Rare, collectable, and actually fun

[WispFollower]

Hello all. I collect for a handful of consoles, and I'm curious to hear other collectors' opinions on something. So, it is no secret some rare and valuable games are not fun to play. Some are downright horrible. My query is in two parts. What games (for any system) have you sought out for a long while and/or spent a fair amount on which surprised you with how fun they ended up being? Also, if you weren't surprised (tested previously on emulators / just knew before buying), or you've got some which stick out in your mind, what are some favorites of said type of game?

[HatefulGravey]

Guardian Heroes stands out for me. Not super rare, but it certainly carries a rare price tag (or did when I got it. It has since launched on XBLA and I"m scared to look at pricing now). That is a great game without question.

 

These days I wouldn't spend big money on a game I knew nothing about and I imagine most people are that way. If nothing else you have to be sure you aren't just getting ripped off. If nothing else watching reviews on YouTube is free and often very revealing. Best to know something about any game before you buy it any more,.

[+Gemintronic]

Being rare and collectible means you don't have fun with it. You keep it in a box and either flip it or brag about having one.

 

I'd say no one talks about Dezaemon for the Super Famicom so it could be rare and collectible.

http://www.videogameden.com/sfc/reviews/dez.htm

 

Basically, you can create your own shooter on the SNES.

[Arkhan]

Steam Hearts for PC Engine cost like 80 bucks, and it is pretty fun. It's harder to come by.

 

 

Also, the old Ultima games are hard to come by complete these days. Ultima II big box is like 8923894729834$, and it's fun.

 

 

I also spent alot for a few rarer MSX games, and they were worth it (Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2, Illusion City).

[godslabrat]

A lot of the games released in the last year of a console's life tend to be VERY good games. They're only rare because those games tend to be made in a small run that doesn't get a lot of publicity or a wide distribution.

[WispFollower]

Being rare and collectible means you don't have fun with it. You keep it in a box and either flip it or brag about having one.

 

That isn't always true. I know people who enjoy playing their rare games. I've got some which are great as well.Just as an example, someone could want a complete set from a specific publisher and not realize some of the games were better than they expected. Also, I've played some games people hate which I found to be fun for one reason or another. Reading info on a game only goes so far for me. I need to play them myself on the original hardware.

[Austin]

Radiant Silvergun (Saturn) and Panzer Dragoon Saga (Saturn). Although, I can't say I have really sought these out though. I had the opportunity to own them for the $50 price tags they were when they were new, prior to their prices shooting up. Although in Radiant Silvergun's case, it's a title I have flipped and rebought several times over the years, so that should be a testament to how much fun I have with it even at the inflated, $120+ price. Easily one of my favorite games out there.

[Turbogfx]

Little Samson on the NES and Trip World on the Gameboy have a pretty good reputation in terms of being rare AND fun to play. Same for Shantae on the Gameboy Color I think.

[Reaperman]

Recca on FC is pretty rare and is about as frantic as a shooter can get on that system. The repros/pirates are about the only reasonably-priced way to experience the title. It's way over the limits of what the system can handle, and the old nes is straining pretty much constantly to keep it going.

 

I suspect Persona 4 on PS2 will turn out to be one of those 'omg teh rarez' games. It's not to be missed. Probably the best RPG on the system and it can still be had for reasonable prices.

 

Mazes of Fate on GBA was quite the sleeper. It's a 3d dungeon experience (non-randomized) with nice story and atmosphere. It's from argentina and was published by some no-name company (I've only seen it online). Critics generally didn't care much for it but I feel that they were wrong. I own 3 sealed copies, and there are still some floating around waiting to be purchased.

 

I think that some of the fun is in guessing which games will become collectable and stocking up.

Edited September 26, 2012 by Reaperman

[+Gemintronic]

That isn't always true. I know people who enjoy playing their rare games. I've got some which are great as well.Just as an example, someone could want a complete set from a specific publisher and not realize some of the games were better than they expected. Also, I've played some games people hate which I found to be fun for one reason or another. Reading info on a game only goes so far for me. I need to play them myself on the original hardware.

 

The smart way to do this is back up your expensive stuff and keep them boxed up. I've got a Retrode to back up my Genesis and SNES games. Play them on EverDrive on real hardware. Also, I make copies of my CD based systems. DreamCast even has an SD card to use backups.

[SoulBlazer]

Snatcher on the Sega CD comes right to mind.

[Nateo]

This is not a terribly common opinion, but I LOVE Atari's I, Robot.

[pixelated]

The only sorta rare game I own is Space Master X-7 for the Atari 2600. When I first got it, I thought, WTF is this crap? But pretty quickly it grew on me and I like playing it now. It's nowhere near a favorite of mine, but it's got that offbeat early 80s charm.

[Lentzquest]

Jack Bros for the Virtual Boy is a lot of fun and pretty unique for the system. Also Keio Flying Squadron on the Sega CD is an awesome shooter.

[shadow460]

Shuttle Orbiter for the 2600 is rare and fun. Bounty Bob Strikes Back for the 5200 is rare and addictive contains crack. Hmmm... Intelligent Qube is another one. That's a PS1 title. I'm not sure if Arctic Thunder is rare, but it's tough to find in the wild around here and it's kinda fun. Then there's StarCraft 64 and the blue cart of Hydro Thunder on the N64. Power Mission for the Game Boy is a bit hard to get in the wild, and it's a really good strategy game.

 

I could rattle off a list of 2600 games that are rarity 4 and up that are also fun. Subterranea (R6), Ram It (R6), Escape From the MindMaster (R4), The Official Frogger (R6), Demolition Herby (R6), London Blitz (R5), etc.

 

Oh, how could I forget Pacific Battle for the Watara Supervision? It's the only other game of the same genre as Power Mission I've ever seen.

Edited September 29, 2012 by shadow460

[RickO2]

The Odyssey2 Best of the Rare would have to be Turtles. Very fun game. A close runner up would be Killer Bees. Neither is impossible to find but they are rare since they came out just before Magnavox pulled the plug in the USA.

[BrutallyHonestGamer]

I'll tell you about an opposite experience. I bought Towers II for Jaguar, brand new when it came out. I was lucky enough to be close to one of the stores that still sold Jaguar games. $60 back then, i bring it home, me and my cousin gather around the tv and wow, what a total pile of crap that game was.

[Zenimus]

Tons of stuff on the Neo Geo falls into this category...

 

• Viewpoint

• Last Blade 2

• Garou: Mark of the Wolves

• Metal Slug (any of them)

• Puzzled

• Aero FIghters 2

• Magical Drop 3

 

and so on... it's nuts when even "common" games are expensive and hard to find, and rare and desirable ones might come up for sale once or twice a year if you're lucky. I had a pretty decent Neo Geo AES collection, but prices became way too high. I ended up liquidating them to pay for my wedding and replaced them with cheaper MVS versions.

[sqoon]

Being rare and collectible means you don't have fun with it. You keep it in a box and either flip it or brag about having one.

 

I'd say no one talks about Dezaemon for the Super Famicom so it could be rare and collectible.

http://www.videogame...reviews/dez.htm

 

Basically, you can create your own shooter on the SNES.

 

That looks sweet. I want it.

[BrutallyHonestGamer]

I don't think they're rare, but I have some imports for Saturn that are really fun, like Drift King 97, Last Bronx, Dead or Alive. I have a couple import Mega Drive games too that are decent like Kabuki fighter I think is the name.

[jaybird3rd]

I can think of several Intellivision games which fall into the "rare, collectible, and fun" category. I had to wait a while before I could find even loose copies of certain Intellivision titles at a reasonable price, including Diner, Thunder Castle, Dig Dug, Super Pro Decathlon, Commando, and Thin Ice. I wasn't disappointed by any of them: despite their rarity, they're all solid, enjoyable games. I also like some of the rarer games for the Atari Jaguar, particularly Iron Soldier II (I have it on CD) and Breakout 2000.

 

Two weird and somewhat rare hardware items which are also fun to own: the Entertainment Computer System (ECS) for the Intellivision, which makes it possible to play the underappreciated Mind Strike on the original hardware, and the MBX Expansion System for the Texas Instruments 99/4A, which is supported by some good 99/4A games like Superfly and Bigfoot.

[Punisher5.0]

Tons of stuff on the Neo Geo falls into this category...

 

• Viewpoint

• Last Blade 2

• Garou: Mark of the Wolves

• Metal Slug (any of them)

• Puzzled

• Aero FIghters 2

• Magical Drop 3

 

and so on... it's nuts when even "common" games are expensive and hard to find, and rare and desirable ones might come up for sale once or twice a year if you're lucky. I had a pretty decent Neo Geo AES collection, but prices became way too high. I ended up liquidating them to pay for my wedding and replaced them with cheaper MVS versions.

 

Yeah I was thinking the same thing. Rare, collectable, and actually fun is Neo Geo to the tee.

[Bones Brigade]

H.E.R.O. for the 2600 is hard(er) to find, especially complete, and is flat out awesome.

[WispFollower]

Thanks for all the input. I've now got a lot of fun and rare games to track down, which is a good part of the fun!