You might remember last week when I talked about improving the traditional Game Boy cartridge case for shelf storage. Basically that amounted to printing off some tiny labels and pictures to slide into the cases, better facilitating the browsing of Game Boy collections while saving space (which is something the previous method of using modified Nintendo DS cases was not good at). In the original post, I provided my insert for Trax as a sort of template for others who want to do something similar with their collections. I thought that this week I would go ahead and upload the other inserts I've made for my collection. Additionally, I've improved the template since the previous post by making the Game Boy logo a little larger so it can be more easily read. I just wish the plastic used to make the cartridge cases wasn't so cloudy. The method still works at least, it just isn't as pretty as the alternatives (but pretty enough that I'm going to keep doing it).
I did make a batch of Game Boy Color inserts as well, but it seems that—like an idiot—I forgot to save them. I'll keep digging, but it looks like there's at least a few GBC inserts that won't be uploaded to the site...
Without further adieu, the next batch of cases: Ms. Pac-Man, Toy Story, Top Gun: Guts and Glory, Hatris, Pokémon: Red Version, and Pokémon: Blue Version.
Tired of sifting through piles of Game Boy games, tediously studying the front label of each loose cartridge until you find the right one? Well, not anymore! You may have noticed my page of "custom" inserts (I hesitate... they're just cut-and-paste jobs) which most heavily focuses on creating material for properly housing a Game Boy Advance game in a Nintendo DS case. This is something which can also be done for Game Boy and Game Boy Color titles, and I have kept those games in modified DS cases for two or three years now. However, my interests have begun to broaden since I began that project. I've started to enjoy plug-and-play machines, Skylanders, Amiibo, and other NFC gadgets, hardcover books (oh so many books) and it's turning out that I just don't have the space to keep everything in cases larger than they really need. In short: I want to fit more games in the same space without culling my collection.
Obviously the first step is to grab Virtual Console versions of whatever I can and sell or trade or gift my physical copies. That's worked out fairly well for games with digital counterparts--although, instances like Tekken Tag Tournament 2 force me to choose the more economical route (seriously, the eShop still wants full price for that game. I grabbed it brand new for 1/3 of that price. What the hell). Let's not forget that Nintendo's emulation library is incredibly meager in comparison to the vast pantheon actually produced for their consoles. They haven't even gotten all the first and second party stuff published yet, nevermind third-party and games now owned by competitors. People like me, who are just huge fans of the gaming medium, have no choice but to keep old hardware if we want to get the most out of what we love.
I've begun several initiatives to reduce the surface area occupied by my games (so that I can buy more). You'll get to see eveything come together as soon as my latest Amazon order arrives. In the meantime, here's a glimpse at what I'm doing to control my Game Boy and Game Boy Color collections (this will also work for over-size GBA games, like Drill Dozer, although I'm having trouble figuring something out for over-size GBC games. In particular, Pokemon Pinball).
That is a standard Game Boy cartridge case. They're only a tiny bit larger than the cartridges are, which means they're still prone to getting lost if you're the sort to leave your games lying haphazardly across your desk. However, the cartridge case offers multiple benefits over a modified DS case--chief among them being not accidentally plunging a box cutter into your thumb. They're also better at keeping out debris, they cost less, and they occupy less space. The only problem with these cases is that they don't make it any easier to browse your collection. You're still forced to remove the entire pile of games, shuffle through them until you find what you need, then put everything else back. That's a lot of steps if you're looking to play something on impulse or if you want to try something new but you don't already know what.
All of these problems are solved by printing off a teeny-tiny picture and sliding it into the bottom of the case. I thought about making a full case, with front matter and typical back matter, but the font was too small to read and the front label just fell down when I opened the case. What a pain. I suppose side matter could have worked out as well, but that's not something I need for my specific situation. What I need is top matter and top matter alone--even the larger picture is just there to support the spine. Now I can stack Game Boy games as high as I want and quickly pick whichever one I need. And you can too! Here's the image I used for Trax:
Just print that off at 100% its native size and it should fit perfectly in a cartridge case. Fold the top part so it can press against the hinged wall and you're good to go.
Now I've got to figure out what I'm doing with GBA games...
So one day I learned that audio cassettes can actually fit in some of the Sega Genesis game cases really well. Now, I only have one whole audio cassette and it's The Little Shop of Horrors: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, which I only exclusively because I am a nut when it comes to Little Shop of Horrors. I've watched the musical about a dozen times, saw a show in Boston (which was awesome) when I was about thirteen, have seen both black and white and colorized versions of the original B-Movie, and know most of the songs by heart ("Suddenly Seymour" is an exception). There's a whole three pieces of media I haven't gotten my hands on yet: two novels which don't actually use the title (which is trademarked) but the characters (which are actually public domain as far as I can tell), and an animated series which had somehow flown under my radar until recently.
I don't know how long I'll actually hold onto this little number, considering I'm all about upgrading and replacing the old with the new (if it's physical, anyway), but I think it'll probably stick around for a while and I wanted to display it up with everything else. You'll probably know this about old audio tapes, but they're small, and they don't exactly shelve nicely with more modern collections. Not to mention the little cases they came in tend to break way too easily. It just didn't feel safe to have this tiny little thing floating around my room. So, hey, I found a secret Genesis trick (some people have discovered the reverse) and made an insert! Wooh!
Unfortunately, there are almost no proper scans of the album's artwork. I had to scan all of this junk way the hell up, and even then I didn't have a spine. I think I eventually nabbed my spine off a poster or something. Either way, sizing up always sucks.
I'm actually surprised I haven't uploaded this one already, because I made it a really long time ago. It's probably because I haven't actually gotten very far with my Game Gear cases (they're a huge butt to make), even though it isn't like I have many that need to be done (actually, since I sold Sonic the Hedgehog 2, I only have to make one case for MMPR and use the old Sonic 2 case to house Star Wars, but whatever).
This is probably among my favorite inserts, and not only because I made it (mostly) myself. It looks like something they would have tried to sell to kids during the 90's, and that makes me feel all cool inside. The back cover is actually a poster I found on Google, and it had some blemishes that Maranda ironed out for me. The front cover is largely the same as the one which can be found on the Cover Project, and the screenshots and most of the graphics are also from that. However, I absolutely hate the grid-style Game Gear covers. I considered going with the purple stripes, but ultimately went with black because it's a more neutral color and goes well with just about everything.
