Assecure 18 Game DS Case Review

As my video game hunting has expanded to DS games, I'm finding storing them has become a bit of a problem. In the past I've been lucky enough to run across an empty case before I find the game, which allowed me to simply track down a game that already has a good case to call home. The problem isn't hunting down a game to fill a case I already own, it's hunting down storage for the abundance of loose DS cartridges I find.

In the past I've picked up any loose DS storage case I could find from thrift stores, and mostly the Goodwill Outlet. More often than not I find official, but empty, Nintendo DS cases; I will keep the good titles and hunt down the cartridge or empty them out and use them as swaps for cases that aren't in such good shape. I've also found a little, rattling box that holds four cartridges (in two stacks of two), and a three in line key chain style, neither of which held the cartridges securely. The best I've found was a dual sided little box that held four, two on each side, and held them in with a smaller version of what the official Nintendo DS cases use. The problem with the last three storage cases being they either rattle or they're too small.

What I need is something strong, held more cartridges, held them securely and was big enough that I couldn't misplace it. That's where the Assecure 18 game case comes into play. While perusing Amazon for some games to fill the DS cases I already had, this popped up as a suggestion. At first glance it looked like a cheap Chinese case that would be flimsy and probably wouldn't hold up to being opened and closed more than a dozen times, but images can be deceiving. After reading some reviews and doing a little bit of research I decided that for $10, what was the worst that could happen?

After less than 2 weeks it finally arrived, and I was excited to get my hands on it and see what this thing was really like. My initial thoughts were relief as it feels very strong, and sturdy. The mechanisms inside that hold the games look exactly like the official DS cases, albeit they feel slightly more loose and easier to obtain your game once you want to play it, which does create a very slight rattle. For now all signs point to $10 well spent, but the item is brand new and I will be paying attention to it throughout time, as time is the true test of sturdiness.

The Assecure 18 game case is almost the exact same size as an official DS case as well, almost like the Club Nintendo multi-cartridge case they offered. If you're looking for a good way to store a maximum of 18 loose DS or 3DS games this thing is a pretty good choice. It fits my personal needs and allows my loose DS cartridges to fit in pretty well with my complete DS games.

My only complaint about this is that while taking pictures for this blog entry the case is now easy to open. It's not popping open on it's own, yet, and I believe it can be adjusted, but when I first opened the case it felt like an official DS case and was slightly difficult to open, but now it simply pulls open with minimal effort. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I'll just have to wait and see!