When we talk about retro video game collectiblesthere are two great systems that take all the attention: Neo Geo AES and Super nintendo. The reasons why the system snk It is the most expensive when it comes to collecting it is evident, its console was the Rolls-Royce of the early nineties. Its prices were already prohibitive in its day, it sold little and among its catalog are conversions of some of the best arcade video games of all time. But Neo Geo has always had a dance partner when it comes to collecting, and that’s SNES.
Super Mario World SNES
Nintendo’s 16-bit is still one of the consoles with the most fans today and is considered one of the best consoles ever. But is this enough for prices to skyrocket? Yes and no. On the one hand, the 2D of that era has managed to be timeless and the games are still very enjoyable to this day. Many of them belong to sagas that have sealed the history of video games and that, to this day, their legion of fans has only increased. But if Super Nintendo is so complex to collect, it is also because of its cardboard boxes. Most have not survived the passing of the years and those that have, are usually quite punished. Think for a moment about the feeling a collector has when he finds one of those games that were barely distributed back in the day, and that has not only survived the full three decades, but has arrived in perfect state today. That combination is what will lead a hardcore collector to put a lot of money on the table to get that little treasure.
Today we wanted to review some of those holy grails for which many collectors sigh and by the way, encourage you to check the shelf of the old games in the storage room, you can find a gem of a museum. However, it is important to emphasize the difficulty in pricing many of the titles that we are going to see today. They are very rare games that go on sale from time to time and the particular state of each unit can cause its price to vary radically. They are also particularly hard to tracebecause most of them change hands in private sales, in addition to the differences that in many cases present in each country.
Earthbound SNES
The most expensive SNES games in America
We are going to take into account regular runs of complete games and in good condition, to get away from rarities like the Nintendo Powerfest 1994that cartridge to compete in stores, the Nintendo Campus Challenge 1992 or the Donkey Kong Country Competition Cartridge. We have only included games that you could have bought at the time and that have now become an absolute rarity.
- Pocky and Rocky 2: The most interested collectors in the Japanese game market already know that when they see the Natsume logo on the cover of a game, the search is going to be difficult. Do you want to get this awesome top down action and shooter game? Prepare more than $2,000.
- hearthbound: For a time, HearthBound was a relatively easy title to get your hands on. It belonged to that league of expensive games, but not exorbitant. However, the cult status it has gained and big box appeal have led it to fetch astronomical prices. The good news is that it is not very difficult to find one in good condition, the bad news is that it can cost you more than $3,000.
- Final Fight Guy: Capcom knew how to be the center of attention with this legendary saga of me against the neighborhood, and the conversion for SNES that included the character that gives its name to the game was made to beg. Here we have cheated, because although it is not a game without distribution, the truth is that it arrived in the United States in 1994, in exclusive to Blockbuster, so you can imagine how difficult it is to find one in good condition today, when it went through years of rentals in a video store. In this title, the state is going to be especially decisive for the value and, in good condition, they can go above the $3,500.
- Aero Fighters: Video System brought a fantastic shoot ’em up to the arcades that would see a port that made its way to the SNES in 1994. Unfortunately, the game was poorly distributed and under the radar of gamers and collectors alike for years. Although the passing of the years has placed it in a privileged place in all the most wanted lists of SNES collectors, reaching a value that can exceed the $6,000.
- Hagane The Final Conflict: The one that closes this group of jewels of collecting is a cybernetic ninja that makes collectors all over the world sigh, but in its American version, Hudson’s game stands as one of the most expensive titles in the 16-bit catalog of Nintendo. A side-scrolling action game that blends elements of traditional Japanese culture with sci-fi elements that, in 1994, went completely unnoticed by gamers. The extreme scarcity and high quality of the title have led it to reach crazy numbers, being seen by more than $7,000 on the market when a copy appears in perfect condition.
X Zone SNES
The most expensive SNES games on the PAL market
The PAL market is even more difficult to appraise than the American one. The different distributions and the particularities of some of them can cause many of the prices to vary significantly. So although we’re going to give you some indicative pricesSo that you have some reference to the atrocities we are talking about, please, take them with tweezers.
This difficulty when it comes to pricing games is one of the most striking aspects of the most dedicated collectors, because the stars can align with some titles and make the value skyrockets completely. An auction that brings together the right collectors, chasing a game that only comes up for sale once every few years in the immaculate condition in which they are chasing it, can end up with a bidding fight without quarter that ends with a title located on this list and with its market value multiplied.
- X Zone: Actually, we could have opened this selection with Captain Commando, Castlevania: Vampire’s Kiss, The Firemen or Hagane himself, however, I find it more interesting to remember how highly coveted this title is, unknown to most players and of which most players of his time did not listen or speak. X Zone is a game by Kenco released for the accessory super scope. A shooter title for the bulky SNES bazooka that only enjoyed distribution within the scandinavian market (PAL-SCN). Like the rest of the names, the prices fluctuate widely, from prices that are dangerously close to the 1,000 euro in acceptable conditions, at unthinkable prices when they are copies in perfect condition.
- Ninja Warriors The New Generation: Natsume returns to the fore with an essential in the beat em up action of SNES. The game is a continuation of Ninja Warriors released by Taito for arcades in 1987. The game allows us to select different cybernetic ninja warriors to make our way through the enemies. The development was carried out by the same team that Wild Guns, another of the holy grails of the console catalog for collectors and also one of the most expensive. You can get a complete Ninja Warriors The New Generation, but one that has seen better days, for a few 1,000 euroBut if you’re going for the boxes with the pristine corners and mirroring yourself in their box, prepare a lot more.
- Super Chase HQ: Taito brought his action and driving to the first person in a great arcade title that only reached the PAL market through its australian distribution. As many of you know, Australia belongs to the PAL market, and the regional exclusivity of this title has made it one of the most difficult to obtain for European collectors. Although you can find complete copies in acceptable condition for more than €1,500a unit in perfect condition can multiply that number.
- Megaman X3: All of Capcom’s blue bomber titles are famous for their high prices on Super Nintendo, as high as their excellent quality. But the third installment of the X subsaga is especially rare in the PAL market. Although the Capcom franchise is quite an institution today, the low distribution it enjoyed has led this Mega Man X3 to become one of the most expensive games on the system, making it a really difficult title to price. There are sales records on eBay that range from 1,500 euros to more than 4,500 euros In very good condition. As a curiosity, this is the most expensive title on the Spanish market in its distribution of Spacoalong with the black and white instruction manual in Spanish and the characteristic red front sticker.
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Gold Pack: Here we find an authentic explosive combination for collectors. Legend of Zelda is one of the most beloved and acclaimed franchises of all time, and when it comes to its most iconic games, there’s no list from which A Link to the Past escape. Therefore, that there is a version in big box of one of the most important titles in the history of Nintendo and that is also exclusive to the Scandinavian region (PAL-SCN), makes this Zelda gold pack, which hit the market with a guide in an edition similar to the one we saw with Secret of Evermore, the mother of all holy grails for SNES collectors. It is so rare and rarely for sale that it is almost impossible to appraise its current value. For reference, one sold over a year ago on eBay for over 8,000 euros and its condition was far from perfect, with one of the box tabs torn off. Can you imagine the amount that a copy in perfect condition could reach at auction?
Batman Forever SNES
Special mention should be made of one limited edition especially rare that it came to the PAL market through the Woolworths supermarket chain at a time when limited editions were not common. Is about Batman Forever Limited Edition, consisting of the game, a VHS with the Making-of of the film, Batman’s diary and some extras such as stickers, served in a nice big box. It is very rare and the box is especially fragile, besides that it is not always complete, so it is very difficult to put a price on it, but in perfect condition, you should not be surprised to see it above the 2,000 euros.
If you are interested in the world of video game collectingbut it scares you to see these prices, don’t worry, in 3DJuegos we give you 6 quick tips to collect video games without dying trying. And if you want to know more about this exciting hobby, we give you the Keys to understanding how collecting has developedthe passion that drags and the risks that it entails.
