Expensive Games for the Sega Mega Drive & Genesis

[Music] when i began collecting games for the sega genesis seriously back in the late 90s prices were nowhere near what they are today in fact the average price of a game was in the single digits a fraction of what it is now that got me to examine the market on a hole in 2022 and see what games cost the most across north america europe and japan and boy did i get a shock i knew things were more expensive now but i had no clue just how much higher some of these prices had gotten titles that used to cost next to nothing have exploded and the more expensive stuff continues to rise i've put together a list of some of the most expensive software in every region to give you an idea of what you'll pay for those rare games missing from your gaming shelf i used a combination of price charting and ebay to average out the cost and i mainly focused on complete inbox listings i'm also not including software that really weren't standalone games outback joey for instance was an exercise program meant to be used with a body monitor and miracle piano taught you how to play the instrument these items were limited releases that are themselves worth quite a bit we have 30 games to go over so let's get started [Music] our first region is north america launched in the summer of 1989 this would be the platform's most successful market in terms of hardware and software sales sega really focused on making games specifically for the taste of american gamers doubling down on popular sports releases and licensed products if you are shooting for a full set of us games let's take a look at what's going to cost you the most originally released in 1992 by namco this popular sequel to the arcade hit goes for quite a bit you're gonna pay upwards of three hundred dollars for a complete copy of this in good shape i always found the price of this one to be somewhat curious it sold well enough to warrant a sequel so it really shouldn't be that hard to find yet it's worth quite a bit splatterhouse 2 was also a very solid game for what it's worth and a great addition to the genesis library [Music] troubleshooter was released in early 1992 in the us by vik tokai it's a shoot em up that was known as battle mania in japan it did not sell well in the united states and thus tends to be on the rare side if you are looking to add this unique title to your collection you are looking at close to 350 dollars to get it complete and in fine shape it's got great graphics and music so if you've never played it i highly recommend that you do while the original arrow the acrobat sold well its sequel released in 1995 by sunsoft did not do nearly as well this resulted in a limited run in a fairly rare game that can cost nearly 400 complete and in good condition the first can be found for peanuts but good luck not paying an arm and a leg for this one [Music] there were a number of unlicensed games released for the sega genesis in north america but 1994 spiritual warfare is gonna cost you the most released by wisdom tree it features themes that revolve around the christian religion finding this sucker complete with all the original inserts and styrofoam is tough and will cost you above 400 regularly it's shipped in a crappy cardboard box so the ones you see tend to be beat up quite a bit it was only released in the u.s [Music] in 1991 renovation released el viento for the sega genesis it was fairly well received and sold well enough to get a sequel called ernest evans the following year you wouldn't know it by its modern price however if you want this in your collection expect it to run a good 400 dollars for everything in excellent condition this one was quite decent and the best in the trilogy that ended with a net futitabi on the sega cd in 1994 acclaim released spider-man and venom maximum carnage in the united states it sold well and if you want a copy today it can actually be gotten for a manageable price even complete in box but there was also an extremely rare collector's edition available and over the years it has become quite the expensive piece of shelf candy this one goes well north of four hundred dollars to get everything in good shape it shows up rarely for sale however so good luck finding it it tends to be an outlier at the time collector's editions were not a common occurrence and you'll find little like it in the genesis library [Music] 1994 zero the kamikaze squirrel was a spin-off of sunsoft's arrow the acrobat series it's amazing to see how this one has gone up over the years when i was collecting heavily this could be gotten all day long for 20 dollars complete no issues at all my oh my how things have changed if you want zero completed in good shape today expect to pay as much as five hundred dollars for it it's one of the most expensive games now and one of the biggest turnarounds and value i have ever seen [Music] in 1995 capcom released a rather timid adaptation of the punisher arcade game for the genesis they obviously had little faith in it because not many copies were produced and over the years the prices have reflected its scarcity this is another one that can soar past five hundred dollars to get it on your shelf this was always kind of expensive even when i was collecting i remember seeing it for 80 to 100 bucks as far back as 2008 i kinda wish i had bought it back then musha is a legend among the genesis faithful it was released by seismic in 1990 and over the years gained a cult following as one of the better shoot em ups for the platform and boy does today's market reflect that popularity musha complete is a one thousand dollar game now this is another one that was always high fifteen years ago you need to invest a hundred dollars to get it so it's no surprise it's reached this level if you need this one to complete that full set i advise looking at alternative means outside of ebay atlas released the extremely zelda-like crusader of senti in 1995. it was a very solid game that grew in reputation over the years despite not selling well at the time that created a rarity that has ultimately made this one one of the most expensive north american releases you can find complete and mint this is often well over a thousand dollars even cartridge only it's north of 500 this has led to a slew of bootlegs and reproductions so if you just want a physical copy there are alternatives but if you need an authentic version to complete that north american set there are few places to turn to even among collector and trading groups it's highly sought after this one is going to hurt your wallet no matter where you get it [Music] the japanese mega drive market was wildly different from north america it started in 1988 and sega struggled for the entire run of the platform selling far less units like most gaming systems at the time the japanese mega drive also got a bunch of releases that were never localized in english territories that makes the following list quite a bit different from what we just went over japanese mega drive titles have also increased heavily in price just in the last four years doubling an average value that makes for a number of really expensive games and a bummer for new collectors in 1995 the mega drive had long been dead in japan the saturn was out and sega was well on its way in the 32-bit generation wrist star's release wasn't just surprising there it was also among the final two dozen or so titles released for the platform as you can imagine not many copies were made and if you want it today expect to pay 600 dollars for it it's much cheaper in other regions but not nearly as rare [Music] most of you know castlevania bloodlines quite well also known as castlevania the new generation in powell regions it's one of the platform's most popular games it just so happens that it had a 1994 japanese mega drive version as well called vampire killer again because sales in japan tended to be much lower this one had just one run and is pretty hard to come by in excellent condition you should expect to pay six to eight hundred dollars here i'm really glad i bought this one when i did [Music] sunsoft released the japanese-only panorama cotton in 1994 as well this was a forward-scrolling shoot em up with a killer soundtrack its initial release included a promotional extra a full-size teacup to get the game itself you are looking at a good six to seven hundred dollars but if you want that original teacup in the box it's gonna be well over a thousand this makes panorama cotton one of the mega drive's most expensive japanese exclusives [Music] in late 1995 and among the final releases for the mega drive came a new entry into sega's long-running pingo series popinga pingo as you can imagine not even the fact sega did this themselves kept it from being a rare release even back then it's actually a really good game that was only released in japan adding to its mystique add in time and the voracious appetites of collectors and you'll now pay a good 700 for this one on average complete and in good condition many of you may have never played this gem so be sure to fire it up on your everdrive to see what all the fuss is about [Music] in 1992 world amusement studio published twinkle tale for the mega drive only in japan since it was exclusive there and is a run and gun shooter this thing can go for as much as 700 it was english translated years ago perhaps lending some steam to its appeal and collectibility the gameplay puts you in mind of a vertically scrolling contra and it's definitely worth playing some games cost so much just because they are super rare that definitely describes virtual bart one of the last japanese mega drive titles to hit the market in 1995. if you want this one prepare to drop 700. or more for it it's not a very good game and you can get the us version for way way less but you know how it goes with regional rarity those of you searching for that complete set of japanese games have a really tough road ahead paying for garbage like this battle mania makes the japanese list here as well the price of the japanese version tends to be all over the place sometimes 400 sometimes twice that it really seems to matter how many appear on the market at any given time and what's available the japanese release here actually came out after the north american version in 1992 in 1993 soft vision released the killer shoot em up classic eliminate down in japan samsung picked it up for the korean release but it was never localized for western markets that has led to an explosion of interest and pricing a complete and good condition listing will go north of a thousand dollars regularly it's quite the good game so if you appreciate the genre i really do recommend it in 1993 the mega drive got a port of the toa plan arcade title snow brothers this features two snowmen doing single screen battles by turning enemies into snowballs and taking them out i didn't play this one until years after the fact and it's pretty good it has additional content beyond the arcade great animation and huge bosses its huge popularity in recent years has really affected its price expect to pay a thousand dollars or more for this today the price of fame certainly has its downside [Music] in 1993 the sequel to battle mania hit japan and korea another shoot em up with excellent graphics and sound unlike the first one this never had a western release which makes it highly sought after today as far as game software this one tends to stay among the most expensive games for the mega drive and even card only sales often come close to 500 it's certainly worth playing but if you intend to buy it your wallet is gonna take one heck of a beating in the process [Music] the european mega drive market wasn't as robust as the genesis in north america but it was still quite a bit stronger than sega's fortunes in japan it released in most powell countries in 1990 and as you'd expect it had its own exclusives rare games and oddities and surprisingly many of them differ from north america and japan quite a bit in 1994 sony electronic publishing released mega turrican in pal territories it was a run and gun action game with some seriously great graphics and sound this one had some publishing issues in various parts of the world that caused delays in its release something that likely affected how many units were actually made this would explain its rather high price of three to four hundred dollars today there was also never a japanese release for it [Music] separation anxiety is a 1995 acclaim release that was also the sequel to maximum carnage for some reason it's extremely hard to find the pal version of it the late release probably contributed to fewer numbers being made so rarity has spurred on collectors to pay a ton more for it this one goes well north of 300 and it's rarely on places like ebay unlike north america europe actually got an official physical release of alien soldier this was treasure's last game for the platform and was hastily wrapped up in an unfinished state to get it on the market no doubt that meant that not a lot of units were made and the reason why it sells between three and five hundred dollars when it does show up the problem is is that it doesn't show up very often for any less beware of bootlegs of this one i've seen some with sega pcbs that would fool most people like the north american release 1995's the punisher is highly sought after for its powell edition as well usually coming in above 500 this capcom release port of the arcade has really shot up over the years no doubt another case of a late game released in limited numbers it keeps going up no matter which country it sells in the rarity and popularity of the license will likely mean it keeps going up too if you need needed to complete that set i don't think i'd wait to see if it drops in the future [Music] the 1994 oddity days before christmas was an australian pal exclusive that commands as much as 600 today it's not a good game either and the price has been driven up only because of its relative obscurity sunsoft published it in a limited run because they knew the game was terrible add in the fact it was the only australian exclusive ever done and you have a recipe of a really expensive collectible [Music] [Applause] [Music] echo junior was another 1995 pal release that is shot up to above 600 today this was meant to be an easier kid-friendly version of the ip it had a mix of action and educational sequences to complete and was much lighter in tone the north american version is worth nowhere near as much [Music] the pirates of dark water was an extremely rare release for the powell mega drive its price has been driven up to as much as 700 or more in the last few years sunsoft didn't make nearly as many units to sell in europe likely because of the waning popularity of the tv show it was based on mega man the wily wars made its official pal debut in 1994. it was a collection of the first three nes titles remastered for the mega drive and then some exclusive content added to tie all three together no physical north american version was ever created from its original run so this was the only english version available for years retro bit reissued it recently but the original still maintained their high asking prices here we are with yet another late release coming in 1995. the death and return of superman was published in europe by acclaim and man has it gotten way up there this one routinely hits the thousand dollar mark or more these days to get it completed in great condition the u.s version can be worth quite a bit itself but nowhere near this i was never fond of it and thought it was rather weak as far as beat em ups go but if you need it to complete your regional set it's gonna cost you [Music] among the most expensive pal games you'll see fatal fury 2 stands as one of the most rare this was because the publisher released it in few pal territories there are a few known aussie versions out there and a uk addition that many people are unsure whether it was actually ever officially released or not this confusion and rarity has driven the price up to over a thousand dollars and sometimes much much more it seems to be gaining rapidly so expect this one to be even more in the future [Music] there is often a conversation in our hobby about the retro gaming bubble exploding and all these game prices plummeting leaving collectors with a whole lot of expensive coasters i don't believe that at all with most collectors in their 30s and 40s today they have plenty of life left in them to keep this hobby going strong for many years to come there's even a whole generation of 20-somethings that caught the ass end of the 16-bit availability through hand-me-downs and used game stores so i just don't see how anyone expects these prices to change significantly anytime soon as long as the world's economy functions items like these will stay in high demand for as long as the people who enjoyed them are still alive that's bad news for those of you that want complete sets because it means big money as someone who collected seriously from the late 90s onward it's mind-boggling where these prices have gone the days of buying lots of games has long since passed for me and honestly if i had to pay the prices some of this stuff is today i don't think i'd own half of what i actually have with that said don't let these crazy high prices deter you from seeking out a decent library of sega genesis or mega drive games for every crazy high title like musha or crusader of senti there are affordable gems like eswat well worth their asking price in fact stay tuned for the very next episode because we will be looking at the regions in the opposite direction and talking about the most affordable 16-bit titles in north america europe and japanese regions that one will be a lot more opinionated of course but should give you a rough idea of what you can own sensibly in today's crazy retro market i'm single lord x thank you guys for watching and i will catch you next time [Music] you

Channel: Sega Lord X

Views: 106,303

Keywords: sega genesis, sega mega drive, retro games, segalordx, sega lord x, sega saturn, sega dreamcast, mega drive, megadrive, game gear, 32x, mega cd, genesis, saturn, master system, sega, sega cd, gameplay, review, movies, retro gaming, video games, ps4, xbox, wii, nintendo, gamecube, n64, ps1, ps2, ps3, psp, vita, switch, atari

Id: gjx8-ymvSk8

Length: 25min 54sec (1554 seconds)

Published: Sun Mar 20 2022