We are well into the digital age of video games. Physical copies displayed at your local game store are just as easily located in downloadable form on Steam, Xbox Live, or Playstation Network.
Overall, this is good for gamers. Gone are the days of driving to Gamestop and sifting through the game spines in alphabetical order just to walk away empty handed. We can now do the shopping from the comfort of our couch. We save money and time.
Ten years ago, it wasn’t like this. It used to be that the only way to play a game was by having a physical copy. Games would retain value because there was no other way to have that experience. If a game sold through its manufacture run, you would have to buy a used copy. If no one wanted to sell that game, you would have to offer more money. A game could achieve a rare status.
It’s no secret that I adore the .hack series. I’ve written articles about them in the past. The sad part is that I only own the first two games. There are seven total. I figured that I would eventually purchase them all as I visit used game stores over time. But time has widened the gap between those games and my dream. It would now cost me over $400 to complete my collection.
Added from left to right: $35 + $65 + $65 + $140 + $100 + $85 + $90 = $580
This left me intrigued. It makes sense for games that never saw a digital release or HD remaster to still hold value, but are the days of rare games behind us now that everything is digital? Are there physical discs being released now that will later be the sole way to experience that game?
Let me be clear… physical copies of games will always hold some type of value for collectors, but this article is focusing on the value of the game experience. That’s what has driven the price of the .hack series and other games like it to skyrocket. If all seven games were released tomorrow on PSN, I guarantee that prices of the physical copies would drop significantly.
First, I’m going to point out a few games from last generation that are now considered rare and explain why their physical forms still hold value. Then I’m going to predict games that are coming out now that will be rare in the future.
Last Gen:
Marvel Ultimate Alliance: Gold Edition/Platinum Hits - Xbox 360 ~ $60
I’m sure this game was quite unique when it came out, but in 2015 it’s certainly not the only way to have a Marvel-inspired dungeon crawl with friends. What makes this specific version of the multiplatform title rare? In April 2007, Activision released downloadable content exclusive to Xbox Live that enabled you to play as 8 new heroes. Then, in May 2007, Activision released the Gold Edition on Xbox 360 that included all the DLC packaged in. Lastly, on December 31, 2009, Activision decided not to renew their Marvel license and, without warning, yanked the DLC from Xbox Live. Overnight, the Gold Edition became the only way to play as Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Hawkeye, Magneto, Sabretooth, Venom, Doctor Doom, or The Hulk. There’s now a $50 difference between a regular copy and a gold edition.
If you enjoyed this game and one of your favorite heroes was locked behind a $50 difference, would you pay up?
Aquanauts Holiday - PS3 ~ $100
In Aquanauts Holiday, you play as a journalist in search of a missing oceanographer. It’s an adventure game where you use a submarine to search for clues and explore marine wildlife in the sea. The game was originally released in Japan and Southeast Asia in September 2008. Two months later, a Chinese and English translation of the Japanese version was released in China.
The only way to play this game outside of Asia in 2008 was to import it. That, coupled with the fact that it didn’t sell very well, created a recipe for scarcity. I may have seen this game in the bargain bin back in the day when no one knew what it was, but now it sells for about $100.
Do you remember seeing this game preowned at your local game store?
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn - Wii ~ $80
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn is the tenth title in the series and the first on Wii. It’s a tactical role-playing game where you control a small team of characters around a square-based battlefield. It’s known for being hard and having permadeath. If you’ve played a Fire Emblem game before, then you know what you’re getting into. Radiant Dawn does have one feature that sets it apart from the other 9 titles; it’s a direct sequel to the gamecube game, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. You don’t need to play the previous entry to enjoy Radiant Dawn, but it improves the experience in the same way that Mass Effect has for gamers.
Being a sequel to a rare game on Gamecube has definitely driven prices up for this title and with Nintendo’s history, we will likely never see a digital release.
As you can see, most games from last gen were rare because of special conditions like localization or some type of digital misstep. If it wasn’t a Nintendo title, chances are the experience can still be found in some digital form.
So to answer my original question… will rare games still exist in the future? Will a game that’s released in 2015 reach the $100 heights that a game like Marvel vs. Capcom 2 once commanded?
Well, yes and no. Yes, I think there will still be rare physical discs, but no I don’t think there will be very many rare game experiences. Let me explain with some examples.
Current Gen:
Retro City Rampage - PS4 ~ $150
Retro City Rampage DX is an open world action game that parodies games and pop culture from the 80’s and 90’s. It’s most akin to the early top down games in the Grand Theft Auto series.
This game released on December 11, 2014 on every digital platform available. It’s not a rare experience to have, but the physical disc is very rare. About a month after the digital-only release, the developer, Vblank Entertainment, shipped out 2,000 copies for PS4. The game is now worth $150 or more. Keep in mind that you can purchase the digital version on any platform for about $7…
Shenmue 3 - PS4 ~ $???
Shenmue 3 promises to continue the traditional open world action-adventure gameplay which includes fight scenes broken up by life simulation minigames and quick time events.
This game wasn’t even supposed to happen. The first two titles were critical hits but commercial failures. Sega canceled development of Shenmue III and 15 years years later, Sony parades the Kickstarter relaunch during their E3 2015 press conference.
It’s hard to say for sure, but chances are the only physical copies of this game will initially be in the hands of people who backed the Kickstarter. If you’re willing to purchase a game that doesn’t even exist yet, I doubt you’d be willing to turn it over for less than you originally paid for it. You can buy a digital version of Shenmue 3 once the game releases, but I’m confident that the “exclusive backer-only” version will be a very rare game from this generation.
Shader - One Lil Netbook - $Priceless
Shader is the rarest game that I know of. I can’t explain it because a) I’ve never played it and b) there’s no video of this game on YouTube. Here’s an article on Kotaku that explains the story of how it came to be.
The important thing to know about this game is that it only exists on one little netbook. The game can’t be copied, therefore the only way to experience it is to have the netbook in your hands.
Shader is perhaps the rarest game in the world, but I think that we may see this approach from another developer in the near future.
In closing, rare games still exist and will continue to exist in the digital era. They’ve changed from what we’ve always known and they will continue to change. If you’re a collector, you may have the hardest job of this generation as you can no longer just collect niche JRPGs. We’ll be on the lookout for more rare games, but if you have any predictions, we’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Thanks again.
Sincerely,
@drockalexander
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