Ahh, the Nintendo Leisure System (or NES, for brief). The console that modified the course of gaming historical past and introduced the US gaming market again from the brink of extinction. It established Nintendo as a family title and launched gamers to a number of the most iconic franchises and titles the medium has ever seen.
What it additionally did was have quite a lot of uncommon video games. Owing to its age and the truth that the panorama of gaming was vastly totally different again within the Nineteen Eighties, discovering reasonably priced copies of those video games goes to be extremely onerous (if you’ll find the video games in any respect since many have most likely been misplaced to the sands of time). Listed below are 10 of the rarest and costliest NES video games which may additionally require your arm and your leg if you wish to buy them.
All listed costs are courtesy of PriceCharting. Used costs are primarily based on the “Free Value” itemizing, whereas new costs are primarily based on the “New Value” itemizing (until in any other case famous). Entries are ranked from lowest to highest by their respective “new” worth.
10. The Legend of Zelda (Check Cartridge)
N/A New | $7,530 Used
It ought to come as no shock {that a} check cartridge lands on this listing someplace. Very similar to the vaunted “Not For Resale” copies of video games, check cartridges will not be readily purchasable, which makes discovering them a process in and of itself. Seemingly meant to be little greater than a recreation for check facilities to ensure consoles functioned correctly, it ought to come as no shock that the most costly one is among the system’s most influential video games, The Legend of Zelda.
On the subject of cartridges like these, you’re not gonna discover a “new” copy, since its complete goal – testing – would require or not it’s used at one level. With that mentioned, if you wish to discover an genuine cartridge (since there are lots of decoys), you’ll have to pay some $7,530 to get it. Except you will have a cash-burning gap in your pocket, there are much better (and cheaper) methods to amass the unique Zelda recreation at this level.
9. Nintendo World Championship
N/A New | $22,682 Used
Most is perhaps able to anoint this the highest spot on the listing, however as there isn’t a “new” worth for it, it’s happening the decrease finish. Relaxation assured, although, that the Nintendo World Championship cart is among the most iconic uncommon NES video games. These cartridges had been made solely for the 1990 Nintendo World Championship event, the place gamers confirmed off their greatest Nintendo abilities and gained a wide range of prizes.
All 90 finalists obtained certainly one of these cartridges, whereas the winner (and 25 runner-ups in a Nintendo Energy contest) obtained gold variations of the cartridges. Satirically, the gray cartridges run for more cash than the gold, although each are definitely no small price; the gold cartridge runs for roughly $18,944, whereas the gray cartridges promote for about $22,682. Except ripping your pockets aside is one thing you discover pleasure in, the NES Remix titles on the Wii U provide you with an identical expertise… they usually gained’t value near your yearly wage.
8. Bubble Bathtub Babes
$1,345 New* | $1,218 Used
I really feel soiled even typing out that title. Bubble Bathtub Babes…*shivers*…would possibly sound like the sport of each hormonal teenager’s desires, however it’s actually not. It’s merely a puzzle recreation à la Tetris or Bust-a-Transfer, however there’s a unadorned girl mendacity on the backside of the display. And certain, finishing ranges earns you some small bits of erotica, however it’s a NES recreation, so it’s fairly tacky. All of the nudity and intercourse enchantment is superfluous and provides nothing of worth to the sport itself.
That mentioned, its standing as an adult-oriented title meant it didn’t meet Nintendo’s family-friendly tips, and developer Panesian might solely ship it to video shops. Simply looking for a used copy units you again $1,218, whereas a “complete-in-box” copy (since there are apparently no “new” copies out there) would go for $1,345. That mentioned, the puzzle-based gameplay isn’t dangerous, so it might be price a discover. What is perhaps higher is discovering its formally licensed model Mermaids of Atlantis, a less expensive model that additionally removes all of the erotic parts… Hey, sacrifices wanted to be made someplace.
7. Peek-a-Boo Poker
$2,000 New* | $1,666 Used
Talking of video games distributed by Panesian… this one! The writer was recognized for producing adult-oriented video games on the NES, and Peek-a-Boo Poker was one other instance. Because the title would have you ever imagine, this was only a poker-based recreation, however clearly, there was a twist: it was strip poker! So if you happen to’re somebody who performs poker for the, ahem, ”plot,” possibly that is the sport for you.
Nicely… until the worth turns you away, and it ought to. $1,666 will get you a used copy, whereas a “complete-in-box” model of the sport (as soon as once more, no “new” worth was listed) runs for $2,000. That’s some huge cash to play strip poker with some NES sprites. So until you’re determined for a poker online game – or don’t have a really lively social life – you would possibly wish to redirect your search elsewhere.
6. Scorching Slots
$3,000 New | $1,454 Used
I promise that is the final time we’ll be citing Panesian on this listing. Given their earlier video games, Scorching Slots shouldn’t be obscure as a result of every thing it’s good to find out about it’s within the title. It’s a slot-machine-based recreation that’s sizzling… properly, by the requirements of the NES, presumably. I imply, hey, if 8-bit ladies are your sort, go proper forward, I gained’t choose.
What I’ll choose is the worth, as a result of $1,454 for a used copy of the sport is already fairly ridiculous. Seemingly, that is the one Panesian recreation that truly has “new” copies of it out there, however if you happen to actually need one, you’ll need to flush down $3,000 within the course of. That is the place you’ll have to find out whether or not it’s higher to blow $3,000 on an NES slot machine recreation, or take $3,000 to an precise slot machine and gamble it down…selections, selections.
5. Cheetahmen II
$3,452 New | $1,847 Used
Okay, we’re again in family-friendly territory… I hope. Cheetahmen II is a very unusual case as a result of this recreation was by no means formally launched. The unique Cheetahmen was a part of the notorious Motion 52 cartridge, and whereas the sequel was being deliberate, it was by no means formally printed. Nonetheless, 1,500 copies had been present in a warehouse in Florida, they usually had been ultimately put up on the market.
You’d be proper in considering a recreation that was by no means formally launched can be fairly costly. When you’re prepared to get a used copy, you’ll have to surrender “solely” $1,847, however a “new” copy (how is {that a} factor for a recreation like this?) involves $3,452. A hefty nice for a recreation that doesn’t look like all that good, because it seems prefer it’s little greater than a copycat model of the traditional Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles video games. Thus, it’d most likely be higher to check out a number of the newer, much better Ninja Turtles video games we’ve gotten these days.
4. The Flintstones: The Shock at Dinosaur Peak
$10,700 New | $1,464 Used
Now I can extra confidently say we’re in family-friendly territory. Chances are you’ll not assume a recreation like The Flintstones: The Shock at Dinosaur Peak can be extraordinarily uncommon given the recognition of its franchise… properly, till you understand it was an NES recreation launched in 1994, three years after the American launch of the Tremendous NES. However hey, feels becoming for the prehistoric franchise to launch on a system that was already feeling fairly prehistoric. And if you wish to really feel much more prehistoric, the sport was allegedly a rental-only recreation completely out there at Blockbuster (that sounds acquainted), which makes it an excellent hotter commodity.
A used copy will drain $1,464 out of your pockets, whereas a brand new copy will ship you down $10,700. That’s an asinine quantity, and it’s a disgrace the worth is so excessive as a result of it appears to be a fairly enjoyable little NES platformer. More often than not, these uncommon and costly video games will not be all that good, and solely soar in worth as a result of there are so few copies of them. However right here, we even have a fairly good recreation, one which will truly be price your cash… properly, okay, not for that amount of cash.
3. Little Samson
$17,400 New | $2,100 Used
Hey, have a look at that: one other entry on the listing that truly appears to be a very good recreation! Sure, Little Samson is a popular NES platformer that, in some circles, would possibly even land on the decrease finish of some “Finest NES Video games” lists. Sadly, the sport’s rarity stems from its poor gross sales, the place a hurricane of dangerous components negatively affected its gross sales. A late 1992 launch date (a 12 months after the Tremendous NES’s launch), some noticeable similarities to the rather more in style Mega Man, and writer Taito not having the ability to market the sport extraordinarily properly led to it dropping by the wayside.
Nonetheless, if you’ll find a duplicate of it within the wild, it is perhaps price grabbing… simply not for that worth. $2,100 used and a whopping $17,400 new can be an unbelievable quantity even when this was one of many best video games ever created. If you’ll find a worth for one thing a LOT cheaper, you would possibly wish to pounce on it. You would be rewarded with a fairly stable platformer.
2. Household Enjoyable Health Stadium Occasions
$33,109 New | $16,100 Used
That’s proper, Nintendo had a noteworthy health recreation earlier than Wii Match was cool. Stadium Occasions is certainly one of two video games within the Household Enjoyable Health collection, and it was an try by Bandai to advertise its Household Enjoyable Health mat accent. After its preliminary launch, Nintendo rebranded it in America as World Class Monitor Meet to advertise the Energy Pad accent, which meant copies of the unique model of the sport grew to become a a lot higher rarity.
Even simply discovering a used copy will put you down $16,100, however if you need a brand new copy, you higher get able to take out a mortgage, since you’ll need to pay $33,109 for it. For a very long time, this gave the impression to be the rarest, costliest NES recreation available on the market. Even when it’s not on the high anymore, it’s nonetheless an unbelievable quantity for, actually, something. The excellent news is that there are many cheaper train video games price your time, so that you gained’t need to dig into your belief fund to pay for one thing like this.
1. Mega Man (5-Screw Cartridge)
$156,100 New | $10,993 Used
On the high, we get to a slightly unusual instance of a recreation that will not appear too uncommon, however there’s a particular circumstance in play. Early within the lifetime of the NES, cartridge shells had 5 screws holding them collectively. For no matter motive, although, Nintendo would change to solely utilizing three screws on cartridge shells, and video games that beforehand had five-screw cartridges obtained new three-screw shells. Mega Man occurred to be certainly one of them, which meant its five-screw variant grew to become an enormous rarity.
If you wish to discover a used copy, you’ll have to pay $10,993, however if you need a brand new copy… take a deep breath in for a minute… you’ll have to cough up a whopping $156,100. You’ll be able to exit proper now and purchase a home for that amount of cash, and that’s saying one thing given the present housing financial system. All that cash for nothing greater than a distinct shell, because the precise recreation was in any other case the very same.
It certain is an effective factor the unique Mega Man has been re-issued since as a result of that amount of cash is absolute nonsense. You is perhaps paying for further screws, however actually, it’s the customer that will truly get… screwed… by it… okay, I’ll see myself out now.
However earlier than I do, what are another exceedingly uncommon and costly NES video games you may consider? Tell us within the feedback under.
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