And I know you've brought up the quality of the outer boxes before, but I don't think most people care, even collectors. I have a few select big boxes on display (including Ys Origin, Wonder Boy and Dariusburst, but also Sturmwind for Dreamcast, Axiom Verge for Vita and a couple Wii games like The Last Story CE), but overall I put them in a separate box in storage because they take up a lot of space to display and I'd rather have other things I'd rather display, like figures, on shelves.
In my opinion, I don't think most people think the CEs are worth the money for a folded poster (which most have expressed they'd rather purchase separately if shipped in a tube) and maybe a soundtrack. I also hope I don't come off as aggressive, because that's not my intent.
I can honestly say, I've been collecting stuff for probably as long as I've been playing, and I have never once cared about what the outer box looked like, or how well it was made. Now don't get me wrong, I always enjoyed Working Designs extra touches they put in to their Saturn game manuals. As that's really only one of the few areas where I can remember some level of flash to the printing that was used. I also like great art work, so having a bigger version of some good work is great, but it's still on a box, which just isn't something I want to display.
These "big" box CE are just a waste for me, for the reasons stated. I can't really display them, as the size is to large, so the contents are often removed(or just the game), and everything else is put in storage someplace. Very rarely if ever, are console games put in those big boxes, as they ship to retail like crap, and really just don't fit anyone's collections, unless they are all PC stuff.
The only thing included that really needs this bigger box is the poster, and no real collector is going to put much thought in to a "creased" anything. Nice or not, if a box arrives with a crease, and people are up in arms about it(trying to return or replace it), why would they want to spend money for an item that has creases on purpose? That's makes no sense from any collecting stand point.
Outside of these LRG CE, NISA is the only other one who uses bigger boxes regularly, and even for those, they are only bigger to house an item that needs it. If all they include is a OST and art book, they can be small as well. Or if large, they have included some full size HC art books as well, and the boxes always feel "full" with no space wasted.
It's funny, as I have always bought SE/CE's for the Vita, and the one company that finally broke me from getting every release, is the one that has the most "limited" titles. As it's been stated, I just don't see much value in spending $60+ on these, as the few extra items could really be GS preorder freebies(and even they give you rolled posters when offered). I just see these LRG CE as having "major" things included, that no one really values. And the "minor" things people do value, are being overlooked and not really cared about. Once this is reversed, there will be more interest.
scenarios but there just isn't much we can do when desirability is so impossible to gauge.
