Oh Booklets? Where Hath Thine Glory Gone? D:

[Xeogred]

There definitely is a nice sense of worth when you open a case and it's got a nice manual and other stuff in there. I noticed Wii games still usually pack in a bit more than the other systems. The "Go Green" thing is definitely bull. I hate how flimsy cases are now, feels like you're just being the disc... which you pretty much area with a little sleeve.

So yeah I miss manuals too. Back in the day I remember tracing the pictures of Mario off the SMB3 and Super Mario World manuals.

[Luke]

I also miss in depth manuals, but to be honest I assume that every game these days will have a laborious training level.

The thing about manuals for me, was that growing up if I was lucky enough to get a game I could read the manual on the car ride home (that would be dangerous now). It really pumped me up to actually get to play the game, and sometimes the manual would include surveys which I was more than happy to fill out.

I think the last game I purchased only included two leaflets.

[CRTGAMER]

I miss the manuals, but admit the older oversized boxes of PC games were overkill for space storage. It was nice to pull maps, books, reference cards and keyboard overlays to add to the fun, but crap where to put it all! I really hate the current state where the manual is a silly PDF even though it addresses the storage issue. Just give me a decent booklet insert that fits in the game case. Every disc based game should also have the PDF right on the disc and not as a download, makes it easier to always find.

Magazines also are going digital, I want that hard copy so I can kick back and read it anywhere. Gamestop is pushing the Digital Game Informer, I'll stick with the paper copy as long as its available. Speaking of wasting printer ink, I really really hate how rebates require me to print out the stupid coupon! "Two dollar off on printer ink, print the coupon"

[retrosportsgamer]

Manuals and CD booklets are perfect light reading for a trip to the can. Long enough to take care of business, not so long that your ass starts falling asleep.

Pro-tip

[retrosportsgamer]

Non video game example: DVD companies have been cutting these out as well, specifically WWE DVD sets. If there was one kind of DVD that needed an insert (to outline which matches are on which DVD in the set), it is that genre, and they've skimped out on those now.

[cookie monster]

I fully agree gone are the days of bright beautiful manuals like arc the lad and anything working designs. To be replaced by shoddy ass cases and boring manuals if you are even lucky enough to get a game with one.

[Nemoide]

I do miss having proper manuals. I'm always disappointed when I take the manual out of the case and find that it's 6 pages long with 2 pages of content in English/French/Spanish.

I can understand why companies don't make them like they used to - most gamers never cared about them and if they can save a few pennies per copy, over the course of 100,000 copies, that adds up to a fair amount of money.

The "eco-pack" cases are especially BS. I respect the environment, I'm all for creating less pollution, but those cases are things I plan on holding on to for the rest of my life. They're not GOING to be pollution if I can help it! I suppose plastic is going to outlive me by a considerable amount of time but COME ON I think there are much better solutions.

[8bit]

I'd like to just give a few props to some current gen games and their companies who still give a damn about adding that extra layer of value to their products with some exceptionally good manuals.

Super Street Fighter 4 - Nicest manual I could find in my PS3 collection!
Metal Gear Solid 4 - Black and white, but informative and fun with a comic added in!
Grand Theft Auto IV Liberty City Stories - Huge fold out map and extensive manual!
Resident Evil IV and V - Thick color manuals with character back stories!

And now some fails where I expected greatness.....
Call of Duty Black Ops - 3 pages, black and white, control scheme only. AAA, Hundred Million Dollar game my ass.
Uncharted 3 - 10/10 game. 2/10 b&w manual. Truly disappointing.

[isiolia]

I fully agree gone are the days of bright beautiful manuals like arc the lad and anything working designs. To be replaced by shoddy ass cases and boring manuals if you are even lucky enough to get a game with one.

Working Designs stuff was never the standard though. They stood out even at the time. There were games back in the day that were barebones, there's stuff now that goes above and beyond.

The "eco-pack" cases are especially BS. I respect the environment, I'm all for creating less pollution, but those cases are things I plan on holding on to for the rest of my life. They're not GOING to be pollution if I can help it! I suppose plastic is going to outlive me by a considerable amount of time but COME ON I think there are much better solutions.

Have you run into problems with the eco-pack cases? It's not just games that are using them either, and I don't see where they present more of a danger to discs. Probably less so than things like custom cardboard sleeves/etc.


Another angle to consider is that a barebones presentation gives an impression that it can't get cheaper. For all of us that might appreciate more robust packaging, there are probably folks who would look at it and wonder if leaving out the premium paper/printing, bonus disc, etc would cut a few bucks off the price. Were it a new/used game argument, people would be espousing the virtues of $5 saved, and how it means they can actually afford the game. The "standard/collectors" split addresses that.

[Damm64]

My brother JUST buyed a PS3 a few days ago and can finally enjoy the current games (YES!), i really enjoy watching the artwork of the manuals when the game loads but...
GTA 4: episodes from liberty city; it's has a nice map/poster so no much problem with a black and white manual.
GoW 3: Manual B&W no artwork.
GoW collection: full color manual but no artwork and just the basics of the game.
PES 2012 i don't even touch the disc of the game but the manual again boring with no colors.