In stark contrast to the Cheapest Games series, this Rare & Valuable series takes a look at the most in-demand and expensive games for a console.. Below you will see two prices beside each title. The first is the average daily selling price, which is typically the going rate for either a loose disc or a game in a case but without a manual. The second price is the highest price in the past three months which is usually the price for a gem mint copy (sealed values are then listed separately). The list is ordered by the balance of the two primary prices.

Prices Current as of November 2023

RECENT GROWTH OF NORTH AMERICAN RETAIL GAMES

With three full years since our last guide revision, it was easy to notice a lot of ranking shifting with the North American retail releases.   I decided to chart out the major movers.  In the chart below I compared the average pricing between the different average loose/rough price levels for a game and their highest mint copy sale during the time frame.  I compared those averages between our 2020 guide and this 2023 guide to calculate the value growth percentage. If youâ€d like to see the full 2020 guide for comparison, I have made it available to my Patreon members. (Only $1 of support or more is needed to access)

After the chart, we will dig into the details of the top North American, Japanese, and PAL OG Xbox games — we have a lot to cover!

Treasured Standard USA Releases

Steel Battalion: $170 – $1050 ($1400 sealed)

Steel Battalion (Game only): $70 – $105
The original Xbox was and interesting entry into the console wars: an American tech powerhouse adapting in PC architecture and trying to shake up the industry.

Even though Microsoft had a difficult time getting strong Japanese developer support, but those that did sign on were excited to make use of its hardware strengths. Capcom was amongst the established developers that created some fresh content for the Xbox and really took things to the next level with Steel Battalion. The game not only delivered a high-end mech simulator that gamers would only expect on a PC, but created a custom controller that drastically elevated the experience. Both during the Xbox’s original run and in the two decades that followed, Steel Battalion has remained a legend that is included in our Games That Defined the Xbox guide.

Itâ€s a bit unfair to include Steel Battalion so high on the list as most of the value of the full set is due to the massive controller that remains as a mech fanâ€s dream come true. However, even the bare game still holds its own in the top 10, so we canâ€t complain too much. It’s also worth mentioning that used copies have are now significantly over its original retail price of $200. Back in our 2009 guide, it was only in the $81 to $204 range with the controller in our 2009 guide (and $30 to $35 for the game only).

If you arenâ€t familiar with it, Steel Battalionâ€s controller tries to replicate being inside a Mech and had nearly 40 buttons. With the large, expensive controller setup and a relatively niche audience, the initial production was close to 2,000 units but the game was re-released, adding a few more copies to the market. Later releases had blue buttons on the controllers compared to the green buttons of the original run. There is usually a bit of a premium on the original green-button units, but often the condition/existence of the outer box makes more of a difference in resale value.

Check for Steel Battalion on eBay
Check for Steel Battalion on Amazon

OutRun 2006 Coast 2 Coast : $200 – $360 ($400 Sealed)

Sega has so many awesome franchises under their belt, but in recent years they have struggled to do them justice. However, the 21st-century resurrection of the Outrun franchise was right one the mark when it came to maintaining the exhilarating arcade feel in a modern gaming world.

The original Outrun 2 release is quite an affordable gem to own on the OG Xbox, but this Coast 2 Coast follow-up (which is the same game with some extra modes, cars, and some redesigned levels) did not get a very large production run on the Xbox despite being relatively plentiful [and still affordable] on the PS2.

With that being said, keep in mind that while Coast 2 Coast is indeed a solid release from Sega, you could be more than fine with the original Outrun 2 release or play Coast 2 Coast on another platform more affordably. Back in our original 2009 version of this guide, Coast 2 Coast was merely an honorable mention on the list, weighing in at a $20 to $28 price range. It wasn’t until 2016 that solid collecting interest in this version really started to take off, hitting a $70 to $80 range. Since then, Coast 2 Coast has risen gradually and established itself as the most in-demand Xbox standard retail release that doesn’t include a special controller.

Check for OutRun 2006 Coast 2 Coast on eBay
Check for OutRun 2006 Coast 2 Coast on Amazon

Futurama: $110 – $280 ($350 Sealed)

The cult-classic animated series from Matt Groening was struggling to find a mainstream audience on Fox when this console game adaptation was in development. The show ended up getting canceled in 2003, the same year the game arrived in stores. Since the game wasnâ€t released until after the last episode of season 4, the Futurama game was viewed as a “lost episode” containing 28 minutes of new animation.

Vivendi Universal Games had a feeling the show wasnâ€t doing well so the print run of both the PS2 and Xbox versions were kept rather low. (You can find the PS2 version at a similar price point on that Rare and Valuable guide) A Gamecube and Game Boy Advance port was also originally developed but canceled.

Even though the animated series was revived four years later, the game has remained a collector’s item and has appreciated quite well over the last few years. Back in 2012, you could score a copy in the $30 to $36 range, but it has been climbing steadily since then.

Check for Futurama on eBay
Check for Futurama on Amazon

Teen Titans : $100 – $225 ($260 Sealed)

Every now and then, it’s fun to pick up a fun beatemup based on one of your favorite licensed properties and zone out. Teen Titans from THQ is one of these types of games that was released on all the major platforms in the era.

It’s quite easy to find copies of the same game on the PS2 and Gamecube for under $20, but the Xbox version is much trickier to find in the wild and commands about 4 to 5 times the value.

Between 2008 and 2014, the Xbox version only had a 2X premium over its PS2 and Gamecube peers, but collectors eventually started noticing it is a trickier pickup.

Check for Teen Titans on eBay
Check for Teen Titans on Amazon

NBA Ballers Platinum Hits: $70-$255 ($270 Sealed)

Typically a “greatest hits” series is rather easy to find, but sometimes there are some random examples of releases that have a rather small print run for the series.

The NBA Ballers Platinum Hits edition is by far the hardest to find of the series at least in part because of being released so late into the OG Xbox life span. The Platinum Ballers also happens to be among the very hardest OG Xbox releases to find as a whole.

Back in this Reddit thread from 2020, it was stated that collectors thought “there are like 5 copies we know about in varying states and one of them sold for a $1000 or something a while ago.” As far back as 2017, there were many doubting the variant even existed, despite being listed on Wikipedia.

While it is indeed rare, more people are learning of its significance and starting to cash in on it, balancing out the supply and demand.   And while it is definitely not a single-digit print run, it is still likely the rarest North American Xbox release.

Check for NBA Ballers Platinum Hits on eBay

Spikeout Battle Street: $75-$200 ($260 Sealed)

Sega produced a handful of interesting Xbox exclusives in the year that followed their departure of the console hardware business.

However, many Sega fans, including myself didn’t really hear much about Spikeout Battle Street, a modern beatemup which was released in the Spring of 2005, just months before the Xbox 360 was launched.

Spikeout Battle Street was developed by Dimps (known for their work on the Sega Advance series and eventually collaborated with Capcom on Street Fighter IV and V). The Spikeout series originated in the arcades (and this is the only console installment) and Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi also directed this installment.

Check for Spikeout Battle Street on eBay
Check for Spikeout Battle Street on Amazon

Marvel vs Capcom 2: $75 – $200

If you want the biggest mashup of characters in your fighting games, Marvel vs Capcom 2 is the place to be. It may not be the most balanced game for tournaments, but its one of the most popular mainstream 2D fighters out there even nearly 20 years after its initial release.

Most gamers may flock to the PS2 version, but the Xbox release is just right behind it in terms of value. The more recent Marvel vs Capcom games have stolen some attention from part 2, but some fans still swear by this installment and its often the ones that gets the most nostalgia talk (I’m personally still partial to the original Marvel vs Capcom and even X-Men vs Street Fighter before it).

These physical releases original had a higher ranking on the Rare and Valuable guides, but MvC2 has also been released digitally on XBLA and PSN making it more accessible and calming down the value of these “vintage” releases. Back in our 2009 guide, copies were in the $73 to $155 range (and were a bit more expensive couple years earlier.) The game took a big dive in 2009/2010 after the digital re-releases and just stared to increase a bit more between 2016 and now.

Check for Marvel vs Capcom 2 on eBay
Check for Marvel vs Capcom 2 on Amazon

Def Jam Fight for New York (Black Label): $62 – $156 ($250 Sealed)

Def Jam Fight for New York (Platinum Hits): $55 – $120

It’s not too often you see a mainstream, multi-platform EA game on a Rare and Valuable guide like this, but this follow-up to Def Jam Vendetta has remained a fan favorite and has had more people looking to pick up a copy than there are people looking to part with their own copy.

This sequel expanded from exclusively wrestling battles to more fighting styles such as Streetfighting, Kickboxing, and Martial Arts. It also, of course, adds to its lineup of rapper and other pop-culture celebrities to battle with. Fight for New York also strived to make the controls more intuitive and offer a Create-A-Fighter feature.

Fight for New York also received a Platinum Hits release (which is mentioned down below), but there is a slight premium on this original, “Black Label” release.

Unlike some of the other multiplayer games on this list, Fight For New York is actually more expensive on the PS2 — in fact, it’s about double to price. This could be more of a demand issue for those that are nostalgic for a game like this have one of the plentiful PS2s out in the wild.

Check for Def Jam Fight for New York on eBay
Check for Def Jam Fight for New York on Amazon

Additional Valuable North American Releases

• The Guy Game: $55-$130 (eBay)
• Def Jam Fight for New York (Platinum Hits): $55 – $120 (eBay)
• Jet Set Radio Future (Standalone): $50-$115 ($250 Sealed) (eBay)
• Otogi 2: $50-$110 ($140 Sealed) (eBay)
• Obscure: $40-$115 ($200 Sealed) (eBay)
• Auto Modellista: $45-$110 ($200 Sealed) (eBay)
• Azurik Rise Of Perathia [Not for Resale]: $50-$100 (eBay)
• Fatal Frame 2: $44-$95 ($120 Sealed) (eBay)
• Xyanide: $47-$90 (eBay)
• Dino Crisis 3: $35-$97 (eBay)
• Curse The Eye of Isis: $40-$92 ($180 Sealed) (eBay)
• Grand Theft Auto Trilogy: $26-$105 (eBay)
• Bloody Roar Extreme: $40-$85 ($150 Sealed) (eBay)
• Digimon Rumble Arena 2: $35-$85 (eBay)
• SpongeBob SquarePants Lights Camera Pants Platinum Hits: $30-$90 (eBay)
• Fatal Frame: $33-$85 (eBay)
• Steel Battalion Line of Contact: $40-$75 (eBay)
• Godzilla Save the Earth: $34-$76 ($135 Sealed) (eBay)
• Halo Triple Pack: $40-$70 ($300 Sealed) (eBay)
• Sonic Riders [DVD Bundle]: $35-$71 (eBay)
• Splinter Cell [Not for Resale]: $40-$65 (eBay)
• 50 Cent (Platinum Hits): $43-$60 (eBay)
• Harry Potter Sorcerers Stone: $26-$71 (eBay)
• Gauntlet Dark Legacy: $18-$60 (eBay)
• IHRA Drag Racing Sportsman Edition: $27-$45 (eBay)
• Capcom Classics Collection Volume 2: $20-$52 (eBay)
• Fight Night Round 2 Platinum Hits: $20-$35 (eBay)

Most Valuable PAL Region Xbox Games

Room Zoom

This racer is essentially a modern take on the Micro Machines (or the N64/Dreamcast RC racer, Re-Volt) with the setup of having toy cars racing around everyday household locations such as kitchens, bedrooms. The game incorporates a fun and whimsical atmosphere with colorful graphics and dynamic gameplay.

The game was quite affordable in North America (including a PS2 release), but was quite difficult to find in PAL regions. Even to this day, it’s tricky to find it show up on eBay.

Check for Room Zoom on eBay

Xiaolin Showdown

This beatemup game by Konami is based on the Kids WB animated series that ran through the early aughts, allowing players to step into the shoes of the Xiaolin monks – Omi, Kimiko, Raimundo, and Clay – as they embark on a quest to thwart the evil Heylin forces.

The game blends martial arts combat, platforming, and puzzle-solving elements. Players can switch between the four main characters, each possessing unique elemental abilities corresponding to their Wu Xing elements.

Xiaolin Showdown was in wide distribution in North America on the Xbox, PSP, PS2, and DS. PAL regions saw a version of each, but the PAL Xbox version had a quite limited print run in the region and has become hunted down by collectors.

Check for Xiaolin Showdown on eBay

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness

Unlike its predecessor, “Lament of Innocence,” and other 3D Castlevania titles, Curse of Darkness featured a more open-ended, non-linear structure. Players explored a variety of interconnected environments, deviating from the linear level design of previous 3D entries.

While maintaining the series’ signature gothic atmosphere, Curse of Darkness departed from the traditional linear approach of 3D Castlevania titles.

Even though it isn’t the strongest 3D Castlevania installment, the game has maintained a respectable resale value in all regions on both Xbox and PS2. However, the PAL Xbox version is pretty tricky to find in the wild, resulting in this premium.

Check for Castlevania: Curse of Darkness on eBay

Additional PAL Region Rarities

• Frankie Dettori Racing: $150-$160 (eBay)
• Gene Troopers: $50-$200 (eBay)
• OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast: $70-$150 (eBay)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: $75-$140 (eBay)
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 Mutant Nightmare: $60-$140 (eBay)
• NightCaster II: Equinox: $50-$100 (eBay)
• Greg Hastings Tournament Paintball MAX’D: $60 – $80 (eBay)
• Otogi: Myth of Demons: $50-$80 (eBay)
• Jaws Unleashed: $50-$80 (eBay)
• Knights of the Temple II: $40-$66 (eBay)

Most Valuable Japanese XBox Releases

Daemon Vector: $300 – $500

Daemon Vector is an ultra-obscure action-adventure game featuring a medieval setting where European adventurers inadvertently unleash a curse from an Asian artifact, turning humans into zombies.

As the hero, players combat this undead threat in a gothic-styled slashing action RPG, where a sinister strain of the Black Plague animates the decaying dead of Medieval Europe. The narrative traces back to the 14th century, triggered by Marco Polo’s return, breaking a seal from ancient China and plunging Europe into the horrors of the Black Death.

Even though the cover looks impressive and the premise is intriguing, the general consensus is that the actual game is sadly lacking. Daemon Vector is a console exclusive to the Japanese Xbox, but also received a PC release in the UK.

It is rumored that this Xbox version only had 200 copies produced, which is the prime reason this game is such a collector’s item.

Check for Daemon Vector on eBay

Plus Plum 2: $105 – $300

Plus Plum 2, a puzzle game developed and published by Takuy, presents a competitive puzzle experience with three falling object types requiring color-matching in groups of three. The twist lies in disappearing objects and changing contiguous object colors upon matching.

Careful planning allows players to create multi-chain color combos, factoring in color changes as objects vanish. Adding complexity, the game introduces a weight concept, as the platform holding falling objects functions as a scale influenced by block quantity.

Check for Plus Plum 2 on eBay

Shikigami no Shiro II: $130 – $220

Shikigami no Shiro II is a vertically scrolling shoot ’em up (shmup) game developed by Alfa System. The game is renowned for its unique blend of traditional bullet-hell mechanics and an innovative “Tension System.” In Shikigami no Shiro II, players can switch between two distinct modes – Human and Shikigami – altering their attack patterns and abilities. The Tension System rewards players for close encounters with enemies, encouraging risk-taking for higher scores.

Visually, Shikigami no Shiro II is striking with its vibrant anime-inspired art style and intense, bullet-filled action. The challenging gameplay, coupled with a dynamic scoring system and engaging character narratives, makes it a standout title in the shoot ’em up genre, appealing to both genre enthusiasts and those seeking a fresh take on classic arcade shooters.

Check for Shikigami no Shiro II on eBay

Psyvariar 2: Extend Edition: $120 – $200

Psyvariar 2: Extend Edition is another solid vertical shmup. What sets it apart is the “Buzz System,” allowing players to level up their craft by grazing bullets without getting hit. This risk-reward mechanic not only boosts the player’s firepower but also alters the game’s difficulty dynamically, offering a personalized and evolving experience.

The game features branching paths, determined by player performance, providing multiple routes and encouraging replayability. The dynamic level design and evolving enemy patterns keep the gameplay fresh and challenging. The game’s trance-inducing electronic soundtrack complements the fast-paced action, creating an immersive experience.

The Xbox edition known as “Extend Edition” features less slowdown than the original Dreamcast port and replay saves to hard disk, and replay sharing on Xbox Live. It also does not have the “roll” button that the PS2 port includes.

Check for Psyvariar 2: Extend Edition on eBay

Double S.T.E.A.L. The Second Clash: $110 – $155

Double S.T.E.A.L.: The Second Clash is the sequel to Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions (which was on the PS2, Xbox and Gamecube). This sequel was released only in Japan in 2005. Despite this region-specific release, the game is completely in English.

The series is an action racing game – the original game set in Hong Kong, and this sequel is set in America. Having already freed Hong Kong from the grip of the Yakuza in their last game, the Dragons of the Hong Kong Police Force fly to America to hand Tiger Takagi off to the CIA. Unfortunately, Takagi is barely on American soil for five minutes before his Yakuza cronies spring him, and this time it’s up to the Dragons alone to put him behind bars for good.

Players assume the roles of two elite anti-crime task force members, driving a variety of vehicles through the bustling streets. The missions involve intense car chases, stunts, and combating the criminal underworld.

With the OG Xbox’s commercial struggles in Japan and it being released so late in the platform’s lifespan, it isn’t surprising, this was such a limited release. Now it remains a pricey exclusive.

Check for S.T.E.A.L.: The Second Clash on eBay

Drihoo: $70 – $193

Drihoo, an obscure Japan-only Xbox title from 2002, has emerged as a foundational influence on FromSoftware’s renowned “Soulsborne” series, which includes titles like Dark Souls, Demon’s Souls, and Bloodborne. Developed and published by Highwaystar Co., Ltd., Drihoo played a pivotal role in the evolution of the franchise due to the involvement of game designer and director Kaikō Arima. Arima joined FromSoftware after Drihoo’s release and contributed to major titles, including Elden Ring.

Drihoo tells the story of a futuristic miner who excavates the ruins of an ancient civilization looking for treasures and other riches. Drihoo’s deliberate design choices, including slow and deliberate attacks, a dark and claustrophobic setting reminiscent of Soulsborne locales, and an obtuse storytelling style, are highlighted. The game’s narrative, set in a dark underground realm with parallels to real Egyptian mythology, offers an intriguing blend of mystery, exploration, and unique mechanics.

Noteworthy connections between Drihoo and the Soulsborne series include animation priority, a third-person camera perspective, and a health system emphasizing decision-making. The leveling system, currency mechanics, and the emphasis on player exploration without explicit guidance also draw parallels.

Despite its lack of recognition outside Japan, Drihoo has recently garnered attention, thanks to the efforts of Shawn Sackenheim, founder of Delisted Games. Sackenheim has undertaken an exhaustive translation of Drihoo (see the ROMhacking.net listing), aiming to introduce this overlooked title to a wider audience.

Check for Drihoo on eBay

Takahashi Junko no Mahjong Seminar: $100 – $140

Takahashi Junko no Mahjong Seminar, as the name might suggest, is a Mahjong game featuring the Japanese professional mahjong player Takahashi Junko. The games are focused on providing players with a virtual mahjong experience, often including tutorials and tips from Takahashi Junko herself.

Even though the original Xbox was not very successful in Japan, this game was exclusive to the platform but seems to have had a limited print run.  It’s a rather under-the-radar collectible at this point, but it routinely has high price tags when it surfaces.

Check for Takahashi Junko no Mahjong Seminar on eBay

Metal Wolf Chaos $100 – $139

The Xbox was known for having very poor sales in Japan, but somehow the system still managed to have a fairly high-profile Japanese exclusive in its library. Metal Wolf Chaos is a third-person mecha shooter game developed by FromSoftware (known for their Armored Core and Souls series) in a bit of a partnership with Microsoft in an attempt to boost interest for the Xbox in Japan.

Interestingly enough, the game built up a cult following in the States due to the interesting storyline of a fictional US President digging into a mecha battle with an rebelling military led by the fictional Vice President and the exaggerated patriotic themes that go along with such a premise.

With it being a Japanese exclusive, it has never really been considered an affordable pickup for North American collectors. Interestingly enough, there was prequel in the form of Murakumo: Renegade Mech Pursuit (without as much bravado in its premise) that was released in North America and is quite affordable (although the reviews also weren’t as favorable).

With growing popularity, Devolver Digital worked with FromSoftware to localize the game and bring a remaster to the PC, Playstation 4, and the Xbox One in the summer of 2019. So far, it has only reduced the resale values of the Xbox original by 10% to 20%.
Check for Metal Wolf Chaos on eBay
Check for Metal Wolf Chaos on Amazon

Additional Valuable Japanese Releases

• Tenerezza: $90-$130 (eBay)
• Rent-A-Hero No. 1: $85-$120 (eBay)
• Aoi Namida: $90-$100 (eBay)
• C.A.T.: Cyber Attack Team: $85-$100 (eBay)
• Togue R: $80-$100 (eBay)
• Dinosaur Hunting: $80-$90 (eBay)
• Bistro Cupid 2: $70-$85 (eBay)

Rarest North American Xbox Games At Affordable Prices

Each of these games are quite hard to find, but routinely sell for $20 or less. If you are a collector and see a mint copy of any of these on eBay for a low price, you might want to snatch them up — you might not see them often and they could be a higher profile target down the line.

• Outlaw Golf 9 Holes of X-Mas: $6 (eBay)
• Outlaw Volleyball Red Hot: $7 (eBay)
• Outlaw Golf Holiday Golf: $9 (eBay)
• Outlaw Golf 9 More Holes of X-Mas: $7  (eBay)
• Loons Fight For Fame: $12 (eBay)
• Totaled: $10 (eBay)
• Kakuto Chojin: $17 (eBay)

In our retro game collecting guides, we often focus primarily on the games themselves, but I wanted to monitor the values of common variations of console hardware as well.

My goal with this price guide is to give everyone an easily-accessible price listing of mainstream retro consoles so that it is easy to survey the console landscape, see what you might expect to pay for hardware you have been considering or see what you might be able to get for a console you’re looking to offload.

Featured photo courtesy of @chrsmccllm on Instagram 

The price guide is broken down into three major condition groupings:

• Loose: console hardware only with no packaging. The lower price range may only include the console itself and minimal accessories like a power adapter. Even at the low price, the machine should be in working condition. Units that are for “parts only” should be valued lower. The high range of loose consoles should include a controller or two, power and video cables and be in excellent cosmetic condition. For some older consoles, this higher price range may even include some hardware restoration.
• Complete in Box (CIB): This is for a console in good working order that also comes with its original packaging. The lower price range may have a few items missing from the original shipment (like manuals or inner packaging) and/or the cardboard box may be in rougher shape (older boxes typically show a lot of wear). The higher price range should include almost every item that came in the original retail box and should be in excellent cosmetic condition.
• New (Unopened): This grouping is for units that have never been opened from their retail packaging or used. Since this is less common, we simply give a single price range estimate, but there are still some variances in the value due to the condition of the packaging and such.

I have included some interesting or rare console variants in this price guide, but it is not meant to be exhaustive at this point. I also included some consoles with aftermarket video mods, but again, this is by no means exhaustive. I may eventually add more unit variations to the guide over time as I also update values.  If you feel I have made some glaring omissions, please let me know in the comments section below, but I cannot add every recommendation immediately.

In case you didn’t notice, I left off handheld units from this guide. Those are in this separate Handheld/Portable Price Guide

Biggest Recent Changes

I couldn’t help but be curious which console saw the largest value appreciation since my last guide revision in January 2018.  I compared the average pricing between the different quality levels (loose and complete-in-box — excluding “New/Unopened”)  in the table below. If you’d like to see a full comparative breakdown, a full Excel Spreadsheet and PDF of the data is shared with my Patreon members.  Being a Patreon subscriber of at least $1 will get you access to this and other future exclusives and it helps keep this website running.

Below are two charts that show the highest movers over the last three years (in this case, comparing 2020 to 2023 values). Even though there have been some additional value increases over the last few years, there has also been quite a bit of cooling off from the 2020/2021 peak.
(For reference, you can also see this chart of the fastest 3-year growers comparing early 2018 to late 2020.)

The Console Price Guide

Presented by Racketboy and G to the Next Level

The Sega Saturn is definitely one of the leading consoles among hardcore classic gamers. Its strong selection of unique and engaging 2D games keeps it relevant a decade after its premature demise. While many of the Saturnâ€s best games were not adequately appreciated at the time of their release, word-of-mouth discussions online have boosted many of these games to underground stardom.

Prices Current As of May 2023

Three factors can be attributed to much of the rise in Saturn game values:

• The large jewel cases and artwork are fragile and getting harder to find in pristine condition.
• Dedicated collectors are also ensuring that all inserts are included with the manual.  Auctions that make this clear will also fetch a premium price.
• Many of the Saturnâ€s best games have still not been ported to other consoles.
• A new generation of retro gamers are just now discovering what the Saturn has to offer.
• While emulation of the console has improved a lot over the last decade, fast and accurate emulation can still be challenging.

In stark contrast to the Cheapest Games series, this Rare and Valuable series will give you insights into the top collectibles for the platform. Armed with this guide, youâ€ll know what to look for whether you are buying or selling. Below you will see two prices beside each title. The first is the selling price for a bare disc (or disc, case and artwork for PAL and JP games). The second price is the highest price in the past three months which is usually a pristine, complete copy. In some cases, youâ€ll also see a higher dollar value for the average sealed copy. The list is ordered by the balance of the two main prices.

RECENT GROWTH OF NORTH AMERICAN RETAIL GAMES

With four full years since our last guide revision, it was easy to notice a lot of ranking shifting with the North American retail releases.   I decided to chart out the major movers.  In the chart below I compared the average pricing between the different average loose/rough price levels for a game and their highest mint copy sale during the time frame.  I compared those averages between our 2019 guide and this 2023 guide to calculate the value growth percentage.  If youâ€d like to see the full 2019 guide for comparison, I have made it available to my Patreon members. (Only $1 of support or more is needed to access)

After the chart, we will dig into the details of the top North American, Japanese, and PAL Saturn games — we have a lot to cover!

Most Valuable North American Saturn Games

Daytona USA CCE Net Link Edition: $2,500 – $4,800

Although commonly thought to be Panzer Dragoon Saga, this NetLink version of Daytona USA: CCE is in fact the rarest North American Sega Saturn game. Only available for sale through Segaâ€s online store, its almost total indistinguishability from the regular version of Daytona USA: CCE makes the title even more rare.

The only notable differences are found only when opening the case up, which features a black and white NetLink booklet underneath the standard booklet, and the disc has a NetLink logo and “Not for Resale” markings. (See here for photos)

For those of you that donâ€t know, the Netlink was Segaâ€s modem-based add-on for the Sega Saturn that allowed for online multiplayer gaming. Daytona CCE was one out of only five games released that are compatible with the add-on, which also includes Sega Rally Championship Plus, Virtual On, Duke Nukem 3D, and Saturn Bomberman.

A decade ago in 2008, this variantâ€s legend was beginning to grow and overtaking Saga in the rankings, but could still be scored in the $250 to $300 range.  By 2019, however, it was hitting 5X to 6X that mark.  But post-2020 collecting rush, it has more than doubled again since then.

Check for Daytona USA CCE Net Link Edition on eBay

Panzer Dragoon Saga: $550 – $2,150 ($2,500 sealed)

Panzer Dragoon was an iconic, yet under-appreciated franchise of on-rails shooters, yet the third game in the series actually was a deep role-playing game that is loved by critics and has a very devoted following. Many experienced gamers even consider it one of the very best RPGs of all time and it was one of the definitive games in the Saturn library.

Over time the game has become a legendary treasure, not purely in terms of collectorâ€s value, but its true status as a game. It would be ideal for Sega to republish the game, but there is tragically a rumored backstory of the gameâ€s source code being lost forever. Between this potential mishap and a small initial print run, too many people missed out on playing this gem of an RPG. Perhaps someday the game will be remade from scratch for more gamers to experience.

Itâ€s a shame that Panzer Dragoon Saga came out at the end of the Saturnâ€s short life. It was one of the last five games released in North America with an initial production run was 6,000 (not even enough to fill pre-orders) but by the end of the gameâ€s run, only 30,000 copies were produced by Sega.

Panzer Dragoon Saga has always been one of the most valuable games in the Saturnâ€s library. With four discs and many owners never wanting to part with it, youâ€ve always had to save up for it (unless you found it in clearance bins after the Saturnâ€s demise). Iâ€m pretty sure back in 2000 — just a few years after the Saturn died, the game usually sold for $100 to $120. In 2008, it weighed in at $200 to $240. Bare discs actually have only gradually increased since then, but mint copies have gradually climbed to dramatic heights.

Check for Panzer Dragoon Saga on eBay
Check for Panzer Dragoon Saga on Amazon

Burning Rangers: $500 – $1,000

Opting out of making a 3D Sonic the Hedgehog game, Yuji Naka and Sonic Team created a 3D engine to use for the cult favorite, NiGHTS into Dreams, and then using that game engine to develop the outer space firefighting epic Burning Rangers.

This late Saturn title is a sci-fi style game that focuses on extinguishing flames and rescuing civilians as the futureâ€s primary heroic pursuit. Its colorful, not-quite-so-serious atmosphere combined with one of the catchiest soundtracks of the era, over the years Burning Rangers rose from the obscurity of being a cult favorite throughout recent years. Sega has even plugged in subtle nods and easter eggs to the it in current games such as Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.

Burning Rangers remains one of the most interesting and innovative Saturn exclusives despite having awkward controls. The game was well-received by those that played it at the time, but it was one of the final five games released for the Saturn in North America, with only 5,000 copies produced. It can be imported from Japan for much cheaper, but since the game uses English voiceovers for in-game directions, it may not be import-friendly.

Since the Saturnâ€s afterlife, Burning Rangers has remained to be one of the most valuable and collectible titles in the library and was considered a definitive part of the Saturn library. Back in 2008, you could get a copy for $70 to $90. Over the decade that followed, bare discs increased in value about 40% while pristine copies jumped 3X to 4X their 2008 values.  However, in just last 5 years since 2018, Burning Rangers has had one of the largest surges — going up another 400% from already-lofty values.

Check for Burning Rangers on eBay
Check for Burning Rangers on Amazon

Magic Knight Rayearth: $450 – $1,000 ($1,400 sealed)

In the 32-Bit era, Working Designs as a publisher is always the sign of a gem, and throughout the years their titles have developed a cult following and normally have a higher value attached to them.

Developed and published by Sega in Japan but published by Working Designs in North America, Magic Knight Rayearth is an Action-RPG that is an adaptation of the popular anime and manga of the same name. For fans of the series, the game does an outstanding job of being faithful to the source material.

According to the manual of the US version, some of the original Japanese source code was lost and was completely rebuilt during the localization. Many of the development team behind Rayearth would go on to become part of Segaâ€s Overworks, and would later work on other iconic Sega games such as Skies of Arcadia.

Rayearth was supposedly limited to about 15,000 units upon its release. It was released at the very end of 1998, making it the very last game released for the Sega Saturn in the United States.

While itâ€s never really been cheap, itâ€s easy been one of the fastest-growing Working Designs titles among collectors.

Check for Magic Knight Rayearth on eBay
Check for Magic Knight Rayearth on Amazon

Sega Ages: $220 – $1,000

The Sega Ages franchise began on the Sega Saturn as a way of sharing some of the companyâ€s classic games (mostly arcade titles, but there were console title instances like Phantasy Star Collection). Sega actually released a handful of individual titles under the Sega Ages moniker in Japan. However, there was a compilation that was released in North America and Europe that contains arcade-perfect ports of Space Harrier, OutRun, and After Burner II.

While Sega published the compilation in Europe, Working Designs published the North American piece with the special printing treatments the publisher is famous for, under its “SPAZ” publishing tier. The logos on the cover have a holographic foil that just canâ€t be fully appreciated in photos. Working Designs typically handled Japanese RPGs that would typically never make it to the US, but this is probably one of their least-known productions as one would assume Sega published it themselves. It also didnâ€t have much publicity or word-of-mouth.

This compilation has never been easy to find, but if you could track one down, you used to be able to score it for $20 to $40 up until 2014. Because many collectors still werenâ€t aware of it, you could still sometimes find it for $50 complete back in the 2010s. However, in 2016 it became more well-known and rose to the higher realms of collectability.

Check for Sega Ages on eBay
Check for Sega Ages on Amazon

Mega Man 8: $300 – $890

Mega Man 8 served as the 10th Anniversary of the legendary Capcom platforming series and was its first entry in the 32-bit era. Though it came after the Mega Man X series which took the series in a different direction, Mega Man 8 served as a throwback to the original style of games from the NES collection.

Anyone who has played a Mega Man game before will feel right at home with the Mega Man 8, with gorgeous hand-drawn graphics and anime FMV cutscenes, complete with infamously bad voice acting. You take on Dr “Wiwy” and a new slew of robot masters to conquer.

Classic Mega Man games always tend to command a higher price but the Saturn version of Mega Man 8 has risen to a much higher amount than the Playstation version and is one of the most sought-after games on the Sega Saturn.

Being a solid, mainline Mega Man title, 8 commanded a reasonable $33 to $60 range in 2008. It has since seen steady, compounding growth in recent in the recent decade. This is especially impressive when you consider the PlayStation version of Mega Man 8 can easily be found for $30 or less and you have modern compilation options that include the game.

Check for Mega Man 8 on eBay
Check for Mega Man 8 on Amazon

The House of the Dead: $280 – $900

A port of the cult-classic light gun arcade game, House of the Dead was one of the last games released on the Saturn and didnâ€t sell many copies despite its success in the arcades. The series has received many sequels in arcades and consoles, but the original is the hardest to find in its original console form.

The Saturn version has all the arcade areas, plus some new branching levels. You can also play with some additional characters. Unfortunately, the graphics have lower resolution and frame rates.

Much like most of the other last Sega games released for the Saturn (Shining Force III, Burning Rangers, and House of the Dead) there were only about 5000 units produced of the game. It held a solid $60 to $80 range a decade ago, but those complete copies have been really taking off in recent years.

In the 2020s, in particular, The House of the Dead has climbed higher into the top rankings for Saturn collectors.  Complete copies have nearly tripled just since their 2019 levels.

Check for House of the Dead on eBay
Check for House of the Dead on Amazon

Battlesport: $160 – $855

This is one of those games that I didnâ€t even know existed until recent years. Even though the Sega Saturn is one of the console libraries I explored the most, I must have just skimmed over the generic-sounding title and never heard anyone recommend it over the years. It turns out, that diehard fans of the 3DO will probably be more familiar with Battlesport.

For those of you that are familiar with the console wars of the mid-90s, Battlesport will quickly remind you of the type of game that showed up on the 3DO console. American developers were often experimenting with how to use the new 3D capabilities and evolving traditional game genres into new experiences. Battlesport was one such example that attempted to merge a futuristic sports concept (similar to hockey or soccer) with hovercraft mechanics. It actually ends with the feel of an area shooter game with a fast 3D engine but with some intentional limitations. Itâ€s actually an interesting gameplay experience that uses those limitations as a way to focus the gameplay.

The Sega Saturn version is much harder to come by than either the original 3DO release or the Playstation port (there was also a Windows PC version). Both of the other versions can easily be found for between $15 and $30 but the Saturn version has drastically increased in value. Just in the last few years, more Saturn collectors have been trying to round out their collections and are discovering how truly hard to find this particular port is. Up until the end of 2014, you could find the Saturn version for $20 or less, but quickly jumped to the $70 range the next couple of years before spiking to a $200 to $300 range at the end of 2017.  The 2020s, have seen it more than double in value since then.

Check for Battlesport on eBay
Check for Battlesport on Amazon

Lunacy: $180 – $630 ($900 Sealed)

You may have thought that FMV games lived and died on the Sega CD, but the Sega Saturn still saw some games that carried on some of the techniques used in the adolescent eras of video game consoles.

Instead of using video of actors like many Sega CD games, Lunacy is an interactive movie adventure the utilizes CGI animation for characters and environments. The presentation also gives off some serious Myst vibes as well. The game was developed by System Sacom, which previously developed Mansion of Hidden Souls (which was on the Sega CD and Sega Saturn).

The game was known as Torico in Japan and was localized by Segaâ€s staff and published in North America by Atlus. Even though it had clearly improved on many of the weaknesses of the Sega CD era of FMV games and had some redeeming qualities, it was enough to garner widespread appeal.

Less than a decade ago, you could find a copy of Lunacy for $20 to $60 — about what you would expect for an uncommon/obscure Saturn title. However, at the end of 2015 we really started seeing a spike into the $100 to $150 range — and it’s just been increasing since then.

Check for Lunacy on eBay
Check for Lunacy on Amazon

Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean: $105 – $650

Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean is an RPG that was originally developed for the Super Famicom in Japan but was ported to the Saturn by Working Designs as the SNES was losing ground in retail. This title was the first in the series to receive an English localization and the first to feature traditional turn-based role-playing elements as opposed to tactical, strategy-based gameplay. The presentation was pure 2D, but the sprite artwork was beautiful and wonderfully complemented the classic gameplay.

Legend of Eldean sold well during its original release in Japan, enough to warrant Segaâ€s “Saturn Collection” distinction and budget re-release in 1997 as the localized version was issued by Working Designs in the States. tâ€s not surprising that the game didnâ€t sell quite as well in North America and Working Designs typically kept their print runs modest. However, their attention to detail in localization and their beautiful foiled packaging artwork always made each of their productions feel like a collectable work of art.

Much like most other Working Designs games, Albert Odyssey has held its value quite well since itâ€s original release, gradually appreciating in value along the way. For perspective, it could be found in the $40 to $100 range back in 2008 depending on condition but has compounded nicely over the last decade.

Check for Albert Odyssey on eBay
Check for Albert Odyssey on Amazon

Saturn Bomberman: $190 – $560

The most well-known out of the three Bomberman games released on the Saturn (as the other two were never released outside of Japan), this version of the popular multiplayer blast-a-thon became known to fans as a definitive edition of Bomberman through being the only game in the series with support for 10 characters on screen at once and the first in the series with online play via Segaâ€s Netlink service.

Hudson Soft even added in some easter eggs in this release such as including other Hudson characters such as Bonk (Bonkâ€s Adventure) and Higgins (Adventure Island), as well as releasing special Bomberman-themed Saturn controllers and multitaps.

A late release for the system and limited print run aside, Saturn Bomberman became a wanted item on many Saturn collectors†want list for being one of the most memorable additions to a classic franchise that is still going on today.

From 2000 to 2014, Saturn Bomberman remained moderately priced. In 2008 we had it pegged at a $52 to $79 range, but starting in 2015, it really gained a lot of steam and ramped up to its current levels.

Check for Saturn Bomberman on eBay
Check for Saturn Bomberman on Amazon

Mega Man X4: $125 – $510

Though it is the Blue Bomberâ€s second addition to the ‘X†series on the Saturn (the first being Mega Man X3 which was not released in North America), Mega Man X4 was the first in the series for the 32-bit generation.

This biggest addition to Mega Man X4 is the ability to play as Mega Manâ€s partner, the sword-wielding Zero, as a playable character from the start, as opposed to him just being on the side. Aside from that, X4 stays true to the traditions of the series: pick any stage you want in any order, defeat the bosses (known as “Mavericks” in this series instead of the Master Robots), gain their abilities, and take on Sigma yet again.

Though an offshoot of the main titles, the Mega Man X games have gained a following for its deeper and more serious tone, and X4 includes new FMV cutscenes and the lengthy dialog sequences between characters that the series is known for.

Much like the above-mentioned Mega Man 8, X4 has steadily increased from its modest 2008 pricing ($15 to $61 range for X4) to where it is now. And like MM8, this seems to be a pure Saturn collecting (or completist Mega Man) play as the Playstation version can be found $15 or less, plus the modern compilation releases.

Check for Mega Man X4 on eBay
Check for Mega Man X4 on Amazon

Shining Force III: $135 – $475

Segaâ€s iconic strategy RPG trilogy began on the Sega Genesis/Megadrive, but ended as the Sega Saturnâ€s retail life drew to a close. The third major Shining Force installment actually was designed as three scenario releases, but with the Sega Saturnâ€s life being cut short, Shining Force III Parts 2 and 3 never made it outside of Japan.

Shining Force III joined Burning Rangers, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Magic Knight Rayearth, and House of the Dead as the final five Saturn games released in North America. Since Sega knew there was waning demand at the time, they only produced about 5000 copies of this first Scenario.

Much like most of these iconic final releases, weâ€ve never seen a re-release of this cult classic (and the community has depended on fan translations to play Parts 2 and 3 in English). With this in mind, it is actually surprising that we have seen loose discs decrease just a bit from their $89 price points in 2008. However, a pristine copy used to be able to be tracked down for $100 to $115 a little over a decade ago.

Check for Shining Force III on eBay
Check for Shining Force III on Amazon

Hercâ€s Adventures: $185 – $400

This overhead action adventure game from LucasArts was released on both the Playstation and Saturn, but focused on the 2D animation the studio was known for instead of joining the 3D crowd in the 32-bit era. With its style of gameplay, animation and humor, some have considered Hercâ€s Adventures to be a spiritual successor to Zombies Ate My Neighbors (and its sequel, Ghoul Patrol).

Hercâ€s Adventure had some unfortunate timing, however. It came out literally a month after the Disney animated film, Hercules, so in the general retail scene a lot of gamers might have thought it was cheap licensed/knockoff and got lost in the shuffle. If the Hercules movie had been a huge hit, maybe it would have helped, but it didnâ€t really appeal to the gameâ€s target market. Neither version of the game is especially easy to find, but the Saturn version can command 2 to 3 times the value of the PS1 version — mostly likely because of the collectibility of the system and the difficulty of keeping those Saturn games pristine.

Back in our 2008 guide, we had Hercâ€s Adventure down on our “Additional Games of Value” section while being in the $33 to $57 range. This interesting game was still pretty under the radar even a decade after its release. It didnâ€t really get much of a bump in value until 2016/2017 as collectors were circulating around interesting rarities.

Check for Hercâ€s Adventures on eBay
Check for Hercâ€s Adventures on Amazon

Street Fighter Collection: $160 – $400 ($270 Sealed)

The Saturn was always one of the very best consoles for 2D fighters and Capcom put out a great showing for the sprite powerhouse. Among a lot of excellent stand-alone titles, they also published one of their first Street Fighter compilations in the form of the Street Fighter Collection.

The disc includes direct CPS II arcade ports of Super Street Fighter II, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, and an enhanced version of Street Fighter Alpha 2 titled Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold, which is exclusive to this compilation. To top things off, the beautiful cover art displays nicely in the fragile, but treasured Saturn cases.

Despite Capcom putting out more excellent Street Fighter compilations in recent years, the Saturnâ€s Street Fighter Collection has still appreciated nicely in value. Back in 2008, the compilation didnâ€t even make our “Additional Games of Value” section — weighing in at about $30 for a copy. Itâ€s been a very gradual but steady rise since then, but getting a jump to about $100 – $120 range in 2016.

Check for Street Fighter Collection on eBay
Check for Street Fighter Collection on Amazon

Virtua Fighter Remix (Longbox): $220 – $320

When the Saturn launched, Sega fans were especially excited to see many of the companyâ€s cutting-edge arcade titles recieve near-perfect ports on a powerful new console. While Virtua Fighter (and Virtua Racing) did receive impressive ports to the 32X, most gamers held out for the Saturn.

Under pressure to release the console promptly to fend off the Playstation, Sega kept tight deadlines and the Virtua Fighter port, while relatively solid, had some graphical imperfections. After learning on how to better utilize the Saturn hardware, Sega quietly released Virtua Fighter Remix as a pack-in title. It was also available as a free mail-in title for those that registered their Saturn console by a certain date.

However, Sega did end up producing a full retail version of Virtua Fighter Remix that was packaged in the more typical North American long box jewel cases as opposed to the CD-sized jewel case packaging for free versions. A lot Saturn collectors over the years didnâ€t even realize the longbox variant existed, but itâ€s starting to become a treasured collector’s piece — especially for those that like a consistent shelf presentation.

Check for Virtua Fighter Remix (Longbox) on eBay

Shining Wisdom: $120 – $400

The first of the “Shining” series to step away from first-person dungeon crawler or strategy RPG traditions, Shining Wisdom shares more with The Legend of Zelda than its more well-known titles. Using pre-rendered CG sprites rather than 3D models and a top-down free-moving environment, it took a vast detour from the anime grid-based combat style that the series is known for.

Just like Magic Knight Rayearth, Shining Wisdom was not published by Sega in America and Working Designs would take the publishing rights as part of their “Working Designs Ultra Series,” which also includes Popful Mail and Lunar on Sega CD, as well as the aforementioned Albert Odyssey, resulting in the game fetching a rather high amount of value throughout the years.

Working Designs made quite a few changes to the US version which were met with mixed responses from the audience. Though originally a follow-up to the Mega Driveâ€s Shining Force II, Working Designs removed any traces of backstory to the previous Shining games in the franchise as nearly all the character names were changed, as well as adding their trademark flair for pop-culture references.

Check for Shining Wisdom: on eBay
Check for Shining Wisdom: on Amazon

Resident Evil: $102 – $360

As one of the Defining Games in the Survival Horror genre, it would be an understatement to say that Resident Evil has been one of the most influential games/series in the game industry over the last few decades.  While the Playstation may have seen the original release of the game, there has been growing interest from collectors for this harder-to-find port.

Despite it being tricky to find a mint copy in the wild these days, the Saturn version of Resident Evil wasn’t especially difficult to afford in the 2010s and prior.  Through most of the decade, you could score the game for $20 to $40, depending on the condition.

Later in the decade, collectors started paying a bit more of a premium for complete copies, but even then, it was mostly around the $80 mark.  However, with retro game collecting kicking into gear in the 2020s, this early example of a landmark game became more of a showpiece for certain collectors.

Check for Resident Evil on eBay
Check for Resident Evil on Amazon

Shining The Holy Ark: $90 – $350

Throughout most of the Shining series†history, the games have been strategy-based RPGs, but Shining The Holy Ark was the first Shining game to be a pure Japanese RPG but ties nicely into the rest of the series.

The game utilizes first-person perspective for dungeons and battles. The gameplay is most similar to the Genesis classic, Shining in the Darkness as the player explores towns and dungeons in the first-person view, with battles almost exclusively taking place in dungeons.

Check for Shining The Holy Ark on eBay
Check for Shining The Holy Ark on Amazon

Guardian Heroes: $100 – $335

One of the original cult classics on the Sega Saturn, Guardian Heroes is a beat-em-up from fan-favorite developer Treasure with a unique control scheme, branching paths, and role-playing elements (giving you the ability to level up and focus the skills that you choose). It arrived on the Saturn fairly late in the consoleâ€s lifespan but always came recommended after the machineâ€s death because of its unique gameplay and interesting 2D graphical techniques.

Given Treasureâ€s pedigree and the general lack of beat-em-ups on the Saturn, Guardian Heroes often comes up in the conversation of both system superfans and those just dipping their toes in Saturn collecting. A sequel was made for the Game Boy Advance in Advance Guardian Heroes but unfortunately was not well-received by fans (and was not even published by Sega themselves).

Guardian Heroes has always been one of the more in-demand and pricey games for the system. However, after a high-quality remake on Xbox Live Arcade, a bare disc has actually calmed down 25% from the $80 level a decade ago. However, with mint, complete copies of Saturn games showing a premium, the high price range doubles from 2008â€s $100 level to todayâ€s $200 mark. You could even go back to 2006â€s $40 to $50 level (see the affordability section in this review)) for a complete copy.

Check for Guardian Heroes on eBay

Dragon Force: $85 – $325

Among the impressive RPGs that Working Designs brought to North America, Dragon Force is one of the biggest standouts — especially for those that enjoy strategy.

Dragon Forceâ€s gameplay system feels more like Ogre Battle than the likes of Shining Force or Fire Emblem. Instead of managing individual units on a grid, you manage the entire army down to the last general. These generals can control up to 100 troops each and each set of troops feature different classes such as basic infantry, cavalry, archers, monks, and more. Watching the battles play out is fascinating. Watching up to 200 sprite-based characters battle it out without slowdown is not only mesmerizing but an impressive technical feat on the Saturnâ€s hardware.

Throughout your campaigns, you capture, fortify, and defend castles and you live through eight finely crafted, but connected storylines. Each of the scenarios are quite long and rewarding, but it makes for a seemingly endless amount of deployability. If you are a strategy enthusiast, this depth is what makes it worth the steep price tag. Overall, the game holds up very well to this day and is a cornerstone piece of the Saturn small but impressive RPG library.

The game had a Japan-only re-release on the PS2 and also received a sequel that was left in Japan, but otherwise remains a great exclusive. Much like its Working Designs brethren, it has held good resale value since the Saturnâ€s demise. In 2008, Dragon Force could be found in the $65 to $97 range. Bare discs have become just a bit more affordable since then, but those pristine copies have doubled in value over the decade.

Check for Dragon Force on eBay
Check for Dragon Force on Amazon

Additional North American Games of Value

• Sonic Jam: $140 – $280 (eBay)
• Contra Legacy of War: $90 – $315 (eBay)
• Batman Forver Arcade: $117 – $280 (eBay)
• In the Hunt: $125 – $270 (eBay)
• Powerslave: $179 – $185 (eBay)
• Mortal Kombat Trilogy: $95 – $270 (eBay)
• Bust a Move 3: $60 – $300 (eBay)
• Winning Post: $100 – $255 (eBay)
• Norse by Norsewest: The Return of Lost Vikings: $60 – $275 (eBay)
• Winter Heat: $100 – $235 (eBay)
• Die Hard Arcade: $75 – $257 (eBay)
• Marvel Super Heroes: $100 – $230 (eBay)
• Enemy Zero: $85 – $225 (eBay)
• Crypt Killer: $94 – $210 (eBay)
• Three Dirty Dwarves: $75 – $225 (eBay)
• Legend of Oasis: $60 – $227 (eBay)
• Shinobi Legions: $65 – $190 (eBay)
• Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo: $40 – $197 (eBay)
• Quake: $43 – $ 185 (eBay)
• Mr. Bones: $60 – $163 (eBay)
• Christmas Nights into Dreams: $60 – $ 160 (eBay)
• Night Warriors: Darkstalkers: $45 – $155 (eBay)
• X-Men: Children of the Atom : $60 – $140 (eBay)
• Astal: $65 – $150 (eBay)
• Galaxy Fight: $55 – $150 (eBay)
• Golden Axe The Duel: $65 – $140 (eBay)
• Clockwork Knight 2: $47 – $140 (eBay)
• Tempest 2000: $40 – $140 (eBay)
• Vallora Valley Golf: $60 – $115 (eBay)
• NIGHTS into Dreams (Long Box): $30 – $140 (eBay)
• Darius Gaiden: $46 – $120 (eBay)
• Iron Storm: $38 – $125 (eBay)
• Rampage World Tour: $35 – $112 (eBay)
• Virtual-On Netlink Edition: $45 – $100 (eBay)

Valuable PAL Region Games

Panzer Dragoon Saga: $400 – $1000

While it might not be at the levels of the American version, the PAL version of Panzer Dragoon Saga has been climbing quite a bit and still weighs in as the main treasure of the PAL Saturn library.

An interesting piece of information: the PAL release of Panzer Dragoon Saga is actually just the Amercian version with the region code changed.  Since the game isn’t PAL-optimized, it runs slower than the NTSC and JP versions of the game when played on the PAL console (and can have glitches in cutscenes).  However, if you play on an NTSC or JP console with an import device (such as Action Replay), it will play fine.

In terms of packaging: the PAL Saga, the four discs fit inside two normal-sized Saturn game cases, each of which has a large piece of Panzer Dragoon Saga artwork on its back, and these two cases slot into a separate cardboard box. (Rivan, mentioned below, is the same way)

Check for Panzer Dragoon Saga on eBay

Deep Fear: $250 – $650

Deep Fear was pitched to many gamers as an “Underwater Resident Evil”. Developed by Segaâ€s AM7 division and System Sacom, the game showed some great innovations for the genre such as buttons that allow the player to use items in real-time, aiming while moving, and falling oxygen levels.

Deep Fear happened to be the very last game released on the Saturn in PAL regions and although it received a Japanese Saturn release a month later, North America would never get a release. The end result was a game that had a smaller print run than the likes of Panzer Dragoon Saga in the survival horror genre that is becoming a driving force of collector values on systems like the Playstation 2 and Dreamcast.

One of the things that has probably kept the PAL version somewhat “reasonable” in price compared to its rarity and demand is that the Japanese version is both affordable (between $17 and $30 currently) and import-friendly for English players. All of the spoken dialogue is in English along with a good portion of the menus, text and visual clues.

Check for Deep Fear on eBay

Street Fighter Collection: $250 – $600

Not much is different here from the North American release, but the PAL version is much harder to find in the wild (or online)

Much like the other regions, Disc one of the collection includes direct CPS II arcade ports of Super Street Fighter II, Super Street Fighter II Turbo.  The second disc is an enhanced version of Street Fighter Alpha 2 titled Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold, which is exclusive to this compilation.

Regardless of region, this collection has been rising the charts over the last few years!

Check for Street Fighter Collection on eBay

Mega Man X3 : $250 – $400

Mega Man X3 is much better known as a Super Nintendo release (although still quite pricey in both North America and PAL regions).   The game received a port on both the Sega Saturn and Sony’s Playstation, but only in PAL regions and Japan (in Japan as Rockman X3).   As a result, these are the only English 32-bit versions of the game.

These disc-based versions were enhanced with new FMV sequences (being the first Mega Man game to include FMV) and a newly synthesized soundtrack.

Check for Mega Man X3 on eBay

Swagman: $65 – $600

Swagman is a top-down, Zelda-like adventure game with some dream world meets horror theme in the style of NiGHTS into Dreams. The Saturn version of the game was only released in PAL regions (despite being advertised in the US at one point) in very limited quantities.

The game has some interesting 2D sprite and animation work. It wasnâ€t compelling enough to warrant being an essential purchase, but at a decent price, it could be a worthwhile addition to those that enjoy the likes of NiGHTS, Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Zelda.

But hereâ€s the thing: Swagman was also released on the Playstation and it can be found for less than $15. The Saturn version might have had a bit of an edge on sprites, but lacked some transparency effects. Not exactly worth paying $200 to $600 for a Saturn copy.

Check for Swagman on eBay

Keio Flying Squadron 2: $110 – $400

The original Keio Flying Squadron was a ultra cute and fun 2D shooter that has remained exclusive to the Sega CD/Mega CD and has topped the Sega add-onâ€s list of Rare and Valuable Games. However, in this Sega Saturn follow-up, the gameplay transitions into side-scrolling platforming adventure. Considering the original game looked great on the Sega CD, it shouldnâ€t be a big surprise that the artwork looks great on the Saturnâ€s powerful 2D hardware.

While the growing popularity of Keioâ€s shmup action on the Sega CD has obviously brought added attention to the Saturnâ€s follow-up, Saturn owners can still grab the Japanese version of the game for a discount in the $82 to $160 range. For those outside PAL territories that have to import either way, the Japanese version is a welcome option.

Check for Keio Flying Squadron 2 on eBay

Additional PAL Rarities

• Mortal Kombat Trilogy: $ 200 – $430 (eBay)
• Courier Crisis: $250 – $350 (eBay)
• Burning Rangers: $190 – $320 (eBay)
• Shining Force III: $200 – $300 (eBay)
• Maximum Force: $180 – $300 (eBay)
• Dragon Force: $180 – $280 (eBay)
• Riven: $85 – $340 (eBay)
• Three Dirty Dwarves: $180 – $230 (eBay)
• Frankenstein Through The Eyes of the Monster: $90 – $290 (eBay)
• Mr. Bones: $170 – $210 (eBay)
• Shinobi X: $100 – $280 (eBay)
• Hebereke’s Popoitto: $95 – $265 (eBay)
• Torico: $100 – $220 (eBay)
• Jewels of the Oracle: $80 – $225 (eBay)
• The Story of Thor 2: $100 – $200 (eBay)
• Rampage World Tour: $80 – $175 (eBay)
• Enemy Zero: $100 – $150 (eBay)
• Guardian Heroes: $100 – $150 (eBay)
• Arcade’s Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 1: $100 – $140 (eBay)
• Pinball Graffiti: $70 – $120 (eBay)

Most Valuable Japan Imports

Delisoba Deluxe – $1400 – $2000

While not an official retail game, this extremely limited production is one of the holy grails for dedicated Sega Saturn collectors. In the mid 1990s, there was a Japanese game show, Tokyo Friend Park, that had celebrity guest play a motorcycle game to deliver soba (hence the name Delisoba) to the studioâ€s offices.

Cave worked on bringing this game to life on the Sega Saturn with additions of a time attack mode and track editor. The end result was handed out to guests of the show (specific details are unclear) and production was limited to a couple hundred copies.

As you might guess, these donâ€t go on sale very often. Back in 2008, you could often find a copy selling in Japanese stores for about $900. In recent years it seems that the game has doubled in value over the past decade.

Check for Delisoba Deluxe on eBay

Psychic Assassin Taromaru : $800 – $1340

Eventually stealing this place from the legendary, somewhat abundant, and now digitally re-released Radiant Silvergun, the Psychic Killer Taromaru is the most valuable standard Japanese Saturn game.

The game is a well drawn 2D action title, with a decidedly “Shinobi meets Castlevania” style. The publisher, Time Warner Interactive, shut down all production facilities after only 7,500 copies were made. There are also manual-art variations as well, all of which are included in the total production number, and each generally fetch the same price.

Back in 2008 when Psychic Killer Taromaru eclipsed Radiant Silvergun, it could be found for between $270 and $400. Itâ€s more than doubled since then

Check for Psychic Assassin Taromaru on eBay

Hyper Duel: $490 – $1000

Technosoft is well-known for their wonderful Thunderforce shooter series, but Hyper Duel is a little-know shmup from Technosoft that was released in between Thunderforce 4 and 5 and shares many characteristics with the series.

The game was never released out of Japan on any platform and is one of the harder-to-find games in the Saturn library and a highly-desired addition to the already impressive Saturn shmup library. Because of all these factors, shooter fans are willing to pay a good chunk of change to score Hyper Duel.

Check for Hyper Duel on eBay

Super Tempo: $345 – $1010

Sega’s 32X may have been a commercial failure, but there were some interesting gems that were released on the system.  One such exclusive was a 2D platformer from Red Company by the name of Tempo.  The game also saw a portable follow-up on the Game Gear (in Tempo Jr.) and eventually, this Saturn sequel that remained exclusive in Japan.

Super Tempo improved on the past installments in multiple respects and holds up as the best game in the series.  The gameplay is well-designed, has a lot of quirky variety and features colorful vibes and a fun sense of humor.

The Japanese Saturn library is filled with so much 2D goodness, that it was actually easy to overlook this gem.  However, in the last handful of years, it has started gaining more attention and climbing the ranks of this guide.

Check for Super Tempo on eBay

Additional Japanese Valuables

• Eyeful Home – $560 – $1000 (demo – estimated 50 copies) (See on eBay)
• Heim Waltz – $350 – $800 (demo – estimated 50 copies) (eBay)
• Steam Hearts: $300 – $620 (eBay)
• Tryrush Deppy: $335 – $500 (eBay)
• Mizubaku Daibouken / Liquid Kids: $270 – $545 (eBay)
• Blast Wind: $270 – $520 (eBay)
• Final Fight Revenge: $350 – $420 (eBay)
• Street Fighter Zero 3: $178 – $490 (eBay)
• Astra Superstars: $225 – $380 (eBay)
• Arcade Gears: Image Fight & X-Multiply: $250 – $320 (eBay)
• Crows: The Last Battle Action: $245 – $300 (eBay)
• Cotton Boomerang: $225 – $304 (eBay)
• Radiant Silvergun: $165 – $350 (eBay)
• Elevator Action Returns: $175 – $320  (eBay)
• Arcade Gears: 3 Wonders: $181 – $300 (eBay)
• Guardian Force: $100 – $350 (eBay)
• Dragon’s Dream: $100 – $350 (eBay)
• G Vector: $150 – $300 (eBay)
• Battle Garegga: $140 – $300 (eBay)
• Castlevania Akumajo Dracula X: $150 – $290 (eBay)
• Kyukyoku Tiger II Plus: $195 – $235 (eBay)
• Langrisser Tribute: $170 – $230 (eBay)
• Rabbit: $160 – $240 (eBay)
• Time Gal & Ninja Hayate: $120 – $260
• Batsugun: $135 – $240 (eBay)
• Cotton 2: $110 – $265 (eBay)
• Keio Yugekitai: $150 – $210
• Shienryu: $130 – $220 (eBay)
• Street Fighter Zero 2 [SegaSaturn Collection]: $150 – $200 (eBay)
• Bulk Slash: $135 – $210 (eBay)
• Nekketsu Oyako: $120 – $225 (eBay)
• Bokan to Ippatsu! Doronbo Kanpekiban: $98 – $235 (eBay)
• Twinkle Star Sprites: $100 – $210 (eBay)
• Keriotosse: $120 – $180 (eBay)
• Stellar Assault SS: $115 – $180 (eBay)
• Sexy Parodius: $55 – $235 (eBay)
• PuLiRuLa: $120 – $165 (eBay)

You may notice some of the high-ranking rarities had relatively low prices on the low end of the spectrum. The low range on these listings are for cartridge-only games. While some of these games are still hard to find as a bare cartridge, the real premium is on complete copies. And while the Nintendo DS cases are much more durable and useful than the cardboard boxes for the Game Boy lineup, a lot of DS cases have been discarded by the likes of GameStop stores that have policy do scrapping cases before selling the games (sad, but true).

The second price in the value ranges is the highest price in the past three months which is usually the price for a mint, complete copy. An average price is also shared for a sealed copy if one has sold recently. The list is ordered by the balance of the two primary prices. Note that some of these games are not rare in the sense that there are not many available, but rare relative to demand, which makes the games expensive.

Check out the full Rarest and Most Valuable Games Guides Lineup

Barbie: Groom and Glam Pups: $470-$3400

The Nintendo portables have always been prime real estate for licensed titles for kids and the Barbie franchise has been a frequent guest on the platforms over the years.

The Barbie Groom and Glam Pups game, in particular, was released on multiple platforms — primarily the Wii and DS. THQ published those two releases in North America. A 3DS-specific port was produced and saw release in Europe and Australia before a smaller publisher, “Little Orbit”, took on the task of publishing a North American release, but exclusively in Canada.

Once US-based 3DS collectors caught onto this, they started paying up for copies to increase their chances of having a complete North American set.

The game garnered extra attention back in March of 2022 when Reddit user Gladius paid $1600 for a copy to complete his North American 3DS collection. At the time, it was viewed as paying well above the “going rate” and he admitted that he “should have bought it” a few years prior for the $700.

However, even though some of the retro market has cooled over the last year, this particular release has seen an eBay sale for more than double Gladius’s price in just 9 months when it sold for over $3400 USD in December 2022.

It will be interested to see how this progresses over the next few years. Will more copies surface to fill the demand or will be see the stakes continue to be raised?

Check for Barbie: Groom and Glam Pups on eBay
Check for Barbie: Groom and Glam Pups on Amazon

Alien Chaos 3D: $135-$450

Despite the 3D in the title, this indie release is a two-dimensional arena shooter. The game from Lutris is a semi-sequel to their XBLA game Mama & Son Clean House.

The game was primarily an eShop release due to its indie nature but did get a pretty small print run in physical form, even making to Amazon.

The release made its rounds as a nondescript budget game and it still is one of those games that most people might not think much about in the wild. A perfect example is this anecdote about somebody scoring a copy on Facebook Marketplace for only $1.50. So this could still be one that you could score on the cheap if you’re shopping at places that don’t research all the values in advance.

Check for Alien Chaos 3D on eBay
Check for Alien Chaos 3D on Amazon

Yo-Kai Watch Blasters: Red Cat Corps: $190-$300 ($400 Sealed)
Yo-Kai Watch Blasters: White Dog Squad: $180-$290 ($350 Sealed)

These two games are part of a spinoff series based on the Blasters mini-game in Level-5’s main series game Yo-kai Watch 2. (We will be touching on the main Yo-kai Watch series below)

These spin-off games are intended as a Ghostbusters spoof/homage (and was named after it in the Japanese release). However, due to copyright and licensing issues, the western release was had most of the overt Ghostbuster references were toned-down significantly.

There are two versions of the Watch Blasters: Red Cat Corps and White Dog Squad. Like with the main series (not unlike the Pokémon series), several different yo-kai are only available in each game (though they can be traded with). The free expansion Yo-kai Watch Blasters: Moon Rabbit Crew is also available digitally.

The Japanese releases of the Blasters games were published in 2015, but this North American version didn’t get published until September 2018. As the reach of both the 3DS platform and the Yo-Kai Watch series started to decline, these releases were relatively limited.

Check for Yo-Kai Watch Blasters Series on eBay
Check for Yo-Kai Watch Blasters Series on Amazon

Guide Louvre: $125-$350 ($400 Sealed)

Nintendo has historically been quite proactive in bringing their technology and experiences into the “real world” to get them exposed to people that aren’t typical in the “gaming” world. This occurrence was especially noticeable in the Wii and DS eras as the platforms were both technologically innovative and cost-effective.

In 2012, Nintendo teamed up with the Louvre museum in Paris, France to create a virtual tour of the museum and its collection of artwork. The software originally was exclusive to the rentable 3DS units at the museum to work as a tour guide to visitors. It was designed to work perfectly in tandem with exploring the galleries in person and had many innovative touches that could keep the attention of young museum-goers and adults alike.

Smartphones had been around for a few years at this point, but Nintendo was able to create a more impressive software experience on their hardware at that point.

The software eventually was rolled out to the eShop so that 3DS owners could explore the Louvre’s collection without having to travel to Paris. With a full “retail” version being available, a physical cartridge release was also sold exclusively in the Louvre gift shop.

It’s technically up for debate on if this should be included as a “North American Retail Release”. The eShop version was sold in North America (and the cartridge release didn’t seem to have region designations, but did have different language variants), but with the physical release wasn’t sold in retail stores.

Check for Guide Louvre on eBay

Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn [Not For Resale]: $73-$160

Over the decades, Nintendo has had a handful of these types of cartridges that are intended for demo units at retail stores.

While most of the Nintendo Not-for-Resale carts have a modest premium on them compared to their mainline counterparts, this one is especially hard to find.

Not only did the game come out as the 3DS was declining in the post-Switch era, but Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn also happened to be Nintendo’s last first-party game for the 3DS and was a port of a Wii game that had come out 9 years prior. All these factors contribute to it being a cartridge that is especially hard to find in the wild.

Check for Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn Not For Resale on eBay

Yo-Kai Watch 3: $140-$250 ($300 Sealed)

For those that aren’t aware, Yo-Kai Watch is a Japanese franchise created and developed by Level-5 that may feel similar to the Pokemon franchise and consists of this RPG video game series in addition to a manga and anime series. The franchise centers on the Yo-Kai, supernatural creatures that are invisible to the human eye and can only be seen by the player character.

This third entry in the mainline series introduced a new battle system and is considered the definitive version of the series.

The Japanese release of this third installment was in 2016, but it was released in other regions much later. Europe and Australia saw the game localized in 2018, but North America didn’t get their version until all the way in 2019.

Even though fans of the series found this installment to be satisfactory, it was just a bit too late to the market to be a commercial success in North America and remains a premium collector piece in the 3DS library.

Check for Yo-Kai Watch 3 on eBay
Check for Yo-Kai Watch 3 on Amazon

Rhythm Thief & The Emperors Treasure: $130-$250

The DS family has been home to some great rhythm-based games over the years. Sega blessed the 3DS with a creative combination of great beats, interesting puzzles and charming personality that made for a real under-the-radar gem back in 2012.

In addition to the rhythm-based mini-games, the game also features a variety of adventure elements, such as exploration and puzzle-solving. As players explore the streets of Paris, they will encounter various characters and objects that they can interact with to gather clues and advance the story. Players will also have to solve various puzzles and riddles in order to progress through the game.

With its interesting mix of gameplay and style, Rhythm Thief & The Emperors Treasure game glimpses of the innovative Sega that was taking chances in the Dreamcast era.

Check for Rhythm Thief & The Emperors Treasure on eBay
Check for Rhythm Thief & The Emperors Treasure on Amazon

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: $99-$195

The touchscreen setup of the DS and 3DS set up the success of new powerhouse franchises such as Ace Attorney and Professor Layton. These two thrived on portable systems for more than a decade before culminating with this crossover adventure puzzle game in 2014 (2012 in Japan).

The game was co-developed the Level-5 and Capcom and was lovingly crafted to incorporate the aspects that worked so well for both franchises, while also adding some new elements to round out the experience.

Overall, Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a unique and engaging game that combines elements of puzzle-solving and investigation, and offers a challenging and satisfying gameplay experience for players of all skill levels.

Check for Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney on eBay
Check for Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney on Amazon

Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters: $85-$175

Obviously, this game was in the middle of the mainline Yo-Kai Watch series on the 3DS. This release actually contains all the Yo-Kai from the “Bony Spirits” and “Fleshy Souls” installments as well as a wealth of extra content in the way of quests, a new location and more.

While it might not be in as large of demand or have quite the late release as its predecessor, mentioned above, it’s still selling for high enough amounts that it ranks pretty well on this list at this point.

Check for Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters on eBay
Check for Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters on Amazon

Additional Games of Value

• Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy: $95-$155 ($160 Sealed) (eBay)
• Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King: $84 -$143 (eBay)
• Metal Gear Solid 3D: $70-$129 (eBay)
• Style Savvy: Fashion Forward: $77-$117 (eBay)
• Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse: $63-$130 (eBay)
• Moco Moco Friends: $69-$120 (eBay)
• Kirby’s Extra Epic Yarn: $69-$100 (eBay)
• Zero Time Dilemma: $68-$93 (eBay)
• Etrian Mystery Dungeon: $60-$100 (eBay)
• Project X Zone 2: $62-$97 (eBay)
• Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight: $55-$100 (eBay)
• Radiant Historia Perfect Chronology: $66-$85 (eBay)
• 7th Dragon III Code VFD: $66-$84 (eBay)
• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers: $58-$80 (eBay)
• Frozen: Olaf’s Quest [Nintendo Selects]: \(60-\) 75 (eBay)
• Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse: $54 -$80 (eBay)
• Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past: $52-$80 (eBay)

Most Valuable Limited/Premium Editions

• Fire Emblem Fates [Special Edition]: $ 400-$500 (eBay)
• Pokemon Ultra Sun & Pokemon Ultra Moon [Steelbook Edition]: $130-$200 (eBay)
• Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth [Showtime Premium Edition]: $135-$170 (eBay)
• Pokemon Ultra Sun & Pokemon Ultra Moon Dual Pack: $130-$160 (eBay)
• Zelda Majora’s Mask 3D [Limited Edition]: $110-$122 (eBay)
• Stella Glow Limited Edition: $99-$125 (eBay)
• Corpse Party: Back to School Edition: $93-$120 (eBay)
• Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth [Wild Cards Premium Edition]: $92-$120 (eBay)
• Bravely Default [Collector’s Edition]: $100-$110 (eBay)
• Pokemon Sun & Pokemon Moon [Steelbook Edition]: $90-$100 (eBay)
• Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia Limited Edition: $78-$110 (eBay)
• Kid Icarus Uprising [Big Box]: $78-$103 (eBay)
• Final Fantasy Explorers Collector’s Edition: $78-$99 (eBay)
• Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends Of The Titan [Limited Edition]: $72-$105 (eBay)
• Shin Megami Tensei IV Limited Edition: $85-$89 (eBay)
• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker [Launch Edition]: $74-$95 (eBay)

Over the years, Racketboy has covered the shmup libraries of numerous consoles, including the Turbografx-16/PCE, Genesis/Megadrive and Playstation, just to name a few. This guide focuses on the Commodore Amiga, a personal computer with console-like qualities. Whereas largely unheard of in North America and Japan, the Amiga was the primary gaming format in many European countries in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

This guide is primarily written for fans of the shmup genre who have no prior experience with the Amiga and want to explore what the system has to offer. While the Amiga is not particularly remembered for its shmup library (or for action games in general), it does have some very good shmups not found elsewhere. This guide firstly covers the top-tier Amiga shoot-em-ups: games that can stand their own vis-à-vis the best of their 16-bit console peers. Additionally, it discusses honorable mentions: shmups with exceptional visuals and/or music, yet lacking something in the gameplay department preventing them from achieving greatness. A separate section is devoted to shooters in the style of Defender, Williamsâ€s arcade classic from 1981, which represents a gameplay style not often seen on consoles. Finally, this guide discusses Amiga shmups which were hyped at the time of release, but which in hindsight were not so great.

Shmups 101 | Beginner Shmups | Defining Shmups | Hidden Gem Shmups

Shmup Libraries: TG16/PC Engine | Genesis/Megadrive | PS1 | Saturn | Dreamcast | PS2 | Gamecube |
| Game Boy Advance | Odyssey 2 | Amiga |

The guide is limited to Amiga originals, meaning that excellent arcade ports of games like Silkworm or R-type are not covered here. Amiga enthusiasts may not find their favorite childhood shmup here as certain fondly-remembered games (e.g. Hybris, SWIV, Mega Typhoon) are decent yet of insufficient quality to compete with better console titles in a similar vein.

Many consider the Amiga port of Silkworm superior to the arcade original

The base Amiga hardware dates from 1985 and, while advanced at the time, was not primarily designed for action and arcade-type games. Compared to the Megadrive/Genesis, which uses the same Motorola 68000 CPU, the Amigaâ€s sprite and parallax scrolling capabilities are more limited.

Also, while the Amiga can display 32 or more in-game colors in action games, this is very challenging to achieve at smooth frame rates. Throughout its lifespan, programmers became increasingly adept in overcoming graphical limitations, with some later games rivaling, and occasionally surpassing, graphics seen on the Megadrive/Genesis.

The Amiga 500, the most common machine in the family of Amiga computers (picture courtesy Wikipedia)

The Amiga boasted impressive audio hardware which could natively play four PCM channels, with some later games using clever programming to enable seven simultaneous channels.

The system featured top-notch strategy and point-and-click games using a mouse, but its single-button joystick standard was not ideal for action titles. The Amiga 1200 and its console compeer the CD-32, released in 1992 and 1993 respectively, featured more powerful hardware and supported multi-button joystick support. However, the already declining popularity of the Amiga at that time meant few games were developed that took full advantage of the more advanced hardware. An in-depth overview of the Amiga can be found here.

To understand the Amiga as a shmup system, you need to understand the background of game developers working on the system. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the heyday of the Amiga, Japanese developers were far ahead of Western developers regarding arcade (and shmup) game design and gameplay. Japan had a sizable video game industry with many companies honing their craft in the highly competitive arcades.

The Amiga demo scene persists till the present day (picture courtesy Arstechnica)

In contrast, games for the Amiga were almost completely produced by European developers. This mattered greatly because European game development at the time was still in its infancy. Amiga game developers, typically young guys in their teens or early twenties originating from the demo scene, lacked the industry standards and experience of their Japanese peers. It is no surprise, then, that many did not have an intimate understanding of what makes a shmup good. To this day, the phrase ‘Euroshmup†is used in shmup circles to describe shooters that fail to capture the essentials of good game design. However, as we will see, several Amiga developers did understand what makes a shmup great. Moreover, because European shoot-em-up developers operated in their own ecosystem, they produced some unique games with mechanics you wonâ€t find on consoles.

Top-Tier Amiga Shmups

Apidya

1992
Developer: Kaiko
Publisher: Play Byte

Apidya is a game that wears its inspiration proudly on its sleeve. So deep is its creators’ love for eastern-developed shooting games, they make their own game pose jokingly as a sequel to a fictitious Japanese predecessor on its title screen. Fortunately, they don’t stop at superficially recreating a certain outward appearance. Itâ€s apparent that the developers have played the genre’s greats extensively and, most importantly, have learned from them. Thus, Apidya avoids most of the pitfalls its western peers infamously tend to fall victim to, their all-too-common misguided ‘enhancements’ nowhere to be found.

Mechanically, Apidya owes a lot to the Gradius series, utilizing the same kind of powerup bar that offers extras of varying usefulness in exchange for certain amounts of blossom-shaped tokens collected prior to activation. Thematically, however, it couldnâ€t be removed further from Konami’s classic. The game’s story, told via a nice anime-style intro sequence, is delightfully bonkers. It revolves around an evil wizard called Hexaae who sends a swarm of mutated insects to attack and fatally wound the wife of the game’s protagonist Ikuro. By means of magic, Ikuro then transforms into a bee and embarks on a quest for revenge and, hopefully, an antidote.

The player controls Ikuro in his bee form through five stages, each of which is further split into sub-stages. The game begins in the most mundane of places, at the edge of a meadow. Among vast blades of grass and towering flowers, Ikuro fights spiders, bugs and other garden-dwellers. Subsequent stages continue the battle in increasingly exotic locations, including a pond, a sewer pipe, and a weird techno dungeon, before eventually taking it to Hexaae’s lair, where a final boss gauntlet awaits.

Apidya’s unique setting works surprisingly well, and itâ€s presented gloriously throughout, with excellent graphics depicting the various locales and their denizens. The brilliant soundtrack adds another layer of sheen, its pumping tunes accompanying the action perfectly. Each stage has its own musical theme, and each of the substages remixes that in a slightly different way. The soundtrack proved popular enough for a CD album with studio-produced versions of the tracks getting released, which was a real rarity back in 1992. However, none of this would matter if the gameplay wasnâ€t up to scratch, but fortunately, the same love and care that went into the presentation permeate all aspects of the game. It’s challenging, but never overwhelmingly so. The stages are tightly designed, the bosses memorable, and the controls flawless. All things considered, Apidya is not only one of the best shooting games on the Amiga, itâ€s one of the best period. While it clearly stands on the shoulders of giants, and even cheekily incorporates little homages to some of them, it easily holds its own among the classics. If you plan on only ever trying one Amiga shmup, by all means let it be Apidya.

Check for Apidya on eBay

Battle Squadron

1989
Developer: Cope-Com
Publisher: Electronic Zoo

Battle Squadron is probably the best vertical shmup on the Amiga, which is all the more impressive for an early game from 1989. It looks awesome and is well-animated, featuring outstanding and distinctive environments, imaginative enemies and powerful explosions. One particularly cool enemy uses a Predator-esque cloaking system distorting the background. Sound-wise, the title track is awesome, and it is really worth booting up the game just to listen to this song. There is only one in-game music track, but it is an outstanding track that is lengthy and succeeds in setting the mood and propelling the action.

Instead of a linear sequence of levels to go through, the game offers an overworld level, the “surface” of the planet Terrainia where the game takes place. From this surface level, the player can enter three separate “inner cores”, each with its unique theme and enemy set. Once all the cores are completed, the final boss appears at the overworld level, ending the game upon defeat. The best way forward is to use the relatively easy surface area to build up firepower before entering the inner cores. Given the way Battle Squadron is structured, it is largely pointless to play the game for score, because you can just loop the outer surface level endlessly without any significant increase in difficulty.

Battle Squadron offers four different weapons that are upgraded and switched via collectable powerups dropped by a particular enemy in the style of Raiden. The red weapon is a spread gun, the green weapon focuses firepower, the blue weapon fires forward and backwards simultaneously, and the orange weapon offers a balance between forward spread and damage. Every death downgrades weapon power, and the renewed supply of smart bombs after dying becomes crucial in later stages to survive and secure new powerups. Overall, the game plays very well. What elevates Battle Squadron to even higher levels is its superb co-op mode. A 1CC is possible but will take considerable practice.

Battle Squadron was ported to the Genesis/Megadrive but it looks, sounds and plays worse than the Amiga original. Also, the difficulty of this Megadrive port is borderline unfair making it less fun to play. If you want to try Battle Squadron on the Amiga, and you should, ensure that you play the original Amigaâ€s European PAL version, as the NTSC version has a smaller playing field. Also, get a patched version that lets you use the second button to fire your smart bomb, something the original lacked.

Check for Battle Squadron on eBay

Uridium 2

1993
Developer: Graftgold
Publisher: Renegade

Uridium 2 is a prime example of a type of shmup you wonâ€t find on consoles. It is the sequel to the popular original on the Commodore 64 with enhanced graphics, music and gameplay. The basic concept of Uridium 2 is simple. You pilot a small attack craft, and your mission is to destroy fleets of huge enemy dreadnoughts. You control the direction and speed of the scrolling, trying to destroy ground targets, and attack waves of flying enemies while evading bullets and obstacles. You have a scanner at the bottom of the screen, which shows a simplified dreadnought map, and it serves the function of locating walls, incoming ships, deck foes and mines. Attack waves appear randomly, and every time a new wave appears, you hear a sound that alerts you to check the scanner to see where they’re coming from.

When you’ve destroyed a suitable amount of the dreadnoughtâ€s superstructure, you can land the craft on one of its landing pads. Once you’ve landed, the view switches to the inside of the dreadnought’s reactor, and a mini-game starts. Your job is to control the pilot as he circles the dreadnought’s core while trying to blast it to bits. This is easier said than done as the core has a shield and will try to protect itself with defensive systems. Also, the controls here are pretty tricky as the core exerts a gravitational force alternating between attraction and repulsion. Once the core is destroyed, you will progress to the next level.

Your standard weapons are twin-mounted cannons. Picking up power-ups allows you to obtain different types of weapons, including homing missiles, circular lasers, and napalm bombs to rip up the dreadnoughtâ€s surface. The game looks fantastic in action, particularly when run on an A1200, where it automatically detects the extra memory and throws in extra special effects. The sprites may be small, but the animation is fast and fluid and the dreadnoughts look wonderful. The sound is very good with plenty of explosions plus there are a few selected speech samples to top it all off. The tunes are nice (although not particularly memorable) and add to the frantic pacing of the game. A nice touch-up is the two-player team mode in which the lead player controls the speed and roll position of both crafts.

Uridium 2 has a high difficulty level which is partly due to its insane speed. The game borders on sensory overload. At times the screen is so busy with ships, enemies, bonus items and bullets that it can be hard to track it all. Controlling your ship is tough to start off with, and in the beginning, you wonâ€t progress far. But with practice slowly comes a mastery of the controls and an understanding of how to preemptively deal with attack waves, evade obstacles and destroy the dreadnaughtâ€s core. This makes Uridium 2 a fun and rewarding game to play.

Check for Uridium 2 on eBay

Z-Out

1990
Developer: Advantec
Publisher: Rainbow Arts

Whatâ€s in a name? As far as its creators were concerned, their independently developed game, originally called Wargate, was never intended to be a sequel to the earlier successful X-Out (see below). It was solely the publisherâ€s decision to label it as such by renaming the game to Z-Out, even though the two games play nothing alike and have little in common besides both being horizontally scrolling shootâ€em-ups. Itâ€s a good thing that the two similarly named games are so dissimilar, though, because while X-Out is pretty much the epitome of a Euroshmup, Z-Out takes its cues from the Japanese school of shooting game design and is all the better for it.

At first glance, Z-Out appears to be terribly derivative, but writing it off as a mere rip-off doesnâ€t do it justice. Granted, Z-Out does borrow several of its key gameplay elements from R-Type. The charge shot, the detachable force pod, and the protective bits above and below the playerâ€s ship are all present and work as expected. However, these similarities are only skin-deep, as Z-Out often handles the core mechanics in interesting new ways instead of just imitating its peers. The secondary weapons in Z-Out are less memorable than their counterparts in Iremâ€s classic. In fact, they almost feel like an afterthought. The gameâ€s stages, however, are all carefully built around being mastered with a minimum of powerups, so this is not that big of a deal. Speaking of the stages, itâ€s clear that an unusual amount of care went into their construction. Each new one does not just add a new lick of paint, but introduces unique enemies and fresh elements that alter the gameplay in fun and interesting ways. Z-Out is generally a little faster-paced than its main inspiration, offering a welcome change of gears to anyone who generally likes Iremâ€s R-Type series, but finds it too slow and plodding. As a bonus, Z-Out throws in a mode for two players simultaneously, something no other game of its ilk has to offer.

If thereâ€s one big bone of contention regarding the game, itâ€s that the quality of the graphics is really uneven. There are parts, like the last two stages, that look utterly fantastic, but the rest of the visuals are, for the most part, merely competent, with some bits and pieces dropping to decidedly subpar levels. Fortunately, things are more consistent on the audio side. The soundtrack is catchy and engaging, but also doesnâ€t shy away from the occasional experiment, like the dark and foreboding tune that plays during stage five, whose lead voice is played by a church organ. Z-Out is a meticulously crafted game with solid mechanics, varied stages and some brilliantly designed bosses. Anyone who doesnâ€t outright hate R-Typeâ€s mechanics should definitely give it a go.

Check for Z-Out on eBay

Deluxe Galaga

1993-1995
Developer: Edgar M. Vigdal
Publisher: shareware

To many, it may be a surprise that the highest-rated shoot-em-up on the popular Amiga website Lemonamiga.com is not a heavy hitter like Apidya or Battle Squadron but a shareware release called Deluxe Galaga. Over the years, Deluxe Galaga has attracted a strong following in Amiga circles and for a good reason. The game builds upon Namcoâ€s original Galaga from 1981 which was a smash hit in the arcades. You control a small starfighter, and your mission is to protect the earth from alien attackers. Deluxe Galaga maintains the core gameplay of its source of inspiration. This means that the player can only move horizontally and that the levels, with their waves of different types of enemies the player must blast through, do not scroll.

Each wave progressively increases in difficulty, along with the occasional boss battle. When you start, your ship has a limited supply of bullets and is moving a bit slowly, but by shooting the aliens you can collect falling bonuses and get all sorts of weapons, speed and ship powerups. The gameplay is spiced up by giant enemies joining the formations and a flying saucer that flies across the top of the screen, firing homing missiles. The visuals retain the style of the original yet have been improved, although donâ€t expect anything fancy. Booting the game on an Amiga 1200 results in a few more colors and larger enemy explosions. The game has decent tunes and cool speech synthesis which fit the 1980s vibe.

While the core gameplay is simplistic, Deluxe Galaga has a ton of features that make it addictive and give it longevity. Thereâ€s a minigame system that offers a break from the core gameplay and allows you to collect goodies like points, money, extra lives, credits, and bonus multipliers. There are also lots of secrets in the game, you can either find these yourself, or you can buy them in a shop, which will appear every fourth level. Additionally, the shop will allow you to get game upgrades in exchange for your collected money. Various random events keep things fresh, including warp malfunctions, thief ships that take your money, money ships that explode into thousands of dollars, and rare power-ups.

There are 75 levels to contend with, plenty of different alien craft designs, bosses and attack patterns, a simultaneous two-player mode not found in the original Galaga, and many more options available to customize your game. When itâ€s ‘game over†the hit/miss ratio page of the original is included, plus a saveable high score table and ranking system that only further encourages re-play. Being shareware, there have been several updates and enhancements over the years, and itâ€s plain to see that this is a real labor of love. Deluxe Galaga comes highly recommended.

Check out site for Deluxe Galaga

Honorable Mentions

The Amiga features some cool shmups with exceptional visuals and/or music that stand out from the crowd, and as such are interesting to check out, but lag behind in terms of gameplay. This section discusses these ‘honorable mentionsâ€.

Agony

1992
Developer: Art and Magic
Publisher: Psygnosis

Agony is the shmup you used to show to your console buddies back in the day to convince them your Amiga kicked some serious ass. The game oozes high production values and is, without doubt, the best-looking shoot-em-up on the system. It features a beautifully animated owl as the main protagonist with six fantasy-themed levels, including a raging sea, a gloomy swamp and ruin-littered mountains. Three layers of parallax scrolling offer a great sense of depth which is further enhanced by numerous animations such as crashing waves and waterfalls cascading down mountains. The in-game music has an orchestral and bombastic quality and the tracks can be described as intense, powerful, foreboding and dramatic. Particularly memorable is the menu music, which is a hauntingly beautiful classical-themed piano track.

In terms of mechanics, the owl has only one type of shot, an echo-location projectile, which can be powered up by collecting magic potions. The player can also briefly activate spells such as homing shots or shields by collecting magic scrolls which can be activated by pressing the spacebar or holding the fire button. Also, the owl can carry two ‘drone†swords that deal damage when in contact with enemies. Despite all its audiovisual brilliance, Agony has some issues. Certain enemies use a color palette which blends them in with the background. What doesnâ€t help then is that the owlâ€s hitbox is quite big and its flapping wings constantly leave the player guessing about its actual size. What remains is a game that is not remembered for its gameplay, but for its impressive technical and artistic qualities.

Check for Agony on eBay

Disposable Hero

1993
Developer: Boys without Brains
Publisher: Gremlin Graphics

Disposable Hero is a side-scrolling shooter featuring five levels and a final boss stage to blast through. The pixel art is superb with creative enemy and level designs and an abundance of small details in the environment, like rotating fans and pulsating alien hearts. The in-game music mostly consists of upbeat electronic tracks with an early 1990s vibe which canâ€t fully match the gameâ€s graphical brilliance but still sounds very well. The gameâ€s release on the CD-32 a year later featured a new Redbook audio soundtrack with a similar electronic vibe and more produced although not necessarily better tracks. Disposable Hero features tons of upgradeable weapons and power-ups and to install them, you need to collect blueprints scattered throughout the levels. Once you reach a power-up bay, of which every level has a few, you can add or remove weapons to maximize your attack capabilities.

The game features tight controls, a small hitbox, auto-fire and a fair checkpoint system. The uniqueness of Disposable Heroâ€s power-up system and the ability to choose between ships in the power-up bays in later levels greatly enhance its replay value. Yet, several design choices and a very high difficulty keep the game from reaching its true potential. Enemy bullets move very fast and when bullets are flying towards you from multiple angles weaving through them unscathed can be nearly impossible. The difficulty is further enhanced by the fact that enemies take multiple hits to kill regardless of your firepower. The CD-32 version partly rectifies these issues by reducing enemy bullets and hit points, resulting in a more enjoyable gaming experience. If you intend to check out Disposable Hero, this is the preferred version.

Check for Disposable Hero on eBay

Wings of Death

1990
Developer: Eclipse
Publisher: Thalion

Wings of Death is a vertically scrolling fantasy-themed shmup. Depending on the active weapon powerup, the playerâ€s avatar assumes the form of a dragon, a gryphon, an eagle, a bat or a dragonfly. The smaller creatures can dodge enemy attacks more easily, but their weapons are relatively weak. The larger creatures can deal some heavy damage, but their bulky shapes are unwieldy and it can be difficult to navigate the stages†hazards with them. Luckily, getting hit doesnâ€t automatically mean losing a life, as the game has an energy bar, although it uses it in quite an unusual way. Enemy projectiles donâ€t disappear when they hit the player, they keep on dealing damage as long as the player touches them. This means that a desperate quick dash through a wall of bullets can get you out of a sticky situation, but also that a single lone bullet can kill you if youâ€re not careful and keep touching it.

Power-ups are abundant, but since each change of form resets the playerâ€s weapon to its lowest power level, avoiding the wrong power-ups is as important as picking up the right ones. The themes of the stages are fairly generic. However, the graphical style of the game is quite unique and interesting, which makes the stages memorable despite their lack of originality.

Between various gameplay-related peculiarities and a relatively low frame rate, Wings of Death is not really a game thatâ€s easy to recommend, but it has one standout feature that alone makes it well worth revisiting: its stellar soundtrack. From the moment you hear the sinister speech samples of the gameâ€s title track, you know youâ€re in for something very special. The soundtrack consists of super-catchy synth pop that absolutely shouldnâ€t go well with an intense action game, but miraculously, it does.

Check for Wings of Death on eBay

Banshee

1994
Developer: Core Design
Publisher: Core Design

Together with Super Stardust and Overkill, Banshee is one of the few Amiga shmups that was solely developed for the more powerful Amiga 1200 / CD-32 hardware. It is clear that Capcomâ€s 194X series was a major source of inspiration for Banshee although it does have a distinct identity with its steampunk look and humorous features (the hilarious background story has to do with aliens and the invention of the microwave oven). The pixel art is superb and detailed with lovely animated sprites, huge end bosses, many on-screen colors and even transparencies (rain, snow). The game is brimming with great touches like collapsing hangars revealing airships or plummeting troop transports spewing burning parachutists.

There are four large levels, which also scroll a little bit horizontally. The power-up system is Twinbee-inspired, meaning you can shoot power-ups to rotate through their effects. There are speed-ups, loops, double and triple shots, angled shots, heavy missiles, homing missiles and bombs. The loop mechanic, which can be activated using the second button, is a bit like 1942â€s, except it will cause damage to anything airborne that you pass over as you do it. The two-player mode is a nice touch, and you get the choice of whether to split the power-ups or not. There is fun to be had with Banshee, but it is not perfect. It completely lacks in-game music. More importantly, it features one of the greatest sins in the world of shmups: the playerâ€s ship has inertia. If someone could patch that out somehow, it would be so much better.

Check for Banshee on eBay

Stardust & Super Stardust 

1993 (Stardust) & 1994 (Super Stardust)
Developer: Bloodhouse
Publisher: Bloodhouse (Stardust) & Team 17 (Super Stardust)

At their core, Stardust and its successor Super Stardust are single-screen Asteroids clones with graphics that were jaw-dropping at the time, incredibly smooth animation, a high color count, (mostly) great 90s techno music and digitized voices. The player controls a ship through successive waves of asteroids and other enemies, which are drawn using ray-tracing techniques which were novel at the time. The two Stardust games are lumped together here because Super Stardust is essentially a remastered version of the original. Both games feature 5 worlds, each with its own boss, split into 30 levels.

Each level features rocks to destroy. Their color defines their endurance: greys are the easiest to be destroyed while yellows are the hardest. There are six types of weapons available: 3-way, bouncer, plasma, flamer, burster and missiles which can be collected after destroying certain ships. Each weapon can be powered up via a menu with the option to equip shield enhancements and acquire smart bombs. Both Stardust games also feature 3D tunnel levels which besides diversifying gameplay are a sight to behold.

Stardust was very well received although reviewers complained about the gameâ€s high difficulty level and control scheme which only used one joystick button. Super Stardust, released one year later for the Amiga 1200/CD-32 hardware, rectifies these issues with a gentler difficulty curve and the option to assign thrust and shield to separate buttons. Graphically, the original Stardust game has aged better, despite fewer on-screen colors, as the hand-made backgrounds look better today than the dated 3D renders of the sequel. Nevertheless, given the gameplay and control enhancements, Super Stardust is the preferred pick if you are interested in these games. Despite being good games in their own right, the Stardust games are ultimately held back by the Asteroids template on which they are based which makes them something of an acquired taste.

Check for Stardust & Super Stardust on eBay

Defender-Inspired Shooters

If there is one sub-category of shmups thatâ€s genuinely western, itâ€s games following the template laid down by Williamsâ€s arcade classic Defender (1981). Consequently, games that feature both the signature wrap-around stages and fast player-controlled scrolling are almost nonexistent on consoles. Exceptions are few, even if you count the Fantasy Zone series, whose pedestrian pace makes it feel like it doesnâ€t belong to the same category after all. In contrast, thereâ€s a plethora of games modeled after Defender on the Amiga. Below youâ€ll find three of the most noteworthy of these defender-inspired shmups for those who want to try out this gameplay style, although they are not necessarily top-tier shooters.

StarRay

1988
Developer: Hidden Treasures
Publisher: Logotron

StarRay is one of the earlier Amiga games, and it shows. The visuals have not aged gracefully, even though they look a lot better in motion, with some nifty multi-layered parallax effects going on in the background. The gameplay, however, is spot-on. Everything moves smoothly and speedily, and the way the game introduces new enemies every few stages keeps things interesting. On top of that, StarRayâ€s difficulty curve is relatively gentle, easing the player in before slowly ramping up the challenge.

Check for StarRay on eBay

Datastorm

1989
Developer: Visionary Design
Publisher: Visionary Design

Visually, Datastorm is as basic as it gets, with its tiny sprites and barren planet surfaces. The game makes up for it with its blistering speed and an astonishing variety of enemies to fight. It also throws a couple of large boss-like enemies into the mix, which make for really memorable encounters. Beware, Datastorm is no cakewalk. Itâ€s easy to get overwhelmed by huge numbers of foes attacking all at once and, in contrast to other games in its niche, the player ship in Datastorm is subject to gravity, which makes controlling it extra fiddly.

Check for Datastorm on eBay

Overkill

1993
Developer: Vision
Publisher: Mindscape

Overkill was released exclusively for Amiga 1200/CD-32. The game has some neat visual tricks up its sleeve, such as the impressive pseudo-3D effect in the background. Enemies explode satisfyingly into clouds of debris and flying limbs when destroyed. The little humans running around donâ€t need to be saved for a change. They are your ground troops and have to be brought near enemy crystals, so they can destroy those. Overkill is not an easy game, but itâ€s fairly generous with powerups and extends, so it never gets frustrating. This is probably the most accessible, balanced and visually appealing Defender-inspired shmup on the Amiga.

Check for Overkill on eBay

Hype vs. Hindsight

Shooting games often used to double as showcases for the power of the host system and the prowess of their creators and sometimes impressive technical achievements were able to make less accomplished gameplay seem more acceptable. In hindsight, some of the biggest names in the Amiga’s shmup library havenâ€t actually held up all that well.

Xenon 2: Megablast

1989
Developer: The Bitmap Brothers / The Assembly Line
Publisher: Image Works

Xenon 2 received ridiculously high review scores upon release. In subsequent years, however, probably because more people experienced the game through the inferior (and incomplete) console ports, its reputation plummeted. Neither is deserved. While to the shmup connoisseur, the game has nothing to offer beyond its incredibly stylish exterior, thereâ€s definitely still some fun to be had for more casual players, especially if theyâ€re specifically looking for an experience that deviates from the genre’s arcade roots.

Check for Zenon 2: Megablast on eBay

X-Out

1990
Developer: Rainbow Arts
Publisher: Rainbow Arts

X-Out, while in development, was billed as some kind of all-star project, with renowned cover artist Celâl KandemiroÄŸlu doing the in-game graphics and games music legend Chris Hülsbeck handling the sound. The finished product delivered in the audiovisual areas as foreseen, but as a whole, the game couldnâ€t live up to the high expectations. Like many other European-produced shooting games, X-Out futilely tries to transcend the boundaries of the genre while at the same time neglecting to get its basics right.

Check for X-Out on eBay

Project-X

1992
Developer: Team 17
Publisher: Team 17

Following the developers†earlier smash hit Alien Breed, Project-X was met with an overwhelmingly positive response. To be fair, the game’s questionable controls and uninspired attack waves didnâ€t go unnoticed, but reviewers seemed all too willing to gloss over its apparent shortcomings and hand out good scores regardless. Unfortunately, while Project-X is a dazzling feast for the eyes, itâ€s severely lacking in the gameplay department. The revised ’93 Special Edition tones down the brutal difficulty of the original release slightly, but it fails to address any of the fundamental flaws.

Check for Project-X on eBay

Conclusion

While the signal-to-noise ratio in the games libraries of classic home computers traditionally isnâ€t the best, and the Amiga is no exception, the sheer number of releases means that thereâ€s plenty to discover thatâ€s worth oneâ€s time. Hopefully, if your interest is piqued, this guide can be a good starting point for exploring games and maybe discovering future favorites.

Considering how much of a nostalgic powerhouse the NES is, there should be little surprise that Nintendoâ€s 8-bit library is filled with many collectible pieces. In contrast with the Super Nintendoâ€s rare and valuable list, the most desirable NES games are not necessarily populated with the most popular games. Because of the unassuming nature of these titles, you may be unaware of the treasures that could be found in a local garage sale, flea market, or your own closet.  Over the last few years, we have seen some stabilization of some of the high-priced games, but there have been a few standouts that have emerged into the top 30 list over the last couple of years.  This year, we also added a new section covering the recent uptick in collecting pristine, graded, and sealed classic (but common) classics.

In stark contrast to the Cheapest Games series, this Rare & Valuable series will round up the rarest and most valuable games for a given console or handheld so youâ€ll know what to look for whether you are buying or selling.  Below you will see two prices beside each title. The first is the average daily selling price of what is typically the cartridge by itself. The second price is the highest selling price of the recent history of a an unsealed copy (typically with box and manual). The list is ordered by the balance of the two prices. Note that some of these games are not rare in the sense that there are not many available, but rare relative to demand, which makes the games expensive. It is also worth noting that we are not including prototype cartridges.

Rare & Valuable NES Games Table of Contents:

Limited Edition | Standard USA | Standard PAL | Pristine Classics | Unlicensed Games | Rarest Japanese  | Rare+Affordable

Note: Values updated on December 2022

Limited Edition Collectibles

1990 Nintendo World Championships: Gold Edition:
$25,000 – $100,000

In 1990, Nintendo famously held a gaming tournament in Los Angeles, California, not unlike the one in the finale of the cult classic film, The Wizard. While admittedly a mainstream competition (most of us could have won with no problem), the event was a high point in Nintendoâ€s glamorous reign at the top of the gaming market, and is remembered by many with great enthusiasm. After its promotion in the popular Nintendo Power and through the Powerfest tour, kids everywhere practiced feverishly in hopes of heading to this event, seeing the wonder of light and sound, playing some Rad Racer, and winning it all.

The actual game is a timed compilation of three titles (Super Mario Bros, Rad Racer, and Tetris), each adjusted for the tournament and containing a unique scoring system.  The 1990 Nintendo Worldwide Championships: Gold Edition was the contest prize in one of Nintendo Powerâ€s monthly promotions. One grand prize winner and twenty-five equally as fortunate runners-up were each sent a single copy (which makes 26 copies in the wild).

What gives these competition cartridges an incredible dynamic is that, while so few copies exist, they were distributed to winners throughout all of North America. Many rare/prototype games and systems with this low of a production had their entire allotment sent to or found in a single localized area.

Successful sales of these cartridges only really seem to happen every few years.  However, you will often see ones on eBay like this graded copy – listed for a $2 Million asking price with a “Make an Offer” option .  From the turn of the millennium t0 2010, Gold cartridges sold in the range of $5,000 to $18,000).  This last decade it has doubled to quadrupled in value.   It is still quite difficult to quantify an expected value for this piece, so we have the range based what little info we have.  There was a sale in 2015 for $26,000 and there was supposedly a private sale of one in the “triple digits”.

• See Latest 1990 Nintendo World Championship Gold Cartridge on eBay

1990 Nintendo World Championships: Grey Cart: $13,000 – $25,000

These essentially have the same story behind them as the gold cartridge mentioned above, but the more common grey cartridges were the ones actually used in the tournaments and were then given to each of the finalists. The grey carts had a print run of 90 and has a monochromatic label and, like a lot of EPROM exposed prototypes, has a hole in its casing for displaying dip-switches.

What is rather interesting about these cartridges is the fact that only about half of the cartridges have reportedly surfaced, so there are still more out there hidden in somebodyâ€s closet, garage sale, or flea market.  Even though these are cartridge-only releases, condition can be a large factor.    However the buzz of these championship cartridges helped a sale for $25,000 complete in May of 2017.

We previously had the low-end price at $8,000 based on the 2012 sale, but we have bumped it up to $13,000 based on a [surprising] trade in at Pink Gorilla Games store for $13,000 (and they later sold).

Much like the Gold Cartridge, there is a current eBay listing out there to see if they can get a bite at a high price.  These cartridges are graded, but they have asking prices of $75,000 and $275,000 with a “Make an Offer” option.

• See Latest 1990 Nintendo World Championship Grey Cartridge on eBay

1991 Nintendo Campus Challenge: $13,000 – $21,100

The 1991 Nintendo Campus cartridge was created by Nintendo for a video game competition like the Nintendo World Championships in 1990, but this one would tour college campuses and spring break hot spots.  The cartridges had three games on them, Super Mario 3, PinBot, and Dr. Mario and a time limit of about 6 minutes.  Players attempted to get the most points on all three games within the allotted time.

After the event, the games were all supposed to be destroyed, but one was found at an ex-Nintendo employeeâ€s garage sale in 2006.  Up until 2006, it was hard to pin down a value for this cartridge as it never really surfaced on the marketplace.  That year, the cartridge was sold privately (by a collector who found it at a garage sale in New York) for $14,000 and then later resold for on eBay $20,100 — at the time, bringing it just shy of the mark at the time for the 1990 Gold Nintendo World Championship Cartridge.  (Read More)  The cartridge hasn’t surfaced since 2006 — neither new sightings of additional, legitimate cartridges or new sales of the original find.

One could argue that this cartridge is less of an “official game” than even the 1990 Championship Cartridges and more in the area of prototype cartridges (which typically aren’t worth as much as official game releases).  These are the types of difficult discussions that collectors face — similar to putting a value on a game like Gamma Attack for the Atari 2600 that only has one known copy after being sold via mail order.  Ultimately, a game is only worth what somebody will pay.  The question is whether somebody will pay more than $21,000 the next time a cartridge goes up for sale.

• Check eBay for the 1991 Nintendo Campus Challenge 

Recent Fluctuations of North American Retail Games

The NES is leading the trend in increased nostalgia collecting and we are seeing a strong increase in complete and mint values.  Loose cartridges are also increasing significantly, but there are comparatively fewer complete games are entering the resale market.  Even rarer are those units that have manual and all the inserts that came in the retail box.

Despite being less than a full year since our last guide revision, I have still been noticing a lot of ranking shifting with the North American retail releases.  In the chart below I compared the average pricing between the different the average loose price levels for a game and their highest mint copy sale during the time frame.  I compared those averages between our October 2020 guide and this July 2021 guide to calculate the value growth percentage.  If youâ€d like to see the full 2017 guide for comparison, I have made it available to my Patreon members. (Only $1 of support or more is needed to access)

After the chart, we will dig into the details of the top North American, PAL and Japanese NES/Famicom games — we have a lot to cover!

While the biggest gainers aren’t as crazy, percentage-wise as last year, there are still some games making strong gains.

It may be a surprise, not everything is going up in the NES market this year!  For the first time we can recall, we actually have a handful of big games cooling off quite a bit.  Some of you that have been closely paying attention, some of these leading decliners were actually some of our biggest gainers last year.  So let this be a fair warning for those that are jumping on a collecting bandwagon.  It is also worth mentioning, that out of the 56 top games we analyzed, literally half of the games were at lower prices than last year (for more detailed numbers and history, check out my Patreon page).  So perhaps, this is a sign that the market is starting to cool a bit.  It will be interesting to see how this continues to play out.

Treasured Standard USA Releases

Stadium Events: $7,500 – $30,000 ($42,000 Sealed)

While the 1990 World Championship cartridges had much of the attention of the NES collectors up until 2010, Stadium Events has been covered in much of the hype over the last seven years.

What makes this otherwise standard game so rare, is that just after its release, it was recalled. As an official third-party title, Stadium Events made use of an accessory called the Family Fun Fitness Pad. It required the player(s) to run or step rapidly in order to complete each event. Upon its release, Nintendo decided to grant the game a first party production, recalling the scant initial cartridges that had been sent out.The game would later become “World Class Track Meet” and would be played with Nintendoâ€s own controller the “Power Pad”. Both became very common and were boxed-in with many NES consoles. But Stadium Events, the original anomaly, had snuck out in ever so limited numbers.

2000 copies is believed to have been the total distribution tally, but that doesnâ€t consider how many of those were sold prior to Nintendoâ€s recall. Some have suggested that no more than 200 actually made it into NES owners†homes.   It should be noted that PAL versions were not recalled and are not worth as much (even though many eBay sellers try to pass them off as rarities or jump on the hype of the rare North American version).

In 2011, we saw complete copies of Stadium Events peak with an eBay sale closing at $45, 000.  As more copies (sometimes unopened) surfaced, the prices started to come down to $30,000 or even $20,000.  Loose copies seem to have increased over time, but there are still relatively frequent.

In 2017, we saw one more sealed copy surface.  It was randomly found at a thrift store, picked up by the recent seller’s mom.  Here’s a recount of the story (hear a full recollection on his Youtube video):

“Mom always buys things for me and she thought that this might be something I would like, that I would probably open it up and play it. She also knows that I like video games and I would be happy with this if it had no value. I’d say thanks Mom, but at the same time this one actually did have value so it was amazing she found it.”

This particular sealed copy sold for about $42,000 USD.  So it does show that Stadium Events does still have legs on the marketplace — especially if the condition is top-notch.

• Check for Stadium Events on eBay
• Check for Stadium Events on Amazon

Little Samson: $1,520 – $6,000

Little Samson has become the NES collecting “success story” in the last decade (without the mainstream media hype of Stadium Events).  In our original publication of this guide in 2008, Little Samson was on the radar, but it didn’t crack the top 10 list and could be found for a reasonable amount of money for one of our NES Hidden gems  that were relatively hard to find.  In our 2012 revision of the guide, it jumps to $90 for a bare cart and $200 for a complete copy.

If you check into eBay or any other experienced seller that is selling a copy of Little Samson today, you will find those bare carts being over 16x as expensive — sometimes nearing $2,000 for a bare cart if its clean and proven to be authentic.  Although, just in August, there was a complete copy with box and manual (granted, with noticeable wear) that sold for only $1500.  Mint complete copies have been reported in the $3,000 to $6000 range though.   However, all this easily makes it the most valuable un-recalled retail NES game in the collector market.

With all that being said, Little Samson is a gem of an action shooter developed by Taito in 1991 to jump into the platforming trend.  It also had the bright graphics and smooth animation to earn its way onto our NES Games That Pushed the Limits back in 2007.   Unfortunately, back in the early 90s, Taito didn’t have the marketing push to help it get attention in the crowded NES platforming space.

• Check for Little Samson on eBay
• Check for Little Samson on Amazon

Donkey Kong Jr. Math: $150-$5700

After the Atari video game crash in the early 1980s, Nintendo was tread especially carefully when entering the North American video game market in 1985. In addition to positioning their console as a bit more of piece of consumer electronics, they also had consistent launch packaging of their games that featured accurate pixel artwork of the games on the cover (as opposed to lavish, but misleading artwork that many Atari games featured).

The result was a rather stark, but collectable set of launch Black Box / Pixel Artwork games that debuted alongside the NES. For good measure, Nintendo aimed to have a modest lineup of games in an “Educational Series”. The first game in the series was to be Donkey Kong Jr. Math.

Donkey Kong Math Jr., however wasn’t a deeply designed educational game that was more targeted towards children than any other Nintendo game. In fact, it highly depended on recycled assets and game engine from the original Donkey Kong Jr. game. The game ended up selling quite poorly — easily the worst-selling (and now most rare) launch title of the NES’ launch library.

As if the game itself isn’t hard enough to find, the entire collection of black box launch games are especially hard to find in complete condition and even more difficult to find in great condition. The pure black borders/backgrounds of the cardboard boxes are very easy to show wear and tear. As a result, mint copies of Donkey Kong Jr. Math have been selling for extreme premium prices (especially since the launch set is so desirable as a whole).

• Check for Donkey Kong Jr. Math on eBay
• Check for Donkey Kong Jr. Math on Amazon

The Flintstones: The Surprise at Dinosaur Peak: $850 – $3,500

As the NES era drew to a close, publishers like Taito released many of their games exclusively to game rental companies while bypassing the traditional retail market. The Flintstones II is the best example of this in the US, but is a bit easier to find in Europe.

Of course, since it was primarily a rental game, finding a complete copy in good condition is especially challenging.  You can currently find some boxed copies on eBay with asking prices getting close to $4,000 but we rarely see buyers taking them up on prices this high.

The combination of the rarity element and a fun pop-culture tie-in helped The Surprise at Dinosaur Peak to see a similar trajectory to Little Samson on the NES collectors charts.   In 2008, it was an affordable gem to keep a look out for.  However, by 2012, it had made it to the top 5 licensed retail/rental games for the NES at the $120 to $250 range.  Now, you’re easily creeping toward the $1000 to $2000 mark just for loose cartridges if the condition is good.

• Check for Flintstones: The Surprise at Dinosaur Peak on eBay
• Check for Flintstones: The Surprise at Dinosaur Peak on Amazon

Bonkâ€s Adventure: $750 – $3700

While it was know primarily for being the leading franchise on the TurboGrafx-16 / PC-Engine, Bonk also received an adaptation on the NES (in addition to the Game Boy, the Arcade and Amiga).  The original TG16 game was developed by Red Entertainment and published by Hudson.  A.I. Co worked with Red Entertainment on the NES port to be released in January 1994 (4 years after the TG16 release and exceptionally late in the NES timeline.).

The NES port obviously had the colors downgraded due to hardware limitations, but it looks like a pretty decent presentation considering the circumstances.  However, since the cartridge space was bigger of a limitation on the NES than color palette, some levels were cut from the original, and the remaining levels have some edits to them.   You also won’t find the NES version to be as challenging as the hardware wasn’t able to put as many enemies on the screen at a time.

This rather limited release didnâ€t get much attention on the original publication of this list in 2008 as it was selling for between $30 and $60 at the time.  It doubled in value by 2012 to a $60 to $250 range.  However, in the last 5 years, it was multiplied 5 to 6 times.   In 2017, we actually saw a complete copy sell for $2000, but it’s cooled down just a bit since then (unless somebody sells a gem mint copy, you could see it hit $2000+ again).  However, since 2017, loose carts have increased from about $400 to $600.

• Check for Bonkâ€s Adventure on eBay
• Check for Bonkâ€s Adventure on Amazon

Power Blade 2: $755 – $2700

This action platformer developed by Natsume is yet another Taito publication that has been climbing this list.  Interestingly enough, this title was actually released in North America before it was released in Japan (under the name Captain Saver).

While this original Power Blade was adapted from a Mega Man rip-off that ended up being pretty good, Power Blade 2 was watered down from the original other than the addition of some additional power suits.  Released in late 1992, it was near the end of the NES lifespan and didn’t get a lot of circulation.

Just in the last year, we’ve seen these skyrocket further from its already lofty #6 spot at a $450 to $1000 range in the Fall of 2020.  Loose cartridges have more than doubled since then if they are in good condition and mint complete copies have tripled.

• Check for Power Blade 2 on eBay
• Check for Power Blade 2 on Amazon

Panic Restaurant: $850 – $2000

Here’s another Taito release that has started to get increased collector attention the past few years.  Five or six years ago, it was not hard to find a copy of this game under $100.  As the NES market has heated up, you’ll be challenged to find it for less than $700 with prices sometimes exceeding $2000 for a complete copy.

Panic Restaurant is an interesting platformer designed by the late Kenji Eno (who eventually developed the “D” survivor horror series) that puts you in the role of Chef Cookie in an attempt to tame your restaurant of aggressive food products.   It has a fun style and theme to it that would feel right at home in the better third-party NES platformers.

Since it is both hard to find and a fun, quirky addition to any NES fan’s collection, itâ€s not hard to see why this title has climbed the list as everyone wants to round out their collection.

• Check for Panic Restaurant on eBay
• Check for Panic Restaurant on Amazon

Athletic World [Family Fun Fitness]: $15-$2000

Bandai’s Stadium Events may have stolen the show with the NES Collecting crowd over the last decade, but Athletic World was actually the first game in the “Family Fun Fitness” series for the NES. However, the full series rights were acquired by Nintendo and the game was rebranded as World Class Track Meet.

Since Athletic World was around a bit longer, there were more units floating around in the wild compared to Stadium Events. However, it is still pretty hard to find a North American version with this original packaging.  The cartridges can be found relatively easily, but there is a slight difference in the labels (just look for the extra Family Fun Fitness part above the main title)

Be aware that many of the legit games you’ll find on eBay are either a PAL version with the same artwork or the later North American version with the revised branding.

• Check for Athletic World on eBay

Kid Klown in Night Mayor World: $620 – $1160

Developed by and published in the US in April 1993 by Kemco, Kid Klown was originally Mickey Mouse III: Yume Fuusen (The Dream Balloon) in Japan.  Since Capcom held the license for Disney video games in the US, the game’s title and certain character sprites were changed for its North American release.

The game is a fairly standard platformer in many ways, but the game’s biggest innovation is the circus balloons that Kid Klown can deploy as a springboard to high places, a parachute to float safely, and as a projectile weapon that can be thrown in 8 directions.  Other than this novelty, there isn’t much in the gameplay or the graphics (especially by 1993 standards) that will keep you coming back to this title.

Kid Klown remained in obscurity in both name and collectibility until it started ascending from tens of dollars pre-2015  to hundreds of dollars in the last few years.   In fact, even since our 2017 guide revision, this release has risen dramatically from the $190 to $280 in just those three years (making it one of the fasters risers as of late).   Boxed copies are pretty hard to find in good condition — most of them only sell for $400 to $500, but ones in nice condition that actually include all the manual, poster, inserts and such can exceed the the $1000 mark.  Even loose cartridges have seen some rapid increases.  In 2017, you could score are cart for under $200.  In the Fall of 2020, the average price was about $340.  By the Summer of 2021 (less than a year later), you’re seeing bare cartridges selling in the $430 to $750 range. But apparently, this one isn’t done climbing.

• Check for Kid Klown in Night Mayor World on eBay
• Check for Kid Klown in Night Mayor World on Amazon

Stack Up (With Pieces): $300 – $2,006

Remember R.O.B. The Robot? Gyromite may be the most popular game to play with the NESâ€s early companion, but Stack Up was yet another option for our robotic friend.  Iâ€m putting this on the bottom of the main list since the game itself isnâ€t especially rare (but still sells for $60 to $80 for the cartridge), but it is very difficult to find in complete condition due to all the pieces that were included and the large cardboard box.

Stack Up has appreciated nicely since its addition to our guide in 2012.  Eight years ago, you could find the cartridge for as little as $15.  The complete copy commanded between $160 and $248.  Today, it has more than quadrupled its value for the complete form, surpassing a $900 price tag. (Nearly doubled even from the 2017 level of $480)  There was also recently a copy of the game that was complete other than the box, which sold for $120.

While we have seen modest increases in loose and typical complete copies of Stack Up over the past year, sealed copies have literally doubled in a year’s time.  In 2020, a sealed copy sold for $4,000, but 2021 has seen a $7,900 sale.

• Check for Stack Up on eBay
• Check for Stack Up on Amazon

Zombie Nation: $550 – $1,000

Released in 1990 by Meldac and developed by KAZe, Zombie Nation was originally released in Japan as Abarenbou Tengu.  It is a horizontal shmup that features a bizarre setting with a fusion of  zombies and samurai.

Zombie Nation could use some additional refinement, but it does show off some technical skill with the amount of activity occurring on the screen without slowdown.  The boss battles are also frantic, and the amount of bullet fire in later levels show the promise of the “bullet hell” genre to become popular later in the decade.

While it isn’t one of the greatest shooters on the NES, itâ€s not difficult to see how fans of shmups or quirky titles could find it appealing to add this to their collections.  The game doesn’t have the best historical reputation, but has become a bit more of a rare cult classic over time.

Complete copies with Manual are extremely difficult to come by.  So much so that in May 2021 a Box and Manual(with NO game cartridge) in rather nice condition sold for over $1,000.  (and other boxes without manuals have sold for nearly $1000 as well)

• Check for Zombie Nation on eBay
• Check for Zombie Nation on Amazon

Cowboy Kid: $445 – $1,265 

Inspired by Konami’s Ganbare Goemon series but with a heavy Western influence, Cowboy Kid was developed by a small upstart company by the name of Pixel and published by Romstar in North America in 1992.   It has a lot of similarities to Ganbare Goemon 2 on the Famicom but is different enough that it has been theorized that it could have been rejected by Konami and sold off to be repackaged.

The game isn’t strictly 2D, but some areas give some freedom of movement like a beat ‘em up.  Other spots shift to either side-scrolling platforming levels or horseback stages that play like an overhead shooter.  To round it out, it even has some RPG aspects and a handful of mini games like a shooting gallery, blackjack, and others.

In the end, Cowboy Kid was a very low-run production piece at the later part of the NES lifespan.  It didn’t really get a ton of collector action until the last 5 to 7 years.  In 2012, we were looking at $16 for a loose cart and around $25 copy for a boxed copy; 5 years later, you are looking at $250 loose and $400 boxed.  This momentum continued to build during the 2020s retro boom as Cowboy Kid continues to climb higher in these rankings.

• Check for Cowboy Kid on eBay
• Check for Cowboy Kid on Amazon

Bubble Bobble Part 2: $430 – $1,240

If youâ€re an old-school gaming fan, it is hard not to love the Bubble Bobble franchise. The original is a common mainstay in the NES library, however, Bubble Bobble Part 2 was released in 1993, coming very late in the NESâ€s lifespan – a full two years after the SNES was released. Despite it being a follow-up to an arcade classic, it languished on the store shelves, overshadowed by shiny, new Super Nintendo games.

In fact, by 1993, the puzzle platformer style of the game was becoming very much a niche genre, so it wasn’t even released in the arcade.  All that results of Taito’s efforts was this NES release and a Game Boy variation.

For those that are into the series, Part 2 is mostly unchanged from the original game, but the player can float up to higher platforms and over walls by holding down the B button.  One disappointment with this NES releases, however is that two-player mode only lets you take turns instead of play cooperatively.

• Check for Bubble Bobble Part 2 on eBay
• Check for Bubble Bobble Part 2 on Amazon

Wacky Races: $370 – $1,130

Don’t be fooled by the title of this game — this game has nothing to do with racing but instead is a platforming game based on the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon series featuring Muttley and Dick Dastardly.  It was developed and published by Atlus in 1992 and is actually a relatively challenging but beatable platformer that has a nice cartoon presentation and will feel at home with some of the of the best licensed platformers the 8-bit era had to offer.

Much like The Jetsons, Wacky Races was previously on the “Rarest USA Games at Affordable Prices” section back in 2012.  Loose copies jumped from $11 to $220 (a 20x jump) and a boxed copy from $15 to $500 in the fall of 2020 alone. (which is up from $300 in 2017).    Just between October of 2020 and July 2021, we’ve seen bare cartridges go from just a bit over $200 to exceeding $300 (and up to $500).   And in that same 9 months or so, we’ve seen complete copies for from $500 (or $850 graded) to $510 on the low end (beat up manual) to over $1,500 with all insert cards in mint condition.

• Check for Wacky Races on eBay
• Check for Wacky Races on Amazon

Sqoon: $165 – $1,237

Irem has a special place in the hearts of shooter fans and Sqoon is one of their lesser-known gems. It was originally published by Irem in Japan on the Famicom a year before releasing their defining shooter, R-Type in the arcades (and Sqoon arrived in North America on the NES soon after in late 1987).

The game itself looks simple on the outside, but is actually feels like a mix between Gradius, Defender, and Choplifter. Initially, it feels like a traditional horizontal shmup in which you pilot a submarine with horizontal torpedos and diagonal depth charges (that can only be deployed once at a time). However, you won’t make it very far in the game if you don’t rescue humans by destroying the prison structures in the ocean floor. You receive extra fuel with each extra survivor you retrieve. Compared to the likes of Gradius, Sqoon looks like a simple shooter for 1987, but it actually has a great deal of gameplay depth compared to most 8-bit shooters.

Sqoon was also happened to be Irem’s first game published themselves, was the first game of theirs that was originally developed for the NES (instead of a port) and Irem has never republished the game elsewhere.

Sqoon has always been a rarity in complete form and has been above $100 complete for a while. However, loose cartridges were able to be found for $20 or less prior to 2013. Between 2013 and 2017, we saw loose carts steadily climb to the $70 mark and complete copies were nearing the $250 – $300 range. Going from 2017 to 2020 saw modest gains: $80 average for a cart and not much change for complete (when you could find them).

We’ve seen a strong appreciation of complete copies that have surfaced in 2021. Values for mint complete copies increased 5X in less than a year’s time. Carts have fared well also, increasing 60% in just as much time.

• Check for Sqoon on eBay

Dragon Fighter: $465 – $925

This Natsume creation was published by SOFEL in North America in early 1992.  It is a very interesting hybrid of a platformer and shooter that can either be incredibly frustrating or, with some practice, a zen-state action experience.

You primarily venture out as warrior with a hack-n-slash platformer feel, but you can switch to a flying dragon form when you meter fills up (ideal when you’re in a tight spot, certain stages, or during boss battles).  This is one of the better examples of a valuable game that has some solid and interesting gameplay.

While being judged purely on gameplay, it might not be “worth” the price, but if you’re looking to add a valuable collector piece to your NES collection that is also a solid gem of a game (see a solid video review), Dragon Fighter is actually a nice choice.

• Check for Dragon Fighter on eBay
• Check for Dragon Fighter on Amazon

Gun-Nac: $415 – $1015 

While most of this lists relies heavily on the rarity of the game and collectors trying to add buzz-worthy investments to their collection, Gun-Nac is one of the most serious combinations of rarity and the caliber of the game itself.   Fans of scrolling shooters (or shmups as their often called) are some of the most dedicated genre collectors and the genre often has a lot of under-appreciated gems that didn’t sell especially well in their time of release.  This can be evidenced in many of our Rare and Valuable guides of 90s consoles such as the Saturn, Dreamcast, Genesis, PlayStation, and SNES.

There was a nice handful of great shmups on the NES, and some of the most well-known classics such as Gradius and 1943 were mainstream hits and have lots of inexpensive copies floating around.  Gun-Nac, on the other hand, is commonly on shmup fans list of top NES shooters but also has a much more limited circulation.  Gun-Nac was developed by Compile — the Japanese firm known for shmup franchises such as Zanac, Aleste and Gunhed/Blazing Lazers.

Gun Nac is one of the fastest shooters for the NES, probably only rivaled by Recca Summer Carnival or Crisis Zone. Although Gun Nac frequently becomes hectic, it is still one of the most balanced shooters in the NES library.  Weapon drops are frequent causing the penalty of dying to be less threatening than most shooters.  The money you pick up can be used in the shops between levels to power-up your weapons if you donâ€t feel like leaving it to fate.   Gun-Nac’s graphics are reminiscent of Zanac but with its 5 years of technical advances showing.  It also has a zany story and strange bosses that seemed to give Compile a break from its more “serious” themes.

Gun-Nac has seen a slow and steady climb.  It’s never been an outright cheap game (lowest would be like $20 to $30 loose a decade ago).  And like a lot of these games saw a large rise between 2013 and 2017.  But Gun-Nac has still seen an impressive increase from its 2017 range of $200-$360.

• Check for Gun-Nac on eBay
• Check for Gun-Nac on Amazon

Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out [5-Screw]: $285-$900

Premium copies of iconic NES games have been strongly growing in value over the last decade and Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out is perhaps the most iconic NES game that doesn’t feature Mario or Link.

This particular variant of this classic is the initial release of the game cartridge that used 5 screws to keep the plastic cartridge shell together. Before too long, Nintendo switched to a 3-screw design that was accompanied by tabs to create a seal for the cartridges. Some NES collectors treasure these variants (however, some 3-screw games can be harder to find than their 5-screw counterparts, depending on when that game was switched over in the migration, determining their rarity).

• Check for Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out 5-Screw on eBay

Mighty Final Fight: $300 – $1,200

Final Fight was a landmark beat ‘em up on which Capcom began work as a follow-up to the original Street Fighter (but before Street Fighter II).  It was a hit in the arcades in 1989 and received a successful Super Nintendo port in 1991.  Once 1993 came around, Capcom wanted to try to bring the successful game to the still-surviving NES but obviously needed to make some graphical changes to make it work on the older hardware.

As a nice compromise, Capcom took some inspiration from the likes of Double Dragon and River City Ransom.   The result is a “chibi,” or super-deformed, art style that works as a bit of parody of the Final Fight series (think of Capcom’s later Pocket Fighter as a fun take on Street Fighter).   While you may be disappointed if you expect Mighty Final Fight to be a replacement for the original, if you go in with an open mind ready to have fun, itâ€s still one of the best beat ‘em ups on the NES.

For a collector’s standpoint, Mighty Final Fight skyrocketed out of mid-double digit cartridge pricing to going for $300 for a bare cartridge over the last 5 years.

• Check for Mighty Final Fight on eBay
• Check for Mighty Final Fight on Amazon

Duck Tales 2: $235 – $1,200

While the original Duck Tales game was released in 1989, sold quite well, and is a regarded as a challenging but thrilling classic in the NES library, the follow-up title was not released until 1993, dooming it to be a slow-moving title.  For those who enjoyed the original Duck Tales game, you will mostly likely find enjoyment here.  There are a few subtle changes, but some argued that the game was rather short.

Duck Tales 2 has been high on this list of NES collectibles for quite some time.  While its numerical ranking may have gone down, it is still worth 4 to 5 times what its value from 6 years ago.  Duck Tales also has continued to build nostalgic power after the successful DuckTales animated series reboot.

• Check for Duck Tales 2 on eBay
• Check for Duck Tales 2 on Amazon

Zen Intergalactic Ninja: $160-$920

This Konami-published, side-scrolling action gem from 1992 is based on a comic franchise and follows the story of Zen, a ninja warrior from the planet Chikyu. Zen is equipped with a variety of weapons and abilities. The gameplay perspectives also vary between side scrolling and isometric layouts — which some variances in attack and manuevering capabilities based on the perspective.

Zen Intergalactic Ninja has been praised for its engaging gameplay, an interesting amount of variety and challenging difficulty. The game’s graphics and soundtrack were also praised, with the game’s vibrant color palette and catchy tunes adding to the overall experience.

While tricky to find out in the wild, Zen Intergalactic Ninja cartridges do find their way onto eBay rather regularly. Finding a complete copy is especially tricky, however. As a result, Zen Intergalactic Ninja has been climbing higher on these rankings due to collectors trying to round out their collections of complete cult classics.

Zen is one of the biggest gainers over the last decade or so. Way back in the Aughts, you could score a loose cartridge for $4 or less. By 2015, it started to get some attention, getting to $55 for a cart and $100 to $200 for a boxed/complete copy over the next few years. However, as you’re seeing recently, the values really started to heat up in 2021 as more retro enthusiasts started to notice the game more.
Check for Zen Intergalactic Ninja on eBay

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters: $225 – $900

Tournament Fighters was a classic attempt to combine the popularity of the franchise at the peak of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles†popularity with the peak of the fighting game trend.  While there was a lot of noise in the genre, the Tournament Fighters title got a lot of promotion, but this was mostly for the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis ports.  The NES version was a bit of a gamble to capitalize on the large NES install base late in its lifespan (and actually released a few months after the 16-bit versions).  While it did have it’s technical limitation on the NES, it wasn’t as disappointing in comparison to the 16-bit versions as you might think.

Tournament Fighters†1994 release was Konami’s final NES title. If it wasn’t enough of a risk to release an NES game in 1994 (only 8 licensed US titles were released after it), Tournament Fighters was also banking on the success of the third live-action Ninja Turles movie that was released in the spring of 1993, but as fans may remember, that movie was painfully disappointing.  Interestingly enough, the NES version was not released at all in Japan.

Tournament Fighters was originally in our honorable mentions section of this guide in past revisions, but it only sold for between $25 and $40 back  in 2012.  The resurgence in TMNT nostalgia has helped power Tournament Fighters’ rise on this list.

• Check for TMNT:  Tournament Fighters on eBay
• Check for TMNT:  Tournament Fighters on Amazon

Chip ‘N Dale Rescue Rangers 2: $325 – $650 

The original Chip N’ Dale Rescue Rangers is one of the best platforming games on the NES and got a decent amount of attention after its 1990 release.  Much like the scenario of Duck Tales and Duck Tales 2, Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers 2 is a solid follow up to the original and will make fans happy, but when arrived in 1993, the NES was all but dead, and the novelty of the cartoon franchise was already in limited syndication.

Unlike Duck Tales 2, C&DRR2 stayed under the radar with collectors for quite a while and could be found relatively easily for low double digits in 2012.  Now, it will be hard to find a loose cartridge for less than $200.  A sealed and graded copy even went for $1400 in 2017.

It is also worth noting that both Duck Tales 2 and Chip ‘N Dale Rescue Rangers 2 were released in The Disney Afternoon Collection compilation for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One in April of 2017 but we’ve seen some significant increase in value even since then.   Complete copies (especially with manual) have actually skyrocketed.

• Check for Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers 2 on eBay
• Check for Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers 2 on Amazon

The Jetsons: Cogswellâ€s Caper: $275 – $710

If you’re paying attention to the developers and publishers on this list, the combination of Natsume developing and Taito publishing should make it unsurprising to see The Jetsons: Cogswell’s Caper appear on this list.  Combine that with the release date of late 1992, and you can see why it is an in-demand rarity.

Cogwell’s Caper wasn’t always high on this list; back in 2012, it was simply on the middle of the “Rarest USA Games at Affordable Prices” section.  In hindsight, more of us should have tracked down copies of all those titles.  Just five years ago, one could have easily scored a loose copy for only $14 and possibly a boxed copy for around $20. The game itself is not where its primary value is found.

• Check for The Jetsons: Cogswell’s Caper on eBay
• Check for The Jetsons: Cogswell’s Caper on Amazon

Sword Master: $325 – $640

Sword Master is a side-scrolling action platformer that relies on action, patience, and strategy.  Between the hack-n-slash action and the energetic soundtrack, it has some strong arcade vibes, but it requires more thought and concentration than most of its arcade peers.  Despite its challenging and unforgiving nature, it can be really fun once you get a good feel for it.

Sword Master was developed by Athena in 1990 but released by Activision in the US in 1992.  It is thought by some to be a follow-activup of Athena’s Castle of Dragon, but it was never officially stated as such. The graphics could actually pass for an early TurboGrafx 16 or a launch-era Sega Genesis game with large, detailed characters and impressive backgrounds and cutscenes.   As impressive as it was for the NES, it did pale in comparison to what the SNES offered in 1992 which prevented it from getting substantial sales.

Back in 2012, this game was quite under the radar and could be found for $20 to $30 for a loose copy.  While it goes for 10x those prices now, this is another one of those gems that could be worth adding to your collection if you are fan of the genre.

• Check for Sword Master on eBay
• Check for Sword Master on Amazon

Swamp Thing: $195-$865

Much like Zen, mentioned above, Swamp Thing is another game based on a comic book property (and a related B-movie) and was also released in 1992. While it does have a bit of a repetitious nature, Swamp Thing has built a cult following among NES fans.

Swamp Thing is truly an example of an obscure but affordable game that rose out of nowhere to become a collectable. In the first decade of 2000s, it was pretty easy to score a cartridge for $10 or so. The 2010s started to see it command $30 for a cart and $60 boxed before ending the decade at nearly $100 for a cart and nearly $300 for a mint copy.

Swamp Thing did get a bit of a boost in the 2020 boom, but that only got it to the Honorable Mentions section of this guide before. However, in the spring of 2021, demand for Swamp Thing really kicked into gear.

• Check for Swamp Thing on eBay
• Check for Swamp Thing on Amazon

Wayneâ€s World: $240 – $810

For those of you that didn’t grow up in the 1990s, Waynes’s World was the popular SNL skit that became successful film in 1992 — creating a brief cultural phenomenon at the beginning of the decade.  Game makers were quick to turnaround the property into a digital experience, but were right at the transition between 8-bit and 16-bit consoles.  The NES Wayne’s World game is a completely different game than that was released on the Super Nintendo and Sega Megadrive/Genesis. The NES game also follows the plot of the Wayne’s World film as well.

The NES game actually came out months after its 16-bit Wayne’s World peers. When you stop and think about it, the less of a surprise that the NES Wayne’s World game wasn’t exactly flying off the retail shelves — the SNES was well on its way to replacing the NES and, to the casual game shopper, this NES release wasn’t something you couldn’t get on a newer system.

The Wayne’s World NES cartridge has never been especially cheap, but it’s mostly been an under-the-radar collectable until about 2012. Before 2012, the bare carts were about $20 to $30. In 2012, the NES cart started its gradual accent into the $100+ range — possibly kick-started by Angry Video Game Nerd’s spotlight the year prior and Youtube’s subsequent growth. These last few years, we’ve continued to see continued strength compared to the overall NES market. Just since our 2017 guide revision, we’ve seen it jump from the $105 to $215 price range in the Honorable Mentions section to landing in the Top 30 section. The premiums placed on mint, complete copies have greatly helped Wayne’s World’s ranking in collectability.

Just since our Fall 2020 guide revision, we’ve seen Wayne’s World accelerate heavily with collectors.  Loose cartridges were selling in the $130 range in 2020 and now are $200 on the low end at up to $320.  Complete copies maxed out in the $500 range in 2020, but a complete copy with a full lineup of inserts sold for $1500 in July of 2021. We haven’t seen prices quite that high in the past year, so we’re not sure if that was just the peak 2021 rush talking or if we will revisit that pricing for a mint copy in the near future. (even loose copies have cooled a bit since then)

• Check for Wayneâ€s World on eBay
• Check for Wayneâ€s World on Amazon

Color A Dinosaur: $150-$930

Color a Dinosaur is an educational game released in 1992. The game is designed to teach children about colors, shapes, and basic arithmetic. In the game, players control a young dinosaur named Rex, who must complete various puzzles and challenges to earn points and advance to new levels.

The game’s levels are designed around different themes, such as the jungle, the ocean, and the desert, and each level features a variety of colorful graphics and fun animations.

Up until 2012, it was pretty easy to get a cartridge for under $20 before prices started to escalate. By 2018, we were seeing bare carts reach the $100 level. And as you can imagine, complete copies have also been strengthening in recent years as well.

• Check for Color A Dinosaur on eBay

Mega Man 5: $145 -$930

The Mega Man series was on the biggest third-party franchises on the NES and, while Mega Man 5 wasn’t the final NES installment, it marked the beginning of the end of this classic run.

Fans of the series were starting to get a little tired with more of the same Blue Bomber being delivered. It was all still enjoyable, but was all still quite familiar. Mega Man 5 is also regarded as the easiest of the NES Mega Man games as well — at least up to the final showdown. However, it wasn’t without its innovations, such as Gravity Man’s inverted gravity effects and Wave Man’s auto-scrolling elements.

• Check for Mega Man 5 on eBay
• Check for Mega Man 5 on Amazon

Bucky Oâ€Hare: $150 – $900

Originally beginning as a comic before transitioning to a TV series in the early 90s (perhaps riding off the success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Bucky Oâ€Hare was transitioned to the video game world by Konami (who also worked with TMNT, Simpsons and other properties)

While Konami created both a NES game and an arcade game for Bucky Oâ€Hare, they were significantly different games. This also could be likened to Konamiâ€s first TMNT home games compared to the first Turtles arcade game. The NES Bucky Oâ€Hare game drew a lot of inspiration from Capcomâ€s Mega Man series with some Contra-like elements and TMNTâ€s character-switching (you unlock characters by completing certain levels). And more so than TMNT, each character in your roster has different skills and advantages. The Bucky arcade game was more of akin to Konamiâ€s other licensed beatemup arcade games but with shooting being more of a focus.

Even though the NES game came out before the arcade game, it was in 1992 and well into the era where the Super Nintendo was around and thriving. This era was interesting in retrospect as skilled developers did put out some interesting games that made good use of the NES hardware such as this Bucky ‘O Hare release, but these late third-party released just didnâ€t end up getting much commercial exposure, therefore having relatively smaller print runs.

The Bucky ‘O Hare cartridges could often be picked up for $20 or less up until 2012, but gradually increased to the $100 price point between mid 2012 and 2016 (with complete copies goes for about double those prices). Things plateaued a bit for the next few years. It was in our honorable mentions section in our 2017 guide, but just this year rocketed into the top 20 North American retail listings — accelerating nicely while others slow down a bit.

Finding a complete copy, especially with all the inserts, has always been a big challenge for Bucky  O’Hare but that has become more evident between 2020 and 2021.  In October 2020, we were seeing mint boxed copies for a high of $650.  In May 2021, a fully complete but opened copy sold for $1,200.  Also, a box and manual alone (not even with inserts, let a long a game cartridge) sold for $600.

Check for Bucky Oâ€Hare on eBay
Check for Bucky Oâ€Hare on Amazon

Snow Brothers: $270 – $550

Snow Brothers is an arcade port of the puzzle platformer title of the same name and has gameplay very similar to Bubble Bobble.  It is actually one of the older games on this list, being released in 1991, but the game did not move many copies despite its solid gameplay. In fact, Ocean had licensed the game for the Amiga and Atari ST in 1991 but canceled the games part way through development because of disappointing sales (it was eventually released on the Mega Drive in 1993, however)

Even though Snow Brothers has been on our top 10 list of Licensed US Releases for quite a while, it could be found for a modest $49 for a loose cartridge and up to $150 for a boxed copy.  Five years later, it has essentially quadrupled in value, now commanding $200 for a loose copy and up to $500 for a boxed copy.

• Check for Snow Brothers on eBay
• Check for Snow Brothers on Amazon

Metal Storm: $133 – $800

Possibly the best value on this list despite the hefty price, Metal Storm packs a great futuristic aesthetics paired with fun 2D run-n-gun platforming  gameplay.

Metal Storm was published in 1991 by Irem (who is notorious for their punishing shooters such as R-Type).  This fantastic gem has you play as a robot that can switch gravity at a push of a button (a feature that was also fun the Gameboy gem, Wendy: Every Witch Way).  It’s a wonderful gameplay mechanic that is just as technically impressive as it is fun.  Metal Storm is easy to pick up and play, but it takes quite some effort to master.  The advanced animation, parallax scrolling, and and mecha style would feel at home on a 16-bit console if it had a deeper color palette.

Despite being featured on the cover of Nintendo Power Issue #22, it didn’t sell very well — Nintendo Power later blamed it on issues with low distribution.

Metal Storm has seen a steady climb over the years, but loose copies have been cooling a bit after Limited Run did a special edition NES cart of Metal Storm.  While they are physically different, some collectors that may have considered picking up an original cart (in possibly not ideal condition) may have opted to get a Limited Run copy with packaging for a just as much money or less.

• Check for Metal Storm on eBay
• Check for Metal Storm on Amazon

Additional US NES Games of Value

• Chubby Cherub: $140 – $750  [eBay]
• Fire ‘N Ice: $195 – $585   [eBay]
• Mega Man: $115 – $915  Amazon / eBay
• Kick Master: $145 – $710  Amazon / eBay
• Die Hard: $170 – $650  Amazon / eBay
• Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom: $198 – $500 [eBay]
• Pro Sport Hockey: $188 – $536  [eBay]
• Contra Force: $125 – $530  Amazon / eBay
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (Ubisoft): $190 – $456  Amazon / eBay
• Gargoyleâ€s Quest II: $145 – $510  Amazon / eBay
• Casino Kid II: $133 – $500  Amazon / eBay
• Nobunagaâ€s Ambition II: $155 – $500  Amazon / eBay
• RC Pro-AM II: $130 – $459  Amazon / eBay
• Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out: $52 – $710 Amazon / eBay
• Battletoads & Double Dragon: $115 – $ 400  Amazon / eBay
• Jimmy Connors Tennis: $142 – $400  Amazon / eBay
• Godzilla 2: $150 – $310  Amazon / eBay
• Bomberman II: $125 – $360  Amazon / eBay
• Rockin†Kats: $140 – $255  Amazon / eBay
• Bandit Kings of Ancient China: $115 – $300   Amazon / eBay
• Tetris (Tengen): $95 – $310  Amazon / eBay
• Lâ€Empereur: $100 – $200  Amazon / eBay
• Race America: $85 – $230  Amazon / eBay

Rare & Valuable  PAL NES Games

Snowboard Challenge: $2400-$8500

Snowboard Challenge is a 1990 release developed by Imagineering that was published in North America under the name “Heavy Shreddin'”. The game was published in rather large quantities in North America with Parker Brothers publishing the game. However, Activision published the game as “Snowboard Challenge” in Europe with much more conservative numbers.

The game puts players in the role of a snowboarder, competing in a series of downhill races against other snowboarders. The game features six different courses, each with its own unique terrain and obstacles, as well as a variety of tricks and stunts that players can perform to earn points and gain an edge over their opponents.

• Check for Snowboard Challenge on eBay

Phantom Air Mission: $720-$3700

This one is another Imagineering-developed game that was published by Activision in Europe.

This particular game actually originated as “Flight of the Intruder” for MS-DOS, Amiga, and Atari ST before Imagineering ported the game to the NES (and the Gameboy as well).

The original game was developed by Rowan Software, a British team that specialized in a handful flight combat/simulator games for personal computers in the late 80s/early 90s.

• Check for Phantom Air Mission on eBay

Mr. Gimmick: $980-$2300

In this platforming gem from Sunsoft, players control Mr. Gimmick, a doll with the ability to come to life, as he navigates through a variety of colorful and imaginative levels, using his various abilities to defeat enemies and overcome obstacles. Mr. Gimmick has a variety of moves at his disposal, including punches, kicks, and the ability to throw objects. He can also use his powers to transform into different forms, such as a helicopter or a tank, to gain new abilities and access new areas.

It’s a fun and colorful game that only received a widespread release in Japan as Gimmick! It was originally expected to have a worldwide release, but initial feedback was lukewarm so Sunsoft of America held off on publishing it in North America. Ultimately, the Swedish distributor Bergsala, was the only other outlet that took a chance on the game. They waited until 1993 to release it in small quantities across the Scandinavian market. So even among all PAL regions, Mr. Gimmick still is a challenge to track down.

• Check for Mr. Gimmick on eBay

Additional Rare & Valuable PAL NES Games

• Lethal Weapon / L’arem Fatal: $260 – $1360 (eBay)
• The Flintstones: Surprise At Dinosaur Peak: $335 – $1500 (eBay)
• Vindicators (Australian HES version): $600 – $$750 (eBay)
• Stadium Games: $50 – $1000 (eBay)
• Rodland: $290 – $700 (eBay)
• Trolls in Crazyland: $140 – $600 (eBay)
• Devil World: $130 – $600 (eBay)
• Banana Prince: $145 – $380 (eBay)
• Jetsons: Cogwellâ€s Caper: $150 – $350 (eBay)
• Parasol Stars: $85 – $250 (eBay)

Pristine Retail Classics: Up To $35,000

The Values in this section are from completes sales between August 2020 and May 2021.  

Note for 2022:  I’m pausing updating this section of the guide for this year.  Partially, this is due to the recent lawsuit against WATA about manipulating the prices of these graded games.  In my brief sampling, not a ton has changed, so this section can still serve as a bit of a reference.

For most of the last few decades, collecting classic video games was pretty much limited to those that grew up with the games and continued to build their collection over time.

The last five years or so, we have seen an influx of younger collectors that are broadening their horizons — digging into game libraries that are older than they are.

Since around 2018 and 2019, we have seen more outsiders jump into the retro game collecting world, viewing it as the next big collecting market — another comic books, if you will. With this viewpoint, it should not be a huge surprise that we have begun to see (and will continue to see) increased interest in mint copies of the most iconic and beloved games of history. These collectors are going to be looking more for historical significant instead of complete sets. (Although some people, like myself, do this anyway).

Below are some of the most iconic games on the Nintendo Entertainment System. They are not rare games by any means. In fact, there are some of the most common games out there, in terms of actual cartridges. The values show below are heavily dependent on the condition of box, and all the contents that were included inside. Special premiums are also given if there is proof that it was the first print run of the given game.  (Also check out our Defining Games of the NES for additional titles to look out for in pristine condition)

Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out

• Sealed – VGA 90 Graded: $38,500
• Sealed – WATA 9.2 Graded: $36,000
• Opened – WATA 9.0 Graded: $5,500
• Opened REV-A – WATA 7.0 Graded: $1,720
• Opened REV-A – WATA 7.0 Graded: $1,650
• Sealed Ungraded: $1,575
• Opened – WATA 7.0 Graded: $1,525
• Opened WATA 8.0 Graded: $1,400
• Opened REV-A WATA 8.0 Graded: $1,350
• Lower Grading or Complete Ungraded Units: $100 – $1000

Legend of Zelda (Original Release)

• Silver Sealed – VGA 85 Graded: $25,000
• White Sealed – VGA 80 Graded: $19,400
• REV-A Sealed – $15,600
• White Seal – VGA 80+ Grading: $12,000
• Opened WATA 9.0 Graded: $5,280
• Opened WATA 7.0 Graded: $3,550
• Lower Graded or Complete Ungraded Units: $65 – $2000

Super Mario Bros.

• H-Seam Sealed: $25,210
• Sealed: $15,600
• Rev-A Sealed – $15,000
• Sealed WATA 6.0 Graded: $12,100
• Opened 4th Print WATA 7.0 Graded: $10,000
• Opened WATA 6.5 Graded: $7,000
• Opened & Pristine Complete (4th Print): $6,600
• 2nd Print Gloss Seal WATA 6.5 Graded – $6,600
• Opened WATA 8.0 Graded: $6,100
• Opened – 1st Print Matte Sticker – Wear on Black Cardboard – $5,000
• Opened & Pristine Complete – $4.394
• Opened & Pristine Complete – $2,000
• Rev-A Sealed Round SOQ – WATA 7.5 Graded – $2,000
• Opened Rev-A Round SOQ R – WATA 7.5 Graded – $1.750
• No Rev-A, Round SOQ – WATA 5.5 Graded – $1,009
• Lower Graded or Complete Ungraded Units: $55 – $800

Super Mario Bros 2

• Sealed & Pristine Ungraded (high-ranking/trusted seller) – $12,000
• Sealed WATA 9.2 Graded: $12.455
• Sealed & Pristine Ungraded (high-ranking/trusted seller) – $10,100
• Sealed – VGA 90 Graded – $8,000
• Sealed WATA 9.2 Graded: $5,000
• Sealed WATA 8.5 Graded: $1,000
• Sealed WATA 7.5 Graded: $950
• Sealed $615
• Lower Graded or Complete Ungraded Units: $50 – $500

Super Mario Bros 3

• Sealed/Pristine: $15,000
• Sealed WATA 9.2 Graded: $12.455
• Sealed (w/ Challenger Set Wrap) VGA 85 Graded – $9,000
• Sealed VGA 80+ Graded – $6,950
• Sealed (w/ Challenger Set Wrap) WATA 8.5 – $4,000
• Opened WATA 9.6 Graded – $3,550
• Opened WATA 8.0 Graded: $3,500
• Lower Graded or Complete Ungraded Units: $50 – $3,000

Note: Super Mario Bros 3 sold incredibly well, so there are MANY units in the wild. Only the most impeccable condition go for higher amounts. Valuations swing wildly based on condition.

Helpful links:

• Black Box Variant Guide
• Ars Technical Sale Coverage
• Heritage Auctions
• Our Full NES Black Box / Sprite Artwork Collectors Guide/Price Guide

Coveted Unlicensed Games

The NES had a number of unlicensed titles that didnâ€t receive the Nintendo Seal of Approval. Since most of them had a very limited release, it isnâ€t a surprise that many are worth quite a bit.

Cheetahmen II: $1,400 – $2,500

The original Cheetahmen game was released on the Action 52 cartridge for the NES and on the Sega Genesis.  Each game also came with a 12-page comic book to tell of the characters’ backstory. Despite the franchiseâ€s lackluster performance a second installment of Cheetahmen was completed, although not officially released. Eventually, in 1996 all of the reported 1,500 copies of the game left their warehouse and were sold to the public.  The games were packaged in unused Action 52 cartridges.  Once people actually played the game, they realized there was more to its cancellation than its namesake. To this day it is known as one of the most unplayable games of all time.

A patch fixing all the game-breaking bugs was made available on romhacking.net and a “fixed” version of the game was released under the name “Cheetahmen II: The Lost Levels” via a Kickstarter campaign in 2012.  You can now see a handful of these cartridges show up on places like eBay, so don’t get them confused with the rare, but buggy original.

While some of the unlicensed games on this list have cooled down in the last handful of years, this renewed interest in Cheetahmen II has actually boosted the value of this original release.  Even just back in 2017, the game was only in the $1,000 to $1,200 range, but complete copies have more than doubled since then.

• Check for Cheetahmen II on eBay

Myriad 6 in 1: $1,200 – $2,000

The 6-in-1 Myriad cart and its sibling, the Caltron 6-in-1 (see below) have been some of the more standout collectorâ€s items on the Nintendo Entertainment System as the retro gaming hobby developed. A decade or more ago, the Myriad 6-in-1 was one of the most valuable NES games out there (more than Stadium Events at that time, if you can believe it), but we’ve seen a gradual degradation as collectors have shifted more to licensed copies (although Cheetahmen II, mentioned above, has built more of a cult status and remained strong).

As the name suggests, they are a collection of 6 games, which are about as good as youâ€d expect from an independent, unlicensed title.  While the games themselves were released many times, these actual carts were released twice, the other time from Caltron, who reportedly went bankrupt during its production.

Myriad Games would later acquire the leftover carts, shipping them out in a new box, and with a numbered label for the price of $69.  That sum might have seemed steep then, but it would be a steal for that today. While it might be slightly outdated information, a Digital Press posting lists #888 is the highest number found, so itâ€s unlikely that more than a thousand exist.

• Look for Myriad 6 in 1 on eBay

Panesian Games

Hot Slots: $1,200 – $2,000
Bubble Bath Babes: $800 – $1,800
Peek A Boo Poker: $700 – $1,700

The games from adult publisher, Panesian, obviously didnâ€t meet Nintendoâ€s strict content guidelines. And even without the whole Seal of Approval business, the chances of your average retailer carrying the games would be pretty slim. So what was Panesian (the publisher) to do? Ship it only to video stores as a mail-order release.

Iâ€m not sure it can be said how many copies are out there, but it is presumably less a thousand.  It is very easy to imagine, even with the gameâ€s immense rarity, that you could walk into a flea market, thrift shop or video store and discover one of these games hidden away for a dollar. Why is that? The game wasnâ€t packaged in the cardboard box typical of most NES releases, but rather in a VHS-esque movie case.  The copies still left unclaimed for are most likely shoved in with regular old movies rather than games, meaning there are plenty of unsearched places to look for it.

Bubble Bath Babes is a puzzle game featuring an 8-bit rendered, unclothed female at the bottom of the screen. Peek A Boo Poker and Hot Slots are your standard poker and slot machine games with extra “character” so to speak.  The prices for each of these games have been steadily increasing over the last decade or two.

• Check for Bubble Bath Babes on eBay
• Check for Peek A Boo Poker on eBay
• Check for Hot Slots on eBay

6-in-1 (Caltron): $300 – $500

The original Caltron 6-in-1 release is about equally as hard to find as the Myraid 6 in 1, but generally commands a smaller premium.   It is worth noting that there have been a number of suspected counterfeits showing up on eBay over the years.  Back in 2012, there were mostly fake cartridges for $150, but not there are supposed sealed and graded copies for $500 or less. (looking at the feedback shows the sellers have been selling multiple copies and sell copies of other high profiles games like Stadium Events).  In 2012, a loose copy has sold for over $1,000, but it’s slowly gone down to $600 in 2017 and $300 now.

• Look for Caltron 6 in 1 on eBay

Unlicensed

• Action 52: $190 – $450   Amazon / eBay
• Color a Dinosaur: $90 – $1400   Amazon / eBay  (high premium for mint/complete packaging)
• Menace Beach: $200 – $290   Amazon / eBay
• Moon Ranger: $150 – $300   Amazon / eBay
• Secret Scout in The Temple of Demise: $150 – $270   Amazon / eBay
• Sunday Funday: $150 – $240   Amazon / eBay
• Chiller: $75 – $235   Amazon / eBay
• Big Nose Freaks Out: $75 – $150 ($350 Sealed)   Amazon / eBay
• Mermaids of Atlantis: $42 – $85 – Amazon / eBay

The Rarest Japanese Famicom Games

Note: This section was last updated in late 2021.  I plan on doing a dedicated Famicom guide in the coming months.  Stay tuned

I donâ€t have a ton of information or pictures from the wonderful world of Famicom games, but here are the most treasured Famicom and Famicom Disk games via this thread at Famicom World. Most of these were issued as prizes for game competitions. The values are primarily from Japanese transactions on Yahoo! Auctions. If you would like more information and pictures of some of these check out this article.

• Kinnikuman Muscle Tag Match Golden Tag Cartridge (8 Made) $7328 – $9770
• Rockman 4 Gold Cartridge (8 Made) $5370 – $5765
• Uranoid Ii (300 Made) – $4885
• Obake No Q Tarou Wan Wan Panic Present Version (100 Made) $1759 – $3900
• Meimon ! Daisan Yakyuubu Gold Cartridge: $2440

The Rarest Japanese Famicom Disk Games

• Wakusei Aton Gaiden Kokuzeikyou: $290 – $1,000
• Clu Clu Land $1,000 – $3,200
• Gold Disk (Japan Course) + Plate (100 Made)
• Alien II
• Zelda No Densetsu Charumera Version : $1000
• All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros (3000 Made) $830 – $1280

The Rarest USA Games At Affordable Prices

Each of these games have a rarity rating greater than 6, but routinely sell for less than $40. If you are an NES collector and see a boxed or sealed copy of any of these on eBay for a low price, you might want to snatch them up — you may never see them again.  Note: these are starting to get less “affordable” as the years pass.  We keep seeing some of these promoted to the higher rankings — especially for complete copies.

Official Retail Games

• Ms. Pac-Man (Namco): $35 – $200 – Amazon / eBay
• Pac-Man (Namco): $15 – $100 – Amazon / eBay
• Pac-Mania (Tengen): $14 – $76 – Amazon / eBay
• Solitaire: $32 – $130 – Amazon / eBay
• The Jungle Book: $38 – $127 – Amazon / eBay

Unlicensed Games

• Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy (Aladdin): $11-$30 - Amazon / eBay
• Impossible Mission II: $20 – $35 – Amazon / eBay
• Micro Machines (Aladdin): $20/$30/$60 – Amazon / eBay
• Quattro Adventure (Aladdin): $6 – $30 – Amazon / eBay
• Quattro Arcade: $19 – $40 – Amazon / eBay
• Quattro Sports (Aladdin): $5- $20 – Amazon / eBay
• Stunt Kids: $36 – $65 – Amazon / eBay
• Trolls on Treasure Island: $23 – $65 – Amazon / eBay
• Ultimate League Soccer: $24 – $45 – Amazon / eBay
• Venice Beach Volleyball: $10 – $50 – Amazon / eBay

Additional Links:

• Rare and Valuable Games Series
• Nintendo NES 101
• Games That Defined the NES
• Hidden Gems of the NES
• Digg This Story

In our retro game collecting guides, we often focus primarily on the games themselves, but I wanted to start monitoring the values of common variations of console and handheld hardware as well. This guide is designed to complement Retro Console Hardware Price Guide. (which I also plan on updating within the next month or so)

My goal with these price guides is to give everyone an easily-accessible price listing of mainstream retro hardware so that it is easy to survey the console landscape, see what you might expect to pay for hardware you have been considering or see what you might be able to get for a console youâ€re looking to offload.

The price guide is broken down into three major condition groupings:

• Loose: handheld system hardware only with no packaging. The lower price range may only include the console itself and minimal accessories like a power adapter. Even at the low price, the machine should be in working condition. Units that are for “parts only” should be valued lower. The high range of loose handhelds should include charging cables and be in excellent cosmetic condition. For some older hardware, this higher price range may even include some restoration of the hardware.
• Complete in Box (CIB): This is for a console in good working order that also comes with its original packaging. The lower price range may have a few items missing from the original shipment (like manuals or inner packaging) and/or the cardboard box may be in rougher shape (older boxes typically show a lot of wear). The higher price ranger should include most every item that came in the original retail box and should be in excellent cosmetic condition.
• New (Unopened): This grouping is for units that have never been opened from their retail packaging or used. Since this is less common, we simply give a single price range estimate, but there are still some variances in the value due to the condition of the packaging and such.

I have included some interesting or rare handheld variants in this price guide, but it is not meant to be exhaustive at this point. I also included some handhelds with aftermarket screen mods, but again, this is by no means exhaustive.  Many of Nintendo’s handhelds have different color variations, some of which have premiums for certain colors.  I try to present more of the average values for those systems.  You might score better prices for less-desirable colors, but pay a bit more for the most popular — even if they aren’t more rare.

I may eventually add more unit variations to the guide over time as I also update values. If you feel I have made some glaring omissions, please let me know in the comments section below, but I cannot add every recommendation immediately.

Biggest Recent Changes

I couldnâ€t help but be curious about which handhelds saw the largest value appreciation since my last guide revision in June 2018.  I compared the average pricing between the different quality levels (loose and complete-in-box — excluding “New/Unopened”)  in the table below. If youâ€d like to see a full comparative breakdown, a full Excel Spreadsheet and PDF of the data is shared with my Patreon members.  Being a Patreon subscriber of at least $1 will get you access to this and other future exclusives and it helps keep this website running.

The Handheld Price Guide

A survey of the Game Boy family, going clockwise: Game Boy Micro Famicom, Game Boy Pocket, Game Boy Light in Gold, Game Boy Color in Pink, Game Boy Advance (original model) in Platinum, Game Boy Advance SP in Samus Satin Two-Tone, and Game Boy Play-It-Loud in Clear

Game Boy DMG-01

Atari Lynx II photo courtesy of @stg.bloke on Instagram

Watara Supervision photo courtesy of @elultimocartucho on Instagram

A few years ago, the PS2 was in that happy spot of having a lot of trade-ins as people were moving away from it, but now we are entering the early stages of “retro collecting”.  Despite its relatively young vintage and its widespread popularity, there’s still plenty of in-demand rarities and exclusives commanding strong price tags.  Survival Horror has been a mainstay on the PS2 and you’ll see them make lots of appearances here.

In stark contrast to the Cheapest Games series, this Rare & Valuable series will round up the rarest and most valuable games for a given console or handheld so youâ€ll know what to look for whether you are buying or selling. Below you will see two prices beside each title. The first is the average daily selling price, which is typically the going rate for the loose game disc or in a beat-up case. The second price is the highest price in the past three months for a pristine, complete copy (we also make note of sealed game values, when available).

The PS2 era was when we started seeing an increase of limited edition collectors editions of games. Iâ€ll list some of the big ones near the bottom of this guide, but I really want to focus on games that were standard editions that made their way to traditional store shelves.

Values Current as of November 2022

RECENT GROWTH OF NORTH AMERICAN RETAIL GAMES

With four full years since our last guide revision, it was easy to notice a lot of ranking shifting with the North American retail releases.   I decided to chart out the major movers.  In the chart below I compared the average pricing between the different average loose/rough price levels for a game and their highest mint copy sale during the time frame.  I compared those averages between our 2018 guide and this 2022 guide to calculate the value growth percentage.  If youâ€d like to see the full 2018 guide for comparison, I have made it available to my Patreon members. (Only $1 of support or more is needed to access)

After the chart, we will dig into the details of the top North American, Japanese, and PAL PS2 games — we have a lot to cover!

Valuable North American Releases

Kuon: $500 – $1360 ($1800 sealed)

Kuon is a survival horror title based on ancient Japanese ghost stories. Set in Heian-era Kyoto, it tells the strange, dark and grisly tale of a cursed mansion and all the terrors that lurk within.

The story is told from the point of view of two very different young women, each of which has their own separate phase

While it does have some redeeming factors for fans of the survival horror genre, it didnâ€t get great reviews due to a relatively short length and lack of replay value. Between reviews and being a rather obscure game to begin with, the print run was rather small on this title. Since then, fans of From Softwareâ€s other titles like Dark Souls have been wanting to add this to their collection of survival horror titles. If youâ€re interested in learning more about how Kuon factors into the PS2 library, check out our Playstation 2 Survivor Horror guide.

Back in 2012, you could have found a copy of Kuon for about $30. Up through 2015 it only increased 2X to 3X to a $65-$80 range. Demand for Kuon started spiking in 2016  before building to the $120 to $400 level in our 2018 guide. Not to be content with that 4X to 8X increase in value over the six years, it more than tripled again since during the 2020s retro boom.  It even managed to leapfrog Rule of Rose to take the #1 spot on this list due to the premium put on its mint/complete copies.

Check for Kuon on eBay
Check for Kuon on Amazon

Rule of Rose: $475-$800 ($1000 Sealed)

This psychological horror game from cult-classic factory, Altus and developer Punchline. Punchline wanted to develop a modern title with an emphasis on psychological horror. This decision led to the concept of childhood, specifically the “mysterious and misunderstood” nature of young girls. The team drew inspiration from the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales for the narrative, and the Silent Hill series for graphics and art style. If youâ€re interested in learning more about how Rule of Rose factors into the PS2 library, check out our Playstation 2 Survivor Horror guide.

Rule of Rose almost remained in Japan before Atlus decided to localize it. Upon arrival in the West, it was surrounded by early criticism in the UK regarding the references to child sexuality and cruelty. Much like the Night Trap controversy in the 16-bit era, many of the claims (like burying children underground) were overblown. Due to the controversy, the release of the game was cancelled in a number of countries and increased the demand for the US release. Since its release in 2006, it has gradually risen in the ranks of collectorâ€s pieces of the PS2 library. This is an up-and-comer to keep an eye on.

Rule of Rose was a modest collectors item back in our 2012 guide at the $40-$88 range. Over the next 6 years, it had another steep increase — essentially tripling to quadrupling in value leading up the $115 to $420 range in our 2018 guide.  While it might not be #1 on the list anymore, it still managed to increase strongly in the 2020s.

Check for Rule of Rose on eBay
Check for Rule of Rose on Amazon

Haunting Ground: $225 – $510 ($700 sealed)

A “survival” horror game in the truest sense, Haunting Ground leaves you as a completely weaponless young girl who has nothing more than a German Shepherd named Hewie to defend herself against a series of pursuers. The gameâ€s best feature is probably the sense of danger it can convey, but the game still managed to garner mixed reviews in 2004 — it depends highly on what youâ€re looking for in the game.

Haunting Ground shares many similarities with Capcomâ€s earlier survival horror title Clock Tower 3 (2002), and has been described as a spiritual successor to the Clock Tower series. If youâ€re interested in learning more about how Haunting Ground factors into the PS2 library, check out our Playstation 2 Survivor Horror guide.

Back in 2012, you could find Haunting Ground in the $25 to $45 range, but over the next six years, it tripled/quadrupled to a $68-$205 range by 2018 as the survival horror fans have been trying to round out their collections with this PS2 exclusive.  It more than doubled again to strengthen its position in the 2020s as well.

Check for Haunting Ground on eBay
Check for Haunting Ground on Amazon

Blood Will Tell: $160-$480 ($1000 sealed)

This samurai beatemup is based on the Japanese manga series, Dororo from Osamu Tezuka (of Astro Boy fame). The game itself was developed by Sega, particularly, Sega Wow (formerly known as Sega AM1, Overworks, and WOW Entertainment), known for many of the House of the Dead and Sakura Taisen games from the era and Skies of Arcadia.

Despite these credentials, Blood Will Tell didnâ€t get especially great reviews during its release in 2004 and got lost in the shuffle of plentiful action games on the PS2. However, there are some fans of the game and itâ€s remained a PS2 exclusive.

Back in 2012, if you could find this one in the wild, you could score it in the $10 to $25 range. Six years later, youâ€re seeing an increase of 6X to 7X to $60 to $180 levels in 2018.  It has continued to fare well into the 2020s keeping its Top 5 status.

Check for Blood Will Tell on eBay
Check for Blood Will Tell on Amazon

Xenosaga 3 (Lenticular Cover): $225 to $400

Xenosaga 3 (Standard Cover): $175-$275

The Xenosaga series was one of the more iconic RPG series during the PS2â€s era and the third installment had a few different pre-order incentives/variations. This particular cover variant features a lenticular effect (changes the picture when you tilt the case) and was rumored to be a Best Buy pre-order exclusive, but many gamers reported finding this particular variant on standard store shelves after its initial release. You can read about this debate in this forum thread.

It is possible that it was intended for pre-orders but did not sell out or that there were returns or unclaimed that were put back on shelves. Regardless, this stunning variant (see a better up-close picture) is hard to find in the wild and has been growing in value over the years. BTW, itâ€s worth noting that some people also refer to this lenticular cover as a “hologram” cover.

For what itâ€s worth, the standard cover edition of Xenosaga also has some significant value (it’s strong enough to essentially be in the Top 10 on its own), but currently, the lenticular cover has a 33% premium (although reduced from the 60% premium from 2018) — quite a value if you are truly playing the rarity game.

Check for Xenosaga 3 (Lenticular Cover) on eBay
See all Xenosaga 3 games on eBay
Check for Xenosaga 3 on Amazon

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories: $200-$400 ($500-$700 Sealed)

The Silent Hill franchise made a large impact on the PS2. Shattered Memories is the last of the five Silent Hill releases on the PS2, but is an overhauled remake of the original game from the PS1.

Shattered Memories changed the series in fundamental ways by dropping combat, changing the way Silent Hill is represented visually, and making the game subjective to the playerâ€s actions as opposed to a linear plotline. In essence, Shattered Memories attempted to shift the focus of psychological horror from the character, where it had always rested in previous games, to the player.

With both survival horror and nostalgic/iconic favorites seeing mint copies increasing in value these last few years, Shattered Memories has risen in the ranks these last few years. It was “only” selling for $39 – $96 back in 2018, more than quadrupling in value over 4 years.

Check for Silent Hill: Shattered Memories on eBay
Check for Silent Hill: Shattered Memories on Amazon

.hack Part 4 Quarantine: $210 – $380 ($420 sealed)

Much like the original Playstation, this list of valuable games includes a handful of RPGs. The .hack series is especially popular with RPG fans and collectors. The fourth installment, Quarantine easily tops the list, commanding at least double the amount of most other three games in the series. The .hack series features a “game within a game”; a fictional MMORPG called “The World”. Players can also transfer their characters and data between games in the series. It made for a rather interesting concept that built a bit of a following .

.hack Quarantine maintained a place near the top of the PS2 collector†list in the past decade and slowly appreciated since then. While it has nearly doubled in value since 2010, it hasnâ€t risen quite as much as many of the survival horror games mentioned here.
Check for .hack Part 4 Quarantine on eBay
Check for .hack Part 4 Quarantine on Amazon

Futurama: $155 – $415

The cult-classic animated series from Matt Groening was struggling to find a mainstream audience on Fox when this console game adaptation was in development. The show ended up getting canceled in 2003, the same year the game arrived in stores. Since the game wasnâ€t released until after the last episode of season 4, the Futurama game was viewed as a “lost episode” containing 28 minutes of new animation.

The publisher had a feeling the show wasnâ€t doing well so the print run of both the PS2 and Xbox versions were kept rather low. A Gamecube and Game Boy Advance port were also originally developed but canceled.

Even though the animated series was revived four years later, the game has remained a collector’s item and has appreciated quite well over the last few years. Back in 2012, you could score a copy in the $30 to $36 range.

Check for Futurama on eBay
Check for Futurama on Amazon

Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3: $130 – $415

The PS2 (along with other consoles of the era) had a few installments in this series of Dragon Ball Z fighting games. This third and final installment in the Budokai Tenkaichi series was on the PS2 and Wii, but seemed to have worn out its welcome a bit.

While it added features and had one of the largest character rosters in a fighting game, it got mediocre reviews and didnâ€t get a whole lot of sales action. It wasnâ€t an especially common game on the aftermarket so had maintained a respectable price for a while before gradually increasing over the last few years.

Check for Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 on eBay
Check for Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 on Amazon

Echo Night: Beyond: $160-$250

Another recent Survival Horror addition to these higher rankings is this Sci-Fi gem, developed by From Software. In addition, its story is based on near-future moon travel, Echo Night: Beyond is unusual for a horror game in that there is no combat and no health items while you explore. If you encounter a hostile ghost, the only things to do are run and hope you make it out alive. You can read more about it on our PS2 Survival Horror guide.

In addition to the growing interest in survival horror game collecting, the rise in popularity in From Software’s games, such as their modern classics, Dark Souls and Eldin Ring, Echo Night Beyond skipped right over being in our Honorable Mentions list and jumped right into our top rankings this year. During our last guide installment in 2018, Echo Night Beyond was only selling in the $30-$80 range. Even for a 2020s-era jump, that’s an impressive gain.

Check for Echo Night: Beyond on eBay
Check for Echo Night: Beyond on Amazon

Wild ARMs Alter Code: F: $140-230

Wild Arms was a cult classic on the PS1 and Alter Code: F served as a remake for the PS2 and features 3D environments, more playable characters, and other improvements. Apparently, collectors approve the remake as it has been climbing the charts on this PS2 list while the PS1 original is still significantly cheaper.

It didn’t appreciate a whole lot between 2012 and 2018, but it has done pretty well to keep up with its PS2 peers the last few years!

Check for Wild ARMs Alter Code: F on eBay
Check for Wild ARMs Alter Code: F on Amazon

Marvel vs Capcom 2: $120-$240

Back in our initial Rare & Valuable PS2 guide installment in 2012, Marvel vs Capcom 2 actually ranked #2 on our list of standard North American releases (albeit, at a relatively modest $45-$140 price range). It has always been a fan favorite among casual and dedicated fighting game fans. However, with Marvel vs Capcom 2 getting more digital distribution on newer platforms, it took some of the resale pressure of the PS2 between 2012 and 2018.

It didn’t come down in value much (landing at a $45 – $110 range in 2018), but it didn’t keep up with general collectors marketing heating up for the PS2 in general. Instead of being in the Top 10 at all, it got knocked down to the honorable mentions. With the growing love of both the Capcom and Marvel properties and the nostalgic collecting market really blowing up in the 2020s, MvC2 finally saw some real growth in resale value and is climbing the ranks again (although not quite as high as a decade ago).

Check for Marvel vs Capcom 2 on eBay
Check for Marvel vs Capcom 2 on Amazon

Valuable PAL Imports

Sengoku Anthology: $600-$700

There were a handful of Neo-Geo port compilations on the PS2, but interestingly enough, this collection of the three Sengoku beatemup games was only released in Europe on the PS2 (it also received a PC port).

The SNK series has its fans, but in 2009, it was a bit of a surprise to see its own dedicated compilation. It may have been more odd that it was only released in Europe. It would have made sense that it be sold in Japan as well, but I suppose the publisher, DHM Interactive viewed it as a passion project.

Check for Sengoku Anthology on eBay

Michigan Report From Hell: $340 – $530

This horror game from Suda51 was released in both Japan and Europe and follows a TV news crew sent to investigate a strange mist which is turning the cityâ€s denizens into leech-like monsters. The game is played entirely in the first person perspective of the camera operator, and the player will lose if the camera runs out of film before the end. Itâ€s an interesting addition to the PS2 Survival Horror library. And much like most of the PS2-exclusive survival horror games mentioned above in the North American releases, Michigan Report from Hell has risen form relative obscurity to an item that commands some solid cash.

Check for Michigan Report From Hell on eBay

Ocean Commander (PAL Release): $250 – $450

Ocean Commander is an odd little 2D shooter has been released on a bunch of platforms (with probably seeing the biggest distribution on the Wii) in a lot of regions, but only saw a PAL release on the PS2. According to this very helpful thread on AssemblerGames, it seems like the PS2 port was released in 2008 as a budget title and possibly only in Italy.

As one forum user asked: “Why would a Dutch company release a game only in Italy, with a title in English? And why are they selling it in Pounds Sterling on their site?” Well, as an Italian member pointed out, the economic downturn in Italy hit them quite hard in 2008 and residents were looking for cheap titles. Perhaps the port was easy but the PS2 was too saturated elsewhere? Anyway, itâ€s quite difficult to find a copy, so its obviously appreciated quite a bit since its release.
Check for Ocean Commander (PAL Release) on eBay

Valuable Japanese Imports

Snow Battle Princess Sayuki: $650 – $1100

Not really a Japanese exclusive, this is the Japanese counterpart to Heavenly Guardian that was released in North America (which is rather affordable).

This scrolling shooter was originally developed as a sequel to Taitoâ€s Kiki KaiKai series (better known as Pocky & Rocky outside Japan) before the game was cancelled and the the developer lost the license. The game was finished and released in all regions on both the Wii and PS2.   Interestingly enough, the Japanese version was the last to be released on the PS2.

This one is very difficult to find on eBay at any given time, its more easily found online on Japanese Yahoo Auctions, but even then, its quite apparent that is quite the rarity.

Check for Snow Battle Princess Sayuki on eBay

Ibara: $300 – $335

Much like the Sega Saturn, the Playstation 2 has a handful of 2D shooters that draw in hardcore fans. However, since shmups arenâ€t especially mainstream outside of Japan, they usually remain Japanese exclusives and command high prices. Ibara leads the pack of regular Japanese releases as there arenâ€t too many copies of this Cave-developed shooter that typically appear on eBay at any given time.

While many of the hot imports from five or six years ago have cooled down, Ibara has remained strong as the primary collectors item in the Japanese PS2 library. The base price of the game has stayed quite steady at $180 since 2012, but the more mint copies have increased about 60% over six years.

Check for Ibara on eBay

Outrun 2SP: $260-$350

It was exciting to see an Outrun revival in this console generation with the Outrun 2 series. While Westerners will mostly be familiar with the Coast 2 Coast follow-up that graced the Xbox, PS2 and PSP, the installment originated under the name Outrun 2SP in the Japanese arcades.

This Japanese-exclusive installment retains that original moniker while having some slight differences from the Outrun Coast 2 Coast we were used to outside of Japan. This Japanese PS2 version adds force feedback wheel support for GT Force and GT Force Pro, special course animations are included (that were missing in C2C), plus some extra unlockable music tracks. It also has all the PSP unlockables are included at the outset (in exchange for not having the PSP connectivity). It also happens that Clarissa has more revealing clothes to match the original arcade version.

So while Outrun 2SP may not be drastically different from the Coast2Coast Outrun that other regions experienced, it could be considered a superior version for die-hard Outrun fans.

Check for Outrun 2SP on eBay

Shin Goketsuji Ichizoku: Bonnou Kaihou: $150-$200

While scrolling shooters might be the most-collected old-school genre, fighting games are typically on shmups’ heels. This particular fighter from Noise Factory is the sixth installment of the series best known as Power Instinct in the English-speaking world.

Bonnou Kaihou isn’t viewed as a typical sequel, but is viewed as an updated port of Power Instinct: Matrimelee, which was exclusive to the arcade and Neo-Geo. In this regard, it is the only installment of the series that exclusive to a home console.

Compared to Matrimelee, it has improved visuals and sound plus additional bosses, some gameplay adjustments and online systems.

Check for Shin Goketsuji Ichizoku: Bonnou Kaihou on eBay

ADK Tamashii: $150 – $200

Weâ€ve seen a handful of Neo-Geo compilations over the years, but this particular one specifically features games from the developer, ADK Damashii. Twinkle Star Sprites, the cool shooter/puzzle game hybrid, is one of the most popular titles on this compilation, but it also includes Ninja Masterâ€s: Haō Ninpō Chō (fighting), Ninja Commando (top-down scrolling run-n-gun), Ninja Combat (scrolling action), and Tsuukai GanGan Koushinkyoku (Aggressors of Dark Kombat, a fighting game)

The PS2 compilation was released in 2008 in Japan, but eventually released outside of Japan for the PS4 in 2017.
Check for ADK Tamashii on eBay

Additional North American Retail Releases of Value

• Def Jam Fight for NY [Greatest Hits]: $110-$245 (eBay)
• Obscure: $100-$230 (eBay)
• Silent Hill 3: $95-$225 (eBay)
• Def Jam Fight for NY [Black Label]: $85-$220 (eBay)
• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army: $95-$210 (eBay)
• Steambot Chronicles: $100-$200 (eBay)
• Wild Arms 5 : $108-$190 (eBay)
• Suikoden V: $105-$190 (eBay)
• Shadow Hearts [Not For Resale]: $135-$159 (eBay)
• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon: $95-$190 (eBay)
• Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 [Greatest Hits]: $90-$190 (eBay)
• Robot Alchemic Drive (RAD): $80-$200 (eBay)
• Chulip: $105-$175 (eBay)
• Silent Hill 2 [Greatest Hits]: $80-$200 (eBay)
• Silent Hill 2 [Black Label]: $72-$200 (eBay)
• Silent Hill Origins: $84-$180 (eBay)
• Gitaroo Man: $87-$175 (eBay)
• Samurai Western : $70-$190 (eBay)
• MS Saga A New Dawn: $90-$170 (eBay)
• Shadow Hearts: $87-$155 (eBay)
• Ed Edd N Eddy Mis-Edventures [w Bonus Disc] : $65-$160 (eBay)
• God Hand: $80-$125 (eBay)

Additional PAL Releases of Value

• Rule of Rose: $380-$500 (eBay)
• Kuon: $200-$470 (eBay)
• Samurai Western: $110-$300 (eBay)
• Legend of Sayuki: $120-$250 (eBay)
• Snow White and the 7 Clever Boys: $135-$220 (eBay)
• Hard Knock High: $150-$180 (eBay)
• Iron Chef: $130-$200 (eBay)
• Raiden III: $120-$200 (eBay)
• Armored Core Last Raven: $70-$220 (eBay)
• White Van Racer: $90-$180 (eBay)
• Dragon Blaze: $80-$160 (eBay)

Additional Japanese Releases of Value

• Rule of Rose: $200-$210 (eBay)
• Sol Divide & Dragon Blaze: $135-$210 (eBay)
• Mahou No Pumpkin: $120-$170 (eBay)
• Radirgy: $90-$150 (eBay)
• Triggerheart Exelica Enhanced: $85-$150 (eBay)
• The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match Tougeki : $72-$160 (eBay)
• Kuon: $100-$130 (eBay)
• Gregory Horror Show: Soul Collector: $90-$135 (eBay)
• Espgaluda: $70-$135 (eBay)
• Gigawing Generations: $70-$120 (eBay)
• SDI & Quartet: $90 -$112 (eBay)
• Sunsoft Collection: $87-$112 (eBay)
• Thunder Force VI: $65-$130 (eBay)
• DoDonPachi Dai-Ou-Jou: $60-$127 (eBay)
• After Burner II: $75-$90 (eBay)
• Shooting Love: Trizeal: $70-$90 (eBay)

Collectors/Limited Editions Sets

• Wild Arms 5 [10th Anniversary Edition]: $160-$350 (eBay)
• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2 [Raiho Special Edition]: $180-$300 (eBay)
• Growlanser: Generations Deluxe Edition: $190-$260 (eBay)
• .hack GU Rebirth Special Edition: $130-$225 (eBay)
• Bully Collector’s Edition: $150-$180 (eBay)
• Dragon Ball Z Trilogy: $120-$210 (eBay)
• Tekken 5 [Ultimate Collector’s Edition]: $110-$200 (eBay)
• Ar Tonelico Melody of Elemia Limited Edition: $125-$150 (eBay)
• Onimusha The Essentials: $80-$150 (eBay)

Presented by  Ola, Ziggy587, alienjesus, Anapan, nickfil, Jagosaurus & racketboy

The RetroGaming 101 series is aimed at gamers who are just starting out in the classic gaming scene or are curious about an older console or handheld that they donâ€t know much about yet. For those of you that are especially knowledgeable about the featured machine, I encourage you to add any information that you think would be beneficial to the comments section. If you are new to the featured console, and still have questions, you can also use the comments section and I will do my best to help you out.

While the handheld world might not have had as heated loyalties as the home console world, there was perhaps never a more distinct difference in portable gaming personalities between Nintendo’s DS handheld and Sony’s up-and-coming Playstation Portable.  It managed to deliver a handful of interesting gaming experiences for fans of both modern and classic gaming.  The beautiful and revolutionary hardware was revised numerous times and not without its flaws.  However, in this very collaborative guide, we hope to cover what you should expect in both hardware and software while in the world of the PSP.  Enjoy!

Background Information

• The Playstation Portable was released in Japan in late 2004, North America in the spring of 2005 and PAL regions in Fall of 2005.
• It was the first handheld in a decade to show significant competition against Nintendoâ€s handheld powerhouse Gameboy / DS families.
• The PSP remains as the only portable console to use an optical disc (its Universal Media Disc (UMD)—as its primary storage medium.
• The PSP performed rather well, especially in Japan. It sold over 80 million units during its ten-year lifetime.

Historical Impact

Ahead of its Time being a Multi-Use Media Device

When I got my PSP, I remember thinking how awesome it was that it was a sort of all-in-one multimedia on-the-go type of thing.

It played PSP games, but also select PS1 games via PSN. And then there were movies on the UMD format. Personally, I didn’t want to start a UMD movie collection, but I know a lot of people really liked this. Then there was the memory card that you could dump music and videos on to. If you had an internet connection, there was even a web browser. So if you had a long car, train or plane ride, the PSP was a perfect machine to bring along. You could use it as an mp3 player, watch movies on it, and play games.

In 2022, it might be easy to overlook how awesome this was. Now that our phones can do all of those things, it’s no big deal. But back when the PSP launched, it was simply amazing that you could do so much on such a little device.

PSP felt like the step in between dedicated media devices and all-in-one machines which would eventually be the smartphones we have today. In 2004 it was ahead of its time in that regard and played heavily into Sony’s plans at that time which would also be somewhat reflected in how the PS3 was billed more so as a multi-media station and not JUST a games device

Photo courtesy of island_of_games on Instagram

Strengths

• Longevity of the Game Library – PSP received new games for quite a while, somewhat helped by the specs being close enough to both the PS2 and Wii that ports weren’t out of the question. Both of those systems being so long lived and popular didn’t hurt the PSP, for sure.
• Processing Power – the PSP blew the GBA out of the water in capability, and far surpassed what the DS was capable of too. The PSP wasn’t too dissimilar to a 6th gen console like the PS2 or Dreamcast overall, if not quite on the same level.
• Strong Third-Party Support – Sony and third parties really committed to the machine with most of the PS2’s big name IPs (across most major regions as well) of the time appearing – Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, God of War, Gran Turismo, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, Tekken. It’s night and day compared to the support the later PS Vita enjoyed.
• Actual Exclusive Games – unlike the Vita and the newer-generation consoles, the PSP actually had quite a few exclusive games. Exclusives define a gaming device, and the PSP had a lot of them. To date, it’s arguably more fun to collect for than the Vita.
• Sound Output Quality (With good headphones) – PSP was trying to be a multimedia device. Up until then handheld games were on cartridge and weren’t able to do CD quality audio. Even most phones of the time didn’t have good audio capabilities. However, the PSPs speakers were not anything to get excited about.
• Excellent Hacking / Emulation Community – much like the Sega Dreamcast after its main retail lifespan, the PSP became a darling for those that wanted to use the hardware in ways that werenâ€t exactly intended by Sony.
• Video Output via Component on some later models – Bonus benefit of the PSP2000 and PSP3000 is that they offer video output using a component cable. This isn’t possible on the 1000. Unfortunately, this video output isnâ€t as practical as you might hope. (See our Video Output section for more details)

Weaknesses

• Load Times & Battery Drain when using UMD Media – The concept of a portable with disc media was a neat concept – especially with the storage promises. But this added to longer load times, loading noise, and drained the battery quicker compared to its competitor, the DS. Youâ€d see some improvement if you had the game on the memory card, however. The load times werenâ€t horrible compared to the first couple generations of optical media-based consoles, but itâ€s worth keeping in mind.
• Poor Thumbstick – The ‘nub’ is not great, and the console tried to replicate a lot of PS2 era games whilst missing both a second analogue stick and 2 of the shoulder buttons, which feels quite short sighted when console quality was the aim.
• Build Quality / Long-Term Hardware Reliability – The system has a lot of delicate parts for a handheld of the era and fans sometimes have gone through multiple units over the years. Under heavy use, it is not uncommon for screens and batteries needing replacement, and the thumbsticks needing replacement is practically a given at this point. The large for the time screen is prone to being scratched too as it has no time of cover or clamshell design like the GBA SP or DS. Many people mention that anyone they knew who had one back in the day had something broken with theirs (whether it was a button, the disc-reading mechanism, or what have you). Those that bought new retail units, use it more infrequently and/or only under careful adult use have had better success with their PSP remaining in good condition.
• Battery Longevity – Although, I’ve always noted the battery life. Not so much the runtime, but the shelf life. For Nintendo handhelds and wireless controllers, if I charge them up they seem to last a really long time, Even if I leave them off for many months, they retain their battery life. Sony batteries on the other hand, such as the PSP or my PS3 controllers, the batteries don’t last on the shelf. If I charge them up, if I don’t use them for month they will still die. I always found that kind of annoying.
• Proprietary Memory Cards – You can easily work around it now but at the time you were required to buy expensive Sony Memory Sticks. Sony was trying to push it as a mainstream memory card format, but Sony were the only ones to support it on their devices. So pretty much just the PSP and Sony cameras at the time used them. Sony would have loved for other companies to adopt the format, but SD just ruled. It’s certainly not the first time Sony has done this. Definitely not as bad as the Vita cards ended up being but in the early years of the PSP memory card issues were comparable.
• Spring-loaded disc tray on Original PSP Model – It was a bit of a meme, at the time, but the original PSP had a reputation for launching your games across the room when you opened it due to the spring loaded disc tray. The 2000 onwards has a tray you open manually
• PSPGo being Digital-Only – A digital only console which removed the disc drive. No program was ever implemented to migrate your physical collection.
• UMD is an oxymoron of sorts – While the name does refer to the fact that all visual and digital media, not just games, would be present on Sonyâ€s proprietary disks for the time, much like their memory card shortcomings, the UMD would forever be a format locked to the PSP. There was never a tertiary solution like the Vita TV. Not quite as universal as it was billed to be.

Photo courtesy of couplemodeon on Instagram

Clarifications & Misconceptions

Overall Hardware Dissatisfaction & Hacking to Play on Vita With the hardware weaknesses above, there are a lot of reasons to be turned off by the PSPâ€s hardware. However, a modded Playstation Vita running Adrenaline is a great way to play through PSP games now.

The graphic options, save states, battery life, and second analog stick are just so much of an upgrade. It should be noted though that Vita was originally billed as backwards compatible with PSP software. While this is true in a digital sense, you canâ€t and were never able to just stick a UMD into a Vita, making that a bit of a marketing misnomer for the time.

Photo courtesy of retrovideogamepickups on Instagram

Game Library

With the PSP being fairly new to the “retro” camp, we haven’t built out full lineup of game recommendation guides, but this should give you a pretty solid start.

• Games that Defined the Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) – Get a feel for the games that made the PSP what it was. We cover a wide-ranging array of games that showed how the PSP brought a console-like experience on the go and some gems that gained appreciation over time.
• The Rarest & Most Valuable Sony PSP (Playstation Portable) Games – if you want to see what games are in high demand (they aren’t all especially hard to find), this guide is the best first place to look.
• The PSP Retro Compilation Library – The PSP actually has a lot of solid compilations for retro fans. This guide was written a while ago, but it covers most of the many compilations on the handheld. We hope to build this out further with newer additions.

PSP Hardware Revisions

My intention with this section is to give a quick run-down of the different Sony handhelds with bullet points to consider when deciding which one to go with for your PSP needs. If you think I missed something crucial, please feel free to mention it in the comments below…

PSP-1000

• Physically bigger unit. Slower performance at times.
• Has the same CPU, but has half the RAM of later models.
• The lower amount of RAM can be especially detrimental for certain emulators/homebrew running on the system.
• Generally considered the most lackluster screen of the bunch
• Solid construction, but can feel bulky
• Shop for PSP-1000 on eBay
• Shop for PSP-1000 on Amazon

PSP- 2000

• Slimmer design. More plasticity feeling. Faster processing.
• Marketed in PAL regions as PSP Slim
• Improved screen over PSP-1000. It isn’t as bright and vibrant as the later 3000, but doesn’t have the ghosting issues that the 3000 has.
• The “more plastic” feel of the device did reduce the weight of the unit for theoretically increased portability.
• Supports video output (See our Video Output section for more details)
• Shop for PSP-2000 on eBay
• Shop for PSP-2000 on Amazon

PSP-3000

• New screen tech, but not without its issues…
• Was marketed in PAL regions as “PSP Slim & Lite”or “PSP Brite”
• The new LCD screen was touted as having an increased color range, five times the contrast ratio, and anti-reflective technology to reduce outdoor glare (among other spec bumps)
• However, with this new screen, gamers noticed interlacing problems when objects were in motion. This issue was never resolved.
• Supports video output (See our Video Output section for more details)
• Shop for PSP-3000 on eBay
• Shop for PSP-3000 on Amazon

PSP Go / PSP-N1000

• Complete redesign of the handheld
• Has slide-out controls with re-arranged placements, It also ends up having less grip-able area.
• No optical disc drive but you could hack the system and copy games to it.
• Has what is considered the best screen of all the other PSP models. However, it is smaller and a bit more weirdly shaped compared to the others.
• The unit is 43% lighter and 56% smaller than the original PSP-1000, and 16% lighter and 35% smaller than the PSP-3000.
• Does not have a removable battery (same for Street, below)
• Supports video output (See our Video Output section for more details)
• This model adds support for Bluetooth connectivity, which enables the playing of games using a Sixaxis or DualShock 3 controller. PS3 needed to “natively” pair controllers. (You can do it without a PS3 via motioninjoy, but using the PS3 is infinitely easier)
• The ability to have both video output and the syncing of a PS3 controller makes it essentially an officially-supported, consolized PSP. However, modding and emulation possibilities do diminish its appeal a bit these days.
• Shop for PSP Go on eBay
• Shop for PSP Go on Amazon

PSP Street / PSP-E1000

• Odd PAL-only revision that was a bit of an anti-PSP go
• UMD is back but no WiFi so not even local multiplayer worked, reminds me a lot of the Wii Mini.
• Also, without having WiFi, Playstation Store downloadable games need to be first downloaded on a PC and then transferred to the E1000 via a USB cable and Sony’s MediaGo software.
• Does not have a removable battery (same for PSP Go, below)
• The most barebones version of your hardware released late on to grab a few last-minute sales
• Shop for PSP Street on eBay

Playstation Vita as an Option

• With the hardware weaknesses mentioned above, there are a lot of reasons to be turned off by the PSPâ€s hardware.
• However, a modded Playstation Vita running Adrenaline is a great way to play PSP games now.
• The graphic options, save states, battery life, and second analog stick are just so much of an upgrade.
• Shop for Playstation Vita on eBay
• Shop for Playstation Vita on Amazon

Additional Model Comparison Links:

• Spec Comparison Chart for All Models
• Another comparison table screenshot from Wikipedia
• Additional PSP breakdown

PSP Go Model

PSP Accessories

Battery Upgrades & Replacements

Official Upgrading Possibilities:

• The PSP 1000, 2000, and 3000 all have removable batteries. However, the PSP Go and PSP Street do not.
• The 1000 comes with 1800mAh, 2000 and 3000 come with 1200mAh. All three are upgradable to a 2200mAh battery (this was officially released by Sony as an extended-life battery).
• For the Go and Street models, it is important to note because not only can you not upgrade to a higher capacity, but when the battery eventually fails it may be hard or impossible to replace.

Notes on Aftermarket Battery Upgrades

• Buying Pre-Made PSP Batteries: Generally, any good solution for the battery is going to be the above. Anything that is a “new PSP battery” now is probably new old stock and has lost much of its charge capability.  If anyone has recent experience with this, please feel free to comment below.
• Battery “Check-Ins” Over Time: Also, check your batteries if you haven’t looked in a while. Some batteries from this era are starting to bulge. Keep an eye on them. Best to store your battery in a separate plastic bag outside of the system when you arenâ€t using it.
• Making Your Own Custom Battery Upgrade: While upgrading a Nintendo DS battery can be fairly simple: finding a suitable Lithium polymer (lip) battery, stripping the ends of the wires, and soldering it in.  It is apparently a bit more complex with the PSP. The PSP has a battery component in it, and something that regulates power (I think?). So if you want to replace the battery in modern times, you need to open it up and pull the regulator out. And attach that regulator to the new lipo battery.
• Modded for Mega-Batteries: I’ve seen some videos floating around online of people who pull the UMD disk drive out completely (and run games from a memory card), and jam a HUGE battery into the unit. Tons of battery hours on that thing, but I’m not sure how that is on heat…”

Photo courtesy of jumpman1229 on reddit

Video Output

A bonus benefit of the PSP-2000 and PSP-3000 is that they offer video output using a component cable. This isn’t possible on the 1000. Unfortunately, this video output isnâ€t as practical as you might hope.

For starters, there is some pickiness on video output

• PSP-2000 and PSP-3000 can do Component output for Games and Movies
• Only PSP-3000 could do games through Composite & S-Video
• PSP-3000 is confirmed to be able to output both 480i and 480p.  PSP-2000 may be limited to 480p (can anyone confirm?)
• Downloaded PS1 games are output at 240p.  It also has an extra filter that makes things look a bit blurry.  There is not a way to disable this filter.

Any limitations to Component output may limit what displays you can use.

The problem with outputting to a large screen natively is  it very small on the screen (480 × 272). You can blow it up, but then it doesn’t look very good. I’ve used recommended settings with the Framemeister, but I didn’t at all like how it looks.  You could see this Reddit post using an OSSC, however. PS1 games and movies are apparently fullscreen. The other thing I don’t like is that the AV cable comes out the bottom of the PSP and I find it a little uncomfortable.

Hacking / Ripping Games

While the Dreamcast and the Xbox may have led the way for consoles to get hacked by the mainstream, the PSP was the pioneering mainstream handheld to be utilized fully by the hacking community.

A hacked PSP allows you to copy/paste your disc games to your pc via USB, run games off your memory stick, and emulate other consoles. It is dead simple to hack at this point and I highly recommend it!

Not only does it allow you to play backups of PSP and PS1 games, it also allows you to load homebrew apps including emulators. This makes the PSP a very attractive portable device.

How to Rip a Game from the Disc Drive (using a modded PSP):

1. On the home screen press select and change your USB device to UMD
2. Connect your console to a pc and enable a USB connection on the system.
3. Copy and paste the iso. That’s it.

Just remember to swap back the USB mode to memory stick so you can load from it.

You can also rip them straight to the memory card the through the VSH menu (select button when on the XMB.) Again, you need a PSP running CFW for that too.

More solid hacking guide on Reddit

Importing

Importing was never tough during the PSP days. The mid-to-late 2000s saw the rise in sites like Play Asia offering quick click-and-buy import options. Combining that with the PSP being region-free out of the box and importing games was extremely simple.

A bit of a contrast to the strict region locking of the PS1 and 2 but the PS3 would also follow suit and be region-free as well.

Emulation on PSP

We won’t get into a lot of the details in this initial guide installment, but the PSP has long been home to a lot of great emulators.

For now, you have two routes and resources you can explore:

• Using RetroArch to run on the PSP and manage a variety of emulation cores you may be interested in. See our full RetroArch overview here
• Install individual emulators on the PSP. You can see a lengthy rundown of Emulators for the PSP at this Fandom page.

Emulating the PSP on Other Platforms

PSP emulation through PPSSPP is pretty solid on Windows (and Android if you have a device with good specs). For a full guide on the topic, check our our piece on PSP Emulation for PC and Android using PPSSPP

Homebrew / Community

The PSP homebrew scene had a pretty solid foundation with plenty of highlights. It has been said that the PSP piracy scene kinda crippled the homebrew and prevented it from being as strong as some other platforms.

For a nice overview check out these two links:

• Best PSP Homebrews ranked
• List of PSP Homebrew games

Still Have Question? Or Have Tips To Share?

We donâ€t expect this to be a comprehensive guide, but if there are any beginner-level questions we left unanswered or you have additional tips and advice to share that beginners would find useful, please share them in the comments below!

I hope you found this guide useful!

Check out the other installments of the Rare and Valuable Games series

The Dreamcast is a perfect example of a console that had relatively low commercial success, but a huge underground following after its death. These two factors help brew up a strong library of games that have high collectibility among gamers that are just now finding out what was so great about the Dreamcast.

There are two major trends you will notice in the list below.  First of all is the dominance of fighting and shooting games, mostly of a 2D nature. This is of little surprise to those that know the Dreamcast well as their games are some of the main draws for the system — especially when they donâ€t get ported to other systems. The second trend you may notice is that Capcom dominates the top-value domestic releases. Capcom was one of the few third-party publishers to really support the Dreamcast, but they had more niche releases that didnâ€t warrant as many copies as Sega did with their first-party releases.

Below you will see two prices beside each title. The first is the average daily selling price, which is typically the going rate for the game disc by itself or one with a rough case/manual. The second price is the highest price for a complete (but non-sealed) copy of the game in the last three months. The list is ordered by the balance of the two prices.

Rare & Valuable Dreamcast Table of Contents

| Standard USA | PAL Releases |  Rarest Japanese | 

Values Current as of October 2022

Recent Growth of North American Retail Games

With four full years since our last guide revision, it was easy to notice a lot of ranking shifting with the North American retail releases.   I decided to chart out the major movers.  In the chart below I compared the average pricing between the different average loose/rough price levels for a game and their highest mint copy sale during the time frame.  I compared those averages between our 2018 guide and this 2022 guide to calculate the value growth percentage.  If youâ€d like to see the full 2018 guide for comparison, I have made it available to my Patreon members. (Only $1 of support or more is needed to access)

After the chart, we will dig into the details of the top North American, Japanese, and PAL Dreamcast games — we have a lot to cover!

Treasured Standard USA Releases

Cannon Spike: $170-$385 ($400 to $500 Sealed)

Cannon Spike is very similar to the overhead shooting Smash TV or Commando and has a heavy focus on boss battles. However, Capcom brought this dynamic to the Dreamcast with graphical glory and also features playable characters and cameos from other Capcom franchises like Mega Man,Ghosts ‘n Goblins, Darkstalkers and Street Fighter. Between the raw firepower, grand explosions, and plenty of Capcom fan love, itâ€s difficult to resist adding this to your collection.

Cannon Spike was released during the Dreamcastâ€s final Christmas and did not receive much promotion or word-of-mouth until it was long gone from stores. The game has still never been ported to another platform, making it one of the best remaining Dreamcast exclusives. Much like some of the other Capcom gems, you could score Cannon Spike for $50 or less before 2014, but has climbed aggressively in value since then.  In our 2018, Cannon Spike climbed to the #3 spot on this list in the $80 to $190 price range but has nearly doubled just in the last 4 years.

Check for Cannon Spike on eBay
Check for Cannon Spike on Amazon

Giga Wing 2: $210-$340

The Dreamcast was a great platform for 2D shooters and received a handful of solid releases in North America, mostly produced by Capcom. While you will see a few of these Capcom shmups show up on this guide, Giga Wing 2 is the hardest to find and most valuable as it was released closer to the end of the Dreamcastâ€s lifespan.

While it had much of the same bullet-hell dynamic of its predecessor, Giga Wing 2 had more graphical polish being ported from the NAOMI arcade hardware instead of the CPS2 hardware of the original Giga Wing. A lot of these Capcom gems have really taken off in value over the decade. Up until 2014, you could have scored Giga Wing 2 for $32 to $50.  It jumped to the #2 spot in 2018 with a $90 to $200 range, before nearly doubling again in the past 4 years.

Check for Giga Wing 2 on eBay
Check for Giga Wing 2 on Amazon

JoJoâ€s Bizarre Adventure : $150-$380 ($500 Sealed)

Developed by Capcom and based on the manga Jojoâ€s Bizarre Adventure. Itâ€s a four-button fighter, three of which serve as attacks while the remaining is for the innovative Stand feature (if you want to read more, check out its feature in the Fighting Hidden Gems or Dreamcast Fighters guides. A little odd, considering itâ€s Capcom, but they handle the change well. This game also has some absurdly awesome super moves and great animation.

The game has always been a bit of a rarity considering Capcomâ€s production, but it slowly built some resale value in the 2010s (hitting $50 to $100 range in our 2018 guide) before exploding in value these last few years. Itâ€s a great hidden gem for fighting fans. While it did see an HD remaster on PSN and XBLA, the Dreamcast version remains its only physical console port.

Check for JoJoâ€s Bizarre Adventure on eBay
Check for JoJoâ€s Bizarre Adventure on Amazon

Project Justice: $125 – $390

Rival Schools 2, known as Project Justice in North America, obviously built on the original and remains as one of Capcomâ€s most popular (with a rather nice following) 3D fighters. Like its predecessor, Project Justice has a lot of quirky characters that cater to the anime crowd and is just a real pleasure to play. It isnâ€t especially rare, but Capcom released it in May 2001, several months after the Dreamcast was discontinued by Sega.

This gem topped our 2008 guide before cooling off for a bit — dipping in value about 10% (to a $54-$120) range over the next 10 years.  However, it’s nearly tripled from there over the next 4 years thanks to it remaining a high-demand Dreamcast exclusive.

Check for Project Justice on eBay
Check for Project Justice on Amazon

Illbleed: $125-$350 ($420 Sealed)

This Dreamcast survival horror gem is campy, but in an â€80s B-horror movie kind of way. Unfortunately this makes the game more funny than scary, though the large resource system is probably meant to make up for it. The complexity of the game system and the controls often leads to frustration. However, many survival horror fans have found an appreciation of the game.

Illbleed has remained a Dreamcast exclusive to this day. Between exclusivity and having an underground following, Illbleed rose out of the common bin prices of $10 to $20 around 2011 and has risen gradually through the 2010s, reaching the $50 to $125 range in our 2018 guide.  It has since nearly tripled in value within the last 4 years.

Check for Illbleed on eBay
Check for Illbleed on Amazon

Speed Devils – Wal-Mart “Clean” Variant: $180-$250

The Dreamcast had quite a few racing games in its library and Speed Devils was an above-average effort from UbiSoft. The standard release of the game featured a wide-grinned, sun glasses-wearing devil along with the gameâ€s logo. It turns out that retail giant, Wal-Mart had a censorship policy restricting items that featured Satanâ€s likeness. The interesting thing is that the disc itself still has the devil images on its artwork.

Instead of giving up potential sales, UbiSoft decided to make a cover variant of the game that had a more minimal text and flame-based logo. To this day, it has been very difficult to find this variant. In a way, this is surprising as you would think that Ubisoft would have only made this variant if there were enough copies to be sold to be worthwhile. Perhaps many Wal-Mart shoppers didnâ€t keep the case for their games as often?

Anyway, after becoming more well-known, this variant peaked in 2018, selling successfully in the $600 to $800 range (and some people asking as much as $1600).  However, after our 2018 guide was published and further awareness was built, more copies started surfacing on eBay and overall sales amounts actually cooled down quite a bit.

Check for Speed Devils on eBay

Mars Matrix – Hypersolid Shooting: $85 – $145

As one of the most popular vertical shooters released in the US, Mars Matrix still commands a respectable price from collectors. And with the high likelihood of it remaining as a Dreamcast console exclusive, that value should hold up for a while longer as shmup fans build up their Dreamcast collections.

Even though we have seen some great value appreciation of Dreamcast shooters over the last decade, Mars Matrix has done a solid climb up in value, but without the grand price volatility of some of its peers.

Check for Mars Matrix on eBay
Check for Mars Matrix on Amazon

D2: $120-$230

Another strong player in the Dreamcast Survival Horror library, D2 was written and directed by Kenji Eno (Saturn fans might remember his work in D and Enemy Zero). D2 stars the “digital actress” Laura but has an independent story unrelated to the original D, and uses action-oriented gameplay in contrast to the puzzle-driven D.

The game received mostly lukewarm reviews around the time of its release, but has eventually received a bit of a cult following many years later.

In our 2018 guide, D2 merely cracked into our 2018 Honorable Mentions list at a $30 to $50 price range, but has seen more than a 4X increase in value in just 4 years.

Check for D2 on eBay
Check for D2 on Amazon

Power Stone 2: $100-$245

Capcom may not have had much success with 3D fighting games in the first decade of attempts, but it really got it right with the Powerstone series. Both games are fun-filled arena fighters that allow full 3D movement and interactive environments. Power Stone 2 added 4-player support and is significantly harder to find than its predecessor. Itâ€s also very surprising that the series hasnâ€t been brought to any other platforms besides the PSP.

Being a party classic and a console exclusive, this Capcom gem has consistently placed well on this list. Itâ€s had a nice 30% increase over the 2010s (landing in the $40 to $90 range in 2018), but continued to triple in value over the past 4 years.

Check for Power Stone 2 on eBay
Check for Power Stone 2 on Amazon

Giga Wing : $50 – $90

Itâ€s not surprising that the original Giga Wing has cracked into the top ten domestic Dreamcast collectible releases as the sequel is one the most in-demand. While not quite a tricky to find as part two, it did not have high production numbers due to the the genre being rather niche.

It was pretty easy to find between $20 and $50 up until 2015. Itâ€s easily doubled from there by 2018. It helps that the game remains a console exclusive on the Shmup-heavy Dreamcast.

Check for Giga Wing on eBay
Check for Giga Wing on Amazon

Resident Evil 2: $55 – $260 ($370-$600)

Before the Nintendo Gamecube received a handful of remakes and remasters, the Dreamcast was a great platform to experience the Resident Evil series. While the Saturn was the only Sega platform to receive the original Resident Evil, the Dreamcast got enhanced ports of RE2, RE3 and also the first version of Code Veronica.

Code Veronica was, by far the most common as it was original to the system at the time of its release while 2 and 3 were enhanced ports of the PS1 games and had reasonally lower demand in those initial sales years.

Back in our 2018 guide, it ranked highly on our Honorable Mentions list at a $30-$85 range, but this iconic game has stepped up its profile in collecting circles — particularly for mint copies.

Check for Resident Evil 2 on eBay
Check for Resident Evil 2 on Amazon

Tech Romancer: $50 – $110

Tech Romancer is a beautiful anime-impaired 3D fighting game by Capcom fought on a 2D plane. In this hidden gem, you fight as Mechs (designed by established anime creators, Studio Nue) and release power-ups by destroying the environment around you. The Dreamcast version also includes an unlockable version of the Tech Romancer anime.

The game remains as a Dreamcast console exclusive and has remained a hidden gem for fighting fans. As a niche Capcom game, Tech Romancer has never been especially cheap, but it has had a steady climb in value and in the rankings of this list.

Check for Tech Romancer on eBay
Check for Tech Romancer on Amazon

Marvel vs. Capcom 2: $82-$220 ($250 Sealed)

If you wanted the biggest mashup of characters in your fighting games, Marvel vs Capcom 2 was the place to be. It may not be the most balanced game for tournaments, but it is still one of the hottest mainstream 2D fighters out there. Most gamers may flock to the PS2 version, but the Dreamcast release still commands strong collectability.

The more recent Marvel vs Capcom games have stolen some attention from part 2, but some fans still swear by this installment. MvC2 has also been released digitally on XBLA and PSN. This version’s peak value was originally about the $50 to $100 range in 2008 before cooling off in the 2010s.  However, the 2020’s retro boom has seen it double in value since our 2018 guide..

Check for Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on eBay
Check for Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on Amazon

Skies of Arcadia : $75-$250 ($330-$385 Sealed)

With an upbeat quest and some innovative and fun ideas, Skies of Arcadia lets you venture off to distant islands to uncover a number of secrets. Unlike other RPGs which wait until the mid-point to give you an airship, Skies of Arcadia does it right from the bat by bequeathing Vyse and crew with a ship of their own to sail the turn-based combat infested skies. The world is comprised of floating islands, and you use your air ship to travel among them while playing Robin Hood with other pirates.

While it was one of the Defining Games of the Dreamcast, it didnâ€t become as big of a seller as Sega would have hoped. Itâ€s always been an in-demand game for Dreamcast collectors (in $30 – $90 range for a number of years), but has been gradually appreciating and rising on this list (with a bigger boost with the general 2020/2021 collecting boom). There was also a tweaked version of the game released as Skies of Arcadia Legends on the Gamecube which has also maintained its value nicely.

Check for Skies of Arcadia on eBay
Check for Skies of Arcadia on Amazon

Bangai-O: $80-$195

Treasure is known for quirky action games, and Bangai-O is definitely on the higher part of that spectrum. This multi-directional shooter is all about explosions, chaos, and fun. Like most Treasure games, itâ€s a cult classic and is the Dreamcast version was the only English version of the game for a while.

It has since seen releases on more modern consoles, but the value of the Dreamcast game remains steady over the past decade. After the 2020 collecting boom, complete copies finally surpassed the values they did a decade ago, but its easy to see why its been a steady favorite.

Check for Bangai-O on eBay
Check for Bangai-O on Amazon

Ready 2 Rumble Boxing [Sega All Stars]: $110 – $160

The Sega All-Stars series is essentially the Dreamcast’s equivalent of the budget-minded Greatest Hits releases. Sega didn’t create a bunch of entries in this series and it was mainly limited to games that were originally published in the earlier years (the white case/cover releases). These All Stars games have orange spine artwork and were released as such in the later era of the “black case/cover” games.

The All-Star releases were also predominantly Sega-published games, but there were a small handful of third-party games included as well.

Ready 2 Rumble was a fresh take on the sport of boxing at the time, but the game had also been released on the Playstation and N64 before making its way to the Dreamcast. The game did well on the Dreamcast, but its sequel had also been published on the Dreamcast, so this budget release of the original didn’t seem to make a big impact on the retail scene in the early aughts. There are a handful of hard-to-track down All-Stars releases and this is definitely one of the main challengers (Power Stone, House of the Dead 2, and Marvel vs Capcom being the other significant challenges — all of which will be mentioned below one way or another).

Out of the about 170 copies of the original Ready 2 Rumble Dreamcast games on eBay as I write this, only 8 of them were the Sega All-Stars version (less than 5%).

Back in 2018, I just happened to decide to complete my collection of Sega All-Stars games and this was one of my last to score. Even though I got outbid quite a few times, they usually only closed for about $40 or $50 back then. It was obvious that there were some collectors that realized these were harder to track down, but people hadn’t started to really pay a high premium for it like now. (Major shout-out to long-time friend of Racketboy, Blu for hooking me up back in 2018 with this copy so I didn’t have to keep bidding on eBay)

Check for Ready 2 Rumble (Sega All Stars) on eBay

EGG: Elemental Gimmick Gear: $54-$215 ($280-$300 Sealed)

This little-known Action RPG was one of our original Dreamcast Hidden Gem picks back in 2007 partially due to its fully hand-drawn graphics, fluid animation and attention to detail.

Despite having solid foundations for a quality game, the name (With “EGG” being the main visible title on case) and having artwork that wasn’t exactly inviting to the mainstream market, it isn’t surprising that the game didn’t sell well on the original retail scene.

Elemental Gimmick Gear built enough collector following to reach our honorable mentions list in 2018 (at a $23 to $70 range), but it finally broke into the Top 20 list for the first time this year!

Check forElemental Gimmick Gear on eBay
Check for Elemental Gimmick Gear on Amazon

Sonic Adventure 2 $60-$205 ($365-$600 Sealed)

It’s not too often you see a mainline Sonic game (with no variations even) on a Sega console being featured in these Rare & Valuable guides (the rare North American Master System release is the only exception I can recall).

Sonic Adventure 2 was just one of those games that never was especially cheap despite Sega traditionally producing a lot of copies of Sonic games. Even though it was a great game, it was starting to become evident that the Dreamcast wasn’t long for this world, so they didn’t get ahead of itself on printing output. (And, before too long the game arrived on the Nintendo Gamecube)

And even though the game is far from a rarity, there’s enough Dreamcast fans out there that don’t have any intention of having it depart from their collection anytime soon. As a result, supply vs demand keeps pushing the resale value up.

Back in 2018, I was actually a bit surprised to see it make the “Honorable Mentions” list at the $20-$70 price range. But I was really surprised to see it broken into the top 15 ranking this year!

Check for Sonic Adventure 2 on eBay
Check for Sonic Adventure 2 on Amazon

Gunbird 2: $40 – $97

This is a classic shmup from Psikyo and Capcom. While it is a solid shooter of good pedigree, it didnâ€t really innovate much from a gameplay or visuals perspective from its Sega Saturn predecessor. The Dreamcast version, however did give Darkstalkers†Morrigan in as a playable character.

Gunbird 2 has always been a modest collectable on the Dreamcast as a solid shmup in a rather limited run. It lingered in the $25 to $50 range for a number of years before gradually climbing in value in 2014.

The Dreamcast version is currently the only North American physical release of the game.  iOS, Android and even the Nintendo Switch have seen ports of the game, it has all be digital. The only physical exception is the inclusion on the Japanese Switch physical release of Psikyo Shooting Library Vol. 2 (Amazon / eBay).

The Nintendo Switch release from 2018 (2019 for that Psikyo collection) does seem to haven take off some of the value momentum.  While it has has definitely increased from its $40 to $97 price range from 2018, it hasn’t risen as much as the other Dreamcast peers above, dropping quite a few spots in the ranking.

Check for Gunbird 2 on eBay
Check for Gunbird 2 on Amazon

Shenmue Limited Edition: $95 – $155

Yu Suzukiâ€s Shenmue project, which began development on the Sega Saturn became known as one of the most ambitious and expensive video games of all time. It had much hype, especially in Japan prior to its release. However, the joke was that every existing Dreamcast owner would have to buy two copies of Shenmue for the game to turn a profit.

To help incentivize pre-orders in North America, Sega offered a Limited Edition that had a special marking on the cover and included a soundtrack CD. There ended up being 30,000 of these Limited Edition units produced. Not especially rare, but they are not nearly as common as the standard Shenmue release.

Up until the recent announcement of a Shenmue remaster on modern consoles, the original Shenmue was looking to remain a Dreamcast exclusive — one of the last Defining Dreamcast games that never made it to other hardware. With the cult classic nature of the game and the exclusivity, all copies of Shenmue have seen a gradual rise in value over the last few years. Obviously, with more limited numbers, the Limited Edition has a modest premium over the standard release (mentioned below in the “Additional Games of Value” section)

Check for Shenmue Limited Edition on eBay

Additional NTSC Games of Value

• The Typing of the Dead: $75-$150 (eBay)
• Kao the Kangaroo: $80-$145 (eBay)
• Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: $68-$150 (eBay)
• Power Stone: $50-$150 (eBay)
• Resident Evil 3 Nemesis: $52-$135 (eBay)
• Marvel vs Capcom [Sega All Stars]: $60-$125 (eBay)
• Dynamite Cop: $55-$130 (eBay)
• Capcom vs SNK: $60-$120 (eBay)
• Fatal Fury Mark of the Wolves: $65-$110 (eBay)
• NBA 2K [Not for Resale]: $60-$100 (eBay)
• Spawn In the Demon’s Hand: $45-$115 (eBay)
• Marvel vs Capcom: $50 -$105 (eBay)
• The Ring Terror’s Realm: $52-$100 (eBay)
• Jet Grind Radio: $35-$107 (eBay)
• Pier Solar: $45-$95 (eBay)
• Tokyo Xtreme Racer 2: $45-$95 (eBay)
• Omikron The Nomad Soul: $50-$90 (eBay)
• Dino Crisis: $42-$95 (eBay)
• Record of Lodoss War: $39-$96 (eBay)
• Bomberman Online: \(50-\) 80 (eBay)
• Street Fighter III Double Impact: $40-$89 (eBay)
• ECW Anarchy Rulz: $30-$95 (eBay)
• Sword of the Berserk: Gut’s Rage: $30-$95 (eBay)
• Street Fighter Alpha 3: $40-$85 (eBay)
• Urban Chaos: $38-$80 (eBay)
• Last Blade 2 Heart of the Samurai: $35-$80 (eBay)
• Grandia 2: $35-$80 (eBay)
• Outtrigger: $35-$79 (eBay)

Japanese Import Collectables

Bangai-O: Prize Edition: $600 – $900

This extremely limited version of Treasureâ€s cult-classic shooter was given out to exactly five people as the top prizes in a Japanese high-score competition. While the game itself is identical to the original Bangai-O, the Prize Edition can be identified by a sticker and two phone cards with the Treasure logo on the case declaring itself as a winnerâ€s trophy.

The calling cards were signed by the gameâ€s lead designer, Hisashi Fujita and the award package also came a Bangai-O poster/flyer. The first two copies of these games have been sold, both very quietly. Its unknown the price of the first sale, but the most second was placed in the inventory of an online store for $500, and at that selling point was quickly snatched. That copy was confirmed to be missing the second phone card and sticker. A third auction settled in 2011 for $811, but there were suspicions about its legitimacy.

Cleopatra Fortune: $300-$500

This block-breaking puzzle game was created by Taito in association with Natsume, but it didn’t get the attention of Taito’s Puzzle Bobble series.  It has a pleasant but rather straightforward Egyptian-inspired presentation, but it didn’t exactly capture a ton of fans.

Interestingly enough, Cleopatra Fortune originated on the Taito X-55 home karaoke machine in 1995 before being brought to the arcades in 1996. From there, it received a port to the Sega Saturn in Japan. A few years later, in 2001 it eventually received a widespread port on the Playstation (in all regions) in addition to a fairly small print run for the Japanese Dreamcast.

The Dreamcast version was ported from the PS1 game (vs the more arcade-accurate Saturn version) by Altron and features some higher-resolution visual, improved frame rate  and newly-arranged music.

There are often a few Dreamcast copies of the game that are listed (currently in the $500 to $1500 asking price range) on eBay, but there aren’t many that successfully sell. Die-hard collectors are on the lookout for this one, but for only willing to pay so much.

Check for Cleopatra Fortune on eBay

Super Street Fighter 2X: $280 – $325

The Dreamcast already had one of the best 2D fighting game lineups among consoles, but it is hard to be complete without a solid port of an installment of Street Fighter II. Super Street Fighter 2X is possibly the best console version of the game that started the 2D fighter revolution. Every sprite is perfect. Every frame of animation is there. And the gameplay is as good as it gets. In fact, the later HD remixes of the games were based on this Dreamcast version. Back when the Dreamcast was thriving, this port also utilized Capcomâ€s online “Matching Service” for competitions.

This gem has nearly doubled in value since 2014. At the time, it was considered mostly a collector’s item with many modern ports being great options for SSF2T fans, but the recent increase only solidifies this recommendation.

Check for Super Street Fighter 2X on eBay

Rainbow Cotton: $250 – $340

The Cotton series of shooters had a great run, beginning in the arcade and in the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16’s great chump library. The series has been a primarily 2D affair, but it tinkered with a 3D perspective on the Japanese-exclusive Panorama Cotton on the Sega Megadrive (and its one of the most valuable Japanese Megadrive games).

The Dreamcast allowed the cute-em-up series to more naturally explore a 3D environment in an on-rails shooter setup.

With a relatively limited print run and its niche cult-classic appeal, it isn’t a surprise that this game ranks well among Dreamcast imports.

Check for Rainbow Cotton on eBay

Border Down LE: $150 – $300

After the Dreamcast was already buried by US retailers and the last big name import releases like Shenmue II, Rez, and Ikaruga had been released, a small developer by the name of G.Rev (who worked with Treasure on Ikaruga) took a chance on the Dreamcast and helped start a trend of 2D shooters being released on the “dead” platform.

The production of this Limited Edition of Border Down was halted at 5,000 copies. Initially, it has the same print run as the standard edition, but the original has since been reprinted at least once, at least doubling its availability and the premium placed on the Limited Edition. The novelty of the release seems to have cooled down a bit in the last decade, however despite never being released on another platform.
Check for Border Down LE on eBay

Additional Japanese Games of Value

• Space Channel 5 Part 2 LE Box Set: $185-$250 (eBay
• Eldorado Gate Box Set (includes multiple games): $200-$400 (eBay)
• SegaGaGa Box Set: $170-$240 (eBay)
• Border Down: $170-$235 (eBay)
• Psyvariar 2: $100-$200 (eBay)
• Zero Gunner 2: $110-$160 (eBay)
• Karous: $100-$150 (eBay)
• Cosmic Smash: $100-$150 (eBay)
• Twinkle Star Sprites: $90–$150 (eBay)
• De La Jet Set Radio: $70-$150 (eBay)
• Shikigami No Shiro 2: $89-$120 (eBay)
• Under Defeat: $80-$110 (eBay)
• Ikaruga: $45-$130 (eBay)
• Rez: $60-$120 (eBay)
• Radilgy: $80-$85 (eBay)
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Renpou Vs. Zeon DX: $70-$100 (eBay)
• Trigger Heart Exelica: $65-$100 (eBay)
• Trizeal: $50-$88 (eBay)

PAL Region Rarities

Price ranges shown are for games with case and manual since there are limited disc-only copies.

Moho: $350 – $500 USD

This odd combat action game with racing elements from Lost Toys and Take 2 Interactive is known as the only Dreamcast game to be exclusive to the United Kingdom.

Even though it was approved by German and French entities (and the back cover copy was translated into German), the game was never sold in retail in those countries. It was also intended to be brought to North America under the name “Ball Breakers”, but was canceled.

Check for Moho on eBay

Evolution 2: $200 – $380 USD

Evolution 2: Far Off Promise was a sequel to one of the early Dreamcast RPGs. It was fairly common in the North American dreamcast library, but it quite the rarity in PAL regions.

As you can expect, RPGs take extra time to work on localization. The game saw its original release in Japan in late 1999, was released in the North America in the summer of 2000, but didnâ€t get released in Europe until November of 2001. By then, Sega had already announced that they were giving up on Dreamcast production. Since Ubisoft didnâ€t want to see their efforts go to waste, they still released the game, but at cautious quantity levels and was reported to be only sold at the GAME chain of stores in the UK (although Gamestation end Electronics Boutique had been merged into the conglomerate at that time) . Evolution never did sell well enough to see additional runs.

Itâ€s been quite a challenge to find a complete copy under $200 USD, but you can score a bare disc for about $120 USD.

Check for Evolution 2 on eBay

Taxi 2: Le Jeu: $130 – $200 USD

This racing game modeled after a French film is known for being the only Dreamcast game exclusive to France. The game itself is rather it notoriously bad for a racing game, but many PAL Dreamcast collectors typically are still on the hunt for this rarity.

There is quite a premium for complete copies of this game, but bare discs can be found in the $75 USD range. This is probably because most collectors probably donâ€t want to bother with the game unless they have a boxed copy.

Check for Taxi 2 on eBay

Additional PAL Release of Value

• Evil Twin: $120 – $180 (eBay)
• Samba De Amigo Box Set w/ Controllers: $170 – $250 (eBay)
• Shenmue II: $140-$200 (eBay)
• Bass Fishing Box Set w/ Controller : $120 – $200 (eBay)
• Rez: $90-$160 (eBay)
• Cannon Spike: $80-$200 ($250 sealed) (eBay)
• Project Justice: Rival Schools 2: $116-$185 (eBay)

Photo courtesy of @giga_force on Instagram