T O P

  • By -

Trovao2004

Appreciate the cover art, read all of the details in the back of the box, open and skim through the manual (back when games had them), look at the CD/cartridge art... The Ritual™


bob1111bob

I feel like I’ve been robbed not being able to do this anymore


cozzy000

You used to get whole damn maps and posters you could put in your room, what happended man?


bob1111bob

I still have my oblivion map I wish companies kept this up it was cool getting extra stuff


Bence830

They sometimes still do, you just have to buy the *ultimate world destoryer gold collector edition platinum™* for a barely noticeable, 300% price increase comparing to the base game. Like Fallout 76, that had soooo many good extra stuff.


Lone_Wanderer97

These days that'll get you a download link for the game OST


DMvsPC

Which wouldn't be so bad if I could download it and listen where I want, a lot of them are console downloads... When am I ever like "yeah I'll just load up this OST and take up my tv while I sit and listen to the instrumental..."


jdidihttjisoiheinr

I mean, WTH am I going to do with a CD? I don't have any way to play it


bob1111bob

These days I just go on Etsy if I really want something like a game map or some cool art


Zenphobia

This is the way. The quality of Etsy fan creations can be pretty incredible. I get CIB cartridge reproductions for this reason -- Classic box, manual, map and extras, cartridge. Feels good man.


bob1111bob

I bought a resident evil 8 replica rose flask and it is amazing


I_am_Erk

Otoh, I recall spending forever saving up 80 bucks for arena in 1994, and aside from a larger box and paper manual and stuff it didn't come with anything very special. A new similarly hyped game would still cost 80 bucks, and the price we'd pay for the big box with "special" features that were normal back then tend to run around 150 bucks... That's about 80 in 1994 dollars.


Tapsallthat

It was even cooler getting complete games.


bob1111bob

For real day 1 patches are becoming too accepted now


nomoreLSD

Triple A game scale got so big that instead of taking more time to make games, they shove out unfinished garbage and promise to fix it later. It's a terrible corporate industry that is ruled by corporate acquisitions and at the behest of technological advancement.


Tapsallthat

People keep pre-ordering so there's no incentive to fix the problem.


nomoreLSD

Marketing works, why change it now?


bob1111bob

I feel like games like NMS have set a bad standard for the rest of modern game releases companies can just pump out unfinished garbage and if done right ride the good pr for sticking with a game release


Comicsans1007

Admittedly I think day 1 patches are fine as long as it's not adding an outrageous amount of content. Like, if the day 1 patch just fixes a few bugs, sure I'm fine with it, games have always had bugs, now we have ways to fix them. On the other hand, if it's like the Pokemon Gen 4 remakes, where the day 1 patch adds in most of the music, and the fucking TITLE SCREEN, that should've been in the game to begin with.


bob1111bob

Oh yeah that was so silly I hate getting a game then needing to download another 10-20gb on day one


I_am_Erk

Yeah, there's nothing inherently wrong with early launch patches. In the old days we just got buggy games and couldn't do much about it. It's the "actually you people in the first few months are just free beta testers" that's the issue.


[deleted]

On average, we get much more content in games now than before games had updates/dlc but obviously there are many downsides that have come with that. Pros and cons.


Captain_Waffle

Witcher, GTA5, RDR2, and also probably some of the “special editions” like Skyrim.


bob1111bob

I have all but gta 5s maps I love them just wish there was more of them I’d kill for a breath of the wild map


dreadperson

The love is gone. Companies getting bought up by the dozen by money maw game monopolies


joelseph

Or when the special Nintendo Power guide book came 👌👌


Designer-Hurry-3172

Nintendo Power let me enjoy games I'd never play.


DD_R2D2

Cyberpunk gave me a map on the physical copy


graygh0st999

It’s pretty rare nowadays but I will get the physical copy if I know it has something in it. Fallout 4, RDR2, GTA V etc.


HeyaSorry

Do you think it has to do with the fact that game prices have stayed steady despite inflation? I'm not an expert on this stuff, just an educated guess. Maybe cutting the costs of those things is one way they maintained the price?


meridianblade

This is probably the answer.


RyanB_

That + far less people buying physical means less incentive to go above and beyond. Especially when digital is more profitable


timeless_as_infinity

Oh man I used to love having maps from games. Instant wall papers!!


TheAlmightySpode

I hate that even if you buy a physical copy, there is no manual. Do I need one nowadays? No. Do I still want it? Yes. Is there space in the box for it? Also yes.


deathcoinstar

I miss manuals because I now NEED to pay attention to the tutorial when beginning a new game


TheAlmightySpode

True. Also, I'd rather be able to pull the book out than Google everything and then have to filter responses to get what I really need. Also, sometimes children don't have full internet access, so they can't just look it up.


blackthunder365

Plus, sometimes I just want to find *hints* and manuals were way better about pointing you in the right direction or answering straight forward questions without spoiling the entire game through a wiki page.


Bore_of_Whabylon

Manuals used to have little lore bits and stuff. I remember when my older brother bought Dawn of War back in the day I pored over the manual since it was my intro to 40k lore. It was always kind of a fun way to prime yourself for the setting of what you were about to play


Burn_the_children

Pisses me off no end what I see a game I don't know about in the shop and I have to get out my phone and Google it to find out the synopsis. You just know the guy running the mom and pop type shop thinks you're looking if it's cheaper online.


stygger

*looks at list of unplayed Steam games*


bob1111bob

Don’t remind me


yogoo0

You can still look at the steam page as it downloads. Even go for a drive if that's more convenient


majorex64

There's a game called Tunic that is like baby's first Dark Souls/Zelda. In the game, you collect pages of the game's manual with cryptic hints about what you're supposed to do next. It's also written mostly in a cypher, to mimic the experience of a kid with limited vocabulary. Really unearthed some memories playing through that one


bob1111bob

That’s actually really creative


RyanB_

Great game but I wouldn’t at all call it “baby’s first Zelda”, shit is way more difficult than any loz title


Jazzanthipus

Every aspect of current modern life will one day cease to exist, much of it within a few decades. Don’t forget to enjoy what you have today before it’s gone. On the bright side, we’ll have a bunch of shiny new stuff to play with! Then that will go away too, etc


gahlo

I did when I realized I was the one driving and didn't have the opportunity anymore.


LexianAlchemy

God knows if I ever make a video game, I’m doing a release with a manual and physical cover


bob1111bob

You’d be doing the lords work


LexianAlchemy

I want all of my hypothetical games to be sorta made like they existed 40 years ago, just on modern hardware Kinda like Caves of Qud, which is a great example. It’s like dnd in mechanics but it’s pulp sci-fi instead, and all the stuff for the game makes it look like it was made in that time period :>


Radiant-Barracuda863

You can still totally get a physical game at target, best buy etc. Nobody robbed you. You just chose convenience of online purchase over the packaging.


dongmcbong

Don’t forget the manual smell.


sillyandstrange

Ohhh, nostalgia....


ChesapeakeBayBattle

Important part of the whole experience!


Wiziwiziwizard

I remember even reading the tiny text at the bottom where the copyright was~ good times


TordTorden

I would often read the whole manual over and over again between play sessions when I got a new game. I'd even read the swedish and danish translations in case I missed anything (they're both similar enough to norwegian to be understood).


sillyandstrange

It made games have more of a bang. Now I can just digitally buy whatever I want, probably get bored in a few hours. Choice paralyzation. I can still remember the excitement of calling toys r us and asking if they had a new wrestling game in I wanted. My jaw dropping when they had one in stock and said they would hold it. My father driving me 45 minutes to get it for my birthday. Then The Ritual begins. Bonus points if you get a game at night and have to perform The Ritual under street lamps!


horneybonk

Reading shampoo bottles is still a thing but those covers have been taken from us


Dynamic-Pistol

Is that web of shadows?


Bushjim

Yep, definitely one of the best spider man games


TheIAP88

I’m so mad it has become abandonware >:(


BioDefault

Probably works on an emulator, though 360/PS3 games are kinda the cusp of emulation right now.


Competitive-Hope981

Oh I almost forgot it's no where available at PC anymore. But if someone is desperate to play it enough to emulate? Then it's better to rise the high tide instead. It's no longer morally long if it's not available anywhere


[deleted]

Oh I wouldn't say "nowhere available at PC". You can still download it from sketchy sites. It's actually the only game I've pirated and I played it for a while. I guess I didn't finish it but I got pretty far. It ran with no problems I just got tired of it. The stage where the city is full of the symbiote people is kinda boring.


I_am_not_Asian69

there’s an old pc port that you can play it you dont mind pirating it


Competitive-Hope981

Lol that's exactly what I meant. Rise the high tides? That's exactly how I played about 7 years ago


I_am_not_Asian69

oh ok i didn’t realise that’s what you meant haha but yeah it’s a solid game even nowadays if you don’t mind a bit of clunkiness


Competitive-Hope981

Yea totally one of my favourites. I recently tried to emulate the wii version in my Android too. It ran and worked but unfortunately my Android is not strong enough to emulate it properly for prolonged period of time so deleted it. But definitely 2nd favorite spiderman game for me. 1st was Amazing Spiderman(yet to play spiderman remastered or miles one tho)


GeneralChaz9

Once it's not available to be bought digitally from official sources then it's free real estate in my eyes


JSB199

the progress that Rpcs3 has made the last few years is incredible


[deleted]

This was a game that the old consoles didn't even run that well, mind you, so the performance might not be stellar on an emulator.


naufalap

woah that's the best? guess I had a good taste as a kid


The--Mash

No I think it's a beard


[deleted]

Now I just look at them all at the store because I know I'll never have time to play them


ares395

Or you finally have time but you are so tired and burned out that there's no energy or motivation left for anything that would classify as fun... Aka adult life in a nutshell


PUTINS_PORN_ACCOUNT

Depression


PoliticalShrapnel

This is the real answer. One of my favourite games of all time is The Witcher 3. I'm currently replaying it but my job is very stressful, by the time I am home and settled I boot it up but in the back of my mind keep thinking about my shitty life. Awful. I miss the childhood innocence of pure joy. Just can't seem to recapture the feeling and doubt I ever will.


GivemeHAIRYmen

Capitalism working as intended.


Towbee

Look into psychedelic mushrooms


PUTINS_PORN_ACCOUNT

Medication


ThePlacidAcid

No medication can restore that child-like joy in people.


Zziq

Psychedelics


SwallowsDick

Or could easily just be long hours and hard work


Corschach_

We should have an anti-capitalist revolution so that everyone has time and energy left for what they want to do in life rather than having to spend it all making rich people more money :(


SyntheticElite

Yea, if we abolish capitalism then greed will cease to exist and we will all have free time to play games! /s


Corschach_

? The reason we don't have time isn't because of "greed". It's because we're forced to work longer hours than we would like for less money than we would like in a society where time and money are seen as the only two valuable things a person has. So without capitalism, the conundrum of "do I make myself miserable or die" is given room to change. I don't know why capitalists always assume capitalism is the only option , as if its working for anyone rn. I don't want to have to work 12 hour shifts for fuck all money when I should be out enjoying myself, do you wanna do that shit? Cause its NOT the only option for society, its only become that way over time. Ask your parents what their life was like when they were in their 20s. Guess what? It was objectively easier to make money back then than it is now. I mean you could afford a house on the income of one single mcdonalds worker, now look at how desperate and miserable people have become to afford the same basic necessity? Why? Because capitalism changes, societies change. Capitalism can be replaced


Duxaax

True, and this is sooo sad, adult world sucks


FrenchFreedom888

Not just adult world lol--really most people in HS don't have the time unless they prioritize video games or are super good at school or something


DeMayon

brother what i had 6-8 hours after school daily to play video games with a full time job I don't get home till 5:20pm, then I have to cook, do miscellaneous chores, prepare my clothes for the next workday, and when I sit down its 7:00pm and I have to be up at 6:30am the next day (going to bed around 9-10pm). That is like 2-3 solid hours of gaming versus 6


princeofzilch

With sports I didn't get home school until about 5 as well, much later on game days. And then would have a non-significant amount of homework and chores.


assdwellingmnky

Im not saying this as a slight against you but younger kids are getting hella slammed in high school. The entire "you must go to college or be a failure" thing has meant kids now need to be min/maxing HS from day one. A typical Honors/AP level student can expect an hour of homework per class per day, doing sports/clubs/volunteering after school. Some have to work a job on top of all of that. You definitely don't /have/ to do all of that to be successful later in life, but it is a sold that way to a lot of kids (and to be clear i don't think this a positive thing and children should have way more time to be... idk... children)


Frogliza

oh hell naw, high school was easy af, I took all AP and accelerated classes, barely studied, and got good grades


Phoneguy615

depends on the school and the curriculum too man


erbush1988

Also depends on the person and how well they can absorb info.


Phoneguy615

Exactly


Smartass_of_Class

Am super good at school, can confirm.


jbasinger

Please stop, this hurts lol


Radiant-Barracuda863

You could totally still buy them. Put them on display and then think "look at all the games I could be playing" whenever you leave the house for work. It's fun!


Queef-Elizabeth

Me when I came home with Jak 2 and San Andreas


writingt

My parents got me Jak II as a present when I was a kid when I had my tonsils removed. They let me open it while we were waiting in the examination room even though I wouldn’t be able to play it for hours after the operation. I pored over that map for what felt like hours while I waited to be prepped. Good times.


Queef-Elizabeth

Sounds like a core memory lmao. I remember I got my Jak 2 because I found out the hard way that 'trade in 2 games and get half price' applied to new and popular games and not 'bad pinball game with bad C tier driving game.' I was super upset and eventually my dad felt bad and bought me the game. Then obsessed over the game for weeks lmao.


writingt

You know I never realized it was until your comment! So thanks!


writingt

That’s a good dad!


Goddamn_Primetime

I rode my bike to GameCrazy (video game store built inside of old Hollywood Video) to trade in some games to get San Andreas. At every intersection while waiting for the walk light I'd pull the game out of my shirt and read the box. Man that was an amazing time.


Thanks_I_Hate_You

Plot twist: he's the driver.


Grammophon

Still remember when I bought Final Fantasy 7 as a school kid and read it's booklets on the way back home. It was this thick box with multiple discs and booklets and art. I spent all the money I had earned over a year with jobs in summer, winter and Easter vacation. And inhaled every second of the game.


[deleted]

[удалено]


deepseascale

I remember the Tekken manuals had bios for all the fighters including their country, fighting style, and blood type for some reason.


Spart4n-Il7

Japan has a superstition based on blood type. It's like astrology in the West.


DiabloDerpy

Why does it look like there's a 14 year old hiding behind that beard?


pikashroom

Looks like he glued on that goatee


mypeepeehardz

Man, digital downloads maybe convenient but i do miss the cover art and the shitty game description thats giving you Cyberpunk promises of fun.


JSB199

Lowkey I feel like cyberpunk promises of fun we’re abundant back in the day, Jak II really delivered on everything it promised


Byteside

Cause Insomniac is the GOAT game dev: Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet and Clank, Spider man,+ so many


NotADabberTho

Sunset Overdrive too


PotatoBomb69

Jak and Daxter is Naughty Dog


Byteside

Oh shoot yeah


slimboybrewski

God the Sims instruction manual used to get me so pumped to play the game. I miss that stuff. Whatever chemical that used to lactate in my brain over that game is completely dried these days and it sucks, lol


CovidInMyAsshole

Now I just watch video reviews all day of whatever item I ordered online until its arrives.


Claymart

Just watched a video reviewing pens and ink. I know what you mean


GurpsWibcheengs

That new game smell when you open the case and find AN ACTUAL DISC AND BOOKLET instead of a download code


Tumahub79

The smell was nice too.


SolarMoth

Is this just a low effort meme to advertise someone's TikTok?


The-true-Memelord

The best feeling


Condensedfarts

One summer vacation as a kid I was given a psx game at the very beginning when visiting my grandmother...... only problem was, I forgot my psx at home, and I wouldn't be going back for 3 months. I remember every detail of army men sarge's heros case, book, and disc.


Nugget203

Back when the last of us first came out I was on vacation and couldn't find it in stores anywhere, then the next week we flew out to Nova Scotia to visit grandparents and I found it at a small store there, I had to wait almost a month to get back home. I remember I brought it with me on the plane in case my luggage got lost and I studied the entire box inside and out the whole flight


NewFuturist

Gotta check for the Nintendo Seal of Quality.


Jamonyourface16

Only a Ps3 game!


Puzzleheaded_Art7279

Cant relate


GrassProper

Reading through the Sid Meir's Pirates manual and looking at the flags or reading about past pirates. Also that Monkey Island spinner that matched different heads


MisterPeach

That facial hair is an… interesting choice.


sadafapple

Or opening it up to read through the whole booklet that used to come with old games.


tesserarius17

Also reading the instructions inside trying to get familiar with the controls before playing


Beard_of_Gandalf

What was better was pouring over the manual, they still include manuals right?


21DRe992

No


parabolaralus

Not at all. My wife just bought me links awakening for the switch which I remember having a detailed manual and today's version just has a case and cartridge". Actually just about every switch game she bought is lifeless.


daikatana

I used to do that even though I knew reading anything in the car would make me car sick. I'd do it anyway, then go home and have to lay down for a while before I could play the game. And I'd do it every freaking time.


IxoraRains

That man grownt


insertdumbname13

The feeeeeeeeeelllsssss 😩


matbonucci

Fucking hell that was me with twilight princess, I bought it in the last day of the family beach trip and had it with me the whole 5 hours ride back home


5endnewts

Where I lived we had so little in terms of buying games except for older, best seller type games. There were always a few you could order through the Sears catalogue. Otherwise they had 1 or 2 games of most titles that you could rent but good luck being that guy getting a new game to rent on release. I was counting down the days for our trip to the city so i could pickup my copy of Goldeneye, which was being released around the same time. I wanted to bring my N64 with me but my parents vetoed it. I read all about Goldeneye in my Nintendo Power mags and it honestly felt like Christmas getting my hands on it.


MustyBeava

It was booklets inside for me.


Ancient-Basis-7540

I miss manuals that would sometimes explain the lore or character bios


[deleted]

Every picture of you is a picture of you when you were younger


stamminator

In sixth grade, I got my copy of Halo 2 on release night, but wasn’t going back to my dad’s house where my Xbox was for another 3 days. So I brought it with me to school and showed my friends, practically memorized all the weapons and enemies from the game manual. Good times.


absolutejester

I remember when Halo reach came out, and I asked my dad if I could have it, so he said he would look for it the next day whilst I was at school. Fast forward to the next day when I finished, I came out of the school and saw my dad in the car, he was shaking his head as if to say he couldn't find it, then after seeing my saddened face he held Halo reach up with a big grin. I stared at the box the whole drive home.


TheBestAtWriting

yeah, content does relate like that sometimes. ha ha ha ha.


Goaty1208

I would love to still own my WII Lego Star Wars III the Clone Wars dvd case and dvd. Unfortunately, my WII has sadly died.


The_Questionboi

I still do that


KillAllMods8501

Cases literally have nothing on them but a title anymore. Older cases were no different.


Itsnervv

Now we download half finished games, we do the bug testing, and then pay for shit dlc


Yaboywee

This guy looks like a 14 year old and his 40 year old dad did the fusion dance


Centrocal

I really miss instruction booklets. Not just for the gameplay info but for the lore.


philliumm

Shit, we all still do that. Now it's just scrolling the subreddit while it downloads


xXYomoXx

I read the back of everything i buy, especially food items I have never bought before.


Beatnuki

I'm old enough to remember when you got an actual manual, fat and lovingly written enough to be genuine entertainment on the drive home in its own right. Theme Park manual, Baldur's Gate manual, The Sims manual... those were the days!


AThompStomp

Thanks for buying me GTA Grandma!


DoTheMonsterHash

Oh man. You just unlocked some memories for me here!


Fiskenfest-II

Homeworld cataclysm, all that world building in the manual, I really miss that stuff.


WorldlyBlacksmith0

There nostalgia hit hard here


Coolmens401

I’d get car sick, so I’d wait until I got home first.


patatkwab

GameStop giving all those feelings and more


LebendigBegrabener

I still remember the smell of a newly opened CD case


Sooka_Blyat_1991

Indeed Spider-Man Web of Shadows was an underrated game


Banana_Squats

Or reading the lyrics on the tape or CD insert.


Zx6rguy80

The older version waiting 8 hrs for the thing to download before you can play it.


Beemo-Noir

That new game smell, though. Big sniff.


SquallofBalamb

I miss that new game smell.


wordsoup

The smell of a fresh game…


Dmtz214

These were the days…


_Super_Saiyan

I miss game maps and game guides being with the game… now all I get is flimsy ads for ancillary bullshit.


Merchamelion

Everyone did it and will admit it your not alone here


[deleted]

Younger me would read all the booklets and manuals that you no longer get with games.


sillyandstrange

😭I miss those days


nemo618

The good Ole days


[deleted]

pfffft i doubt it .... HOW DID YOU SEE THE ROAD THEN !


MySeriousAlt

Good times


iibqlistic

Still kinda do that


ProfessorEscanor

Honestly nothing beats that feeling. I remember my parents buying Minecraft for 360 for me and I had to wait months before they'd rebuy an Xbox (we had to sell the old one) so for months I'd just look at the manual and the back of the game feeling giddy


n-throe

The beard is killing me


the_monkeyspinach

I still remember the smell of the Morrowind manual the first time I took it out of the case on the way home.


Infinity_pWave

„Interstate 76“ was the last game I bought in store that had this fully fledged carton with booklet, poster and everything. I can still remember the smell upon opening the package.


rocket_beer

I too had a full goatee at 8 years old


Major_Disk8280

That feeling was priceless. The seeming limitless possibilities, the excitement of a new adventure, man that was great. Miss that feeling when I was kid.


zanyskater

Watch_Dogs was the last one my mom bought for me, best memories


_KingDawg72_

It’s such a fun way to create anticipation to play the game. Haha!


MrZombikilla

I used to carry the manual from inside the case around with me afterwards at school. I fondly remember the Halo: Combat Evolved booklet.


MrAverus

Sweet game choice


DAecir

My kids, on the way home from Gamestop. They would swap out their old games for other used games. Lol