Are SNES Game Prices Finally Going Down?

[Gunstar Hero]

I remember looking at eBay probably 2 months ago and being shocked at how ridiculous the prices had gotten for SNES games. Today I was searching for some games and noticed something amazing. The prices were much, much lower than even a month ago. Earthbound had sold for $120 or $130 as opposed to last months upwards of $200 if I remember correctly. Also I remember Super Metroid for $45 and now it's BIN for $25. I've noticed the change with many SNES games. Hopefully saying this doesn't jinx anything but I am certainly happy that the insanity with pricing may be over.

[PizzaKat]

I checked Turtles in Time and it seems to have dropped as well. Wild Guns on the other hand is rather expensive. I sure hope this is the case. Maybe people realized their paying premium prices for very old software. Not to bash the games, Im willing to pay something I want but I'm not going overboard for it. Especially for common games.

[Dr. BaconStein]

Mega Man 7, X2, and X3 are still pretty high. :(

[Rickstilwell1]

Now watch Nintendo 64 and GameCube go up in price as SNES goes down.

[bigbacon]

when i can get contra 3 for like less than 15 bucks, then I'll be happy.

[sloan]

I hope so. It has never made sense that a game can have 2 pages of auctions and every one is priced at $40 or above. Simple rules of supply and demand would seem to dictate that there is ample supply, so how do those prices artificially remain so high?

[spman]

The bubble will burst eventually, the only think propping up these artificially high prices are the speculators that all came out of the ground after Stadium Events sold for $10,000 and started buying up anything and everything. With a few exceptions, even the rarest of the rare games had no less than 25,000 copies printed. Many expensive titles, stuff like Turtles in Time, a lot of PS1 RPGs, first party Nintendo titles, etc. had millions, some even tens of millions of copies that were printed and sold, there should be enough copies of these games out there for everyone that wants one today to have two of them. The current high prices are not a function of supply and demand, it's just a problem with the supply chain.

I think we've already seen prices on NES and SNES games peak, and interest is starting to decline amongst the casual gamers. Eventually the prices will settle like they did with Atari, prices on he common stuff will tank, while the rare stuff will always be expensive, possibly less so. In Earthbound's case, the fact that it was finally released on the Virtual Console, even if it is on a console that no one has much interest in.

[SparTonberry]

With a few exceptions, even the rarest of the rare games had no less than 25,000 copies printed.

I'm guessing it's in your "few exceptions" but Nintendo Power reported Tecmo Super Bowl II had a 15,000 copy print run (obviously SNES, no idea if the Genesis version was also limited). Awhile ago I found an old Quintet page that said only 20,000 copies of Robotrek were sold. (so that would make it rarer than Ogre Battle, yet OB has always been a high-priced game while I probably only paid like $8 for my Robotrek cart years ago at GameStop)

[spman]

I'm guessing it's in your "few exceptions" but Nintendo Power reported Tecmo Super Bowl II had a 15,000 copy print run (obviously SNES, no idea if the Genesis version was also limited). Awhile ago I found an old Quintet page that said only 20,000 copies of Robotrek were sold. (so that would make it rarer than Ogre Battle, yet OB has always been a high-priced game while I probably only paid like $8 for my Robotrek cart years ago at GameStop)

Sold is different than printed though. There had to be a minimum order for a game to be printed, just to cover the cost of running the factory. There are still discoveries from time to time of brand new copies of games previously thought to be super rare, where someone finds an abandoned warehouse of overstock merchandise from an old retailer that never sold. There's still plenty of discoveries to be made out there.

[Dr. BaconStein]

I remember hearing that once a game is released digitally, the original game tends to drop in price. Earthbound was just released on Nintendo's eShop this year, so maybe that's what drove its price back down a bit.

[sparf]

Earthbound is finally available to people easily, cheaply, and in a form that doesn't require them to invest any significant time or effort into making a system available to play the original ON. It also satisfies the people to whom ROMs are either unknown or anathema. So it's natural that that will reduce the demand a little and thus reduce the cost (even though there's no real correlation between rarity and cost on that game, that I know of).

Hopefully the "VIDJAGAMES=MONEY" days are going to slow down and things will settle, at least on the NES/SNES.

[wiggyx]

Now watch Nintendo 64 and GameCube go up in price as SNES goes down.

Already have been. I made sure to pick up every N64 I would ever want this past year for just that reason. I've been watching prices slowly start creeping up, and I'm sick of the insane SNES prices keeping me from picking up the last 20 or so must-have games on my list, so I figured I would try to get ahead of the curve :)


Fucking EVO is still going up in price. Suddenly the 100 or so bucks that it was going for about a year ago doesn't seem so unreasonable, and that's only by contrast to current prices :(

[Atarileaf]

Gamecube stuff has been high for at least a year already and it will get higher now. Just around the time I started getting into the system, of course.

[TheRetroVideoGameAddict]

I've noticed a dip in price for certain titles but all in all SNES prices are still super high compared to what they should be. A Typical SNES games would seriously be like $5-$7 with top tier titles and popular games going for $10-$12 and rares going for collectors prices, there is absolutely no reason that Super Mario World should be over $12 and Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past should be like $20+ on eBay or in shoppes.

I do have the feeling that over all prices with SNES games will comes down over time, but not for a while. There is still a rabid market for SNES and NES collectors and people are just willing to pay too much which is helping to keep these prices higher than they should be.

[SparTonberry]

Already have been. I made sure to pick up every N64 I would ever want this past year for just that reason. I've been watching prices slowly start creeping up, and I'm sick of the insane SNES prices keeping me from picking up the last 20 or so must-have games on my list, so I figured I would try to get ahead of the curve :)


Fucking EVO is still going up in price. Suddenly the 100 or so bucks that it was going for about a year ago doesn't seem so unreasonable, and that's only by contrast to current prices :(

I sucked it up and bought a cart when it was $50 (I'd say... 2009, maybe?), even though that was more than I wanted to pay. Hate to think what it is now.

[Natty Bumppo]

I think any price drops have more to do with the reality of the economy than anything else - despite pronouncements that things are getting better I seriously doubt they are. This results in a lot of people just not having the disposable income to buy stuff on ebay (or anywhere else for that matter). I don't pay much attention to game prices (mostly because I have most of what I want already) but I do actively check a lot of other categories that I collect and aside from premium items (for the most part - there are still some things that have a mystique despite being pretty common) prices are way done - for example some chess sets that used to routinely fetch $300 or so now generally have been going for a bit under $100. (We are talking the exact same sets.)

What always fascinates/befuddles me are the sellers that continually put astronomical prices on a strictly buy it now basis that don't have any bearing whatsoever (unless it is to multiply by 4 or 5 times) on current prices received at bona fide auctions (not even in the past at the peak of things).

I don't see the trend getting any better until the economy actually gets better (rather than being claimed via smoke and mirrors) - which is unlikely IMHO since neither party really has a clue as to what to do about the mess we are in. (Not trying to start a political/economic discussion here - just saying I don't expect things to get better in the next decade or so.)

If one does have the wherewithal to buy things it is a great time to do so if you are selective about what you pick up.

[Drclaw411]

I bet the end of this console generation has something to do with it. I've certainly slowed down my purchasing as I save money for the PS4 and Xbox One.

[bigbacon]

What always fascinates/befuddles me are the sellers that continually put astronomical prices on a strictly buy it now basis that don't have any bearing whatsoever (unless it is to multiply by 4 or 5 times) on current prices received at bona fide auctions (not even in the past at the peak of things).



i love these also, especially the ones with the VGA graded crap that they slap up there for like 1000+ dollars for no reason what so ever. Who the hell the going to pay like 2500 dollars for a graded cheap ass common game which you could probably get CIB for 10-20 dollars.

[Natty Bumppo]

Who the hell the going to pay like 2500 dollars for a graded cheap ass common game which you could probably get CIB for 10-20 dollars. No doubt the same people that believe something is rare, incredibly rare, extremely rare or ultra rare strictly because (apparently) the seller has designated it so.

[bigbacon]

No doubt the same people that believe something is rare, incredibly rare, extremely rare or ultra rare strictly because (apparently) the seller has designated it so.

lol, I've tried that a few times....it never works.

[bigbacon]

No doubt the same people that believe something is rare, incredibly rare, extremely rare or ultra rare strictly because (apparently) the seller has designated it so.

lol, I've tried that a few times....it never works.

[Koa Zo]

I bet the end of this console generation has something to do with it. I've certainly slowed down my purchasing as I save money for the PS4 and Xbox One.
This.

I've seen it 3 times over now. People ramp up retro purchases at the end of one generation, and then as the next generation release nears retro purchases slow.
Also ebay sales always seem to taper-off as a new school years gets going. Then there will be some peaks around Thanksgiving and the winter holidays.

[M.Buster2184]

Even though I don't collect much for the SNES anymore, I think it's good for the hobby if the game prices come down and get more realistic. I'd 100% agree that N64 and GameCube games are going up. Recently i've seen what I thought were relatively common games like Luigi's Mansion going for $30-$40.

[spman]

The spike in Luigi's Mansion's price was caused by the release of the 3DS sequel, but it was really only a temporary spike, used prices have already dropped. I sold several copies for $45 or so about 6 months ago, now it goes for less than $20.

[kupomogli]

Now watch Nintendo 64 and GameCube go up in price as SNES goes down.

That's okay. Those two systems don't have very many good games. Anyone who is collecting for those probably already has everything worth collecting :P.

[Tanooki]

When annoyingly price stuff like aerofighters comes down near 200 instead of over 300 I might start buying into a price drop. Certain games wobble, I'd like to see consistency.

[ApolloBoy]

Mega Man 7, X2, and X3 are still pretty high. :(
Mainly because those three are legitimately hard to find, I wanted those games as a kid back in the late 90s when I first started collecting and I could never really find them for cheap.

[SparTonberry]

X2 was originally one of the more expensive games, probably because of the Cx4 (I recall it was like $70-75 when SNES games averaged $60).
7 and X3 were released when Capcom USA didn't really care anymore about 16-bit.

[Tanooki]

I don't agree that Capcom didn't care anymore once X2 rolled out, I think they cared quite a bit, but they were just more cautious in production numbers realizing as they would far before consumers that Sega and Sony had something up their sleeves. Mega Man X2 was a $60 game in my area, I remember it, and it wasn't the only as MM7 and MMX3 were too, but that wasn't the end of Capcom. If you recall they cared enough to release Street Fighter Alpha 2 in 1996 AFTER the N64 and Mario 64 had hit the market and they wanted $60 for that one because of that big SDD1 mass compression chip it and only Star Ocean otherwise used in Japan. They put good effort into what they bothered with, even if MMX as a series was played out already a bit story wise between 2 and 3. MM7 was a solid effort and SFA2 was surprisingly good given the hardware (SNES) it was put on.

[spman]

Megaman X2 has been expensive forever, I remember it being a $120 game at Funcoland in 1999 and trading mine in for $85 in credit.

[Gameguy]

When annoyingly price stuff like aerofighters comes down near 200 instead of over 300 I might start buying into a price drop. Certain games wobble, I'd like to see consistency.
Everytime I see someone mention Aero Fighters I get annoyed because I remember passing on a copy for $4.99 plus tax years ago. I didn't even have a SNES console at the time so I didn't remember much about that game, only when I looked it up back home did I start kicking myself. Add it to the list of games I've passed on for cheap prices, including Earthbound, and Zombie Nation for NES. At that time I didn't buy any game for more than $5 total, unless I knew for sure it was something special.

[PizzaKat]

Aerofighters. What the heck? This game is so expensive. Why? Was it one of the last games made? Is it the best game ever made? I'm stymied.

[spman]

Everytime I see someone mention Aero Fighters I get annoyed because I remember passing on a copy for $4.99 plus tax years ago. I didn't even have a SNES console at the time so I didn't remember much about that game, only when I looked it up back home did I start kicking myself. Add it to the list of games I've passed on for cheap prices, including Earthbound, and Zombie Nation for NES. At that time I didn't buy any game for more than $5 total, unless I knew for sure it was something special.

Zombie Nation is one that makes no sense to me at all. The game is NOT rare or hard to find, or at least never used to be, and the game itself is total crap.

[Gameguy]

Zombie Nation is one that makes no sense to me at all. The game is NOT rare or hard to find, or at least never used to be, and the game itself is total crap.
Add SCAT to that list, I actually had this game from a bundle and sold it for $5. Now it shot up to around $60 for some reason. More annoyances.

[Pikkon]

Aerofighters. What the heck? This game is so expensive. Why? Was it one of the last games made? Is it the best game ever made? I'm stymied.
The prices on ebay are insane but the japanese version is around 25 to 30 bucks.

[Tanooki]

Everytime I see someone mention Aero Fighters I get annoyed because I remember passing on a copy for $4.99 plus tax years ago. I didn't even have a SNES console at the time so I didn't remember much about that game, only when I looked it up back home did I start kicking myself. Add it to the list of games I've passed on for cheap prices, including Earthbound, and Zombie Nation for NES. At that time I didn't buy any game for more than $5 total, unless I knew for sure it was something special.

Aerofighters is a regret loaded thorn in my ass bluntly put. I had a a decade ago, hit hard times, sold off around 1000 games and a dozen systems roughly speaking as I was through unemployment, had to debt myself 5K to start a small part time business teaching while working at the racetrack for 2 years straight with no days off to break even most months so games went to get new games or pay bills. I had got the game back in the mid-late 90s for $10 with all the papers short of the box. Everytime I see it at $300+ I want to punch the imaginary person(s) I envision in my mind in the face that drove the price up. It's not a widely mass produced game, but it's not super scarce and it wasn't a rental only like Hagane supposedly was. It shows up as often as another semi-rarity called Kendo Rage (a goofy japanese side scroller platformer game with a girl and a sword.) That game rolls around the $10-20 range, $30 on a dumb BIN with all the paper/box. Aerofighters is a $300 cart, no justice, and while it's a very nice shooter, it's not excellent by any means like a few others. It's just fanboy bullshit hype and the reseller predators that pray on it. Personally in the retail environment I've seen as many of those as Earthbound over the years. Video game speculators are getting beyond annoying, and the sooner the bottom falls out on some of their schemes the better.

[SparTonberry]

I don't agree that Capcom didn't care anymore once X2 rolled out, I think they cared quite a bit, but they were just more cautious in production numbers realizing as they would far before consumers that Sega and Sony had something up their sleeves. Mega Man X2 was a $60 game in my area, I remember it, and it wasn't the only as MM7 and MMX3 were too, but that wasn't the end of Capcom. If you recall they cared enough to release Street Fighter Alpha 2 in 1996 AFTER the N64 and Mario 64 had hit the market and they wanted $60 for that one because of that big SDD1 mass compression chip it and only Star Ocean otherwise used in Japan. They put good effort into what they bothered with, even if MMX as a series was played out already a bit story wise between 2 and 3. MM7 was a solid effort and SFA2 was surprisingly good given the hardware (SNES) it was put on.

Maybe Capcom Japan was still interested, but Capcom USA wasn't.
I can remember very well when Nintendo Power announced in early 1995 (Pak Watch, I want to say in the spring) ,after X2 was out, that Capcom was canceling the NA release of MM7 because of a lack of interest in 16-bit.
Probably because they realized the 32-bit market was too new to depend on, Capcom announced five SNES games (MM7, X3, BoF2, Final Fight 3, Marvel War of the Gems) for release the following Christmas season with ads "Long Live the Super NES". And that was the last SNES games we saw from them in NA. (so much for "long living" :P )
Nintendo published SFA2 outside Japan.
Even checking scans of Nintendo Power in 1995, I believe Capcom was uncertain if they wanted to release BoF2 either.

[wiggyx]

Everytime I see someone mention Aero Fighters I get annoyed because I remember passing on a copy for $4.99 plus tax years ago. I didn't even have a SNES console at the time so I didn't remember much about that game, only when I looked it up back home did I start kicking myself. Add it to the list of games I've passed on for cheap prices, including Earthbound, and Zombie Nation for NES. At that time I didn't buy any game for more than $5 total, unless I knew for sure it was something special.

This. Why the fuck is that game so pricey now?! Does anyone have some decent insight?

[Pikointeractive]

Prices are not going down. Why? People that bought at high price, will sell it at high price. Even if the game has been released digitally, the physical media will be high priced. Just look how the variant collectors pay for a variant.

[jperryss]

Prices are not going down. Why? People that bought at high price, will sell it at high price. Even if the game has been released digitally, the physical media will be high priced. Just look how the variant collectors pay for a variant.

Not everyone is a collector, some people buy games just because they want to play them.

The OP is right and Earthbound is a great example since it's price has skyrocketed in the past 4 years and people had insisted that it would never see a VC release.

Now someone that might've spent $150 on an Earthbound cart just to play it can now instead grab it on the VC for 1/10th the price. That means one less person bidding on Earthbound carts and, in theory, lower overall winning bid prices as there are fewer people fighting over them.

That's how supply and demand works. What world do you live in where used items never drop in value?

[ApolloBoy]

This. Why the fuck is that game so pricey now?! Does anyone have some decent insight?
It's always been fairly pricey, mainly because it had a low production run.

[SparTonberry]

I can remember passing it up when it was easily bought for about $40 BIN on ebay (maybe 5 years ago?).
Once it hit a hundred is when I bought a loose Sonic Wings for like $12.

As to why the poster found it for $5, was it in a time when shop owners didn't use ebay to set their prices on everything?

[Canadian Psycho]

Not everyone is a collector, some people buy games just because they want to play them.

The OP is right and Earthbound is a great example since it's price has skyrocketed in the past 4 years and people had insisted that it would never see a VC release.

Now someone that might've spent $150 on an Earthbound cart just to play it can now instead grab it on the VC for 1/10th the price. That means one less person bidding on Earthbound carts and, in theory, lower overall winning bid prices as there are fewer people fighting over them.

That's how supply and demand works. What world do you live in where used items never drop in value?
Have you seen how much the readily-available-on-Virtual-Console MUSHA goes for these days? Your Earthbound theory doesn't apply to that game at all (and I'm sure it's not the only one).

[Gameguy]

This. Why the fuck is that game so pricey now?! Does anyone have some decent insight?
http://s23.postimg.org/dikyksinv/Hype.png


As to why the poster found it for $5, was it in a time when shop owners didn't use ebay to set their prices on everything?
It had to be over 5 years ago, but it was at a thrift store. At the time most thrifts priced games at $2.99 or sometimes $1.99, this store priced it at $4.99 so I passed on it. For some reason I though the game was slightly rare but had no real demand or value, when I got home and checked I realized it was one of the rarest games on the system and was worth around $50-$80 at the time. It looks like a decent game so I wouldn't mind owning a copy, still not for too much money though. I used to come across plenty of rare or rarish games back then.

[Aussie2B]

Uh, does no one look at the rarity guide anymore or keep up with the collectability of games? Collectors have been going on about the rarity of Aero Fighters for well over a decade. Unlike something like Earthbound, it's legitimately very rare (definitely NOT at the same level as something like Kendo Rage), and the price is a direct result of that, not a bunch of hype and demand. Even before it got really expensive, I remember many collectors going to great lengths to acquire a copy. Whenever the SNES market does settle down, don't expect much movement on stuff like Aero Fighters. Common games will lose value as the demand dies down, but the truly rare games continue to pull in decent money, whether they're great games that people want to play or total crap that'll just be a rare trophy piece.

[Gameguy]

It may surprise you, but at the time I didn't memorize the entire rarity guide for all consoles and games, memorizing all values for everything. I didn't have a SNES at the time so I was just starting to collect for it. I just barely remembered looking through the SNES section and at the very least I sort of remembered something about it so I considered buying it, rather than automatically thinking it was just another crap game.

Even so at an R8, is it really worth $300+ for a loose cartridge? Is the game really that good? There are plenty of R8s for other consoles that are barely worth anything at all.

Here's an R8 from the current guide, Chuck Norris Superkicks/Ghost Manor.
http://www.digitpress.com/video-game-guide/?mode=GameInfo&gameid=23899

Here's a completed copy for that game ending at around $30. The guide valued it at $15.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ATARI-2600-XONOX-DOUBLE-ENDER-CHUCK-NORRIS-GHOST-MANOR-/281167623263#ht_25wt_1047

[Gameguy]

Just might as well add, the current rarity guide lists Aero Fighters at a value of $40.
http://www.digitpress.com/video-game-guide/?mode=GameInfo&gameid=13755

I'll also add that the game Chavez II has the same rarity of R8.
http://www.digitpress.com/video-game-guide/?mode=GameInfo&gameid=13653

Why is Chavez II only selling for around $30 on ebay? Shouldn't it also be $300 going by the rarity?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chavez-Boxing-II-Super-Nintendo-1994-Snes-Near-Mint-/111056894098#ht_139wt_1285
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CHAVEZ-II-2-SNES-SUPER-NINTENDO-GAME-/230866999252#ht_132wt_1285

You said Aero Fighters is going for $300+ because of rarity, not hype or demand. Explain why Chavez II isn't then.

[Aussie2B]

I wasn't replying to you directly, Gameguy. I'm just surprised by the general lack of knowledge in this topic considering that it used to be common knowledge around here that Aero Fighters is one of the rarest SNES releases. I don't expect anyone to memorize the rarity guide, but it's surprising when something as notable and well known as Aero Fighters is suddenly a mystery to everybody. It'd be like if there was a topic in which everybody was scratching their heads over why Stadium Events goes for so much. In the past, this was the kind of knowledge everybody picked up just from hearing about stuff on the board, regardless of your area of interest. Like I don't even own a single 2600 game, yet I still know of Air Raid and its rarity.

It really doesn't matter what a game's value was in the past or now. Rarity is the only thing that's set it stone, although it's not like there's one set value for each rarity level. I guess you could say that any reason that someone wants a game can be described as "demand", but what I was getting at is that there aren't a whole bunch of gamers who just love Aero Fighters, spreading the word of mouth of how great it is, wanting to buy it at any cost and that's what's making it expensive (or that it's speculators artificially increasing the price). That's what was erroneously being suggested in this topic. Anybody saying that is just plain wrong and making stuff up. Even before the price shot up, collectors recognized that it was one to track down now (that is, 10+ years ago) than later, that it was bound to get more expensive. If people want to complain about fans being stupid with their money or unscrupulous gougers, then complain about something like Earthbound, which isn't that rare and has been very artificially inflated; Aero Fighters, on the other hand, has gone down the natural path of collectability rooted in rarity.

As for why something like Chavez II is relatively cheap, it may just be behind Aero Fighters in its course of gaining value. Some collectors may be writing it off because it's a sports game, others may feel it's not a true part of a US set because it's in Spanish. But the reasons why collectors buy Aero Fighters and Chavez II are going to be more or less the same, in that they're mostly bought by collectors who want a full set or some such "complete" set of their own parameters.

[JSoup]

Uh, does no one look at the rarity guide anymore

For the fifth time this year (not in general, specifically you), NO.

[jperryss]

Have you seen how much the readily-available-on-Virtual-Console MUSHA goes for these days? Your Earthbound theory doesn't apply to that game at all (and I'm sure it's not the only one).

It's not a theory, it's FACT. Earthbound's price has tumbled in the past 6 months, though it's still higher than it was 4 years ago. I kinda wish I'd sold mine before the VC version came out.

Here are several (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Earthbound-Super-NES-1995-/171130274538?hash=item27d828c2ea) loose (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Earthbound-Super-NES-1995-/261289930321? pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item3cd617ee51) copies (http://www.ebay.com/itm/earthbound-snes-/261294249084?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item3cd659d47c) barely hitting $150, compared to $180-220 a few months ago.

And complete versions, which would go for $500-600 not even a year ago, are now going for around $300 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-1995-Super-Nintendo-SNES-Earthbound-Game-Complete-in-Box-CIB-/380711939429?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item58a4332d65).

And here's one complete w/guide, stickers, and box (missing cardboard insert) sitting at $350 BIN (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Earthbound-SNES-Game-Cartridge-Box-Guide-Scratch-Sniff-/171136707528?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item27d88aebc8).

[SparTonberry]

My guess is there's less demand for Chavez II because it's a Mexican (Spanish) variant of a US (English) game (Riddick Bowe Boxing?), so probably only variant collectors will care.

[Aussie2B]

For the fifth time this year (not in general, specifically you), NO.

Well, then I'm going to keep bringing it up so hopefully people can get energized about it again or at least pick up some knowledge SOMEWHERE because it's saddening how the collective knowledge of the board is only going down and down. I joined this board way back when because I was amazed at how knowledgeable many of its regulars were. I loved the give and take of sharing what I knew and learning so much more from others. Now, it's like the blind leading the blind around here and I'm left explaining what used to be common knowledge and learning nothing new myself in the process.

[JSoup]

Well, then I'm going to keep bringing it up so hopefully people can get energized about it again or at least pick up some knowledge SOMEWHERE because it's saddening how the collective knowledge of the board is only going down and down. I joined this board way back when because I was amazed at how knowledgeable many of its regulars were. I loved the give and take of sharing what I knew and learning so much more from others. Now, it's like the blind leading the blind around here and I'm left explaining what used to be common knowledge and learning nothing new myself in the process.

Then I say, for the third time this year, if people want the guide to be used, let's work on updating it and getting it back out there as the guide to use.

[Aussie2B]

No arguments there, but whenever site updating is proposed, it always seems to be about the main site and writing more articles and stuff. I'd even be willing to help with the guide myself, but there are only a couple niche systems where I feel like I know the rarities and values of all the games well enough to pass as an "authority" for said system. But, yeah, we can't get anywhere until the people who know their stuff (those who are willing to contribute at least) have the tools to do something. Frankly, I have no idea who has access to editing the rarity database these days.

[JSoup]

Well, now I've got something to go on. The last handful of times site updates were brought up, I've mentioned the rarity guide (in fact, I think I directly asked you how we might go about it in one topic), but it's been ignored. I figured that was largely due to people just not knowing how to go about it. I'd assume that having a perfect rarity guide is a dream, simply because of the nature of a sales and the fickleness of collectors. Assume we can be flexible on the end goal, one could pull a statistic based on current availability (collectors have become much more show-and-tell-ish in the last decade or so, what with social networking and such).

But then again, how many people are actually on board with this? And, more importantly, is it too little too late for Digital Press?

[Tanooki]

It's always been fairly pricey, mainly because it had a low production run.
It hasn't always been pricy, in the 90s and earlier 00s it was cheap (and I mean $10-40 as far as cheap goes.) It's only in the last many years since people began monetizing games and looking for a reason to jack things high this one started to take the chomp, just like you could in the same period pick up shit like Little Samson and Bubble Bobble 2 (any of the post-SNES Taito and Capcom current high ballers) for like $20 or less.

I can't say we know for certain on Aerofighters how small or not the release of them were, NIntendo used to have a 10K minimum, but it also game out in 1993 I think, people didn't really run for the minimum until it was a bail out to make a few bucks period in like later 1995 through 97. Capcom put out minimum orders or near it on their last 5 games they stuffed out on the system after X2 arrived and look what those cost. They're not cheap, but they're not stupid prohibitive like Aerofighters. It's that Dilbert image for sure sells the reality, it's not just rarity, it's hype and bullshit that drives costs.

[Gameguy]

As for why something like Chavez II is relatively cheap, it may just be behind Aero Fighters in its course of gaining value. Some collectors may be writing it off because it's a sports game, others may feel it's not a true part of a US set because it's in Spanish. But the reasons why collectors buy Aero Fighters and Chavez II are going to be more or less the same, in that they're mostly bought by collectors who want a full set or some such "complete" set of their own parameters.
The main reason why Aero Fighters is valuable is because it's harder to find, and that it's also a shmup. Just like how RPGs are inflated, shmups are going for good money by fans. Just look at MUSHA, Grind Stormer, Thunder Force III, Ikaruga, etc. Sure, they're not all crazy expensive, but they're not all that rare either. They're still worth more than other games of the same rarity on the same systems. Still I doubt the demand will hold, eventually the prices will drop.


Well, then I'm going to keep bringing it up so hopefully people can get energized about it again or at least pick up some knowledge SOMEWHERE because it's saddening how the collective knowledge of the board is only going down and down.
Most people were admitting to not knowing much about game rarity or value in the past, now they've learned from their mistakes. If anything peoples' knowledge is increasing despite the rarity guide becoming almost useless.


With people not getting why these games are worth so much now, you could say the same thing with graded games. Those sell for crazy amounts yet most collectors here don't understand why that is.

[Aussie2B]

It's not a matter of not "getting" it. I could understand people saying that they don't "get" why fans are driving up the prices so high on very common games, but Aero Fighters is a whole different story. There's a very clear and obvious reason why Aero Fighters commands a premium, which used to be common knowledge around here, yet now everybody is ignoring the actual reason and fabricating up new ones just because it sounds more dramatic to suggest that fans are going crazy for it or sellers are toying with the market.

While certain shmups command a premium, most are still pretty reasonable, especially on SNES because most shmup diehards don't really give a damn about the system as a whole since it has such a small selection, with many being so-so and/or plagued with slowdown. In fact, the Aero Fighters/Sonic Wings series in general is considered pretty run-of-the-mill by most shmup fans, and for those who care, I'm sure they'd prefer to play the arcade versions of the games over a super-expensive and rare SNES port.

So again I say, the number one reason why Aero Fighters is so expensive is because it's very rare and collectors looking to acquire a full SNES library have to fight over what's available (granted, with SNES being so hot now, that doesn't help matters; there very well may be more collectors pursuing full sets now than in years past). And unlike Chavez II, a collector can't use technicalities to convince himself that Aero Fighters doesn't "count" and isn't needed for said full set.

[wiggyx]

There are equally rare games that fetch less than a quarter of what AF does. So how does that work again?

[Gameguy]

Aero Fighters is so rare there's only a half-dozen copies on ebay at any time. That must be why the value slightly increased from $40 to $300 in the last few years, purely by rarity alone.

It's a bit surprising why the rarity guide here listed it at $40, since it was always common knowledge that it was so rare it should never have been listed that cheap by default. The value should always have been listed at $300 in anticipation of it's future true value to come out, anything less than that would be delusional simply based on how rare this game is.

[Bloodreign]

For those not looking for a complete set and want Aero Fighters/Sonic Wings, there was a release for it on the PS2 under the Oretachi Geasen label. Remember I said IF you aren't looking for a complete SNES set and want a way to own the game. No I don't have a copy, wish I did, more affordable than the SNES one too.

http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110827235739/sonicwings/images/2/29/Oretachiset.jpg

[Edmond Dantes]

The Oretachi Gaesan(sp?) lineup also includes games that previously never had (accurate) console ports, like Thunder Cross 1 (but not 2, sadly), Akumajou Dracula, and the original Contra (but no Super C, although that eventually made it to the X-Box 360).

[o.pwuaioc]

It's also much cheaper on the Super Famicom...

[SparTonberry]

For those not looking for a complete set and want Aero Fighters/Sonic Wings, there was a release for it on the PS2 under the Oretachi Geasen label. Remember I said IF you aren't looking for a complete SNES set and want a way to own the game. No I don't have a copy, wish I did, more affordable than the SNES one too.

Isn't the SFC cart still like $15? (it was when I got one)
(then again, so was Hagane until collectors drove that one up in price quickly)

There's also the PS1 verson on PSN, if you want probably the cheapest way to play it.

[Tanooki]

The SFC copy is working its way up do the problematic pricing people have put to the US copy, but it's like roughly $20-50 (loose to complete) which is totally acceptable. I could give a damn about complete set, it's just the last SNES cart I lost in the depressing sell off I want back and it other than the Earthbound box would suit me fine, anything beyond that would be just for fun gaming wants.

[o.pwuaioc]

Isn't the SFC cart still like $15? (it was when I got one)
(then again, so was Hagane until collectors drove that one up in price quickly)

There's also the PS1 verson on PSN, if you want probably the cheapest way to play it.

The thing about Hagane and Sonic Wings is to wait until auction. You'll *always* get it cheaper on auction than on BIN, even when some random BIN price is $10 cheaper than normal BIN prices. If you don't like waiting, I think it's about $20, so, still not a terrible price for great games.

[xelement5x]

The main reason why Aero Fighters is valuable is because it's harder to find, and that it's also a shmup. Just like how RPGs are inflated, shmups are going for good money by fans. Just look at MUSHA, Grind Stormer, Thunder Force III, Ikaruga, etc. Sure, they're not all crazy expensive, but they're not all that rare either. They're still worth more than other games of the same rarity on the same systems. Still I doubt the demand will hold, eventually the prices will drop.

Hehe, I think the reason Grind Stormer is so expensive is because like at least half of the carts people come across nowadays won't work. Thank Tengen for being cheap-asses in their PCB production.

[TrekkiesUnite118]

I'd like to know what the hell is going on with Super Metroid. Less than a year ago that was a $10-$15 game, then out of no where people started paying $30-$50 for cart only copies and it's been that way ever since. It's pretty sad when I can get a CIB copy of the Japanese version for the same or less than what a current cart only US copy is going for.

Seriously, what the hell happened with this one?

[bigbacon]

I'd like to know what the hell is going on with Super Metroid. Less than a year ago that was a $10-$15 game, then out of no where people started paying $30-$50 for cart only copies and it's been that way ever since. It's pretty sad when I can get a CIB copy of the Japanese version for the same or less than what a current cart only US copy is going for.

Seriously, what the hell happened with this one?

popular franchise. They are all like that. Look at Contra.

[Metalwario64]

I'd like to know what the hell is going on with Super Metroid. Less than a year ago that was a $10-$15 game, then out of no where people started paying $30-$50 for cart only copies and it's been that way ever since. It's pretty sad when I can get a CIB copy of the Japanese version for the same or less than what a current cart only US copy is going for.

Seriously, what the hell happened with this one?
Ugh, I remember getting it for $15 or $20 5-6 years ago at a game store, and that was probably over paying a bit.

NES-SNES prices are apparently still full of stupid, especially since the game is on the Virtual Console. Typically re-releases bring down prices of the originals, but hardly affects Nintendo stuff apparently.:|

[TrekkiesUnite118]

popular franchise. They are all like that. Look at Contra.

That's just it though. It wasn't like this earlier in the year. It just happened within the last 6-9 months.

[SparTonberry]

The thing about Hagane and Sonic Wings is to wait until auction. You'll *always* get it cheaper on auction than on BIN, even when some random BIN price is $10 cheaper than normal BIN prices. If you don't like waiting, I think it's about $20, so, still not a terrible price for great games.

Got both, was just glad I got a loose SFC Hagane right before the price exploded.

[Canadian Psycho]

Isn't the SFC cart still like $15? (it was when I got one)
(then again, so was Hagane until collectors drove that one up in price quickly)
I sold my cart only copy of Hagane to someone on DP 3 or 4 years ago. How much, you're asking? About $15.

I don't know if the guy who purchased it from me was aware of its rarity, but I sure wasn't. I owned at least two or three copies over the years only to sell them shortly thereafter... Of course, now I can't find it anywhere anymore, lol.

[Gameguy]

Hehe, I think the reason Grind Stormer is so expensive is because like at least half of the carts people come across nowadays won't work. Thank Tengen for being cheap-asses in their PCB production.
Now you're making me nervous about my copy. What exactly went wrong with those copies? Poor solder connections or problems with the traces? Or was it with the chips dying?

[Aussie2B]

There are equally rare games that fetch less than a quarter of what AF does. So how does that work again?

So then, is your argument that people just REEEEEEALLY love Stadium Events? Like I said before, it's moronic to think that games of the same rarity level will cost the same amount. We all know that isn't true and isn't logical. There are countless factors to take into consideration as to why any game goes for whatever amount it does. When you add up all of the factors of Aero Fighters, it's apparent what the driving force behind its value is. If you look at another game with the same rarity that is worth considerably less, there are reasons for that too.


Aero Fighters is so rare there's only a half-dozen copies on ebay at any time. That must be why the value slightly increased from $40 to $300 in the last few years, purely by rarity alone.

It's a bit surprising why the rarity guide here listed it at $40, since it was always common knowledge that it was so rare it should never have been listed that cheap by default. The value should always have been listed at $300 in anticipation of it's future true value to come out, anything less than that would be delusional simply based on how rare this game is.

The value jumped significantly because SNES is jumping as a whole. We're in the thick of the SNES nostalgia boom, and just about all of the rarest games have risen considerably (as well as highly regarded games). With increased interest in the system, it's only logical to assume that there are likely more full set collectors now than ever before. All these SNES kids are adults with disposable income; they want to relive their childhoods and now they can make reality the childhood dream of owning EVERY Super Nintendo game. There's also a lot of fear out there. With prices increasing across the board, a lot of full set collectors probably want to complete their collections sooner rather than later because they're scared that prices are only going to get worse. Aero Fighters may be $300 now, but what if it's $500 next year? I'm not saying myself that I necessarily think that's gonna happen (in fact, I think Aero Fighters might die down SOME whenever this SNES bubble bursts), but those are the kinds of thoughts in collectors' heads. They'll pay whatever it takes to get a game now rather than potentially pay even more later on.

It is a little surprising how many copies of Aero Fighters are available, but I think there's a reasonable explanation for that. One, eBay is a whole new ball game these days compared to years past. With sellers able to relist a game endlessly at no cost to them, it's no problem to set a "wishful thinking" price and sit on it for a long time. Also, with the fact that Aero Fighters has increased significantly (and the fact that the game isn't that well-loved), I'm sure some collectors are thinking it's time to cash out. If it was worth less than $100, I bet a lot of collectors would say "meh" and continue to keep it in their personal collections, but the amount it's at now is pretty tempting.

As for your second paragraph, I don't know if that's a lame attempt at a joke or what. :/ Obviously the purpose of the rarity guide was to list ACTUAL current values (current for back then). :roll: It would be a huge disservice to the collecting community to post "predicted values", as that would only artificially inflate values. But rarity, when it's high, is a good predictor of eventual value, and knowledgeable, experienced collectors are pretty good at picking out games that have high potential for eventually being valuable on the used market. That's why there was a big rush to obtain Aero Fighters back in the day. It had all the signs. That's smart collecting, and the current value of Aero Fighters only shows that these collectors knew what they were talking about. I wish I had made some effort back then to get a copy myself, but then again I don't really care about having a full SNES set so it doesn't make a big difference to me.