New games coming packaged in regular DVD cases now?

[AmberClad]

I think just about all of the games I've bought the past few years have come packaged inside of those double-wide DVD style cases, which, while nice because of the standardization, were kind of annoying at the same time because they took up twice as much space as a console game.

A couple of the most recent games I bought hard copies of instead of through Steam have come inside a regular width DVD cases (Far Cry 2 and HAWX). I was looking at DoW2 at the store, and it also came in a standard DVD case.

Anyone else noticing this trend?

 

[gorcorps]

Here's my quick thought on why: They used to have both CD and DVD version of games, so the extra large cases would fit the several disc CD version. But it might have cost more or been more complex to use 2 separate size cases for DVD and CD which is why you had double wide cases for DVD rom games. Now that pretty much all games are DVD version, they no longer have CD versions of the games so they only have to use the normal size case.

 

[mindcycle]

I picked up Dark Sector recently and it was one of the regular DVD cases. I like it better than the larger ones unless there's a large manual or something.. but no one is really doing those any longer nowadays.

 

[AmberClad]

Originally posted by: gorcorps
Now that pretty much all games are DVD version, they no longer have CD versions of the games so they only have to use the normal size case.

Makes sense.

Originally posted by: mindcycle
I picked up Dark Sector recently and it was one of the regular DVD cases. I like it better than the larger ones unless there's a large manual or something.. but no one is really doing those any longer nowadays.

Agreed. Like X3 and UT3, for example -- those games came as DVD format, not multi-CD, and there were no paper manuals, so the double-wide cases were kind of ridiculous.

 

[TidusZ]

One of the best games ever came in a huge box, earthbound. I think the huge box and manual made the game better, it certainly made it stand out on the shelf which is why I looked into renting it (and then going to the store and dropping $95 on it). It still sells for obscene amounts of cash on ebay, particularly if you have the manual/box to go with it.
Ebay!

 

[Maximilian]

This might be a US thing, in the UK ive got very few games in those double wide cases. They just cheap out and either put extra cd's in little paper packets, or use the type of DVD case that is the same size as console games but can hold up to 4 CD's on top of eachother. Theyre all the same size though, sins which i ordered in from the US due to lack of a european distributor at the time came in a double wide case.

Might just be the games i buy though :s

 

[mindcycle]

Originally posted by: Maximilian
This might be a US thing, in the UK ive got very few games in those double wide cases. They just cheap out and either put extra cd's in little paper packets, or use the type of DVD case that is the same size as console games but can hold up to 4 CD's on top of eachother. Theyre all the same size though, sins which i ordered in from the US due to lack of a european distributor at the time came in a double wide case.

Might just be the games i buy though :s

No, you're right. I've bought a few "international" versions of games in the past couple years, and all of them have been in the regular sized DVD cases. Seems that the US publishers are changing over to that standard now.

I have a feeling the large boxes are still being used to stand out in retail locations, but with more people buying over the internet or via digital download, it's probably not that much of a concern any longer.

 

[Lonyo]

In the UK pretty much every PC game comes in a regular DVD style case. The few exceptions are special editions or multi-game packs (or game + addons).
My copy of Mafia which is 3 CDs came in a single DVD box with all 3 stacked on each other. Crysis Warhead, 2 discs in a single DVD box (one clipped in, one in a cardboard holder).
In the UK DVD style boxes have been the standard for a long while now, even when there were multi-disc games.

Max Payne (2001), Mafia (2002 - 3CDs), NFS: Underground (2003 - 2 CDs), GTA3 (2002 - 2 CDs) all came in DVD style boxes, and GTA3 and Mafia both had the included maps in those boxes as well as manuals.

 

[duragezic]

One of the fairly recent games that just had absolutely retarded packaging/box is Call of Duty 4. If you're going to make me put the disc in just to play the game, at least have a standard DVD or double wide DVD case to get the disc out of. All of the other retail games I've bought in the past year or so have been in double wide DVD cases except for Stalker Clear Sky. I don't mind the double wide case; I just prefer it to at least be a DVD type case.

 

[imported_Imp]

Looks like. Empires: Total War came in one, so did Left4Dead. I have no real problem. It use to piss me off when I got a full sized game box with the CD suspended in there with a cardboard skeleton. We'll never have another Close Combat and Baldur's Gate manual.

 

[AmberClad]

Originally posted by: duragezic
One of the fairly recent games that just had absolutely retarded packaging/box is Call of Duty 4. If you're going to make me put the disc in just to play the game, at least have a standard DVD or double wide DVD case to get the disc out of. All of the other retail games I've bought in the past year or so have been in double wide DVD cases except for Stalker Clear Sky. I don't mind the double wide case; I just prefer it to at least be a DVD type case.

What was it? Jewel case? Paper sleeve?

 

[duragezic]

Originally posted by: AmberClad

Originally posted by: duragezic
One of the fairly recent games that just had absolutely retarded packaging/box is Call of Duty 4. If you're going to make me put the disc in just to play the game, at least have a standard DVD or double wide DVD case to get the disc out of. All of the other retail games I've bought in the past year or so have been in double wide DVD cases except for Stalker Clear Sky. I don't mind the double wide case; I just prefer it to at least be a DVD type case.

What was it? Jewel case? Paper sleeve?

It's a cardboard box that you open from the top to pull out a corrugated cardboard plate (box with the top missing) to get the jewel case and manual out.

Just seemed so cheap and stupid for a AAA game from a known dev and publisher in 2007. I hate pulling the damn disc out of that.

 

[Finalnight]

Yeah, my copy of Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway was in a regular DVD case. A lot of games at wally world are starting to come like that.