- Category: Documentation
- Published on Wednesday, 30 January 2013
- Written by y(oYo)
The "Nintendo Game Boxes" project
Nintendo game boxes library is an ambitious project aimed to gather in a single place all the game boxes from the good old loved game consoles that made this Japanese firm legendary.
Over time, the library was extended to support NES, Super NES, Nintendo 64, Nintendo 64DD, Game & Watch, Game Boy, Virtual Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance.
Similarly, restricted to game boxes in the early times, the library was extended to host what is needed to complete you loose games. Manuals but also stickers are not full part of the project.
Goals
When you are a collector and a player, you like to have your games complete (the cartridge in its box with a manual), so that the collection does great on the shelf.
But obviously, get complete games involves spend a lot of money, as the retrogaming price rates are increasing endlessly.
Well, not necessarily!
A good alternative is to make your own boxes, quietly at home for a reasonable price.
A bottom-of-the-range printer with thick enough photo paper will be fine for most of you, but there are various techniques for the rendering to be closest as possible to original boxes. Go have a look on the forum to learn more about it.
With NintAndBox, you can now dress up you loose games that you dared not getting out of your drawers, and maybe buy new ones much cheaper than complete versions. Simply download the box you are missing from this site then you make it.
Also notice that boxes, original or not, are weak. They may suffer from UV rays, moisture, tears, etc.. With NintAndBox, you can recreate your boxes time after time!
To summarize, NintAndBox is a perfect alternative to get a lovely collection on the shelf without breaking the bank, and protect your valuable cartridges.
I told you about boxes weakness. Indeed, it is more and more difficult to find boxes in great condition, you'll agree with that. Nintendo game boxes project is a digital storage library and (therefore) an unalterable memory of these past treasures. A duty that I endorse in a fearless determination for several years now. My dream is that one day, Nintendo himself approves this approach recognizing its usefulness.
Ok this sound fine, but how does it work?
Fairly simple:
1) You create a free account.
2) You download the files regarding desired games, then you unzip archive files locally.
3) You print them on thick photo paper, or whatever suited for you.
4) You clip the outlines, then paste pieces together and there you get a brand new box as beautiful as the original one!
Take a look on member's accomplishments on the forum, to see what happens in practice.
But where does the files come from?
From you!
Based on a community principle, the library increases day after day thanks to you to provide a maximum of boxes, labels, and manuals for download. All game boxes are digitized in high resolution (300 dpi minimum) and sometimes enhanced to offer the best print quality as possible.
Any box, label or manual that is not yet available on the site is actively sought.
Whatever languages, versions, etc.. If you have something different that is not yet online, scan it and send it in the drop files zone!
If you don't have new files, but have photoshop skills, you can therefore help enhancing files that are not cleanned yet. There is so much to do: clean the background, illustrations, logos, texts, enough work to spend your long winter nights while doing a good deed.
Last but not least, if you have no files and no photoshop skills, you can also contribute by sending me your donations. Hosting the library is funded by myself, development and updating of the site take me time and endless dedication.
Website history, in few words
The idea of setting up a Nintendo game boxes library came to me after a sequence of three factors:
- Every collector see it daily in his quest for complete sets. Prices are more and more high... In addition, for those like me who have loose cartridges, it is rather difficult to find original empty boxes for sale. You really need luck to do so.
- One day, while surfing on eBay, I came across a guy who sold his own home made Game & Watch boxes. Of course, it was stated in its advertisements, but there I started to think about the idea to get home made boxes. An alternative to original boxes was at last possible.
- The key factor arrived few days later, while surfing the official Nintendo website. Especially the Club Nintendo area, when I noticed that most of the gifts at this time were limited to downloadable resources. Ringtones, game musics and calendars ready to be printed by yourself. And then I got real flash in my mind, I clearly visualized the service that lacked on the Internet. Add the retrogaming love, and the fact I wanted to get involved in this growing scene, and the Nintendo game boxes library was born.
Previously known as NpES.free.fr, the library started back in 2007.
Between 2007 and 2013, Free (a french host provider) hosted the project for free via their personal pages. During this period, it has evolved three times.
Over time, Free significantly reduced the services provided by their personal pages. The fatal blow was dealt when prevented me from effectively fight against spammers, more and more numerous, since 2011, March.
After a year of relentless development and a new name more suited for the library, NintAndBox was born in early 2013. You are now on an independant website, professionally hosted on a shared fast server, developed and funded by myself (also if you want to make a donation from time to time, it will be my pleasure!).
The project can now start over again, thanks to your help.
Legal... illegal ?
I am fully aware that I don't expressively have the right to provide such files.
I know I'm not authorized to make them available worldwide without the prior consent of all co-authors.
The proposed effort on this website has no vocation of piracy or counterfeiting.
I insist on the "abandonware" side of the works available here, and the fact that a game box is for me more a package (for a product) rather than a product itself.
However, if a claimant falls on this website and wish me to remove one (or more) of its resources, please contact me. I will remove the file as soon as possible (it's never happened since the started in 2007).
And (let's hope a bit), if a Nintendo employee comes here, and grant me a sort of "blessing", it would be a real personal pride.
NintAndBox's library development only depends on you!
