the PC-FX. I had never contemplated the motivations behind NEC's seemingly odd shift towards bulky packaging (a la PC games), but I think you two (filler, Aggie) and _joshuaTurbo are onto something: NEC wanted to position the PC-FX as a categorically different console (a console for more sophisticated, older folks). Yes, they wanted to differentiate PC-FX (and its software) from the familiar (dare I say "common" and increasingly passé) PCE (and its software). Aping a desktop computer (and openly embracing some adult-oriented software) certainly made the PC-FX seem less "kiddie" than the PCE.

Thank you for bringing some fresh, interesting ideas to the PC-FX forum .  Was the ubiquity and success of the PCE a liability (too kiddie) for NEC? Oh, the tragedy!

[Duo_R]

So was the move similar to what the Playstation did with the earlier releases? Started out with the bigger boxes and then decided to go with smaller jewel cases on the later releases?

I love the big boxes, thinking about making some custom boxes using the Universal cases for the non big box games (and put the jewel case inside).

[Aggie Tsubi]

Yep, all the early releases are in the big boxes, and all the late releases are in the jewel cases (although the jewel cases vary some, what with the standard, extra thick, and double cases). I believe Nirgends was the first in a jewel case? Just about smack in the middle of the PC-FX's lifespan too, about 1-2 years of PC-FX games before and after Nirgends. Not sure what happened with Tenchi Muyo, though. That supposedly came after Nirgends, but it's still in a big box. But if the release dates are right, we're only talking the difference of a couple weeks between the two.

It's a shame we couldn't have had the best of both worlds in terms of genres. I know there's some debate out there on if NEC actively was trying to cancel/prevent the release of games that didn't fit within a narrow vision. Who knows. I would've loved to see more traditional, PCE-style games. More shmups, platformers, and other good stuff. I don't know what the PC-FX's reputation is like in Japan (probably not very good overall just on the basis that it was a commercial flop), but I bet more Western collectors would have a more favorable view of it if so many of the games weren't so text-heavy. I think there are a lot of good games in its library and I barely know any Japanese at all, but I know plenty of gamers don't have the patience for an RPG or sim or such if they can't follow the story well. Hopefully all these fan patches will help convince more people to give the PC-FX a shot.

[kazekirifx]

I prefer the big boxes. They demand attention when lined up on my shelf.

Me too, for the same reasons. It gives the FX library it's unique character. Lined up on a shelf in your game room, it will be easy to see where your FX library lies. Friends who come over will ask about it.

I know there's some debate out there on if NEC actively was trying to cancel/prevent the release of games that didn't fit within a narrow vision.

There's a debate over that? While they were certainly trying to sell it as the platform for "anime freaks" I really doubt NEC was in any position to reject developers whose games didn't fit that definition. Return to Zork and other games don't necessarily appeal to that crowd (unless you extend it to the anime freak/PC gamer crowd). I think the high number of PC ports and SLG games is because they're generally cheaper to develop, and thus lower risk to release. That's one of the reasons you get a higher concentration of these types of games on any platform in Japan that has a relatively small user base.

[Ji-L87]

I voted big boxes, BUT that is only in relation to the specific question of which I prefer for the PC-FX. I like them because they look nice on the shelf and they are just so unique compared to everything else. That said I think it was sensible for the industry in general move to smaller, more universal boxes.

This got me thinking, it was kind of a weird move since the PCE stuff was always in CD cases. They resemble PC game boxes for the FM Towns and PC-98. When you pair that with the style of the PC-FX console, and the style of the games, it seems NEC was trying to appeal to the Japanese PC gamer with a home console. I'd never thought of it like that before.

Yeah, it does make sense in that regard. A system that looks like a mini PC tower, tons of games with mouse support, a lot of games that were ported from PC or in the genres popular on Japanese PCs (dating sims, digital comics, etc.), big cases like PC games had, all in all it does seem like NEC was attempting to turn Japanese PC gamers into home console gamers. I mean, it definitely doesn't seem like they were targeting their established PC Engine fan base, considering the huge shift in goals and genre trends.

Ha! This actually is an interesting aspect of the PC-FX. I had never contemplated the motivations behind NEC's seemingly odd shift towards bulky packaging (a la PC games), but I think you two (filler, Aggie) and _joshuaTurbo are onto something...

*Agrees* A really interesting idea. Maybe the normal PC Engine could've gained some hardcore PC followers too if they used Mega Drive-style cases instead of CD jewel cases (I won't lie, loving me some MD cases & artwork).
Maybe the bigger cases meant to invoke a feeling of "luxury" or "high end", a bit like the Neo Geo AES does...?

This is a fun discussion, why didn't the PC-FX grab the hearts of the common PC gamer?

I believe that, If their aim really was to grab the attention of pc gamers, they really, really could've needed some more "proper" console games as well. The Towns and the Sharp X68 were, as we know, "proper" game machines as well, running console-style sprite heavy games with relative ease. The PC98 struggled there, but it too had some real games, not only love simulations. The FX-GA was a good idea however, as the doujin-scene meant quite a lot for home computers at the time. Shame it didn't seem to catch their interest all that much.

I think there also were technical problems like, say, display resolution as the FX was meant to be played on a normal TV as opposed to a PC monitor. I will admit to not being all that familiar with how "high" your off the shelf CRT TV can go but surely, a PC monitor should be able to beat that. Computer games, in all their dithered glory and what not, could look absolutely stunning, whereas console games had to make do with a lower resolution.

Also, it's my belief (and I may be wrong) that a lot of pc gamers at the time weren't only just a bunch of gigantic perverts but also tech nerds who loved to daddle about with hardware and accessories. Like, how you can get MIDI-modules for your Sharp X68 or switch out the processor in your FM Towns...you know, doing the kind of stuff that our own SuperDeadite enjoys
The FX just didn't get a whole lot of add-ons like that, even if some things seems to have been planned given the expansion bay.

[filler]

Yeah, it does make sense in that regard. A system that looks like a mini PC tower, tons of games with mouse support, a lot of games that were ported from PC or in the genres popular on Japanese PCs (dating sims, digital comics, etc.), big cases like PC games had, all in all it does seem like NEC was attempting to turn Japanese PC gamers into home console gamers. I mean, it definitely doesn't seem like they were targeting their established PC Engine fan base, considering the huge shift in goals and genre trends.

Ha! This actually is an interesting aspect of the PC-FX. I had never contemplated the motivations behind NEC's seemingly odd shift towards bulky packaging (a la PC games), but I think you two (filler, Aggie) and _joshuaTurbo are onto something: NEC wanted to position the PC-FX as a categorically different console (a console for more sophisticated, older folks). Yes, they wanted to differentiate PC-FX (and its software) from the familiar (dare I say "common" and increasingly passé) PCE (and its software). Aping a desktop computer (and openly embracing some adult-oriented software) certainly made the PC-FX seem less "kiddie" than the PCE.

Thank you for bringing some fresh, interesting ideas to the PC-FX forum .  Was the ubiquity and success of the PCE a liability (too kiddie) for NEC? Oh, the tragedy!

That is a good question. It may have been a direct response to the failure of the SuperGrafx in particular. If you think about what they must have taken away from that, they probably wanted it to be as different from the SuperGrafx as possible.

I love the big boxes, thinking about making some custom boxes using the Universal cases for the non big box games (and put the jewel case inside).

I was thinking the same thing. There is a single custom cover posted to the Cover Project but it's for a DVD sized case. http://www.thecoverproject.net/view.php?cover_id=5710 It could be cool to have custom UGC covers for all the CD games.

...you know, doing the kind of stuff that our own SuperDeadite enjoys

This is an aside but it's funny you mention SuperDeadite as last night I was responding to them via a comment on YouTube, ended up searching and finding one of their videos and subbing their channel not realizing yet that it was the same person I was chatting with via comments. Then for an even weirder coincidence I come here right after and read this thread which links back to their YouTube channel that I just came from. @_@

[SuperDeadite]

LOL, nice to see people do enjoy my shitty vids.   But I am a solo act, there is no "them."   Well sometimes a friend is over, but 98% of my vids are just me.  And all are the real deal, with everything owned by me as well.