Most... Expensive...Game...Ever

General and high profile video game topics.
scotland171
Posts: 816
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Most... Expensive...Game...Ever

Postby scotland171 » August 16th, 2014, 11:09 am

Some hobbies have collector's booms, where old baseball cards, comics, cars, whatever just skyrocket in price.   For instance, right now on ebay the top banner (for me anyway) was about an auction for a Grade 9 Action Comics #1.  Its so rare and so sought after, that even though it was just a cheaply printed and mass produced comic book, its now literally a king's ransom.  To have survived all this time (including through the era of trading comics around, then the WWII paper drives, then the deadly 'mom threw it away').   If you are interested, its here
http://www.ebay.com/itm/311050328393  and the comic is currently bid at 1.6 million dollars.  For a comic book.  Some baseball cards can go for huge amounts too, like a 1952 Mickey Mantle for 200 grand. There is one, a primordial player called Honus Wagner whose ultrarare card goes for Action Comics #1 prices too.

Lets move on to video games before Segatarious gets bent out of shape.

On this site we've talked about when its a good time to collect games for systems (when they are so last decade, old and obsolete, but not yet nostalgic or quaint), and online bidding sites like Ebay, and how we scored great games and systems in the recent past whose prices have now gone insane.

What's interesting is that this can happen to media in the digital age.   Old games are easily emulated (ethics and legality aside), so only collectors would part with big bucks for such a game.  Even the ultra rare games usually have ROMS out there somewhere for the intrepid to find.  Other times there are ports or re-releases or remakes or whatever.  We have flashback systems of several consoles now, plug and plays, handheld compilations, etc.   Game that even back in the day had manufacturing runs - we are not talking about one of a kind paintings or sculptures.   Games are much sturdier than baseball cards, and the hobby only a few decades old.  

So, what would be the ceiling for any video game ever?
What is the most expensive game you have ever heard about selling for? 
Is there any 'holy grail' for your collection (not in general, but for *you*)?
How much have you paid for any one game?
and for the flip side, have you ever scored the ultimate bargain? 

Here are some thoughts:
Atari 2600: Imagic's Atlantis II
Sega Master System: James Buster Douglas Knockout Boxing (the man who KO'd Tyson)
Nintendo NES - Bubble Bath Babes
TG-16: Super Air Zonk:Rockabilly Paradise







ptdebate1
Posts: 909
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Most... Expensive...Game...Ever

Postby ptdebate1 » August 16th, 2014, 12:21 pm

I think the gold NES championship cart is worth like $30,000 IIRC.

I wouldn't pay more than a couple hundred bucks for a game I really want to play. I'm not a collector--I just love good games. One of the games on my radar, therefore, is Panzer Dragoon Saga. Here's one game that really seems to live up to the hype. And, as far as I know, there's no other way to reliably play it. Saturn games are notoriously hard to emulate--especially the complex 3D ones.

Teddybear1
Posts: 130
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Most... Expensive...Game...Ever

Postby Teddybear1 » August 16th, 2014, 12:27 pm

I confessed in an earlier thread that I bid over $400.00 (and lost) on Bounty Bob Strikes Back for the Atari 5200.  Drinking and E-Baying do not mix......the next morning when I awoke and truly realized how lucky I was that someone had bid higher was all the aspirin I needed.  I wanted the game but not that badly!

Happily I managed to acquire a disk copy of the game for the Commodore 64 - at a much, much lesser cost.

Rev1
Posts: 1777
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Most... Expensive...Game...Ever

Postby Rev1 » August 16th, 2014, 12:35 pm

Well... Super Air Zonk isn't nearly expensive as Magical Chase- which complete goes for about 5,000-7,000 grand. I already own Super Air Zonk, Dynastic Hero, and most of the other expensive US releases for the Turbografx. Magical Chase is pretty much the one that I refuse to buy.

However, if you're talking about the most expensive game ever, the best example I can think of is Nintendo World Championships (Gold Edition), that sucker is about $30,000+. Definitely one of the holy grails of video game collecting.

Sut1
Posts: 789
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Most... Expensive...Game...Ever

Postby Sut1 » August 16th, 2014, 1:19 pm

DarXide on 32x, someone on Sega 16 paid €950 for it, it's a mega rare European exclusive.
I wouldn't pay that as it's actually not a very good game and I prefer my collection to be good games rather than rare games.

My most expensive game is Panzer Dragoon Saga which I paid £100 for, I'm also willing to pay similar for Snatcher which is my personal holy grail, but I think £100 would be my ceiling for a game.

Vexer1
Posts: 883
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Most... Expensive...Game...Ever

Postby Vexer1 » August 16th, 2014, 2:48 pm

So far the most expensive game I can think of is the Japanese release of Time Gal on the Pioneer Laseractive, it goes for like 7,000 dollars on average.

I was also shocked at how expensive Plumbers Don't Wear Ties on 3DO goes for nowadays, like 3,000 dollars, which is crazy because it was nowhere near that expensive 3-4 years ago.

 


Rev1
Posts: 1777
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Most... Expensive...Game...Ever

Postby Rev1 » August 16th, 2014, 8:09 pm

[QUOTE=Sut]I'm also willing to pay similar for Snatcher which is my personal holy grail, but I think £100 would be my ceiling for a game.[/QUOTE]

Snatcher is awesome. My favorite game on the Sega CD, bar none. It was an excellent game. Sadly, it is pretty short and can be completed in a 6-10 hours.

Gentlegamer1
Posts: 687
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Most... Expensive...Game...Ever

Postby Gentlegamer1 » August 16th, 2014, 8:55 pm

[QUOTE=Rev]Well... Super Air Zonk isn't nearly expensive as Magical Chase- which complete goes for about 5,000-7,000 grand. [/QUOTE]Magical Chase recently auctioned for $2501.01.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/161366006667?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Most "rare" games are worth far less than commonly stated.

Rev1
Posts: 1777
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Most... Expensive...Game...Ever

Postby Rev1 » August 17th, 2014, 11:08 am

[QUOTE=Gentlegamer][QUOTE=Rev]Well... Super Air Zonk isn't nearly expensive as Magical Chase- which complete goes for about 5,000-7,000 grand. [/QUOTE]Magical Chase recently auctioned for $2501.01.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/161366006667?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Most "rare" games are worth far less than commonly stated.[/QUOTE]

That's the HU Card and Manual. The game also originally came with a box, which drastically increases the price.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/161300068971
http://www.ebay.com/itm/181173146500

Although there was one auction that was smaller in price, around $2500 for CIB but that was overseas which not everyone pays attention to. The game also depends drastically on who the people are that are bidding on the game. When you get a game like this, that shows up CIB a couple times a year, the price varies drastically so giving an exact estimate is tough. Still, my original price quote still stands.

gleebergloben1
Posts: 687
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Most... Expensive...Game...Ever

Postby gleebergloben1 » August 17th, 2014, 12:10 pm

Scotland, nice topic. I know I'm cheating here because it's a handheld system, but I've always wanted to own an Atari Cosmos. I think the last one went for over $18K.

Cosmos was developed by Al Alcorn, Atari's 3rd employee, Roger Hector, and I believe Harry Jenkins, and I find the story behind the Cosmos pretty fascinating. In 1980, the 2600 was selling like hotcakes, so Alcorn pitched to president Ray Kassar making a tabletop system that would be a "lower end" version of the 2600. Prior to this, Atari had been buying every holographic patent they could find without knowing what they were actually going to do with them.

Alcorn designed Cosmos with about 8 or 10 games. The games themselves were not really games but 'keys' that would play a different game when inserted in Cosmos (hence the low price of 10 bucks per game). Holographic overlays were used for each game. The Cosmos itself was very simple, not unlike the handheld Mattel Football. When you played Cosmos, at a certain point in the game, the lights would change and you'd get a different holographic background from the holographic overlay.

Alcorn had a really tough time selling this, because Marketing wanted nothing to do with it, and people said the games were not holographic, only basic LED games with holographic overlays. However, Alcorn managed to pre-sell 250,000 units, but president Ray Kassar pulled the plug and the systems were destroyed.

Only 5 are known to exist, and I'm not sure if any are in working order. I just think it's really cool because back at that time, it seemed like the sky was the limit with gaming. So if anyone would like to fork over 18K and buy me Cosmos for Christmas, I'd be very much obliged [thumb].




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