The BIG Problem With Big Box Game Collecting (Ultima, Infocom)
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- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2024
- Big Box PC Games, Big Box Computer Games - they're fun to collect, but finding all the missing pieces or "feelies" is a pain!
The Origin Systems classic RPG series Ultima is super difficult to collect because these classic CRPG games came with so many bits and pieces - Ultima IV, Quest Of The Avatar, and Ultima V Warriors of Destiny are but a few good examples of this phenomenon.
Another classic example of vintage big box games that are very hard to find complete are the classic Infocom text adventure games such as Zork, Suspended, and Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy.
A growing community of those who grew up with these big box computer games are now searching for these games and encountering the inevitable struggle to find complete copies of these gems from a time gone by.
This week on It's All Doug And Games, Doug takes a walk down memory lane and laments the big box PC collector's unending quest to find the missing "feelies", the little bits and pieces of a game that always seem to be nowhere to be found.
#bigbox #bigboxpcgames #bigboxgames #ultima #infocom #computergames #pcgames #retrogaming #retrogames #retropcgames
i love big box collecting living in the UK we don't have many big box games (most of europe had small boxes the whole time)
and the few we did died out when the US stores cut the boxes down for shop space so i love being able to grab US copies of games
and be able to look in the corner of my living room and see the artwork on the shelfs big boxes are also great decor for a gamers home
I've been collecting vintage computer games for years now, with over a thousand in my collection. The other big problem is space LOL. But yeah, I have really enjoyed tracking down games and finding all the bits and pieces to complete games. One of the maddening things about older boxed computer games was how inconsistent things could be. There are variations of catalogs and other printed materials. Some games contained certain feelies for only a limited number of copies. Off the top of my head one of the hardest feelies to find is the lapel pin that was included in the early print run of Infocom's Battletech The Crescent Hawk's Inception. And then there are feelies exclusive to other regions. The Taiwan release of Secret of Monkey Island 2 came with a Monkey Island branded swiss army knife/multi-tool. The Japanese release of Ultima Underworld also came with a letter opener in the shape of a sword with an ankh-shaped hilt. Just to name a couple.
Finally just finished my IBM/PC Infocom interactive adventure collection with all the feelies. Some are so rare to even pop up on ebay complete and not trash condition, we're talking maybe 1 or 2 a year.
It’s one thing if you’re missing a registration card or something in a big box game. But the actual feelies being gone is always rough. One of the crazier things I’ve done is I found a company that makes board game boxes, that are very similar to how many big boxes were constructed back in the day, and ordered a couple one-off blanks. I then took some ink-jet printable stickers and wrote “Box of Sorting #” on the side (styled a bit like Ultima) and they literally hold redundant materials and stuff.
Some of it’s things I’m going to keep (I have a wacky idea of collecting duplicates of as many trinkets as possible and creating some sort of display) but I’ve definitely gotten some manuals and things from different games when I’ve bought online. It’s been a while since it most recently happened so I don’t have a specific example, but the kinda thing like you buy a copy of Underworld II and it randomly has a couple extra things from Underworld I. I have definitely sent off an item someone was missing when I saw them looking for it on Reddit or wherever it was.
Yes paying “fair-market” value would be nice. I’m missing the Ultima 5 disks and all the people I’ve found selling them want a “complete in box” value and it’s ridiculous if I try to haggle they say “I know what I got so the price is what it is”
We need a group for BB collectors to help each other find those missing parts. I have a full large Box copy of Ultima 2 in amazing shape. The only thing is that it is missing one of the pamphlets and manual.
I agree! I wonder if it would be an idea for a dedicated forum or Discord or something like that. It's a very interesting idea!
@@ItsAllDougAndGames let’s do it! :)
i started collecting big boxes a little over 2 years ago and it's just such a satisfying hobby to have. collecting all the games i missed out on as a kid, but always wanted to try out.