Rarest PS2 Games

[PDorr3]

In your opinions, what are the rarest and hardest to find ps2 games?
Here are the games that I own that I think are a bit harder to find than all others:

Shadow Hearts
Theme Park: Roller Coaster
OKAGE: Shadow King
Klonoa 2
Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland
Orphen

Im still trying to find Rez, one of the rarest US ps2 games right now...

[neotokeo2001]

How about Sub-Rebellion?

That game has disappered fast.

Shadow Hearts was a Great game. The graphics were a little dated but still looked good. Check out the sequel:
http://www.the-magicbox.com/game062103a.htm

I hope it gets a release here.

[dave2236]

Can't you find REZ games all over Ebay? A local used store had on for $30 and I passed because when I looked it up on ebay they were only selling for $25-30.

I nominate Activision Anthology, I'm willing to bet in a couple of years you won't see that game much.

I don't see Summoner 2 much either

[norkusa]

OKAGE: Shadow King is rare??? I was just at Best Buy and they had a huge stack of them. Think they were $30 each.

[mikeetler]

Harvest Moon, Orphen & Okage are readilly available at every Toys R Us I've been in lately. They are located on the SVG "value rack" located outside of most R-Zones and are $19.99 ea.

[hezeuschrist]

I'm gonna have to nominate: None. There just aren't many rares, yet, it's young. Maybe Gradius III & IV, but all the games listed in this thread are easily available at any number of Gamestops, flooded on ebay, or just downright available at the regular retail stores (Best Buy, FYE, ect).

[kainemaxwell]

What about Suikoden 3?

[jonjandran]

What about Suikoden 3?

Wasn't that re-released ?

[Starcade]

lol, somehow by accident I got Klonoa 2, and I am replaying it now, last year, I asked my mom for "PS2 games", thats all i said, she was about to leave to go Christmas shopping, and got me that game, at first I though, bah, what a shitty game, but when I actually played it, I found it to be a wonderful game! :)

[Trellisaze]

I'll also nominate Gradius III/IV. I don't ever recall seeing it, although that might just be a Canada thing.

I wonder if Shadow of Destiny and Disaster Report can be added, especially since I don't remember ever seeing them outside of a gaming-only shop.

[D_N_G]

RAD: Robot Alchemic Drive

[Kid Fenris]

Is Orphen that rare? It was a launch title, and I seem to recall that every store had stacks of it back in 2000. Even today, you can get it for ten bucks or so at any EB or GameStop.

[PDorr3]

like i said those are just MY OPINIONS, we all have different games in our area's where we live.

[zmeston]

like i said those are just MY OPINIONS, we all have different games in our area's where we live.

But the whole point of asking about rarity is to solicit additional and expert opinions, thus determining which games are genuinely rare and which aren't. Isn't it? I mean, just because I can't find Pitfall! in any local thrifts doesn't mean it's rare, or that I should pay $60 for it if I do.

And hezeuschrist (may I call you "heezy to the neezy"?) is right: there isn't a single truly rare PS2 title, and probably never will be one -- certainly not by Golden Age standards, anyway.

-- Z.

[jonjandran]

like i said those are just MY OPINIONS, we all have different games in our area's where we live.

But the whole point of asking about rarity is to solicit additional and expert opinions, thus determining which games are genuinely rare and which aren't. Isn't it? I mean, just because I can't find Pitfall! in any local thrifts doesn't mean it's rare, or that I should pay $60 for it if I do.

And hezeuschrist (may I call you "heezy to the neezy"?) is right: there isn't a single truly rare PS2 title, and probably never will be one -- certainly not by Golden Age standards, anyway.

-- Z.

I beg to differ. Being CD and DVD based games , they will get scratched up where they won't play or otherwise ruined and will be hard to find. As opposed to carts and hu-cards that will probally withstand much more abuse.

[zmeston]

like i said those are just MY OPINIONS, we all have different games in our area's where we live.

But the whole point of asking about rarity is to solicit additional and expert opinions, thus determining which games are genuinely rare and which aren't. Isn't it? I mean, just because I can't find Pitfall! in any local thrifts doesn't mean it's rare, or that I should pay $60 for it if I do.

And hezeuschrist (may I call you "heezy to the neezy"?) is right: there isn't a single truly rare PS2 title, and probably never will be one -- certainly not by Golden Age standards, anyway.

-- Z.

I beg to differ. Being CD and DVD based games , they will get scratched up where they won't play or otherwise ruined and will be hard to find. As opposed to carts and hu-cards that will probally withstand much more abuse.

I cannot foresee a day when even the least common PS2 title fetches half as much as, for example, any of two dozen truly rare VCS cartridges. Even the "smallest" print runs of a modern game is multiple thousands of copies. (The smallest run I've heard of in years was Cubivore for the GameCube, at 5,000 copies.)

And are you implying that almost every copy of almost every PS2 title in current release will be "scratched up" to the point where it doesn't play, thus making the precious few untouched copies that much more valuable? That seems incredibly unlikely.

How much are the rarest/most expensive CD games going for, anyway? A couple hundred bucks? Or are there any CD games that rival cart games for rarity/pricing? If I'm talking out of my butt here, please correct me with the quickness.

-- Z.

[Kid Fenris]

I cannot foresee a day when even the least common PS2 title fetches half as much as, for example, any of two dozen truly rare VCS cartridges. Even the "smallest" print runs of a modern game is multiple thousands of copies. (The smallest run I've heard of in years was Cubivore for the GameCube, at 5,000 copies.)

And are you implying that almost every copy of almost every PS2 title in current release will be "scratched up" to the point where it doesn't play, thus making the precious few untouched copies that much more valuable? That seems incredibly unlikely.

How much are the rarest/most expensive CD games going for, anyway? A couple hundred for Radiant Silvergun, Panzer Dragoon Saga, Final Bout, or Fox Hunt? Or are there any CD game that rival cart games for rarity/pricing? If I'm talking out of my butt here, please correct me with the quickness.

-- Z.

Good question. I think that Sapphire for the TurboDuo routinely fetches about $500 to $600 or something, but that's the only high-price CD title that I can recall right now.

[PDorr3]

like i said those are just MY OPINIONS, we all have different games in our area's where we live.

But the whole point of asking about rarity is to solicit additional and expert opinions, thus determining which games are genuinely rare and which aren't. Isn't it? I mean, just because I can't find Pitfall! in any local thrifts doesn't mean it's rare, or that I should pay $60 for it if I do.

And hezeuschrist (may I call you "heezy to the neezy"?) is right: there isn't a single truly rare PS2 title, and probably never will be one -- certainly not by Golden Age standards, anyway.

-- Z.

Yes, but did you even READ my 1st post? i clearly stated that there are simple OPINIONS, not expert advice that should be taken seriouly. Its a simple topic that just asks peoples opinions on what they think are the "not so common" ps2 titles that you cannot walk into a normal everyday store that has videogames for sale and find.
Do not bash my topic until you read it correctly, ty.

[jonjandran]

like i said those are just MY OPINIONS, we all have different games in our area's where we live.

But the whole point of asking about rarity is to solicit additional and expert opinions, thus determining which games are genuinely rare and which aren't. Isn't it? I mean, just because I can't find Pitfall! in any local thrifts doesn't mean it's rare, or that I should pay $60 for it if I do.

And hezeuschrist (may I call you "heezy to the neezy"?) is right: there isn't a single truly rare PS2 title, and probably never will be one -- certainly not by Golden Age standards, anyway.

-- Z.

I beg to differ. Being CD and DVD based games , they will get scratched up where they won't play or otherwise ruined and will be hard to find. As opposed to carts and hu-cards that will probally withstand much more abuse.

I cannot foresee a day when even the least common PS2 title fetches half as much as, for example, any of two dozen truly rare VCS cartridges. Even the "smallest" print runs of a modern game is multiple thousands of copies. (The smallest run I've heard of in years was Cubivore for the GameCube, at 5,000 copies.)

And are you implying that almost every copy of almost every PS2 title in current release will be "scratched up" to the point where it doesn't play, thus making the precious few untouched copies that much more valuable? That seems incredibly unlikely.

How much are the rarest/most expensive CD games going for, anyway? A couple hundred bucks? Or are there any CD games that rival cart games for rarity/pricing? If I'm talking out of my butt here, please correct me with the quickness.

-- Z.

Boy this sure is a lot of quotes in quotes.
But anyway , It 's kind of hard to forsee the future but what I was pointing out is that the games get scratched and people throw them away. I myself have thrown away at least 60 or so ps1 ps2 dreamcast games. I just don't see them lasting as long as carts. And also who would have thought snes or nes carts would be getting rare ? Most of those had print runs near 100,000 or more.

[zmeston]

Yes, but did you even READ my 1st post? i clearly stated that there are simple OPINIONS, not expert advice that should be taken seriouly. Its a simple topic that just asks peoples opinions on what they think are the "not so common" ps2 titles that you cannot walk into a normal everyday store that has videogames for sale and find.
Do not bash my topic until you read it correctly, ty.

Yes, I read your first post. No, I'm not bashing your topic -- just wondering why you got defensive over Kid Fenris pointing out that Orphen is hardly rare. You asked for opinions, received one from him, then defensively re-stated, "like i said those are just MY OPINIONS, we all have different games in our area's where we live." Perhaps you were defensive because KF is stating fact, not opinion? I dunno. In any case, sorry to offend.

-- Z.

[zmeston]

Boy this sure is a lot of quotes in quotes.
But anyway , It 's kind of hard to forsee the future but what I was pointing out is that the games get scratched and people throw them away. I myself have thrown away at least 60 or so ps1 ps2 dreamcast games. I just don't see them lasting as long as carts. And also who would have thought snes or nes carts would be getting rare ? Most of those had print runs near 100,000 or more.

You've thrown away 60 CD games?! Were these your own games, or games you'd purchased used, or what?

Which rare NES/SNES carts are you referring to with initial print runs of 100,000+?

-- Z.

[PDorr3]

yes i understand you are stating one of your own "opinions" but you started off by trying to disprove the whole point of my topic, but anyway, i would appreciate if you did not visit this post anymore, but back on topic...

damn! i seen a gradius 3/4 in a kay bee toys a few months ago for 20$....too bad i didnt get it, i was about to too!

[jonjandran]

yes i understand you are stating one of your own "opinions" but you started off by trying to disprove the whole point of my topic, but anyway, i would appreciate if you did not visit this post anymore, but back on topic...

damn! i seen a gradius 3/4 in a kay bee toys a few months ago for 20$....too bad i didnt get it, i was about to too!

Yikes !! New here and already making friends . LOL
Oh well it's just games right ? :-D

[jonjandran]

Boy this sure is a lot of quotes in quotes.
But anyway , It 's kind of hard to forsee the future but what I was pointing out is that the games get scratched and people throw them away. I myself have thrown away at least 60 or so ps1 ps2 dreamcast games. I just don't see them lasting as long as carts. And also who would have thought snes or nes carts would be getting rare ? Most of those had print runs near 100,000 or more.

You've thrown away 60 CD games?! Were these your own games, or games you'd purchased used, or what?

Which rare NES/SNES carts are you referring to with initial print runs of 100,000+?

-- Z.


I buy a bunch of lots on E-Bay and get games that won't work and I don't want to pay to get them re-surfaced. Oh and the kids sometimes scratch them. LOL
And I guess when I said rare it all depends on your view of rare. I really just meant ones that go for more on E-Bay.

[zmeston]

I buy a bunch of lots on E-Bay and get games that won't work and I don't want to pay to get them re-surfaced. Oh and the kids sometimes scratch them. LOL

Ah, children, the bane of all collectors. Heh. Thanks for clarifying.


And I guess when I said rare it all depends on your view of rare. I really just meant ones that go for more on E-Bay.

Gotcha. I was just curious what you might know about NES/SNES print-run numbers, since I'm only familiar with a precious few of those figures.

-- Z.

[dave2236]

jonjandran, man don't throw away your disks. Get them resurfaced. OR if you have bad ones I'll give you 2 buck apiece for them.


Also has anyone seen a copy of City Crisis lately?

[Ed Oscuro]

What a mess of a topic...I see lots of people going on about things and lots of people sort of missing the point of each other's posts. Careful reading helps avoid this sort of thing.

I think it would help to..step back and think about what we mean by "rare." Yep, certainly not rare by "Golden" age standards or even as late as Nintendo 64 standards, and I think even the amount PS1 titles have lost value is nothing compared to what might happen with current generation stuff.

I honestly believe current generation titles will lose value unlike anything we've yet seen. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for an example of a not too rare (?) PS1 title that's climbing back into the $50 range, but I think that should end with PS2 titles. People are odd and sometimes spend lots of money on stuff that's really not that rare, but think about this:

It's all about the laws of supply and demand a few years on. Supply stays up; demand will drop enough within a few years that finding sealed copies of PS2 games on the cheap should probably (hopefully) prove easier than falling of a log.

[PDorr3]

good point....
certain ps2 games will start becoming "rare/hard to find" when ps3 comes out, and eventualy production of ps2 games comes to an end.

[scooterb23]

I would agree that it is early to be determining absolute rare games...but for sure some trends can be seen.

Has anybody seen Disney Golf for PS2 in a store recently??

I meant to pick it up, now it's gone...

[PDorr3]

wow, never even knew a game like that existed....

[Queen Of The Felines]

but anyway, i would appreciate if you did not visit this post anymore!

You have no idea who zmeston is, do you? LOL

You might want to go check this thread too.

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8856

Kristine

[zmeston]

but anyway, i would appreciate if you did not visit this post anymore!

You have no idea who zmeston is, do you? LOL

You might want to go check this thread too.

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8856

Kristine

No, no, it's fine for him to tell me to buzz off. No kid-gloves treatment required or expected. Just treat me as you would any other member of the forums, albeit a damn good-looking one.

-- Z.

[PDorr3]

ihate writers, always g2 make their posts a poetic piece LOL

[brandver3]

I would like to say that there won't be stuff going for $5000 dollars. And most certainly nothing like Video Life, but there will more then likely be a few games that will fetch some higer prices later.

Most certainly Rez. That game is hard enough to find as it is. But a few years from now.

Another I think that will be worth a penny or two is Gitaroo Man. It was a lower print run, and it was good. Generally rare games that suck don't fetch nearly the price rare good games do.

[hamburgler]

Deffinitly REZ is rare

[hezeuschrist]

I saw Rez sittin in FYE the other day, new. It's also readily available in Gamestop, as is Fatal Frame, Suikoden III, ect.

[Kid Fenris]

ihate writers, always g2 make their posts a poetic piece LOL

Yeah, with their grammer and flasiness.

[Captain Wrong]

And I guess when I said rare it all depends on your view of rare. I really just meant ones that go for more on E-Bay.

To pour more gas on the fire...I'd hardly say a game going for $$$ on eBay qualifies it as rare. My favorite example, Radiant Silvergun. Consistently goes for $150+ but there's always a copy in reach. Not to say you can walk down to Funco and pick it up, but there's almost always 1 or 2 on eBay. I don't really see that as rare at all.

It's really too early to determine what PS2 games are truely "rare" as the conversation here shows. Games seem to pop up more in one area than another, but I don't think there's a single PS2 game that you couldn't find with a little looking. Even the late pressed and low run Dreamcast games Bangia-O and Record of Lodoss War are fairly easy to come by (saw a ROLW at EB for $14 last week.)

And...


Yeah, with their grammer and flasiness.

just made my day. Thanks!

[Nature Boy]

It probably *is* too early to talk about PS2 this way but it *is* fun, so I'll jump in.

I don't think I've seen a copy of Rez around here since it was released. Fatal Frame is still around though, mostly used (I played the demo of that way back - seemed pretty cool actually).

I don't ever see Gradius III/IV. I can't even remember seeing this for sale in the first place to be honest.

A game that puzzles me is Fantavision. Lousy game, launch day title (so the installed base is low), so you'd figure it would've had a short run, and yet it's still for sale *everywhere* (at $10). Can't give the thing away (I still haven't got one).

[jonjandran]

I don't ever see Gradius III/IV. I can't even remember seeing this for sale in the first place to be honest.



Saw one in a Pawn Shop yesterday for $15.00 . Should I have bought it ?

[zmeston]

A game that puzzles me is Fantavision. Lousy game, launch day title (so the installed base is low), so you'd figure it would've had a short run, and yet it's still for sale *everywhere* (at $10). Can't give the thing away (I still haven't got one).

You see it everywhere for the same reason you see huge piles of almost every other PS2 launch title -- because third parties manufactured tons of games in anticipation of huge sales, and were badly burned by the PS2 "hardware shortage." Also, the only two PS2 launch titles that sold in anysignificant quantities were Madden (tons) and SSX (quite a bunch). Everything else flopped hard. Trust me on this -- our launch title at Working Designs, Gungriffon Blaze, was the second-worst-selling of the batch, beating out only Q-Ball.

-- Z.

[Nature Boy]

You see it everywhere for the same reason you see huge piles of almost every other PS2 launch title -- because third parties manufactured tons of games in anticipation of huge sales, and were badly burned by the PS2 "hardware shortage." Also, the only two PS2 launch titles that sold in anysignificant quantities were Madden (tons) and SSX (quite a bunch). Everything else flopped hard. Trust me on this -- our launch title at Working Designs, Gungriffon Blaze, was the second-worst-selling of the batch, beating out only Q-Ball.

Didn't know that. I'd've guessed those first print runs would've been much lower, since the installed base was obviously lower. Forgot about the 'shortages' and never made the connection to the poor publishers :)

I'm amazed Fantavision beat *any* game in sales, let alone two of them. Fantavision must've been *massively* produced (either I'm missing it or I don't much see GGB or QB for sale anymore (maybe GGB is in one of those Walmart 'value packs' though)).

So even Tekken flopped? Kinda suprises me. Then again, of my three launch day titles one *was* SSX - and I bet a lot of others would say the same. It was, in my opinion, easily the best launch game available.

[bargora]

A game that puzzles me is Fantavision. Lousy game, launch day title (so the installed base is low), so you'd figure it would've had a short run, and yet it's still for sale *everywhere* (at $10). Can't give the thing away (I still haven't got one).
I picked one up for $6 a few months ago, despite the Funco clerk warning me off, even at that price! The game is...innovative, but not that much fun. Well, I didn't play it long enough to say, really. Maybe it grows on you.


You see it [Fantavision] everywhere for the same reason you see huge piles of almost every other PS2 launch title -- because third parties manufactured tons of games in anticipation of huge sales, and were badly burned by the PS2 "hardware shortage." Also, the only two PS2 launch titles that sold in anysignificant quantities were Madden (tons) and SSX (quite a bunch). Everything else flopped hard. Trust me on this -- our launch title at Working Designs, Gungriffon Blaze, was the second-worst-selling of the batch, beating out only Q-Ball.

-- Z.
That's too bad. Gungriffon Blaze really wasn't a bad game at all. I remember the critics bitching about it being too short, but I liked it. But then, I didn't pick it up new, either.

Does anybody know how many copies of Ico and Rez were produced?

[zmeston]

Didn't know that. I'd've guessed those first print runs would've been much lower, since the installed base was obviously lower. Forgot about the 'shortages' and never made the connection to the poor publishers :)

Publishers (other than EA) took a beating mostly because of the shortage, but a little because they bought into the PS2 hype and figured every PS2 purchaser would grab four or five games instead of one (Madden) or two (Madden and SSX). WD didn't overmanufacture as much as others; I think our initial and only run of GGB was about 25,000 units, which I helped pack up and ship off from a dirty, nasty little warehouse in the Bay Area. The joys of working for a small publisher!


I'm amazed Fantavision beat *any* game in sales, let alone two of them. Fantavision must've been *massively* produced (either I'm missing it or I don't much see GGB or QB for sale anymore (maybe GGB is in one of those Walmart 'value packs' though)).

I always see massive piles of GGB and QB at the Fry's electronic superstore in Sacramento, even though they've long since dropped the price to $20, but perhaps they just overstocked more than other retailers.


So even Tekken flopped? Kinda suprises me. Then again, of my three launch day titles one *was* SSX - and I bet a lot of others would say the same. It was, in my opinion, easily the best launch game available.

I don't think Tekken Tag flopped, exactly -- it did fine over the long term -- but Madden and SSX sold many more copies in the launch window. Up 'til Xmas 2000, Madden was selling roughly one copy for every two PS2s, and SSX about one copy for every four or five PS2s. Just insane ratios, like what-Atari-thought-would-happen-with-E.T. ratios. I think the #3 title was roughly one for every ten PS2s.

Totally agreed that SSX was the best launch title; it took over the WD offices, and wrenched us away from our usual productivity-destroying pinball sessions, for many weeks.

-- Z.

[zmeston]

That's too bad. Gungriffon Blaze really wasn't a bad game at all. I remember the critics bitching about it being too short, but I liked it. But then, I didn't pick it up new, either.

It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great, either, and it WAS too short. Capcom published GGB in Japan but passed on it for the States, which is when WD snapped it up. Unfortunately, the Gungriffon franchise had zero Stateside recognition, and WD's fans wanted RPGs, not 'mech games. GGB also has really poor foil-stamped packaging that surely didn't help it any with the hare-brained masses.

-- Z.

[Arcade Antics]

I picked one up for $6 a few months ago, despite the Funco clerk warning me off, even at that price! The game is...innovative, but not that much fun. Well, I didn't play it long enough to say, really. Maybe it grows on you.

You've already seen everything Fantavision has to offer - you're right on the money. It's really nothing more than a fireworks demo. You can really "try" and play hard and you wind up getting the same scores as you would if you just sit there and let the game play itself. It's not fun because there's literally nothing to do - it's like "playing" a screensaver. :)

[Sylentwulf]

Skimming through all the petty squabbling. Here's my 2 cents for hard to find games.

Fatal Frame
Suikoden 3
Rez