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    • 90 - Atari Mirai (Proto)
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History of the Game Box
North American Released Systems

By 98PaceCar,Dark Watcher Marriott_Guy and Tan 

With most systems on this list, numerous variations exist.  From the designation of Greatest Hits titles to the actual material utilized in the casing, exceptions abound for almost every console.  We account for this consistency (or lack thereof) factor in our ratings.  But in the end, we are evaluating the standard game box for the respective hardware.  Perhaps down the road we will expand this article to include all of these deviations. 

Without further adieu... Let the Games Begin!!
 
 

1976
Fairchild Channel F

1976
RCA Studio II

 
o HUGE boxes due to included TV overlays
o Black\White design is boring rather than classic
o Absolutely zero artwork - why not?????
o Sturdy cardboard construction stacks easily
o Somewhat difficult to read due to 'futuristic' font
o Store these away and call it a day
 

 
o Colorful, but utterly lacks any sense of true style
o Games were numbered, which is a definite plus
o Box design simple but effective
o Almost amateurish in design
o Two different box designs, but overall consistent
o Looks awesome when they are displayed

 
o My 5 year old niece has produced better artwork
o Color coded by genre - a first for gaming
o Boxes are sturdy, yet do not display well
o Putrid pastel colors are just brutal on the eyes
o Poor descriptions of the actual game
o All titles released were 1st party

1977
Bally Astrocade

1978
Magnavox Odyssey²

 
o Excellent art work for the most part
o Most included screen shots on back of the box
o Started off consistent, but then pure mayhem
o Cheap cardboard boxes tend to get crunched
o Tough to organize due to variety of boxes
o No true third party control on package design
o Low durability and consistency keeps rating low
 

 
o The manual doubles as the box front (cheap!!)
o Most came in fragile, cardboard boxes
o No title identification on the spine
o Around four variations of this same crappy design
o Boxes were gold while front was black/orange (?)
o This might be the worst packaging design ever
o Varied box design during system life (4+)

 
o The first system to feature plastic game casing
o Artwork was very consistent, though 'cartoonish'
o Hard to show off your games (no spine display)
o Extremely strong housing, but tough to replace
o First to feature "Special Release" box sets
o Front graphics easily slip out of front holder
o Excellent uniformity in design and artwork

1982
Coleco ColecoVision

1982
Atari 5200

 
o Color coded by game genre (first party games)
o Large, detailed artwork is impressive
o First games came in 'book-style' cartons
o These are easily crushed (like similar boxes)
o Sleeve for controller overlay doesn't work well
o Easy to organize except for third party titles
o Fall over easily due to light weight casing
 

 
o These might be the most nondescript boxes ever
o Communicates zero information to a buyer
o Cheap cardboard boxes mirror crappy artwork
o Limited control over first/third party games
o It is hard to tell what system these pigs are for
o A nightmare to arrange/organize - I hate these!

 
o Classic silver casing is stylish and attractive
o Nice screen shots on the back of most games
o Excellent use of font size - easy readability
o Same box style as the Atari 2600 (average)
o Very consist due to limited life span of console
o Illustrations vary greatly (excellent to poor)
o Waste of space dedicated for system title

1982
GCE Vectrex

1982
Entex Adventure Vision

 
o Titles were numbered along with their title
o Extremely consistent throughout all releases
o Boxes were made of flimsy cardboard
o 'Rainbow' color scheme rather unattractive
o Artwork looks like water color Paint By Numbers
o You either love or hate these containers
 

 
o Rather simplistic design (silver with light grid)
o All of the games confirmed to the design (plus+)
o Plastic casing inside stabilized cardboard box
o Small, generic artwork throughout the series
o Too much space wasted on game title
o Overall simple, elegant and completely effective

 
o Classy presentation - clean and uncluttered
o Easy to maintain control with only 4 total titles
o Sturdy cardboard box is easy to display
o Simulated screen shot on back of the casing
o Colorful, bright graphics used throughout
o Design is almost timeless - a true classic

1984
Nintendo NES

1985
RDI Halcyon

 
o Was the first company to have an approval seal
o They didn't seem to have any brand standard
o Very limited third party control over box design
o Artwork was all over the map (primarily style)
o Difficult to organize due to "free-wheelin" boxes
o Cardboard box sturdier than similar entries

 
o Easy to be consistent with a library of 2 games
o B&W box design is unappealing - not 'classic'
o Hard cardboard casing is HUGE (LD games)
o Cheesy pictures on back of packaging
o No need for third party control (2 games again)
o System logo is bland and not highlighted at all
  

 
o The first company to "get it right" (plastic casing)
o Clam shell design is very easy to display
o Could have better utilized the back cover
o Standardized background simple yet effective
o Front graphics ranged from great to awful
o This definitely set a new standard in box design

1986
Atari 7800

1987
Atari XEGS

1989
TurboGrafx-16 (and CD)

 
o Artwork was large and mostly impressive
o Strong third party conformity to default design
o Same style box as the 2600 and 5200
o Red lettering differentiated games from brethren
o Cardboard box is rather flimsy
o Excellent utilization of back of the carton
  

 
o Games came in all sorts of packaging
o Multi-platform compatibility did not help matters
o First run boxes were a stylish blue/grid design
o Back description tended to be generic in nature
o "Compatible with..." graphic is rather annoying
o Cardboard casing was average on most releases

 
o CD style casing is easy to organize
o Inconsistent use of color coded spine stickers
o Cover art is average at best for the most part
o Default 'orange' is rather ugly
o Nice use of system logo (easy to read)
o Hue cards tend to flop around inside casing

1991
SNK Neo Geo AES

1991
Nintendo SNES

 
o Base SMS clam shell design smartly replicated
o Excellent use of space and maximizing graphics
o Large screen shots on the back cover were a plus
o Title\logo placement on spine inconsistent
o Cheap, cardboard boxes utilized late in life
o Ugly red border design cheapened the original
o So many software partners, yet minimal control
 

 
o Pinnacle of all gaming boxes due to sheer size
o Large, colorful graphics outstanding even today
o "### Megs" truly communicated game play value
o Binder casing was MASSIVE and awe inspiring
o Spine well decorated and easy to read
o Plastic sleeving can become brittle over time
o You know you are getting your monies worth

 
o Black casing is attractive but does not age well
o Horizontal front layout is somewhat unsettling
o Great artwork - no carton space is wasted
o Flexible to display (horizontal vs. vertical)
o Spine's colorful/unique, yet zero standards
o Cardboard design is rather cheap
o Would have been excellent if plastic was used

1991
Sega CD

1992
Memorex VIS

 
o Absolutely no control over the packaging
o Some came in CD cases, others in tall cases
o Graphics were sophomoric at best
o Plain white with purple spines are hideous
o Put simply - these are an abomination
 

 
o Large, plastic casing is attractive and stylish
o Nice use of vertical logo banner and blue coloring
o Cases can easily crack (hard to find replacements)
o Present extremely well when organized as a group
o Glad they ditched the initial, cheap cardboard box

 
o Tall, thin and quirky
o Inconsistently placed spine text
o Hardly any screen shots used on back of box
o Use of VIS logo was varied (placement/style)
o Overall pretty horrible to be honest

1993
Pioneer LaserActive

1993
Panasonic 3DO

 
o Standard CD style casing a plus for storage
o Everyone danced to their own beat in NA releases
o Great variety in spine title and text
o Illustrations not unique (from Amiga games)
o System logo plastered across the front (ugly)

 
o Laser Discs sleeved in LP style casing
o Large graphics adorn front of packaging
o Artwork didn't really reflect high-tech console
o Hard to read spines due to thin width
o These babies are HUGE and difficult to display
 

 
o Long boxes were either loved or hated
o Initial entries had sturdy, plastic spines/support
o Later cardboard boxes were prone to 'smushing'
o Generally very good artwork, though misleading
o These topple over easily (requires 'bookends')

1994
Sega 32X

1994
SNK Neo Geo CD

 
o Old-school cardboard packing is pretty durable
o Bright, vibrant cover art for the most part
o Inconsistent use\placement of system logo
o Inordinately thick for some unknown reason
o A true bear to organize due to inconsistencies
 

 
o Yellow 32X banner looks great and is easy to read
o Cheap cardboard used in carton design
o Consistent display really makes collection pop
o Cover art overly cartoonish and lacks style
o Why didn't they use the plastic clamshell holders??

 
o Standard CD style casing lackluster but effective
o Very consistent use of system logo
o Nice use of contrasting colors
o Rather text-heavy cover art (limited canvas)
o Rather pedestrian and left me hoping for more

1995
Bandai Pippin

1995
Atari Jaguar CD

 
o Large, colorful graphics utilized throughout
o Plastic casing looks great, but extremely fragile
o Nice use of vertical system logo
o More contrast is needed - too much 'white'
o Excellent use of screen shots on back casing
  

 
o Classic blue framing is a bit of an overkill
o Limited graphics due to enlarged system ID
o Cover art well done, but super small!
o As consistent as they come due to limited releases
o Cardboard casing can be easy crushed

 
o These came in all sorts of sizes (which I hate)
o Large outer box basically filled with air
o Cheap, cardboard casing housed the CD game
o Like the Jaguar, brand control non-existent
o These topple with ease like a $5 prostitute

1995
Sony Playstation

1996
Nintendo 64

 
o Rather small boxes are easy to store/display
o Spine graphics make most titles hard to read
o No consistency in placement of system logo
o Large, colorful graphics are pleasing to the eye
o Cover design seems to be a bit too busy
 

 
o Began with a variety of long boxes before CD case
o Standardized logo placement a definite plus
o Very consistent in Greatest Hits designation
o Excellent use of the limited canvas of CD casing
o Text on spine is very small, but easy to read

 
o Cheap, cardboard boxes are prone to damage
o Standardized logo on front is visually appealing
o Horizontal display is a bit unnerving for me
o Excellent use of both front/back cover space
o Displays well, once you decide on the orientation

2000
NUON Technology

2000
Sony Playstation 2

 
o Classic CD style casing is easy to store
o Changed from White to Black default template
o Stylish DC graphic is consistent and attractive
o Easy to read text on CD spine
o Lack of consistency (black/white) is disturbing
 

 
o Unique gold DVD cases really stand out
o Understated system label utilized perfectly
o Large, vibrant graphics entirely effective
o A great deal of wasted space on back of casing
o Small library, but packaging executed very well

 
o Standard black DVD  casing a welcomed change
o Logo placement on spine/front is excellent
o Excellent graphics that are large/well defined
o Many screen shots on back a nice touch
o Red GH designation on spine/front is rather ugly

2001
Microsoft Xbox

2004
XaviX XaviXPORT

 
o Colorful artwork adorns most covers
o Original GD-ROM case difficult to replace
o Arched logo is simple, but rather boring
o Player's Choice designation rather inconsistent
o Plastic used in casing feels fragile/cheap
 

 
o Unique lime green DVD casing really stands out
o Logo banner attractive and information (Live)
o Use of white for Platinum Hits is questionable
o Original casing can be somewhat difficult to replace
o Spine is easy to read, but too busy at times

 
o Irregular boxes due to included peripheral
o Impossible to realistically display (too big)
o No control over logo usage/placement
o HUGE canvas is underutilized
o Limited use of screen shots/game details

2006
Nintendo Wii

2006
Sony Playstation 3

 
o Lime green casing again is a good call
o Excellent contrast and use of front cover canvas
o Platinum Hits (dark grey) compliment library
o Spine art/text very detailed yet easy to read
o Green 'swoosh' front graphic is sharp (non-Live)

 
o White, standard DVD casing is simple yet elegant
o System logo is economical but still classy
o Sometimes not informative due to shovel-ware
o Many front covers feel crowded for some reason
o Greater contrast on spine would have been helpful

 
o Custom, clear, logoed cases feel a little cheap
o Understated system logo on spine lacks contrast
o Limited canvas for screen shots due to case size
o Graphics very good, but feel 'squeezed in'
o Standard Blu-ray casing is appropriate, yet small
 

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