[Muffdraul]

To condition you to buy games early at full price.

[Kyou]

To punish you.

[Reticent Rhino]

To answer the OP's question as to why they get different packaging and not just a sticker on the front, it's because publishers want the game to stand out no matter what angle you look at it. A sticker on the front won't help if a game is displayed on its spine or in a cluttered bargain bin.

Presumably this is also why GameStop plasters three price stickers on everything.

[Suairyu]

and the latest one

Oh Christ these are beautiful. Instabuy. Are these headed to EU?

[shidoshi]

Has ugly box art really ever your affected your purchase decision like that?

Yes. I came into picking up Heavy Rain late, and would not do so until I could find a version in the original packaging. The only time I've ever purchased a "greatest hits" type re-release was Silent Hill 2, and that was because that release had extra content. Otherwise, I won't buy those versions of games.

[GalacticSushiman]

Just FYI, greatest hits/platinum/... are titles which are EARNED, I don't remember the exact number, but you have to sell to a certain level to get the right from 1st party to launch this edition. If not, you are just stuck with your old packaging with nothing to say 'discounted price' except the tag...

[goldenpp72]

It shows off the game reached a prestigious point, also showing the game is now really cheap, probably better than a game just bottoming out to 20 bucks for the average consumer.

That said I hate it and do not own any games with the packaging.

[nhlducks35]

Why?!?!?!?

[Tellaerin]

Visibility I'd say. And (maybe) not devaluing the initial release, by making the cheaper release look cheaper? Although I'm not sure this matters to many people.

It doesn't.

Can't believe how many obsessives here complain about Greatest Hits packaging. It's a box, FFS. It's not an exhibition piece. You don't play boxes.

[Coen]

This is why we have the custom boxart thread.

[yamo]

I wanna play Ratchet & Clank: Crack in Time but can only find it as a Platinum game.

No sale!

[Jack Scofield]

I don't understand the hate some boxarts receive. Sometimes I think the complainers must be staring at the game case as they're playing the game.

[nofi]

Boxception.

Actual proper giggles.

[Persona7]

I do not give a shit about the box, I buy games to play them.

[RPGCrazied]

I do not give a shit about the box, I buy games to play them.

Same, but something like this is horridly bad and I will not buy something that looks like that.

[plc268]

I swear sometimes, I must be the only damn person here that doesn't give a shit about boxart. Yea, cool looking boxart is cool, but 99% of the time, I only ever see the spine of the case because it's sitting on the shelf. And even when I'm looking at it, a green/red/silver bar across the cover isn't going to make say "I'm not buying this game because of the shitty box art."

I understand the implications for those who are video game collectors, but the average person really doesn't care. I buy games to ultimately play them (whether I do or not, is a different story), not to stare at the box art.

[KSai]

I swear sometimes, I must be the only damn person here that doesn't give a shit about boxart. Yea, cool looking boxart is cool, but 99% of the time, I only ever see the spine of the case because it's sitting on the shelf. And even when I'm looking at it, a green/red/silver bar across the cover isn't going to make say "I'm not buying this game because of the shitty box art." I understand the implications for those who are video game collectors, but the average person really doesn't care. I buy games to ultimately play them (whether I do or not, is a different story), not to stare at the box art.

You're not the only one. I don't plan on keeping any of my games permanently.

[Jack Scofield]

I swear sometimes, I must be the only damn person here that doesn't give a shit about boxart. Yea, cool looking boxart is cool, but 99% of the time, I only ever see the spine of the case because it's sitting on the shelf. And even when I'm looking at it, a green/red/silver bar across the cover isn't going to make say "I'm not buying this game because of the shitty box art." I understand the implications for those who are video game collectors, but the average person really doesn't care. I buy games to ultimately play them (whether I do or not, is a different story), not to stare at the box art.

But you'll lose some gamer cred with a lady-friend when you bring her home and she notices that you didn't buy a first run copy of Arkham City. We've all been there. Never again.

[RionaaM]

But you'll lose some gamer cred with a lady-friend when you bring her home and she notices that you didn't buy a first run copy of Arkham City. We've all been there. Never again.

That's why I've got zero girl friends... I mean, why I never show them my video game collection!

:'(

[thiscoldblack]

I would always avoid 'greatest hits' packages. Unfortunately, I have 1 or 2 in my collection since I can't find the originals unless I paid extra on eBay. They're hideous and look out of place in my library.

[RedSwirl]

I personally don't mind them. I do think it makes a lot more sense though when the "greatest hits" release coincides with a new version of the game with added content. Ex: Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition, Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution, Midnight Club 3 Remix.

[MrCunningham]

and the latest one

yeah, this one here actually looks pretty good. I also think that the Nintendo Selects packaging looks pretty classy too:

They actually do hire competent packaging designers.

[Shig]

It easily identifies some of the better games for new system owners, which is pretty important; A person that buys a game and enjoys it is much more likely to buy more games in the future. Asking the layman to just kind of wing it and pick from a field of everything that's been released for a system and just hoping they don't pick a stinker is not particularly wise, on that front.

And major retailers mostly just pay attention to what's new, they don't keep ordering first-run copies of anything ad infinitum. New packaging, a new price, and a new SKU gets them to reorder games they otherwise would've let sell out and stopped carrying.

[CoffeeJanitor]

The product is being rebranded/relaunched at the new price so customers know that it's a good deal/game.

[Joni]

Punishment for people that waited instead of buying the games at full price.

[Mithos]

Boxception.

Hehe Reminds me of an old post/edit of this boxart I did....

DONE! >_<

[Aaron Strife]

The redesigned 360 boxes are decent



Which is great because the old ones looked like shit.

I also liked the PS2 box art simply because red doesn't stand out too much from black, GameCube's player's choice line had that really ugly yellow.

[whalleywhat]

You didn't buy this quick enough, so we ruined the way it looks.

[Meier]

Yo, a lot of people bought this and liked it, you should buy it too!

This. Most video game consumers are interested in playing what others are playing. More often than not, if a game is hugely successful it's either pretty good or at least pretty established. The idea is to make it very obvious to a casual buyer that they're getting a popular game which by proxy is pretty good.

[Forsythia]

I hate the packaging for Platinum/Greatest Hits. It's like they are deliberately punishing you for not buying the games within 6 months after release. I also hate it when I buy a game online and nowhere on the store page it mentions it's a Platinum Hits version, after I'm stuck with the ugly box.

[Htown]

Because it sells better that way.

The packaging is meant to say "here's a game that a whole lot of people liked, and now you can buy it for pretty cheap!"

[J0dy77]

Yo, a lot of people bought this and liked it, you should buy it too!

First post nails it. It's to inform the uninformed. If some kids Mom is staring at a shelf and sees a box with the label "Greatest hits", like all of the cassette tapes she had of her favorite 80's hair metal bands, she's more likely to buy it. Marketing, plan and simple.

[G0523]

Why?!?!?!?

Lol! You act like these are the worst ones!







If you're gonna do it, do it right. :P

[RickA238]

To piss off collectors, which is a wonderful thing.

[Jawmuncher]

To piss off collectors, which is a wonderful thing.

After reading all the replies, that seems like the only real reason.

[Yagharek]

The HD Collections on PS3 have always been pretty damn good in terms of boxart (thinking GoW Collection, Team Ico, Sly Triology, MGS HD Collection as prime examples) as well as the new HD boxarts posted above (Infamous especially).

The Greatest Hits on PS3 are pretty garish. The old PS2 Platinum boxes in PAL were nice. Plain, but consistent and not ugly.

I like uniform boxart. 3DS and PSVita both have a great boxart scheme so far.

[StarEye]

Basically, if something LOOKS cheap, it probably IS cheap.

[Air Zombie Meat]

Can't have the peasant version looking decent.

[catmincer]

I do like the Japanese Platinum hits boxes for Xbox 360. Not too blatant.

[dekline]

I never had a problem with it. Whenever I see that packaging i'm usually throwing down $20 or less. But i'm not a collector.

[GavinGT]

If anything the Greatest Hits/Platinum packaging puts off more people than it attracts. It'd be interesting if it was possible to quantify how many people actually go second hand because of how ugly the game boxes become and what the repack actually costs.

Normal people (non GAFers) don't give a fucking shit what the box looks like. They see a game they might like for $20 and they buy it.

[Monty Mole]

When I worked in retail in the late 90s, Sony's PS1 Platinum range here in the UK was insanely popular. Consumers knew it meant that the game had to be of a certain quality and sell a certain number of units. By seeing the silver packaging, they knew they were getting a good game at a good price.

These days however, more games than ever hit "Platinum" price without going Platinum. So the range seems to have lost its value.

[EVOL 100%]

Game packaging isn't something you stare at everyday, but it would be nice if boxes were pleasing to the eye and don't look like utter shite.

[danmaku]

Just FYI, greatest hits/platinum/... are titles which are EARNED, I don't remember the exact number, but you have to sell to a certain level to get the right from 1st party to launch this edition. If not, you are just stuck with your old packaging with nothing to say 'discounted price' except the tag...

I shouldn't be that hard, Mushihimesama Futari had a platinum release in japan and I doubt it sold more than 100k copies.