What's the most you spent on a SNES game?

[Tanooki]

Sorry, had to ape the NES topic, but given how much these things can fly for now I was curious how much people have put up for SNES games at most. I think it's fair to say the system was advanced enough age hasn't hurt quite a few of the titles since they still seem on the level of some of those indie, Nintendo handheld, and tablet market games these days.

The most I put up on a legit cart would be I think $50 in a three way tie. Wild Guns and EVO I bought Dec of 2012 for 50 shipped, and then a little over a month ago I got an immaculate CIB of Civilization for that too, $50 shipped. Now if you go into bootlegs, friend of mine from when I was on NA made me a very well made Star Fox 2 but due to parts and his time I think I paid like $65.

[bb_hood]

In my humble opinion, Nes games are more fun to play and collect, so I have spent alot more on Nes titles than Snes ones.
Probably the most Ive spent was about 150$, once I scored a StarFox Competition cart for 150$ and I spent 150$ on a SNES power pak.

[Tanooki]

Good call. The shame though is that the SNES wisely used some quality special chips, but those chips aren't reproduced in those flash carts or I think they'd be far more popular. I'd think if someone just wanted a library of around 10 games~ and a flash cart they'd be totally set.

[Atarileaf]

I think the most I've ever spent for a SNES game was $30 for a loose Space Megaforce.

[celerystalker]

For myself, I think it was $40 for a complete in box Final Fantasy III back in 1997. I did once spend $80 on a loose Chrono Trigger for my brother as a Christmas present, even though mine was only $35 complete in box. I'll probably spend a little more in the future on a repro cart or two, but who knows. I almost dropped $150 on a Rendering Ranger about a year ago, but I talked myself out of it, as I probably wouldn't have played it much, and if I'm spending more than $100 on one game these days, it's either gonna be another arcade cabinet or Neo Geo AES game.

[Niku-Sama]

I don't think I've spent more than what they were new. So 60ish bucks?

That even surprises me considering some of the games I have

[FUZZY PICKLES!!!]

Just $15 so far on Star Fox SNES but then again I am new to collecting games I want (and just got a SNES a few months ago). That being said, most of the games I want on the SNES/Super Famicom aren't particularly expensive; either I can get them on at least one region of the Virtual Console or I can find them below $30. The only exception is Hagane... I can still find them for below $100 on eBay on the SFC carts, but SNES carts are insanely high in price (I know the game is uncommon... but I highly doubt it's worth $500+).

[Steven]

Most for a long time was R2: Rendering Ranger for $90 back in 2006. Actually a great deal, as it now goes for what, 200-250 cart only? Insane.

It was recently beaten by Star Ocean (repro) for $100 flat. I definitely overpaid for this one, as it wasn't long later that I started seeing people offer it for $80. At the time I thought the fan translation was super hard to convert onto a cartridge and so I wanted to be safe rather than sorry. No major regrets though plopping down 100 for it. I enjoyed it enough, and I sure had more than my fair share of bargains from back in the day. It made justifying dropping a Benjamin Franklin for this game much more bearable.

[Mayhem]

If we talk about retail games only (so the $200 I spent on StarFox Weekend is out), then the Thracia 776 boxset ran me about $250 iirc, and I paid 130 Euros for CIB Rendering Ranger some years back. As Steven notes, you'd pay more than that now for a loose cart.

[Tanooki]

I don't think I've spent more than what they were new. So 60ish bucks?

That even surprises me considering some of the games I have

I feel the same way about some stuff I've picked up. I got both EVO and Wild Guns in Dec 2012. Fire up the video game price chart site, see what those games I got for $50 were going for within 3-6 months after that, and then now. That same year I got Earthbound for $2 at a flea market table too. It's nuts when you look at a little collection of games and realize how far things have gone down that dark road of high pricing and how well some of those bullets got dodged either in the modern era or by holding onto them after all these years. A good example, look up Dracula X, and it's manual. I bought it new back in the day and never let it go.

[SparTonberry]

I paid $100 each for a couple higher-price games, but they were CIB.
Ogre Battle (a former rental in not so great condition, but at that price it was still a steal for a US copy, especially with the manual and charts), Dark Law, Hourai High (that was stupid, weeks after I bought it I found another seller listing it for under half the price)
But those are the exceptions.
Most I didn't pay more than $50, and that was if I liked the game, and probably the bulk of my SFC collection is cheapo $5 puzzle and RPGs nobody wants. :)

Glad I've gotten a few of the super-expensive games before they got out of control, though.

[FUZZY PICKLES!!!]

Most for a long time was R2: Rendering Ranger for $90 back in 2006. Actually a great deal, as it now goes for what, 200-250 cart only? Insane.

It was recently beaten by Star Ocean (repro) for $100 flat. I definitely overpaid for this one, as it wasn't long later that I started seeing people offer it for $80. At the time I thought the fan translation was super hard to convert onto a cartridge and so I wanted to be safe rather than sorry. No major regrets though plopping down 100 for it. I enjoyed it enough, and I sure had more than my fair share of bargains from back in the day. It made justifying dropping a Benjamin Franklin for this game much more bearable.Maybe I'm just looking at eBay, but I see Rendering Ranger R2 go for $400-500 nowadays. I could never justify paying that for a game I may or may not want.

Reproduction carts is the only way to get the game at a reasonable price.

[Dashopepper]

This would be a much more intresting thread if/when prices decline. I would pritty much take any of these prices right now.

[ProjectCamaro]

For me it was probably around $30. I love the SNES but have a small collection so there are plenty of fun games to be had for the price range still, not to mention I consider myself more of a gamer than a collector meaning I only buy games that I want to play and not rare ones that are worth a ton.

[Tanooki]

It would make an interesting comparison that's for sure. You can look at what people paid a few years ago when stuff wasn't being scalped, and you can look at what people just roll over and accept now. The future will hold true at some point this stuff will fall off, interests peel away, so then you wonder where things will settle.

[xelement5x]

In the early 2000s I paid about $60 for a fully complete (manual, map, inserts, etc) copy of Secret of Mana I think. Pretty sure that's the most I've paid on a single SNES game. I'm not that big on the system so I will probably get a SD2SNES eventually, and then that will be the most expensive. :P

[bb_hood]

at some point this stuff will fall off, interests peel away, so then you wonder where things will settle.

Maybe, but maybe not. Its hard to envision a future where so many people dont care about super nintendo that the good/rare games can be had for cheap.
As time goes by these games will just become harder and harder to find, and probably more desired by new collectors.
The days of buying EVO, Earthbound, Chrono Trigger for 40$ are long gone.

[goldenband]

It was recently beaten by Star Ocean (repro) for $100 flat. I definitely overpaid for this one, as it wasn't long later that I started seeing people offer it for $80. At the time I thought the fan translation was super hard to convert onto a cartridge and so I wanted to be safe rather than sorry. No major regrets though plopping down 100 for it.

I hate to break it to you, but I paid $38 shipped for my Star Ocean repro recently. :( OTOH I paid $75 for my StarFox 2, and I think that's been going for less lately too. I haven't really played either of them yet, to my embarrassment; too many other games to work on.

Outside of repro carts, I paid $20 for a nearly-complete Miracle Piano Teaching System, and $60 for a PAL Terranigma + Pro Action Replay Mark II, but in both cases a big chunk of that was the extra hardware.

For loose carts on their own, I paid $15 for a nice Top Gear 3000.

As I look over my notes, everything else has been $12 or less, to my surprise, even the import games. Still need to get Mega Man X2 and X3 and Super Mario RPG, though, as well as Street Fighter Alpha 2 and Kirby 3; those will cost me unless I get very lucky in the wild.

[Tanooki]

No I never meant that far. I'm more thinking like how comics and baseball cards imploded. For the years leading up to its crashing readjustment even fairly common junk got paid more than it should, but once things went south most the comics and cards went towards crap value or a fraction of what they were at a high. Yet despite that, there was that small percentage of truly limited run/smaller run comics/cards from yesteryear that still would demand some good coin and in a good way avoided the hit. Right now the NES and SNES is just a scalpers paradise, eventually it will go to where it offends someone into just seeking roms with some sort of, emulator pc, android device or a flash media prices will fall off. Things just need to hit a wall, then it'll sort itself out where a game like Run Saber, TMNT4, Contra will come down as they were well printed, yet something uniquely hard to get like a Wild Guns likely won't recede much at all.

[SparTonberry]

I'm having doubts Wild Guns is a legitimately rare game.
When I was looking there were multiple pages a day on ebay of $200+ offers. That does not sound like a truly rare game to me.

$40 for Chrono Trigger? That'll probably come again. I think CT is one of those games whose value has always been fluctuating, as well as both main FF games.
I think CT and FF3 were at least half million sellers, weren't they? Which is pretty huge for an RPG in that era in NA.
FF2 had to have been well-printed as well as I see both cart styles, which indicates at least one reprint (the original fat case in 1991, as well as the slim cases introduced in 1993)

[bb_hood]

I'm having doubts Wild Guns is a legitimately rare game.
When I was looking there were multiple pages a day on ebay of $200+ offers. That does not sound like a truly rare game to me.

$40 for Chrono Trigger? That'll probably come again. I think CT is one of those games whose value has always been fluctuating, as well as both main FF games.
I think CT and FF3 were at least half million sellers, weren't they? Which is pretty huge for an RPG in that era in NA.
FF2 had to have been well-printed as well as I see both cart styles, which indicates at least one reprint (the original fat case in 1991, as well as the slim cases introduced in 1993)

Wild Guns is a rare one. It doesnt show up too often at all.
Chrono might not be rare based on the numbers produced but has become quite hard to find outside of ebay because of demand. In my opinion its one of the best RPGs ever made, I cant see original copies dropping down to 40$. Its just way too popular.
Chrono is also more uncommon than Final Fantasy 2 or 3, which I guess is why it sells for more.

[ProjectCamaro]

No I never meant that far. I'm more thinking like how comics and baseball cards imploded. For the years leading up to its crashing readjustment even fairly common junk got paid more than it should, but once things went south most the comics and cards went towards crap value or a fraction of what they were at a high. Yet despite that, there was that small percentage of truly limited run/smaller run comics/cards from yesteryear that still would demand some good coin and in a good way avoided the hit. Right now the NES and SNES is just a scalpers paradise, eventually it will go to where it offends someone into just seeking roms with some sort of, emulator pc, android device or a flash media prices will fall off. Things just need to hit a wall, then it'll sort itself out where a game like Run Saber, TMNT4, Contra will come down as they were well printed, yet something uniquely hard to get like a Wild Guns likely won't recede much at all.

This is EXACTLY what I see happening. It's a cycle that has been completed several times in the past and there's no reason it won't continue in the future and with the way video game prices are going I would be shocked if it didn't happen. The real question is how long will it last.

[Casati]

I spent $95 for a CIB with maps Ogre Battle a few years ago, and $75 for a Space Megaforce with manual.

I think SNES and NES games will continue to appreciate in price because they have enduring entertainment value with broad appeal. It's not just supply or rarity, but also demand that drives the prices. Things like baseball cards don't have as much entertainment value so have limited interest.

The only ways I see their prices dropping are in an economic depression or if Nintendo ever reissued the games.

[Leo_A]

Whatever the most was that I originally spent for a new game. $29.99 most likely for the Player's Choice rereleases of games like Super Mario All-Stars and Link to the Past (I didn't become a SuperNes owner until 1995).

Don't remember anything ever being any higher than the 1st party rereleases that I bought. And most all of what I've acquired or still plan to acquire since the days when new games dried up at retail back in the early 2000s are releases that don't go for very much even today.

I'm not into the RPGs and I bought the 1st party stuff that I really wanted back during the 1990s and early 2000s. And Kirby's Dream Collection, Mega Man X Collection, and a few others have plugged some gaps with an official non multicart version of games I'm slightly interested in, but never really cared enough to actually buy then or now as a standalone cartridge (I almost bought Kirby SuperStar in a Hills back in about 1999, but went with the William's collection instead, a decision I still don't regret even though both were only $20 and Kirby has since ballooned in price I think).

I do slightly regret snubbing the Donkey Kong Country trilogy back then, but I'll grab them off the Wii U Virtual Console one of these days and my multicart will suffice for real hardware. The Retro Studios games kind of sparked an interest in these three for me, but still not enough where I feel compelled to get the original cartridges.

[FUZZY PICKLES!!!]

Prices coming down for 3rd-6th gen seems like a pipe dream to me at this point.

Aside from what Casati pointed out, it's also worth noting that as time goes on, more and more games are going to become defective over time which also contributes in making the game more difficult to obtain. With increasing demands for retro games over the years, the combination of decrease in supply and increase in demand is a recipe for high prices of games.

Even if/when the demand does start to decrease, I still wouldn't be surprised to see prices continue to climb since I expect the decrease in supply to dwindle faster than the decrease in demand.

This is why I've been taking advantage of the Virtual Console (both Wii and Wii U although I haven't gotten games on the Japaense VC yet mainly because I don't know what extra fees comes with buying games off of Japanese digital stores aside from international transaction fees); because it's the best way for me to get many games that I want at an affordable price. Had it not been for the VC, I probably would have never gotten games like Castlevania: Rondo of Blood.

[Tanooki]

This is EXACTLY what I see happening. It's a cycle that has been completed several times in the past and there's no reason it won't continue in the future and with the way video game prices are going I would be shocked if it didn't happen. The real question is how long will it last.

The way I see it, dial Miss Cleo and ask her psychic network. :D Personally I'm selling off what I don't intend to use while it's high. I'm getting this itch the last few years going to the LOuisville Arcade Expo that I want my very own pinball. I do NOT want a dot matrix modern one, but a 70s or 80s model with basic LED numbers only if that.

I just pulled another couple hundred and a half in games off my shelf to peddle towards that since this room I should be able to fit one into. I just don't have any bubble bags to properly weight and ready the stuff so it's not listed on ebay or here yet. The two best of the lot showing my intent would be captain commando and metal storm which I can't figure why the hell they're up to 100 each.

[celerystalker]

That is the thing with video games; being a young, interactive media makes it difficult to fit into a timeline for an interest/value plateau. Even early generation video games aren't a straight model for comparison, as the more well-rounded experiences from the NES and on take them to a different mold than Atari games, where the highly sought after games such as Video Life are valued solely as a collectible instead of a thing to still be used for its original intended purpose. As far as the long term of game value goes, I think the things to watch are what happens with NES values over the next decade and what happens with grading for condition (which I hate, but is something to watch). If anything, I'd compare it to collecting toys, as there is at least a vaguely comparable nostalgia/use/collectability model involved, where old generations level off as nostalgic interest ages out and new generations get involved with later-gen toys, raising their value. Baseball cards, on the other hand are purely a collectible without added value for intrinsic utility, and as such aren't purely comparable.

I think most people agree that there will be a level-off and likely at least minor devaluation, but it would take a lot of market research of various collector's markets to identify any sort of pattern, because people don't emulate baseball cards or Hot Wheels, but they do download music. Movie buffs still track down laser discs when Blu-Ray is readily available and streaming services are everywhere or buy big-box Disney VHS tapes, but there aren't the different consoles and limited print runs by and large, as most films continue to be re-released in new formats. If anyone here is in school for economics, you could probably do a hell of a paper on it and post it in the columns section. I'd read it.

[XYXZYZ]

The most I've paid for an SNES game was $70.00 ish for Street Fighter II, on the day it was released in July 1992.

[Gatucaman]

Rockman X3 at $36 shipped and tracked, VERY USED sun burnt cart with faded label, and it was $11 for trackable shipping ($4 without it)............

I regret it.

[clicsmodernos]

I believe my boxed Star Fox was 20 bucks, and me living in Venezuela, I get to buy my games pretty cheap (thanks to the wonderfully awful Venezuelan economy haha), so yeah... Now, if anyone wants to know, the most I've paid for a SNES game in Bolivars is 900 for Killer Instinct, which would be around 3 dollars...

[Steven]

I hate to break it to you, but I paid $38 shipped for my Star Ocean repro recently. :(

Haha, yep, I knew I was overpaying at the time but I didn't mind it too much. After all, I still remember getting Radiant Silvergun for $65 October 2002 ($150 average back then) and Taromaru also on the Saturn back in February of 2003 for just 80 bucks. That one went at the time for at least 300.

There was a seller on another fansite message board not too long ago selling repros for like $30 a pop. I should have waited on Star Ocean, but at the time I had just beaten Tales of Phantasia and couldn't wait to try out the same company's follow-up game.



Maybe I'm just looking at eBay, but I see Rendering Ranger R2 go for $400-500 nowadays. I could never justify paying that for a game I may or may not want.

Reproduction carts is the only way to get the game at a reasonable price.

Yeah, I thought it had jumped up to 400-500. I knew I was being super generous quoting 200-250, heh. Man, at 500 bucks I'm almost tempted to sell my original cart and just be satisfied having it on my flash cart. In fact, I sometimes wonder when the day will come that most collectors end up selling their physical goods and "cashing out" while still maintaining the games they sell in digital form through a flash cart.

In the end, I guess most of us just like our physical copies a little too much to part with.

However, if R2 cart only ever hits 1,000... then all bets are off ;)

[drtomoe123]

I paid around $110 for a CIB Chrono Trigger a few weeks ago. Before that it was $70 for Dracula X.

[Tanooki]

Wow that's a hell of a good job nailing those two games down for those prices all things considered.

[drtomoe123]

To be fair, both of those came from stores where I was working at the time, so that's with a good 10-20% knocked off. ^^;

[WCP]

Street Fighter 2, at launch back in 1992. I think I paid $74.99 or something crazy like that.

[Blitzwing256]

61.99 for Xardian marked down 3$!

[Tanooki]

Street Fighter 2, at launch back in 1992. I think I paid $74.99 or something crazy like that.

I remember that. Capcom nerd taxed people on that one because I remember being angry being charged $65 for it when any other SNES game I ever bought was $50 or less aside from the junk Square would pull (so I'd buy those when they were in sale for normal price.)

[Leo_A]

I remember coming across a bunch of copies of Top Gear 3000 for $69.99 at a Wal-Mart back in 2000.

Not hard to figure out why they were still there, at that price.

[Mayhem]

I forgot to mention in my original post, that I do own Earthbound, FF2, FF3, Chrono Trigger, Megaman X3 etc, but I bought them all ten years ago or more, when the prices were not stupidly insane. Just starting to get a bit insane. So I paid $85 for my CIB Earthbound for example. What does that go for now?!

[Tanooki]

I think around $400-500 or so depending on the condition and the people getting into a pissing match on ebay over it.

Most of the goodies I have were picked up back in the 90s as well, a few since, but the last couple big money I just edged in on before it was too late by days if not months which I already mentioned. I don't think really it's fair to say any of it got really 'crazy' until around 2011 roughly and that's when the NES really first started to get hit with some bad moves, SNES rolled in about a year later. I've had since you brought up Earthbound 3x before. The original was late 90s, CIB like dead mint for $20, second time was around $60~ in trade credit(so cash free kinda) mid 00s game only. The last was just $2 at a flea market as they didn't know what they had, and a year later when I was back here I got the guide in stunning shape for $60 alone so I'm $62 into Earthbound this time. I just can't in good conscience pay like $200 for cardboard for the box and tray as that's just not sane. It's kind of amusing though because if I did I still could come in at around 1/2 the price the complete package goes for anyways.

[WCP]

The most I've paid for an SNES game was $70.00 ish for Street Fighter II, on the day it was released in July 1992.


Man, I posted almost the exact same thing... Didn't even see your post, and it's almost identical to mine.



For me, the Street Fighter thing was kinda weird for me, because I wasn't a fighting game fan at all.

However, I was a huge fan of various video game magazines that were around at the time (GamePro, EGM, VG & CE, etc, etc). All the magazines were talking non-stop about Street Fighter 2. You couldn't escape SF2 if you tried.

Even though I wasn't even remotely a fighting game fan, I figured there had to be something really special going on here, with this game, so I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try a fighting game. It was like this huge media event that I wanted to be a part of, even though that wasn't a genre I was normally interested in. If I didn't have any subscriptions to various video game mags, I doubt I would have ever picked up SF2.

[FUZZY PICKLES!!!]

Yeah, I thought it had jumped up to 400-500. I knew I was being super generous quoting 200-250, heh. Man, at 500 bucks I'm almost tempted to sell my original cart and just be satisfied having it on my flash cart. In fact, I sometimes wonder when the day will come that most collectors end up selling their physical goods and "cashing out" while still maintaining the games they sell in digital form through a flash cart.

In the end, I guess most of us just like our physical copies a little too much to part with.

However, if R2 cart only ever hits 1,000... then all bets are off ;)Actually decided to see what flash carts are about and I have to admit I'd definitely would like to invest in them for at least the SNES and PC Engine. Probably the Game Boy and NES as well although I was hoping the Famicom Everdrive N8 wouldn't have Gimmick's sound (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZSS78WywUc) slightly compromised (I know this is incredibly nitpicky and I can't deny krikzz has done a great job with the Everdrive N8, but I tend to be very picky when it comes to deviation from the original).

Still, it's really nice to have the options available for flash carts for SNES, Famicom, TG-16, and GB/GBC games so I'll always have the chance to experience the many games I want on those systems and limit my physical collections to games I really do love for said system (also focus my collection of games primarily to PS2/GameCube/Wii/Nintendo DS).

Edit: I see, the Sunsoft 5B expansion chip isn't supported in the Everdrive N8, which is why Gimmick isn't able to use it's expansion sound specifically for the game. Hopefully one of these days it'll be included. But this is getting off topic.

[8-Bit Archeology]

I think I payed $100 for E.V.O.

Sadly I sold it last year for an electric bill. Made a profit but still.

[Mayhem]

I think around $400-500 or so depending on the condition and the people getting into a pissing match on ebay over it.
My question/statement was actually rhetorical ;)

I do wish I'd picked up Wild Arms and Hagane back then, before the prices on those two went north...

[Tanooki]

Ahh yeah. Wild Guns is fun, but it is limiting since you have to move a target track around which causes your person to move too but damn it's fun. Hagane I've heard isn't even that fun and is overly difficult, it's like NInja Gaiden on roids so it makes it even more odd it gets so much cash even if it's harder to come by.

If anyone wants to break their old record on a SNES game I've put a couple of games up for sale. :)

[FUZZY PICKLES!!!]

Ahh yeah. Wild Guns is fun, but it is limiting since you have to move a target track around which causes your person to move too but damn it's fun. Hagane I've heard isn't even that fun and is overly difficult, it's like NInja Gaiden on roids so it makes it even more odd it gets so much cash even if it's harder to come by.

If anyone wants to break their old record on a SNES game I've put a couple of games up for sale. :)With Hagane, I think it has to do with the fact that Mike Matei put Hagane on his Top 10 hidden gem videos and Cinemassacre (which have both Mike and James Rolfe) are really popular on YouTube as well as the assumption that these games were only found on Blockbuster Video when it was originally released (but some Blockbuster managers have claimed it was sold in the Electronic Boutiques store). And Hagane does get a lot of praise from the retro video game community and while it is supposed to be an extremely hard game, I have not heard someone say it's unfair.

The lack of any sort of re-release may also have helped increased the price even further. Wild Guns can at least be found on the Wii and Wii U Virtual Console for those who want the original game. It's unlikely Hagane will ever be re-released in any format (due to Hudson Soft being dead and Konami mostly forgetting about them).

[Tanooki]

Oh it was, that hack has been well discussed and disgusted people on some gaming sites like these because a good many games have shot up because of that dumb youtube circus show he runs and a few others.

[SparTonberry]

While it's true that games may have risen in price because of his popularity exposing people to more games, I think "dumb youtube circus show" is a bit of an extreme response. :P

[Tanooki]

I got fed up with the videos years ago. It's just attention whoring at its finest for a lot of people wanting to show off their finds or talk up the same games others have already on forums or youtube too. It's just amazing some people get paid as much as they do to do it and then get a base around it so trusted they can feature this or that, and overnight the prices turn to crap. People when I was on NA were going off on this stuff too plenty of times as it's terrible something so trivial can cause such an annoying ripple effect. Most of it now just is a circus show as it's the same stuff being repeated ripping off the guy before them as there's only so much one can say about the same games.

[Canadian Psycho]

Around $200 for a cart only Mega Man X3 - clean front label though, which, for this particular game, is pretty rare for some reason.

P.S. I agree with the previous poster's take on videogame collection and whatnot show off whores. I can't stand them, especially that annoying guy who made that video featuring Hagane, Wild Guns, etc.

[BlastProcessing402]

I think it was $120 (including shipping) for Super Fire Prowrestling Special. So much better than the WWF games Acclaim/LJN had given us, so much worth the cost.

[Tanooki]

That would be Mike Mattei who caused that damage on cinemassacre. A real douche move which he knew from how that program was shot was going to cause the thousands of fans to flock and in turn ripple through the collectorsphere where panic would cause people to buy before it shot up (and then shot up more, and before it got even more, and more...) Bleh.

The reason MMX3 gets that way is the cheap non-laminate made in mexico crap quality matte stickers with really weak ink that'll come off just from sweaty thumbs/skin oil. Try hitting it with even water, but definitely something like alcohol and the whole damn label will lose the ink in a swirly random mess like 2 colors mixing in a water color dish. GB games went that way around the time of the super gameboy release too so they get the same wear issues. I've had MMX2 and 3 before and both were worn fairly white along the fold but were otherwise good.

[Mayhem]

I just checked my MMX3 label and I see what you mean. It's in very good condition considering, but there are some small white patches on the very top edge of the label.

[SparTonberry]

That would be Mike Mattei who caused that damage on cinemassacre. A real douche move which he knew from how that program was shot was going to cause the thousands of fans to flock and in turn ripple through the collectorsphere where panic would cause people to buy before it shot up (and then shot up more, and before it got even more, and more...) Bleh.

The reason MMX3 gets that way is the cheap non-laminate made in mexico crap quality matte stickers with really weak ink that'll come off just from sweaty thumbs/skin oil. Try hitting it with even water, but definitely something like alcohol and the whole damn label will lose the ink in a swirly random mess like 2 colors mixing in a water color dish. GB games went that way around the time of the super gameboy release too so they get the same wear issues. I've had MMX2 and 3 before and both were worn fairly white along the fold but were otherwise good.

Unless you can find me where he says he is personally making his videos for the sole purpose of inflating game prices, I think you're being WAY too harsh on the guy.
So, his videos are popular even though it's not very original.
So what, that's like 95% of video games. That must mean 95% of the people who make video games are douchebags too.
Movies and TV (I'd shoot that even higher for TV. You do not want me to start of what a piece of shit most of TV is these days.)

[Canadian Psycho]

That would be Mike Mattei who caused that damage on cinemassacre. A real douche move which he knew from how that program was shot was going to cause the thousands of fans to flock and in turn ripple through the collectorsphere where panic would cause people to buy before it shot up (and then shot up more, and before it got even more, and more...) Bleh.

The reason MMX3 gets that way is the cheap non-laminate made in mexico crap quality matte stickers with really weak ink that'll come off just from sweaty thumbs/skin oil. Try hitting it with even water, but definitely something like alcohol and the whole damn label will lose the ink in a swirly random mess like 2 colors mixing in a water color dish. GB games went that way around the time of the super gameboy release too so they get the same wear issues. I've had MMX2 and 3 before and both were worn fairly white along the fold but were otherwise good.
Mega Man X2 has a nice glossy and resistant label though. It seems like only the 1995+ games were affected by this cheap label deal, games like the aforementioned MMX3, Final Fight 3, Castlevania Dracula X, etc. For some reason, MMX3 is the hardest of them all to find with a nice clean label - probably due to the fact that mostly kids played/rented Mega Man games back in the mid 90s. (Mega Man 7 also has a cheap label that sustains damage quite easily.)

That Mike Mattei guy I only know from that lone video which was emailed to me by a collector friend. It's entirely personal to me and not at all rational, but his soft spoken delivery annoys me to no end, haha. The fact that he talks in a way that makes these games seem like rare artifacts no one knows about (most were at least featured in Nintendo Power for crying out loud) rubs me the wrong way. But I've been collecting since around 1996-1997 (I'm 38), so I'm a bit jaded when it comes to Internet experts like Mike Mattei. Anyhow, just to end on a more positive note, I would say that Game Sack is an Internet based program that gets its games coverage right (most notably Joe - even if I've been a Nintendo fanboy since 1988, I'm disappointed when it's not him who reviews a game I enjoy on the show ;-). The tone, the content, the way the games are portrayed, they really nailed it IMO.

[Tanooki]

I'm being harsh because it was probably a year ago now on NA when I was there, but I think it was jonebone (maybe?) who posts here too who made this whole mess of bar or line graphs with the prices of various games like Hagane and Run Saber and how they were priced pre and post being cinemassacred and it was quite the uptick. That's where I was basing it off of, someone elses research. I'm calling people who buy games primarily or secondarily as just something to sell at a profit douchebags pretty much yes. It hurts people with a real interest in the wallet which is still a relatively new thing from only like 3 years ago now. I'm not over it, I probably won't be, but I'm over supporting it which is why I stopped buying old Nintendo games because of all the stupid flipping. Pretty much anything from the N64 back I sell anymore is something I've had for awhile now and is part of my downsizing, not flea market fodder, which is why the list isn't huge as it once was.

[Canadian Psycho]

Run Saber is such a bad game, a choppy Strider knock off, really. I got it for five bucks a dozen years ago and ended up unloading it shortly thereafter.

Hagane: I got fleeced big time on this very site with that game. I had no idea it was even rare or anything (I must have had two, maybe three in my possession over the years) and ended up selling it for $15 or $20 5-6 years ago. I believe it had already taken off ($100-$150 maybe?) but I wasn't aware at all, haha. Anyways, good on the guy who got it when I was asleep at the wheel.

[celerystalker]

I just don't know how to feel about the YouTube stuff. If I had a channel, I know I would want to talk about games I like so that other people could enjoy them as well. Games shouldn't be secrets we hide to keep them from becoming too popular. I agree that the flippers and scalpers are utter douches, but I don't blame YouTubers for talking about what they want to talk about. I mean, I've bought games that looked interesting because I read about them on videogameden or thebrothersduomazov, but I certainly wouldn't go around calling Ikermel or IvaNEC douchebags for writing about what they enjoy, and some ebay sellers have made some money off of me as a direct result of their fine work. I don't enjoy Mike Matei on screen, and it drives me nuts that people take the satirical reviews from the AVGN as the truth on games they've never played, but I don't fault them for the market shifting. They simply create content that the uninformed viewers and opportunists have used to create unnecessary market conditions, but I don't believe that it is at all the intent. If anything, I blame the growing secondary market that has latched on to YouTube as a replacement for research and experience.

[Steven]

Run Saber is such a bad game, a choppy Strider knock off, really. I got it for five bucks a dozen years ago and ended up unloading it shortly thereafter.

Hagane: I got fleeced big time on this very site with that game. I had no idea it was even rare or anything (I must have had two, maybe three in my possession over the years) and ended up selling it for $15 or $20 5-6 years ago. I believe it had already taken off ($100-$150 maybe?) but I wasn't aware at all, haha. Anyways, good on the guy who got it when I was asleep at the wheel.

Yeah and look at Hagane now. It was 100-150 as you said circa 2010-2011... but I heard a copy recently fetched $500? Cart only? If true, that's just nuts.

As for Youtube videos, I only watch the channels that I respect and feel nail it. Some personalities are annoying or too over the top for me, but I find these guys usually get it right: HappyConsoleGamer, Retro Liberty and the aforementioned Game Sack.

[Tanooki]

Well other than some form of a partial let's play I don't do youtube other than the epic rap battles of history and random informational stuff for repairs or lame pranks that get linked. I don't want to say I don't find youtube useful, but for the most part it's just too big for its own good.

[SparTonberry]

About Hagane, a few years ago, I bought a SFC cart from rakuten. The seller I bought from was offering it loose for $10 or CIB for $30, I recall. Within only a month or two I recall ebay prices had already hit like $90 for the SFC cart loose. Insane.

[Tanooki]

Yeah it's nuts the spikes that hit due to attention. It was about that same time frame when I paid $50 each for Wild Guns and EVO for SNES, then look where they were in March or June of 2013 compared to December 2012, and look at now too.

[Niku-Sama]

yea it is. I think it was just in how it was printed.

My copy of megaman x3 was a previous rental copy. I picked it up for $15 complete-ish. the manual was all jacked and layed with that self laminating stuff on the outside since it was a rental, it was surprising that Hollywood video kept their boxes to their games for when they sold them. this was back in the late 90's...

I've noticed that some snes games were printed with a label that have a shiny layer over the top of everything and that keeps the ink from rubbing off like on the X3 games, I have only seen X3 games with out the shiny layer on the label. X2 I have only seen with shiny labels and X came both ways, one label version had muted colors and the other was much more bright. almost as if the muted color one was a hastily redone second run

dude what is up with the value of metal warriors? that's like a $5 game....

FECK I haven't been buying them because I already had a copy!

[Tanooki]

Nintendo for the NES, pre-Super GB Gameboy, and SNES up to around 1994~ used a plastic laminate coating over the top of their standard glossy label, and even then the ink under it was a sturdier thicker type. I'm sure you've seen some older NES games where the label peels up or you clean it and some crap gets under the plastic and it looks like it's stained but when it dries it's fine. That's what's going on there. When the dropped the outer layer they also went with a less hearty ink and simple human oily finger contact and water if left on it will alone jack the things up. It was most stupid on gameboy since it was nearly unavoidable to drag a finger over the label pulling it in and out of the system.

I agree with you on Metal Warriors. I've had it twice in the last 5 years. The first time I got it, it was pretty cheap, second time I bagged it was like 90 in trade credit at a local shop with a partly fubar label on lower face of it. IN both cases I tried hard to like it, but the stage design around 4-5 stages in just flat out sucks, it's a real trial of patience and tolerance due to the weird layout and less than fluid control of the game. I think it gets love because it's unique, it's Lucasgames, and it has nice production values, plus it got talked up more (far more) than deserved. At least when I got rid of them one was a trade for a game I really did appreciate the first time, sold the second to break even as I just didn't care. :P

I'm strongly considering selling some more of high tier NES/SNES games at this rate. I'm not sure I want to, but I so rarely go back to them they're mostly kept because I fear the price sucking even harder and me maybe wanting to play them again (eyes Bonk, Wild Guns, etc.) No this isn't carrot dangling for offers so if I do this site gets first crack before ebay.

[SparTonberry]

X came both ways, one label version had muted colors and the other was much more bright. almost as if the muted color one was a hastily redone second run

X1 got reprinted by Majesco (Majesco reprints were most distinctive for their B&W manuals), that's possibly it.
(what I'm less certain in distinguishing a Majesco cart is having a molded warning label on the back vs. a sticker warning label)
The only sure way to tell a Majesco print is to open it and check the PCB.

[Daria]

I paid dra600n $150 for his Earthbound, cart only. But considering the games I flipped to buy it I don't consider it an expensive purchase.

[Gameguy]

Yeah and look at Hagane now. It was 100-150 as you said circa 2010-2011... but I heard a copy recently fetched $500? Cart only? If true, that's just nuts.
Actually even more recently a cart only copy sold at open auction for $783.00.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/121586351567

[Emperor Megas]

I don't think I've ever paid more than 50 bucks for an SNES game, and that was back during it's generation.

[bb_hood]

its a rare game, the super famicom version isnt nearly as rare.

[Nesmaster]

$160 for X3, $150 for CIB mint Super Mario RPG.

[Bing147]

I think my most is $55 for Chrono Trigger though I traded some dupes to cover $45 of it.

[Tanooki]

That was a smart move on the trades. When I posted I was going straight cash. If I were going into the realm of trade work to not take the dollar hit, my worst I capped myself at was $300 shipped on Bonk for NES to correct a screw up in selling the first one I had a few years earlier when $75 was good for it to a friend when it was normally $100~. Second to that was trading a climber g&w and 6 pal SMS games for Bomberman 2 and Bubble Bobble 2 and while that seems like a lot for 2 games I didn't have as much into those...maybe $200~.

[celerystalker]

I could probably save a lot by trading or selling duplicates, but I always give them away. My brother and a couple of friends are great people and love games, but don't always have a lot of money, so I tend to give away duplicates from lots to make them happy. Most of my duplicates these days are imports anyway, so it's probably not so big a loss.

[Tanooki]

Like what, famicom and superfamicom stuff or all sorts of things?

One thing I keep telling myself I'll do again is go after Super Famicom games, but when I can't even find time to play what I have I just don't bother. I wouldn't turn one down if I found it local(hah) or online super cheap if it was a game I once had I'd take another crack at. Thankfully much of the famicom/super famicom stuff has dodged the US Nintendo abuse swing.

[celerystalker]

It's predominantly Famicom, Super Famicom, and PC Engine that I buy in lots, but I do on occasion go for PS1 and Saturn, though those tend to be easier to pick and choose what I'm getting. There is a massive amount of poorly documented stuff on those systems, so I like to dig deep and see what comes up. Most of the duplicates tend to be loose carts and HuCards, though. Like, this last week I got in spare Japanese copies of Super Mario All-Stars, Legend of the Mystical Ninja, and Final Fantasy VI for SFC and Romancia and Famicom Jump for Famicom in a big lot of 17 games I won for about $40 shipped because there were two games that would have cost me at least that much, so the rest was bonus. I usually just try to find a good home where they will be played and not resold, and about 90% of the time it ends up being my brother.