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Thread: Are rare games now a thing of the past?

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    Kirby (Level 13) norkusa's Avatar
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    Default Are rare games now a thing of the past?

    With the cost of developing new current-gen games getting more and more expensive, do you think that we'll see fewer rare titles being relased in the future? With the amount of time and money being invested into current gen titles, it doesn't make sense for a company to only print 50,000 copies of a game since they'd need to sell a lot more than that in order to break even.

    Plus the business of re-printng rare/valuable titles really seems to be taking off lately too which will of course snuff out whatever value the games once had. Atlus just re-printed Disgea (with rumors of SMT Nocturne being next), Konami just did Zone Of The Enders: 2nd Runner, and GQD will re-print anything rare that they can get their hands on.

    So what do you guys think? Will the 360/PS3/Wii era be the end rare games or will some titles still slip thru the cracks?

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    Strawberry (Level 2)
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    There'll always be titles that slip by, but it will be very out of the ordinary for there to be a truly rare game compared to the older stuff. Even years from now.

    Disgaea as an example, was NEVER rare, there were always a billion copies of it available everywhere online, they just happened to stay at $49.99 unless you wanted to get ripped off on Ebay. It's also notable that Atlus already reprinted it about a year ago.

    What's happening now is a changing perception to what one will define as "rare." You'll find a billion copies of ______ game everywhere but people will pay through the nose for the first released that had a different tinted cover or whatever.

    The decrease in number of rare games is something I would argue started with the Dreamcast. One commonly imported item while the Dreamcast was dying in the US was King of Fighters '99: Evolution (the '99 was dropped for Agetec's US release). Not only did this end up getting reprinted in the US, it got outright re-released in east Asia four times over (twice via SNK and then again by DriKore and later CapKore). For the first time since World Heroes you had an SNK game you'd have to try NOT to find a copy of.

    What I think is going to happen now is we'll see the prices for whatever iteration of a game got the least amount of copies of it skyrocket while the game itself will be dirt cheap since collectors will always need to have items they can deem rare to keep their habit alive.

    A good example is when Gamestop became Game Quest Direct's biggest customer. I saw many collectors annoyed that there's no cosmetic differences between their releases and the "original" versions.

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    Apple (Level 5)
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    A thing of the past? I don't think so. A far less likely occurence? Absolutely. The Collector's Edition of MGS:3 Subsistence comes to mind.

    I wonder, though...if there are fewer rarities, will that make the rarities more valuable?

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    Crono (Level 14)
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    Dont think so. You will most likely have some companies that make budget titles. Many of these will be harder to find years after they are off the market.

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    Peach (Level 3)
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    Don't forget things like Pokemon Box, and, um, NCAA College Basketball 2K3. 2 different scenarios that each led to a pretty hard to find game. so yeah, it'll probably keep happening.

    but I do think the above post makes a good point. there will always be variations that make something more "rare" for the hardcore collectors.

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    ServBot (Level 11) s1lence's Avatar
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    Its way to early to tell. Think about all the PS1/DC games that used to be though of as common games that have turned out to be rare/valuble. Its going to take a few years to filter the crap out to see whats rare.

    Right now though as we are getting to the end of a few systems life cycles I could see some games being hard to find, Tales of the Abyss for the PS2 and Xynaide for the Xbox seem to be to that could have rare possibilities.
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    Apple (Level 5)
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    ZOE2 reprinted?

    ZOMG!

    (rushes to store)

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    Kirby (Level 13) j_factor's Avatar
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    A week ago, I walked into Game Crazy with the intent of purchasing a new game. I had a specific new game in mind, one that had just come out three weeks earlier and I'd heard good things about. I asked the clerk for the game by name. He said they didn't have it. I was surprised that they weren't stocking a new game, so I went to Gamestop. They didn't have it. Tried EB, they didn't have it.

    Just three weeks after the release of this game, not a single store in my area had it in stock. Now, I don't know about everyone else, but to me, three weeks after release is pretty damn prompt to be getting the game. And yet this new game was nowhere to be found.

    That game was Cooking Mama for DS. And while it's not "rare", strictly speaking, that experience taught me one thing: rarity is not a thing of the past.
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    Please highlight what a douche I am.

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    Some douche Richter Belmount's Avatar
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    thats funny j factor i saw that at 2 local stores for 20 bucks a pop
    U GAIZ JUST DONT LIKE CHANGE , (builds a artificial foundation here)

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    Kirby (Level 13) Push Upstairs's Avatar
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    I think i saw that game while wandering through Best Buy a couple of weeks ago.

    Possibility is infinity! You must be satisfied!

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    Ryu Hayabusa (Level 16) Custom rank graphic
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    Rare games aren't a thing of the past, nor will they ever be.

    Regardless of how much a dev company has to spend on producing a title, there are always companies who find ways to either make games on the cheap or bring over Japanese titles with minimal translation. And if you think about what games are currently rare, they(more often than not, barring a few exceptions) fall into those two categories.

    Reprints from comapnies like GQD pose the greatest threat to collectors, but one can thank good ol' capitalism for that. But, the games that are usually reprinted are those in demand-you don't see other HTF games being reprinted since there is no guarantee they'd sell outside of small collector circles.

    There will always be games that pass through the cracks, but will people notice? From what I can tell, some of the hardest to find games are the ones no one cares about.

    Motor City Patrol on the NES is a good example, as well as Fox Hunt on the PSX. At least, they're games I have heard little about but had a tough time finding them. I can honestly say I've only seen them in the wild(non-ebay) maybe once in the past 7-8 years. And when they are on ebay, people ask outrageous prices for them.
    RIP bargora, you will be greatly missed.That is how we do things on Giedion Prime.

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    Peach (Level 3) yok-dfa's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Oobgarm
    Reprints from comapnies like GQD pose the greatest threat to collectors^h^h^h^h^h^h investors
    Here, fixed that your you Seriously i don't see how reprinting games can be a problem for a collector? Bigger chance to find the game you want and you don't have to pay insane amounts to get it...

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    Pac-Man (Level 10) RCM's Avatar
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    There will be at least a few rare titles in this gen. If legit digital distribution happens next gen I'd imagine every title would be available thus eliminating rare games all together. All depends how they do it.
    I don't want you to hate me, I want you to want to hate me - GamersUniteMagazine.com

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    ServBot (Level 11) Slate's Avatar
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    There won't be many rare games this gen.

    There will always be games that slip through, though! Isn't the limited edition of Dead rising harder to find?

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    Apple (Level 5)
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    Quote Originally Posted by Slate
    There won't be many rare games this gen.

    There will always be games that slip through, though! Isn't the limited edition of Dead rising harder to find?
    I don't think Dead Rising has a limited edition. So, in a sense, it's so rare...there aren't any.

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    Strawberry (Level 2)
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    Quote Originally Posted by pacmanhat
    I don't think Dead Rising has a limited edition. So, in a sense, it's so rare...there aren't any.
    Countries other than the US and Japan exist.


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    Key (Level 9)
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    I just wish some jerk sellers wouldn't call everything 'rare', even the extremely common.
    "If each mistake being made is a new one, then progress is being made."

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    Pear (Level 6)
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    I don't want to hijack the thread, but I don't think Digital Distribution will be a problem for quite a length of time. I can't see a time when games will strictly be available download only. Rare games aren't going to disappear either. I think looking one generation back isn't far enough. Look at the rarest domestic Saturn games. The "Holy Trinity" Of Panzer Dragoon Saga, Shining Force III and House of the Dead were easy to find at the end of 1998. Now? Not so much. Time makes things rare. you have to wait until most of the titles get into the hands of the people that collect them, and the ravages of time collect the rest. Looking totally long term, everything that is rare today was common at one time.

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    Pear (Level 6) Soviet Conscript's Avatar
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    Seriously i don't see how reprinting games can be a problem for a collector? Bigger chance to find the game you want and you don't have to pay insane amounts to get it...
    well thats the problem. when you collect its usually the rare games that are hard to find that make collecting fun. i'll admit its kinda selfish on several levels. yhea its bad for the average person that doesn't have $100 to spend on a older game but as a collector its so much more fullfilling to get a rare game.

    for example, i'm not rich by any standard, i built my entire collection from what i got at xmas when i was a kid and what i bought on my working class budget but i have a few rare games that i paid about $100 for. rondo of blood and panzer dragoon saga. are they really worth that kind of money? not in my opinion but there rarity and price made them more of a challenge to find/buy and gave me alot more satisfation as a collector in haveing then if i found them at eb for like $5. i appricate them more and in a selfish way i have to say it feels nice to have something that kinda says to the rest of the collecting community that i'm a fairly serious collector and i have some nice items. would one get that same feeling from having 100 $2 commons? there are some insane games out there costing $1000 and more that i most likely will never afford but they give a collector a new challenge and something to shoot for.

    i wouldn't have nearly as good a time collecting if i was a billionare and i just told jeeves to go get me a complete nes collection. wheres the challenge of the hunt? although being able to afford decent health care would be nice....

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    Pear (Level 6) Soviet Conscript's Avatar
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    I just wish some jerk sellers wouldn't call everything 'rare', even the extremely common
    agreed, ebay is the worst with this. if i see one more mario/duckhunt with "rare" in the description i'm going to scream

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