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PS1 games looked so classy with their jewel cases and multiple discs

S

ScOULaris

Member
PS1 games looked so classy with their jewel cases and multiple discs

I really like the look of PS1 game packaging once they switched to jewel cases, particularly games that spanned multiple discs. Not only do the jewel cases lend them a premium feel for which I have some nostalgia, but I always felt like multiple-disc games seemed "grander" by virtue of their presentation.

When you bought a big Square RPG on the PS1, you were getting a nice, thick jewel case with multiple discs that promised a sprawling adventure to come. A gaming experience so grand in scope that one disc could not contain it (albeit mostly because of how much space CGI cutscenes took up on the disc).

So... yeah. There's no other point to this thread other than to wax nostalgic about PS1 games and multiple discs. Here are some pics to stoke the embers of your memory:

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Pictures taken from eBay.
Click to expand...
 
I agree. There's something with the PS1 cases (except the green Greatest Hits line) that outclass its successors. Even the older long cases look good too.
 
Problem with multi disc jewel cases were that they were fragile as fuck.

If you accidentally drop them on the floor, they're going to break.

The PSone discs themselves are awesome though yes. The black coloring makes it unique.
 
What do you mean by jewel cases? I also don't like the multiple disc games. That generation I was always prone to get at least one disc scratched out of a multiple disc game. Had to buy multiple copies of Final Fantasy IX because of it.
 
They looked great but I hated how easy they were to scratch and even break.

Same with the discs, copied games lasted way longer with kids around the house than the original discs.
 
Blasian Persuasion said:
What do you mean by jewel cases? I also don't like the multiple disc games. That generation I was always prone to get at least one disc scratched out of a multiple disc game. Had to buy multiple copies of Final Fantasy IX because of it.
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CD cases are called jewel cases.
 
No offence to my American brethren but UK cases and design looked way better than those. Specifically the Final Fantasy games because we had minimalistic design.
 
Yeah and don't forget those thick manuals as well often having lots of artwork inside.

The only problem was that they could break easily especially if you had to move to different places very often.
 
I've hated jewel cases due to their fragility.

Anyone who has moved has probably suffered a few broken jewel cases.

It's an upgrade over Sega CD/Saturn long cases, which are even more fragile, but they still suck.

I have a few broken middle sections from Japanese OSTs, so the discs don't stay in place. I've ripped all my discs to my PC, but it sucks that my originals are tarnished.
 
entremet said:
I've hated jewel cases due to their fragility.

Anyone who has moved has probably suffered a few broken jewel cases.

It's an upgrade over Sega CD/Saturn long cases, which are even more fragile, but they still suck.
Click to expand...

I think every single one of my Dreamcast jewel cases were cracked, if not completely broken.

Good riddance to shitty design.
 
Sounds like some of you were pretty rough on your game cases. I don't recall ever breaking any of them or scratching any of my PS1 discs.
 
entremet said:
I've hated jewel cases due to their fragility.

Anyone who has moved has probably suffered a few broken jewel cases.

It's an upgrade over Sega CD/Saturn long cases, which are even more fragile, but they still suck.

I have a few broken middle sections from Japanese OSTs, so the discs don't stay in place. I've ripped all my discs to my PC, but it sucks that my originals are tarnished.
Click to expand...

just buy replacements. moving the liner art etc is pretty easy.
 
I was thinking about this in the FFIX thread. They definitely had a premium feel to them, even if they cracked easily.

It's often said we eat with our eyes, which is to say, presentation matters. The packaging back then enhanced the adventure you were about to embark on. I still think PS1 might have been the best Gen of games and I wonder how much those gorgeous multi disc sets played into it.
 
I still have all of the PS1 Final Fantasy games with complete cases, even when I sold most of my other PS1 games and even my PS1 I didn't want to part with those.
 
Auctopus said:
That Persona 2: Innocent Sin set goes for like £100.
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really? maybe I should sell mine.

Breakbeat said:
Bruh, don't you talk to me about jewel cases. They're awful, terrible. CONSTANTLY cracking and breaking. They're not a pain to replace if they're a single disc one, but 2+ cases are a real nightmare to replace from a collector's standpoint.
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really? just need to be careful with them. also store them in CD racks or vertically so there'a s no pressure on them. most of mine are still mint with only a few one hairline cracks here and there and that includes a bunch of music CDs.
 
Bruh, don't you talk to me about jewel cases. They're awful, terrible. CONSTANTLY cracking and breaking. They're not a pain to replace if they're a single disc one, but 2+ cases are a real nightmare to replace from a collector's standpoint.
 
I actually dislike jewel cases. They are flimsy and the manuals are tiny. I stopped taking the manuals out all together because they get caught on the tabs and tear.
 
LiK said:
just buy replacements. moving the liner art etc is pretty easy.
Click to expand...

Some of my jewel cases were pretty unique, though. Plus many were multi disc jewel cases which are harder to find replacements for.

That's what sucks.

A while ago a company made a more durable variation of jewel cases, called jewel boxes.

This is how they looked:

pmayne_jewelboxing.jpg


jewelboxing.jpg


They were much better, but never caught on and the practical death of physical media in terms of relevance made them less practical.
 
I'll have to disagree. Always thought they looked pretty tacky, even growing up when they came out. They're better than N64 boxes which were basically useless for normal use but i much prefer today's cases.
 
Breakbeat said:
Bruh, don't you talk to me about jewel cases. They're awful, terrible. CONSTANTLY cracking and breaking. They're not a pain to replace if they're a single disc one, but 2+ cases are a real nightmare to replace from a collector's standpoint.
Click to expand...

Never actually had a problem with obtaining the double disc cases, but I feel you on the cracking. Also smudge/scratching. I ended up shrink wrapping lots of my old games for storage because of it.
 
Y'all were trashin' on 360 when it had multi discs and ya PLaystations were down to one disc blus
 
entremet said:
Some of my jewel cases were pretty unique, though.

That's what sucks.

A while ago a company made a more durable variation of jewel cases, called jewel boxes.

This is how they looked:

pmayne_jewelboxing.jpg


jewelboxing.jpg


They were much better, but never caught on and the practical death of physical media in terms of relevance made them less practical.
Click to expand...

oh, that's a bummer. I'm sure there's probably replacements for those somewhere for collectors. probably harder to find and more expensive.
 
Jewel cases were mostly solid as long as you were protective of them, the real problem came with the Saturn/Sega CD long cases. If you touched them the case cracked, if you left them alone the manual would deform, if you tried to open them to get to the game the hinge would break.
 
RomanticHeroX said:
Jewel cases were mostly solid as long as you were protective of them, the real problem came with the Saturn/Sega CD long cases. If you touched them the case cracked, if you left them alone the manual would deform, if you tried to open them to get to the game the hinge would break.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I agree with you on that. Saturn cases were super fragile and kind of an eyesore in general.
 
ahoyhoy said:
I think every single one of my Dreamcast jewel cases were cracked, if not completely broken.

Good riddance to shitty design.
Click to expand...
Oh god those cases sucked.

I'm positive those could be broken by looking at them wrong. The PS1 cases in PAL land (UK) were better than the DC, but still were very prone to snapping, especially multiple disc cases.

So while I liked the designs, especially PS1, they were just impractical.
 
Long boxes were mostly a marketing decision. Since the games would be more prominent in store displays.

I actually liked the initial long box run of the PS1 because there were made of a different material. It was much more durable that SEGA's CD/Saturn long boxes.
 
atomic moth said:
I liked the multiple disc jewel cases as well. But the first run of huge cases is more nostalgic for me. Lot of hours of Warhawk and Twisted Metal.
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Careful, the glue on those things wears with age. My Kings Field case isn't exactly keeping it together.

Now that I think of it, I should get to fixing that and storing it. Trouble is, I always break that bad boy out once a year for a playthrough.
 
But they were just normal CD jewel cases... Anyway, they looked nice and fit into your CD organizers, towers, or whatever nicely. Too bad about their general level of cheap-shit quality even if you took care of them. Scratched or scuffed up too easily, and those annoyingly weak and flimsy hinges. I had easily over a thousand computer program, game, music, and media CDs and cases in the '90s and I grew to hate them and wish for the return of wasteful, eco-unfriendly plastic boxes, like those that Master System and Genesis games came in...the kind that could hold your instruction manuals and carts snugly and safely even in the event of a major quake. CD cases, on the other hand, just took a few openings and that shit broke on you. Fuck those things.
 
Always hated how easily the disc and case would get scratches and cracks. Good fucking riddance.
 
Wtf are you people doing to your cases that you find them breaking left and right? I've got music in jewel cases from almost 30 years ago that are completely intact. Same with my PS1 games.

Though I do like the original PS1 long boxes the best, particularly the durable cardboard ones. (like the RE and Warhawk cases shown earlier) They had amazing art.
 
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