Least Favorite Video Game Spines

I went through my collection and compiled a list of the video games with spines that just...oof don't even get me started.
This video was originally released via Card #15 of the Scott The Woz Collectible Trading Cards in late 2022.
Edited by Justin Womble and Scott Wozniak
Main Channel: ‪@ScottTheWoz‬
Twitter: / scottthewoz
Facebook: / scottthewoz
Instagram: / scottthewoz

[@Nerdtendo6366]

Scott is the only man I know who would spend 25 minutes bitching about Video Game Spines and I love it

[@fran2911]

He can milk anything to the ground and I'm here for it

[@sliqriq21]

I wouldn't say bitching that makes it sound very hostile

[@myriadmediamusings]

I await the sequel video: Most favorite video game pancreas’s.

[@ryko1478]

Can't wait for the prequel: Average video game torso

[@seaslash20]

😂😂😂

[@DCONightingale]

Pancrei

[@KeybladeMasterAndy]

Monkey Island 2 has a great pancreas.

[@iAmAllOfMii]

ba-dum-tss

[@Starzoh]

SCOTT'S STASH IS THE MAIN CHANNEL

[@unraged6004]

At this point yeah

[@Iazibones]

No it's not? He just uses it for videos with less editing and less interesting topics.

[@BIGALiXX]

Agreed.

last stash videos have been more interesting than woz videos tbh

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

The Scott's Stash videos are better than most of the Scott the Woz videos made in the last three years.

[@SuperLemurboy]

I love when scott talks about shit like this

[@dschult3]

In Final Fantasy VI, when you use X-Zone, the enemy disappears. That's why you don't have anything on X-Zone's spine.

[@PrixtoTNT]

Scott and video game spines, name a more iconic rivalry

[@myriadmediamusings]

No wonder he wages an eternal war against scoliosis.

[@wiillsk]

Scott and properly seeing colors

[@elvichosiiuu]

Scott and Chibi-Robo Zip Lash

[@SteamedHams4Ever]

Scott and the Economy

[@KeybladeMasterAndy]

Scott isn't spinel...oh wait, you mean video game spines.

[@jfewer346]

As someone who works in a used game store, I have several grudges to hold: - MAG for PS3, specifically the greatest hits version, has the word "Title" written in black arial text off to the left. It blends in a little with background but once you see it you'll never unsee it - Unreal Championship Platinum Hits for original Xbox is clearly using a mockup rather than the proper platinum hits template. The Xbox logo is cut off slightly, the font for "Online Enabled" is completely wrong, there's this weird rectangle behind the title, it's a mess. - Pretty much every console has a game with a blank spine. WWE 2K14 on PS3, Evil Genius 2 on PS4, X Zone on SNES like Scott mentioned. The 360 has 2: Let's Dance and the platinum hits version of Condemned: Criminal Origin. - Days Of Thunder on PS3 has by far the hardest to read spine I've ever seen. The logo is super crowded already and it's shrunk down in the middle of the template. - Devil May Cry 4 is also pretty hard to read just due to heavily stylized, dark coloured text on a black background. - Not a spine but on the back of the box for Golden Axe Beast Rider on 360, it says "Battle Increasingly Savage Enemies In Melee Comb" - Several NES games have the publisher's name on the end label but not the name of the game, I believe most of them are Jaleco games like Bases Loaded

[@holisticreviews]

Re: Golden Axe Beast Rider, I’d rather knot.

[@hellogoato]

I love that you can rattle all of these off, I'm gonna keep an eye out for them. My favorite one to see in games stores was always Eliminator Boat Duel for NES, where the first word was spelled "Elimonator" on all of the plain text spines lmao

[@jfewer346]

@@hellogoato I keep a list of stuff like this in my phone, it's fun to keep an eye out for. And I've never heard of that game but I'll definitely keep an eye out for that if it ever comes through my store, thanks for the reply!

[@Rocheburger]

You know what bothers me? When an eBay or Mercari seller uploads 10 photos of a game’s box, but doesn’t include the spine. Drives me bananas.

[@koolaid33]

I'm more bugged by the listings that upload one picture. That leaves most of it to my imagination, and I don't want that!

[@christianmino3753]

Hey Scott, I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for the incredible impact your videos have had on my life, particularly during some of my darkest moments. While I have been clean for the past 3 years or so, I've been battling addiction for many more years than that-cocaine, crack, heroin-it's been a long and difficult journey. And while I've made progress in my recovery, there are still days when the weight of it all feels overwhelming to say the least. I'm 29 years old now, and getting it together after being a complete and utter loser since high school is REALLY weighing on me now, especially since I'm broke as FUCK, but no matter what, I am trying as hard as I can to keep it pushing! In the midst of these struggles, your videos have been a beacon of light for me. Your humor, insight, and genuine passion for gaming have provided me with a much-needed escape from the chaos of my own mind. It's amazing how something as simple as watching your videos before bed can bring a smile to my face and ease the burden on my shoulders. It's actually the only time I find myself truly smiling as of recent. I know our lives couldn't be more different-I'm sure you've never faced the same demons I have. Most of them, anyway-but somehow, your content speaks to me in a way that few things do. It's a reminder that amidst the darkness, there is still joy to be found, even if it's just for a few moments. Regardless how different our lives may have BECOME, it seems we followed a pretty similar path, or at least were raised pretty similarly, until the "divergence" for lack of a better term, lol. The way you made a joke about not wanting people to know you played nintendo (the 3ds in particular) because it was MUCH cooler to be playing COD, or some other generic fps game (you made some sort of stinky crotch joke LOL) really is just one of many examples of the similarities of our younger lives, before I went through a tragedy where my first girlfriend, and coincidentally, the first girl I ever fell in love with and had a true relationship with committed suicide. So thank you for being a source of laughter, inspiration, and hope in my life. Your videos have made a real difference, and I am forever grateful for that. Keep doing what you're doing, and know that your work is touching lives in ways you may never fully realize. That's the entire reason I'm reaching out. To ask you to keep it going, for all of us out here who may not have ever shared such a story, or such a feeling. With sincerity and love - Chris. PS - No AI didn't write this, I just put in a lot of effort to come off as educated and not some dummy. Lol.

[@nicholasbradshaw6629]

Man reading this made me tear up. i hope you win your battles ☺

[@tetermc]

Dude, I swear to God we're the same person. Hang in there brother.

[@rtroisback]

Zamn hope you get better bro. Hang in there

[@christianmino3753]

@@rtroisback thank you guys. I fixed a typo where I just said "girlfriend" and didn't say anything else, lol. Should make A LOT more sense now. "before I went through a tragedy where my first girlfriend, and coincidentally, the first girl I ever fell in love with and had a true relationship with (these are two words i forgot to type. Pretty important words lol) committed suicide."

[@christianmino3753]

​@@tetermc thank you. It's nice to know I'm not the only one. I fixed a typo where I just said "girlfriend" and didn't say anything else, lol. Should make A LOT more sense now. " before I went through a tragedy where my first girlfriend, and coincidentally, the first girl I ever fell in love with and had a true relationship with (these are two words i forgot to type. Pretty important words lol) committed suicide."

[@duskcity]

This is the scott the woz video I've always needed

[@MapleMilk]

Scott The Woz is truely the autistic representation the world needs the most

[@theliondogshow1928]

Finally, someone brave enough to say it

[@SteamedHams4Ever]

Nah, he has ADD

[@lostskull7467]

Imagine thinking that being open about even your smallest passions is being autistic. I'm so thankful I'm not you.

[@mystomch]

​@@lostskull7467you say this like being autistic is something bad ☠️ like I get that it's weird to assume things but at the same time like 😭 there is a correlation with autism there and it's not a thing to be ashamed of

[@cato3277]

Real and true

[@StarkMaximum]

I saw a picture somewhere online of someone who was so annoyed by the Switch having all red cases and they custom-made spine coverings for every game in their collection to make them unique and colorful. I've never been so impressed and so disgusted at the same time by something so minor. Seeing all that work put into it was inspiring and the end result was WONDERFUL, but seeing that huge block of red on the shelf was also beautiful in its own way!

[@bland9876]

Personally I don't like the color red on the game boxes luckily it's a Nintendo Switch so just like the DS 3DS GBA GB original Game Gear etc I can just throw the games in a drawer.

[@realjordantrs]

Do you have a link? I wanna see!

[@bland9876]

@@realjordantrs Google, Bing, Yahoo, ask, etc

[@Alorso_]

That's why I'm hoping the spines for switch 2 games have a more neutral color, I got used to the red spines in but they always felt kinda odd

[@AranMTesta]

There's a subreddit called r/switchspines that collects a ton of custom printable spines for switch games

[@Dojonpachi]

I can't tell you how cathartic these videos are for me. Even among my most nerdy of game collecting friends, I can't share these sort of sentiments.

[@User-d6l6t]

You actually have friends that collect video games?

[@notthegoatseguy]

Unbleeped cursing at 0:42. I am here for it

[@DirectorOfChaos9292]

Oh wow you're right I did notice that

[@koolaid33]

Only Scott could upload a near 30 minute video talking about how the left side of a physical videogame's art looks like, then get angry at it, and actually get people to sit and watch. It's that kind of talent that makes him incredible.

[@edmdeathmachine]

0:48 "Might as well start with the console that started it all" Scott says over a Wii U game

[@jstyxx4110]

The Platinum Hits of Condemned Criminal Origins on 360 has no text on the spine at all. Genuinely thought the copy I bought had a printed cover

[@koolaid33]

Rainbow Six on the Dreamcast had some sort of printing error when production was going on, that was never fixed, and so on the front cover the Dreamcast logo that's supposed to line the left side of the box art is actually completely blank, it's just a white rectangle. You can see it on Google if you go to Google Images and type "Rainbow Six Dreamcast"

[@lektornese]

Scot is the only human in the world who can make this video

[@reggiebuttsmash2321]

I mean I could… but it wouldn’t be entertaining!!! lol?

[@robertschnobert9090]

He is the hero we need and the hero we want. 🌈

[@irishjet2687]

"Half the appeal of the Wii is, 'Look how sleek and minimalistic the spines are!'" - Scott

[@koolaid33]

What do you mean? Of course most the people who bought a Wii, including casuals, were focused on the spine of the videogames. Duh.

[@PejaBob]

We can feel it Scott. You're running out of minuscule things to talk about. The L button is coming up.

[@nolankanski9116]

Can't wait for the L button 300th episode special.

[@SIGuess]

"What's the deal with L Buttons" idk Scott but I'm ready to find out

[@SherbetAlex]

What if “The L Button” is the final Scott the Woz video?

[@monterraythehomeless]

​@@nolankanski9116thanks, now it's day one of asking for this

[@monterraythehomeless]

@@SherbetAlex then it was a good ride

[@woodenotaku]

PAL PS2 spine art would drive you nuts. They're mostly uniform with a white background and black text in a single font, but because of the amount of games released for PS2 there's every single exception you can think of. A different font, two different fonts in a single spine, completely misaligned text, additional art on the spine, different colored backgrounds and there's even some games with full-color NTSC style spines for no good reason.

[@g2a5b0e]

I feel this. In addition to a bunch of the ones you mentioned, Dreamcast spines bugged me because they went from white to black about halfway through the console cycle.

[@koolaid33]

Dreamcast is pretty strange, yeah, but I think both look really cool even if on shelves it's weird to look at. I think the Sega All-Stars line is the most offensive though, their a weird mix of both and just have this beige-orange tint to the spine and it's hideous.

[@BugsyFoga]

As a fellow game collector, I definitely understand this sort of ocd with particular game spines.

[@FilmBucket]

thats not what ocd means

[@BugsyFoga]

@@FilmBucketwell what would you call it?

[@FilmBucket]

@@BugsyFoga perfectionism?

[@mrperson9877]

Scott struggles with alphabetical sorting for 25 minutes

[@holisticreviews]

Kindergarten teachers singing the ABC song, as if it’s that simple

[@mak_707]

Scott ranting about video games box spines is my Roman Empire.

[@themariobroschannel8763]

This kinda gives me an idea for a Scott’s Snippets compilation. “Anything but the Game, Please?”, which uses the videos he did on game controllers, game packaging, game titles, literally anything but the games themselves.

[@irishjet2687]

It might be fun to arrange your game collection by publication date, at least for a little bit. You'd probably be able to see the evolution of box design across a console's lifespan.

[@Silveraith]

I wish they really committed to the black spines for M rated Wii U games. I remember seeing this gorgeous design for Bayonetta 2's box art that used it and I was so disappointed to find out it was fanmade and not the real thing.

[@familiarnamemissing3382]

5:42 “hmm, where did I put that cursed SNES cartridge? Oh, probably the one with a blank end label, that must be-never mind, that’s just X-Zone.”

[@BeNotNormal]

This just in: local gamer banned from all dating apps because he wouldn't stop asking for "spine pics."

[@bamsaidcam9273]

he’s just checking for Mr. Scoliosis

[@HootingLance]

This is why I try to avoid steel books. They stick out on the shelf

[@koolaid33]

I own a steel book of Tomb Raider 2013 for PS3 I got for $5 at a thrift store. I don't own any other of the reboot Tomb Raider games physically, and it looks very awkward with my other PS3 games.

[@GenesisJames]

I totally feel this, but I also have another niche complaint: when games of a series flip-flop between their series titles and game subtitles being first. The Super Mario Advance series is a prime example: some are Super Mario Advance _: _____, while others are _____: Super Mario Advance _. I want them to be together, dammit!! I just end up defaulting them all to Super Mario Advance _ being first lmao

[@koolaid33]

Real complaint right there. Grand Theft Auto is called.. Grand Theft Auto on literally EVERY entry, except GTA 2. For some reason, they just used the abbreviation, and it is such an eyesore. Every other entry has the full name written out, "Grand Theft Auto ____", the ONLY one that didn't follow suit was GTA 2.

[@resolutist]

I have watched the Game Packaging Woz video several times hoping that I can manifest this long awaited sequel.

[@bland9876]

"You may have heard me complain about the spines... before so now I'm going to go through my collection and find all of the spines"

[@rundyftw]

I think it’s good putting all the Disney games under D, that way if you’re looking for a Disney game they’re all chunked together.

[@cato3277]

I could listen to Scott talk about shitty packaging for hours on end, as a matter of fact I will right now

[@michaelmouse1638]

This is the most "Scott Wozniak" video I've ever seen.

[@yourhighschoolenglishteach8405]

9:10 scott is an incredible human being. i don’t know anybody else who even thinks about Disney’s Tarzan Untamed

[@cathyrayTV]

if anyone but scott made this it would be an uncut rant about game box spines recorded on a phone that would never pass 200 views

[@panman8611]

Never ceases to amaze me how still the golden doodle stays for these long continuous shots

[@gechoman44iwantahippo]

3:25 - 5:25 this is why I don’t sort my games alphabetically, and instead sort them by company, then franchise, then series, then release date. You all might think that’s more complicated, but it makes more sense to me than having the games be out of order and not having Mario and Zelda next to eachother (plus, for me, it’s just easier to remember, as for me, I have to go through half the alphabet most of the time just to remember where something is alphabetically).

[@BigRedAltoids]

This feels like a spiritual sequel to the Scott the Woz episode on game titles and I’m all here for it.

[@PurpleColonel]

DS spines are my favorite, Nintendos first party stuff especially always has such great legible logo art and I love them all having different colors or designs underneath themed with the games. All the kirby ones have a different kirby on them too :)

[@MayhexxGT]

I think the C in CastleVania at 2:40 was made smaller to fit the logo better on the spine, but they kept the V the same because it was less work and "still fit" XD

[@zanpakutoman4225]

Scott: 0:30 Also Scott: Time to record a 25 minute video about the topic.

[@leeartlee915]

Scott is so obsessed with how his games look on his shelf. One might even think he’s a “shelf collector”.

[@chairforceoneYT]

Honestly the feeling of watching your physical game collection grow over time is really nice. I got my first job so I could collect gamecube games and still do

[@MaesterMike]

I don’t have a problem with game boxes for the most part, but I do have a pet peeve of my own: I’m collecting the One Piece manga, and for some reason, volume 56 has completely different designs for the Shonen Jump and Viz Media logos on its spine, and it bugs me to no end. And of course Jeff Foxworthy can stay on the spine of Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader? That much is obvious.

[@xeno1998]

I feel this, so many manga series end up with garbled spines. I dare you to go look at Bandai's spines for Code Geass and Eureka 7. They haunt my top manga shelf forever despite how much I love them.

[@MaesterMike]

Actually, that's a lie. I do have one out of place spine. I don't have many 3DS games, but one I do have is Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth. While most 3DS games have a simple white spine with the title and home menu icon, Persona Q has an elaborate design that really stands out with the purple background and both protagonists posing on it. It's more of an oddity than anything, but I find it so funny how much it sticks out.

[@8-bitblue858]

The most annoying one I have is Chip n' Dale rescue rangers for NES. On the spine for the cartridge it just says rescue rangers.

[@1-eye-willy]

scott and his relationship with spines like hes got scoloiosis

[@davidmorin2818]

13:35 Putting Jeff Foxworthy on a Wii spine makes it 100 times better

[@houraisheperd9721]

It always amuses me when people praise the Switch spines for being uniform, because that is the reason I have all of mine hidden away. They're so aggressively nothing that I either put them somewhere that I don't need to look at them, or just place something actually aesthetically pleasing in front of them.

[@NipplesTheEnchilada2323]

One of the most chaotic spines in recent memory is the one for Mon-Yu, specifically on PS5, since it contains the 30+ word sub-title on the spine, whereas the Switch version only has "Mon-Yu".

[@leighdappa]

❗️My Timestamps: 4:47 I put my copy of 'P.N.03', my favourite GameCube game, in a silver "Player's Choice" case as it goes much better with the box-art. Also, I no longer have a GameCube. 19:13 We never had the 'red spines' here in the 🇬🇧

[@ChrisStoneinator]

You’d enjoy the PAL PS2 spines which are ALL standardised black-on-white plain text… *with the exception of Super Bust-A-Move*

[@1250Axel]

He has something in his voice that makes me want to listen to him all day. I could talk about his bathroom and it would still get me amusing .

[@Danziii]

I absolutely love the PAL PS2 spines, they're very minimalilstic with just the text on the white background. I love the consistency of them!

[@tripodranger7873]

Special mention goes to PAL region Switch games. Seemingly every other region has decided to justify the spine titles towards the the top of the spine, except PAL for some reason. They instead center their spine titles. So if you have a physical collection of multi-region games, which can be understandable given some games only get physical releases in certain regions (Square Enix, for instance, loves only releasing physical versions in Asia for some reason), PAL games stick out on the shelf like a sore thumb.

[@secv]

Scott can always become a librarian if he gets tired of KZbin.

[@sebastianbass946]

7:40 This has tripped me up at my game store.

[@LuxesR]

I always create an order with games that are important first: Smash first, Mario games (adventures first, then sports), Yoshi/DK/Wario, Zelda, Metroid, etc. That way I always have collection of games next to each other.

[@pieceofschmidtgamer]

Scott: DO YOU LACK A SPINE, BROTHER?! DO YOU NOT HAVE FAITH, BROTHER?!

[@AlexVeridyTLW]

24:50 that is one of the most accurate things ever.

[@LunarWingCloud]

*FINALLY* Scott made a whole separate video to complain about spines!

[@koolaid33]

I think he needs to see his chiropractor.

[@Brewski007]

Anyone else unironically love Scott’s Stash more than the main STW channel? I like letting the man be honest and shit it’s fun

[@classicdetective1086]

what's the STW channel?

[@johangl25]

No matter what topic you decide to do, just listening to your opinion on video games warms my heart 🫶🏻

[@KittyLitterYT]

I never cared about spines until I started watching scott. Now I can't live with the fact that most european wii games use a generic font but some still use the full logos

[@Gestersmek]

5:09 I think the reason Wikipedia has it alphabetized like that is because they're counting the period between P and N as part of the name. Though, even then, as you say at 5:15 in post, it wouldn't be in the same place depending on whether it's organized as "Pr-" or "P.N", since there are games that start with "Po-".

[@biggestofbill1354]

My copy of Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle has a different spine. It's centered like Bomberman R (22:53), has the logo writtin in like a bold Arial font, and wasn't all upper case too. This is also the only game I have that is a European import, and seeing that Pegi rating throws me off every time I look at it.

[@sambarber944]

It’s so funny because if any of my other switch games I own had different fonts on the spines I’d be mildly annoyed, but with The Binding of Isaac being literally my favourite game of all time and I play it the most out of all my switch games, having it stand out in my library I find REALLY cool and handy!

[@Armbrust210]

Hardcore Fans will remember that he forgot to mention how he didn't like Shenmue's spine because it makes it look like he has two Shenmue's

[@pun_dimen]

"People care about their spines" is a phrase you can say both in a medical congress and a Scott the Woz video

[@minedoe]

I loved Thai ramble about spines. I don't know if it's been done before but, on the topic of game art I think it would be awesome to just discus some box art you like.

[@tyfoon555]

Scott complaining gives me life

[@caranook]

Scott is lucky he doesn’t live in a PAL region, because we struggle with our spines! My GameCube collection looks like shit because some of the spines are entirely silver (players choice), some have the logo and colour, some have just plain white with a standardised font. Similar issue with the Wii, barring the players choice so not as bad. Some have logos and some have standard fonts. It’s just a bit irritating seeing how much better the game spines look when they’re consistent!

[@Dallasrocker124]

Got off work and packed my bowl, now I get to unwind to some Scott stash coziness

[@laneshippy7737]

The absolute best 👌

[@0Cbomb9]

Describing Jeff Foxworthy as a "little character" is wonderful

[@jellydonut0]

I enjoyed Scott talking about worst cases of video game scoliosis

[@NinjaPieceLOL]

That impression at the end was spot on. I swear, some of these KZbinrs talk like they have food in their mouths.

[@flipdiesel9652]

Scott: a smoker “My friend says it looked like I got this from a SMOKERS house!!” Scott: *lights a Marlboro Red*

[@Myke_Aruba]

Before even watching this I knew Scott was going to have a field day with the Xbox one/Series cases.

[@RhythmGameAddict]

It’s funny how Scott didn’t get into Pokémon to the extent that, when musing about Product Number 03/PN03 being in about the same place in the GameCube catalog no matter which name it uses, they forgot how there’s a bunch of Po(…) titles because of Pokémon.

[@ChaossX77]

2:40 Because the capital c would make the rest of the logo too small since it's so much bigger than the rest of the letters including the v.

[@nintendianajones64]

Mr Plinkett impression at the end

[@riversart2030]

Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage for the PS1 also has the weird parenthesis around the number 2 for some reason.

[@secret_society5850]

i like how niche these videos are getting

[@yogsothoth915]

This madness rivals that of most Lovecraftian Protagonists

[@ElbowStuff]

😭

[@alexogochoa1127]

Scott is the only person that can talk about chairs and still have a 1hour long video 💀

[@lou_gubrious]

the most nitpicky video of all time. i love it.

[@lydiazap7243]

This is the most Scott subject matter of all time

[@Lum1-00]

How could you not talk about the XBOX ONE spines, I remember when I first seen them and I swear they look clean af

[@Boomvoomboom]

Is this the guy who owns Sonic 2 with a line?

[@CrustyFox87]

_And_ the guy who owned Sonic Jam! :D

[@koolaid33]

Not anymore, remember the bank repossessed it?

[@ultrapyrusbrawler]

​@@koolaid33 He got it back, though.

[@gawbe]

"People care about their spine" Is a very true statement once you're passed 30.

[@Cyranek]

P R E Y

[@superjew837]

This is the most Scott-coded video I’ve ever seen

[@Flindo911]

In a list of things that don’t matter that lives rent free in Scotts head

[@tugazu]

Hey Scott, can you do like top 50 video game quotes with the gang. Just freeballing cool quotes you have seen in games. I found a neat one in Outer Worlds:"Access to that information is above my pay grade and I have passed up 3 promotions to keep it that way."

[@VoidedMirror]

Scott to his therapist: “The spines. They haunt me.”

[@sonicsega1699]

scott: hmmm what stupid topic do i wanna talk about today...... scott can talk about video game title screens and we'd all watch it with our pants down

[@charliekelly735]

5:20 Why is there a weird gasp sound here?