Tech Talk

Just read on the CNN Living page, the 8 very rare and expensive video games today. The list are diverse… and the prices are unbelievable!

Of course, if your a genuine collector, the prices would not really matter.

These rare and expensive video games are:

1. Stadium Events (Nintendo Entertainment System)
Price Range: $13,000 — $41,300; $10,000 for the box alone
A video game played by walking, running and jumping on a soft, plastic mat controller to make the characters move. Only 200 copies of the game have been sold, and of those 200, it is believe that only 10 to 20 complete copies of the game exist today.

2. 1990 Nintendo World Championships (NES)
Price Range: Gray: $4,000 — $6,100; Gold: $15,000 — $21,000
Nintendo held a 30-city gaming tournament in 1990 to find the best players. They competed for the best scores in three games — Super Mario Bros., Rad Racer and Tetris, all withing a six-minute time limit. The winners of the each three age group were given special gray Championship cartridges exactly like those used in the tournament. Only 90 games cartridges were distributed.

Meanwhile, gold versions were sent out to those who won a promotional contest in the pages of Nintendo Power magazine. Only 26 gold games were produced, so they’re especially hard to find and command a higher price today.

3. Nintendo Campus Challenge (NES)
Price Range: $14,000 — $20,100
Just like the first one, only this time, tournaments were held in campuses in the early 1990s. Games played were Super Mario Bros 3, PinBot, and Dr. Mario. Unlike the World Championship though, copies of the game were destroyed after the competition.

However, one Nintendo saved his cart and sold it to Rob Walters at a garage sale in 2006. Rob sold the same cartridge for $14,000 later. Much later, the buyer was able to sell the same cartridge for $20,000. It is the only known copy of the game in the world.

4. Atlantis II (Atari 2600)
Price Range: $5,000 — $6,000
A popular game in 1982, Atlantis was similar to Missile Command, with players defending their base from overhead attack by enemy ship. A tournament was held by the game developer asking players to send in photos of their high scores. Winners were sent Atlantis II, a special edition of the game that featured faster enemy ships worth fewer points, making the game more challenging.

This version was not mass produced, so its pretty rare today. But if you find a copy of the original Atlantis at a garage sale, it might be a good idea to pick it up anyway. The competition cart had the exact same colorful label of the regular Atlantis, but had a small, white sticker slapped on the front that read “Atlantis II.” The label was easily peeled off, so a quick Google search will show you how to determine if you bought a $3 Atari game or a $6,000 one.

5. Air Raid (Atari 2600)
Price Range: $1,000 — $3,000
A game played just like Atlantis and Missile Command. It is widely believed that there only 12 known copies of this game around the world, making it a must-have for serious Atari collectors.

6. Star Wars Ewok Adventure (Atari 2600)
Price: $1,680
It was really called as Revenge of the Jedi Game I but was more popular as “Ewok Adventure” because of the game’s main character – the ewoks. It was said to become legendary for “never being sold.”

In the game, players took control of an Ewok and flew a hang glider over the forest moon of Endor in an attempt to blow up an Imperial base. You could avoid or kill enemy Stormtroopers, Speeder Bikes, or Imperial AT-ST Walkers, or you could instead commandeer these vehicles to take out the base.

It was taken out by Parker Brother’s marketing department because the controls were too hard to mass, so it was never produced. Larry Gelberg, the designer of the game, gave his one and only known prototype copy to a friend’s son, who later gave it away for $1,680.

7. Kizuna Encounter (Neo Geo)
Price Range: $12,000 — $13,500
A 1996 fighting game similar to Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter. It was produced in such small quantities for the Europen market. Collectors speculate that there were only 15 copies made. The Japanese version, which is exactly the same except for different packaging, is fairly common and sells for about $50.

8. Ultimate 11 (Neo Geo)
Price Range: $8,000 — $10,000
The final game in the Super Sidekicks series, Ultimate 11 was a popular franchise of soccer game that sold very well. However, it wasn’t produced in large quantities. There are now fewer than 10 known copies in existence of this game, making it a rarity that every collector must have

So, why don’t you rummage through those old boxes in your attic, basement, or somewhere at the back of your closet. You may have some goldmine lying in there waiting to be discovered.

Read the complete article of Rob Lammle at this page.