Video game collecting has been a hobby for many within the last few years and I am a video game player, but not a collector. Today I will count down the top 10 most rare and collectable video games ever. For this list, the only games that will be In this countdown are so rare that limited copies has ever been made and the sale values has exceeded expectations. Time to start the countdown .
10. Batman Forever Woolworths Box Set (SNES): $900 – $1300
This PAL Limited Edition box set was only available from Woolworths and is very hard to find. The set includes The game, Making Of Game VHS, Batman Diary, Batman Sticker, Competition Entry Form & the outer Slipcase. As many of you know, they game wasn’t especially popular and in the days of people not really collecting video games, most people who purchased it would not have kept all the items and packaging together, let along in good condition. It has surfaced on eBay a few times in recent years, but hasn’t always reached its asking price.
9. Gauntlet (Atari 2600): $3000-$5000
This title has nothing to do with the later action RPG series Atari would release. Instead, the plot follows Sir Robert Whittenbottom as he runs the gauntlet of an ancient tribe in an attempt to prove his manhood and join the tribe. The player could run around or leap over various obstacles, and could survive multiple hits before finally succumbing to wounds. The game was mail-order only from Answer Software and was not contained in a box, instead coming in a foam case.We haven’t really seen much activity on this release in recent years. Copies back in the early 2000s went for about $3,000. I think it would be safe to say that it could reach $5,000 or more if went up for sale in good condition.
8. Tetris (Sega Genesis/Megadrive) : $3,000 – $16,000
So you think the unlicensed Tetris game for the NES is hard to find? Just try to get your hands on the Japanese Megadrive Tetris. It was developed alongside Sega’s System-16 arcade version, but never reached shelves after legal wranglings gave Nintendo exclusive console rights. However, that little issue doesn’t stop some people from obtaining it. Apparently, there are about 10 copies known to be floating around.
7. Stadium Events (NES): $1,800 – $8,800
What makes this otherwise standard game so rare, is that just after its release, it was recalled. As an official third party title, Stadium Events made use of an accessory called the Family Fun Fitness Pad. It required the player(s) to run or step rapidly in order to complete each event. Upon its release, Nintendo decided to grant the game a first party production, recalling the scant initial cartridges that had been sent out.The game would later become “World Class Track Meet” and would be played with Nintendo’s own controller the “Power Pad”. Both became very common and were boxed-in with many NES consoles. But Stadium Events, the original anomaly, had snuck out in ever so limited numbers. 2000 copies is believed to have been the total distribution tally, but doesn’t consider how many of those were sold prior to Nintendo’s recall. Some have suggested that no more than 200 actually made it into NES owners’ homes. It should be noted that PAL versions were not recalled and are not worth as much (even though many eBay sellers try to pass them off as rarities)
6. Elemental Gearbolt: Assassin’s Case (Playstation): $1,400 – $1750
This treasure chest of sorts was given away as a tournament prize at the 1998 E3 convention in addition to a few people who worked on Elemental Gearbolt at Working Designs. When all was said and done, only 40 of these sets were produced and given out. The set includes a briefcase, gold GunCon, and gold memory card. The last one to be sold was in August 2009. It got bids up to $1700, which was surprising since it was a new seller (that eventually backed out). Had it been a established seller, it may have gone for more.
5. Atlantis II (Atari 2600) : $5,000-$18.000
This was a special tournament version of the Atari 2600 game Atlantis. The gameplay is much faster, the scoring system has been slightly altered from the original, and enemy ships are worth far less than the original version, where the city of Atlantis must be protected from the evil Gorgon spaceships. Copies of the cartridge were sent to the top players in the Defend Atlantis competition, primarily because there were far more than four people capable of maxing out the score in the original Atlantis. Of those receiving the cartridge, four were chosen and sent to Bermuda for the final round of the competition, where the winner won $10,000. The game looks identical to Atlantis, though a sticker with “Atlantis II” typed on it was stuck to the front of the box. It is unknown who won the competition.
4. Air Raid (Atari 2600) : $3,400 – $33,400
This game was apparently the only released by MenAvision with possibly only twelve official copies ever seeing the light of day. The cartridge is blue, with a t-shaped handle on the end.Gameplay centers around the player attempting to protect a city by shooting down flying saucers, airplanes, and other kinds of enemies which are trying to bomb said city. To do this, the player must fly around in their own aircraft, launching missiles at enemy ships. Waves are continuous, though scores are tabulated so players can compete against themselves.For many years, only cartidge-only versions of the game had surfaced. In 2004, the cartridge sold $3,305 and another one was listed in 2009 for $5,000 and passed without a bid. However, in 2012, we have now see two boxed copies sell on eBay and GameGavel — for $14,000 and $33,400 respectively.
These recent sales made it one of the highest priced video game transations of all time (a bit behind the $41,300 that was paid for a copy of Stadium Events for the NES). For the record, it would be very interested in seeing one of the other two games change hands just so we can see the values
3. 1990 Nintendo World Championships: Gold Edition (NES): $15,000 – $21,000
In 1990, Nintendo famously held a gaming tournament in Los Angeles, California, not unlike the one in the finale of the cult classic film, The Wizard. While admittedly a mainstream competition (most of us could have won with no problem), the event was a high point in Nintendo’s glamorous reign at the top of the gaming market, and is remembered by many with great enthusiasm. After its promotion in the popular Nintendo Power and through the Powerfest tour, kids everywhere practiced feverishly in hopes of heading to this event, seeing the wonder of light and sound, playing some Rad Racer, and winning it all.The actual game is a timed compilation of three titles (Super Mario Bros, Rad Racer, and Tetris), each adjusted for the tournament, and containing a unique scoring system. The 1990 Nintendo World Championships: Gold Edition was the contest prize in one of Nintendo Power’s monthly promotions. One grand prize winner and twenty-five equally as fortunate runners-up were each sent a single copy (which makes 26 copies in the wild). What gives these competition cartridges an incredible dynamic is that, while so few copies exist, they were distributed to winners throughout all of North America. Many rare/prototype games and systems with this low of a production, had their entire allotment sent to or found in a single localized area.
2. Birthday Mania (Atari 2600): $15,000 – $35,000
Distributed by Personal Games, Birthday Mania cartridges were specially ordered cartridges with personalized title screens and spaces on the front where names could be written in. The game focused on the player blowing out birthday candles, and the game was billed as a perfect birthday gift. It didn’t really catch on, so there are very few of these out on the market.So how rare is it? Well, there’s only a couple claimed to exist. One is supposedly in the hands of Jerry Greiner, known Atari collector and enthusiast, while another belongs to a user at AtariAge (I won’t list his name since he appears to value his privacy). Since Greiner has never actively proven his ownership, it means the one from AtariAge is the only known in existence. (Yes, that could very well make it more rare than the NES Nintendo World Chamption Cartidges) Back in 2009, the highest known offer for a copy of Birthday Mania was $6500, but it was turned down by the owner. With recent sales of Air Raid and the rise of collecting over the last 5 years, Birthday Mania could easily fetch 2 to 5 times the amount of that offer. The second image is the only known image of gameplay that was ever shown. There is also no clips on YouTube of this game that exists
1. Gamma Attack (Atari 2600): $20,000 – $50,000
The only game released by company Gammation, programmed by Robert L. Esken, Jr., and seeing only a handful of cartridges produced, Gamma-Attack remains one of the rarest video games ever made. How rare you ask? There is one copy known to exist, in the hands of collector Anthony DeNardo.The eBay auction in February 2008 for Gamma-Attack was Mr. DeNardo’s copy, put up to showcase his amazing find. The auction had a $500,000 Buy-It-Now price. Back when originally published this guide in 2009, we had this game valued between $5,000 and $10,000. This is what Mr. DeNardo estimated the worth at in 2008, but he confessed that he had received even larger offers for the title.Nearly five years later, the video game collecting market has taken off quite a bit, so it is easy to value Gamma Attack between $20,000 and $50,000 making it arguably the most valuable video game of all time.
It is worth noting that the ROM of Gamma Attach has been released, and in 2008 Gammation unveiled GammAttack4, a re-release of the game for PC emulators. Gammation’s website is www.gammation.com. You can also occasionally find reproductions of the game on eBay
Honorable mentions
Pepsi Invaders (Atari 2600).
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (Japanese PC version).
Final Fantasy VII (factory sealed, black label, Playstation)
Metroid Prime Trilogy (Wii)
Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater Premium Package (Playstation 2)
The Music Machine (Atari 2600)
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