I’m not planning on collecting many jrpg’s big box pc games, and I believe there aren’t many anyway, but this big box edition of Final Fantasy VIII goes nicely with the regular version of Final Fantasy VII that I already have. I still have only played part VI in the franchise and I’m planning on playing some of the earlier games before I move on to part VII and after that part VIII. So me getting around to playing this game might take some time yet. Until then it’s a nice addition to my collection and another game that’s staring at me from the shelf wondering when it will get played.

The manual that comes with this game is much nicer than the one included with part VII. That one looks like a straight “port” from the PlayStation’s manual, complete with unreadable fonts. Also the insert in the box to keep the CDs in place is just cardboard, which is much better than the squeaky thin plastics that must be the most annoying packaging material ever used in game boxes. Some of the earlier boxes from the 8 bit era also have this material and I cringe whenever I even look at it.

The previous owner provided a clear protector case with the box and while I can see the benefits of these protectors, it’s just not for me. Such protectors keep the dust off and it certainly makes the box more shiny to look at, but it’s another hurdle in opening the box and seeing what’s inside that would keep me from enjoying it. I like to sometimes take a random game off the shelf and opening it up to browse through the contents. I think I would do that less if all my games were in protectors.