Shrink Wrap vs. Cellophane..

Is it just me, or does it bother anyone else how games come packaged when sold?

It's a wonder, for something as flimsy and cheap as videogame packaging, that some publishers choose to cut corners and shrinkwrap their games.

Do you know what I mean? When you buy a Nintendo, Square, or Atlus published game, it comes tightly, and I mean TIGHTLY sealed in cellophane that's nice for both collectors like me, and users that like to rip open wrapping.

But other publishers, like THQ, Capcom, and Majesco, release their games in really cheap looking, really resealable shrink wrap (as you know, a lot of GameStops offer shrinkwrapping), which raises questions about whether a game is factory sealed or not, not to mention that they charge just as much as the above mentioned companies (except for Square..)

I dunno, does this bug anyone? I picked up Kirby Super Star Ultra and I was admiring it, when a knock came at the door, and my order from Amazon.com came in. I opened it and Air Traffic Chaos had come in, and it annoyed me that I was holding nicely cellophaned Kirby in one hand, and ugly shrinkwrapped Air Traffic Chaos in the other..

The store I work at has to open multiple copies of new releases that are over 29.99, so when we don't need as many copies, we shrink wrap them back up. Or waste cellophane

The only games that come in shrink wrap are discount DS games, and discount PSP games..Discount includes more or less anything 29.99 or less. Good games all show up in cellophane

How about a cheaper version that lowers cost since the plastic case could take a pretty serve beating before it breaks.

It can't sit at the bottom of a heavy object, but if it was wrapped tightly in any sort of crappy wrap you could whip the case like a ninja star and not break it, probably take like 8+ times at a brick wall.

The only thing that bugs me with game cases is when Gamestop puts stickers all over them. Then it leaves all that sticky gunk on them, but just pull out the Goo Gone and good as new...Arthas045

i absolutely hate that especially when there is more than one sticker

[QUOTE="Arthas045"]The only thing that bugs me with game cases is when Gamestop puts stickers all over them. Then it leaves all that sticky gunk on them, but just pull out the Goo Gone and good as new...k3nne3e

i absolutely hate that especially when there is more than one sticker

Stickers are from hell. Especially when they're on the actual cover and not the plastic of the game's box. When it's on the binding it's even worse.

[QUOTE="k3nne3e"]

[QUOTE="Arthas045"]The only thing that bugs me with game cases is when Gamestop puts stickers all over them. Then it leaves all that sticky gunk on them, but just pull out the Goo Gone and good as new...JAB991

i absolutely hate that especially when there is more than one sticker

Stickers are from hell. Especially when they're on the actual cover and not the plastic of the game's box. When it's on the binding it's even worse.

I simply won't buy a game that isn't sealed because I really shouldn't have to do that to a new game.

Shrinkwrap don't annoy me, but it does make me worry if someone played it and just wrapped it up. Like when I buy a game at Gamestop and it's shrinkwrapped. I heard of stories of employees opening up new games and playing them so I always sometimes go to Best Buy and see if the same game is also sold in shrinkwrapped and if there are multiple copies shrinked.

So far, no prooblems at all.

Like when I buy a game at Gamestop and it's shrinkwrapped. I heard of stories of employees opening up new games and playing them

ASK_Story

You're talking about GameStop's employee renting policy. I've had firsthand experience with this, which adds to my paranoia.

In reading responses to my original post, I've realized that I'm in a very small minority of people that this is an issue with, because I'm a collector, and whether the true condition of the game is new or compromised as possibly a re-selaed used copy really bothers me.

I've had first hand experience with this.. Since Heroes of Mana faced a price drop (from 39.99 to 29.99), i had actively been pursuing a brand new factory sealed copy of this game from GameStop/EB Games in the Southern California locations. I've been S.O.L., finding that every single store I went to only had the last remaining gutted copy that was on the display, which i did not trust to be a new copy. I went to one location in Brea (there are 3 stores, I won't specify which one), that said they had a new copy, and brought it out for me to purchase. It was shrinkwrapped, and I immediately said no. They assured me that it was a brand new, factory sealed copy, but I insisted that it wasn't. Anyone with half a brain that's purchased a Square Enix product knows that their games come wrapped in cellophane, instead of flimsy, easily tearable shrinkwrap.

I was appalled that they tried to pass off a resealed copy of a game as brand new.

I just wish companies, especially Konami and THQ, wouldn't make it easy to compromise the integrity of brand new copies of their games by sealing them in shrinkwrap. Thus far, I have factory sealed copies of both Castlevania DS titles, Lock's Quest, Time Hollow, and Lost In Blue amongst others, that are wrapped in shrinkwrap. I hope that they don't lose their value in the long run due to speculation that they could possibly have been previously opened then resealed.

I'm obsessive compulsive. Forgive my nitpicking.

Sheesh, and to think I wanted to visit Australia...

just get your games at wal-mart or sume such a store. Game specialty stores usually take their game out of the packaging for some assinine reason and plaster them with their logos. at least in department stores you're garunteed to get a NEW game not touched yet by humans. Only games i get a gamestop are older ones i cant find new to save my life.Um_Wut

HMV has to in order to put a gutted copy on the shelf.

I know at our store, the games are not played while gutted. I'm currently in charge of them.

If we put non-gutted games over 29.99 on the shelf, the loss if the product is stolen is far worse than a customer passing up buying it.

You do realise that if you buy a game from a store that's new and it has problem (ie, pre-played wear, factory errors) the store HAS to provide you with a new one upon display of receipt...so if you think that a staff member pre-played a game, just bring it back demanding a new one

If it bothers you THAT much, bring it back saying it's defective, they get you a new one, then all is well

and just so you know, the Final Fantasy games on DS have all been showing up in shrink wrap, not cellophane.

and just so you know, the Final Fantasy games on DS have all been showing up in shrink wrap, not cellophane.

HybridPhoenix

that's unfortunate. where are you located?

i haven't opened a single game that i've bought for collective purposes in almost 2 years now. and i can assure you that every square enix game (final fantasies, front mission, dragon quest series, even the taito developed games) come in nice, tightly sealed cellophane.

like i said, i'm pretty sure i'm the only one that's bothered by this, because i don't open any of the games that i buy. it's merely for long-term value i guess.

I haven't really noticed a difference.

I mean, as long as the game works, I'm happy. :)

I think we are long lost twins!

I want factory sealed new games, and i rarely purchase used games. It doesn't even matter if i plan on opening the game or leaving it in it's seal.. i must be the first person to handle the actual thing since it left the factory. I despise EBs policy of opening many of their new games and trying to sell them with stickers on them, they are hardly new then. I've actually recieved copies of a few games as gifts that were not sealed(but were claimed new). Interest enough this particular eb did not put any stickers of any kind on it(even the one they put on it to seal it when you usually buy a preopened game) and as such they were in quite good condition.. but it bothered me too much. I ended up taking them back to EB and asking them to give me sealed copies, and not resealed copies.

I also dislike the shrink wrap because, like you said, it's hard to tell if it's just been opened and wrapped up again. That, and it's so very cheap looking.

i must ask.. do you also love the smell of new games? Or is this getting weird? :D

new games, new shoes, new car...

all those smells are fantastic. i know exactly what you mean :)

Eh, only thing that bothers me is when Gamestop puts the price stickers where I can't peel if off after getting the game home. I bought a friend a game for a birthday gift but I couldn't peel off the price sticker because it was in a spot where I couldn't peel it off without possibly ruining the package.

I am another person with OCD. I will not buy my games from a high street store and if I do I make sure that I get them from the storeroom as they haven't been opened yet. I despise that here in the UK they will open the game put the box out on display and stick the discs inside the manual in a drawer. The discs get covered in scratches and the boxes get mauled by youths. Yes even damaged cases bother me.

One thing was weird a couple of days ago received Ghost Recon from Amazon and have never had any issues before but the shrinkwrap looked like something they had put on themselves rather than at the factory. It was that horrible cling film type wrapping. If that continues I will be shopping elsewhere. It's weird because with that type of shrinkwrapping, the see through sleeve on the case all warps presumably because of the heat from the shrinkwrapping. Discs were fine as always though.