Games to consider buying before they some day become pricey?

[Warmsignal]

I've got habit of missing out on games when they were less expensive. Classic, modern, whichever. Happens routinely, gets irritating for a CAG like me. One recent example, Cave Story 3D for the 3DS. Learned about it when it was hovering at about $50, decided I'd get around to getting it before last year's end and didn't. Now? It's about $80 to $100 for a complete copy. It happens a lot with classic games as well. I will discover a cool looking classic game I overlooked, go check prices on eBay and find that it's going for $60. Hit up PriceCharting and learn that the game was going for $20 about 6 months ago. 

Basically things that are suited to my tastes seem to be on the rise, and I'm just a little too late for a reasonable deal. I'd like to take some proactive measures to get ahead somehow if possible. So I ask you classic and modern game guru's, what are some games that are good to invest in now, that you feel will not always stay so generously priced? I know some people say that expensive games never really loose much value after they release. Well, that doesn't explain why some old games can be going for $20 the summer of last year, and now $60. $20 is a significant loss of value from MSRP. Something must have rekindled the interest?

I'm not particularly well versed in NES, SNES, SMS, or Genesis (Mega Drive) despite all that I do already know about their libraries. Those are platforms that have really seen the price jump in recent years. We all know the essentials, but I keep discovering these lesser known gems too little, too late. If there is anything that has yet to become pricey still left, let me know.

Another platform is PS1. I feel like PS1 is an active volcano. I know a few of the games have already gotten out of hand, but also seems that a lot of games are generously priced for now. Any pointers to avoid an inflation disaster on PS1 would be appreciated. ... eh, let's go ahead and add PS2 on that same note. PS2 is mostly reasonable now. I do have a large library, but maybe I've overlooked some cool games that should not be missed at their current price?

For a general idea my top genres rpg, action and/or adventure, platformer, hack-n-slash, rhythm / music, unique / quirky, beat-em-up, run-n-gun... that sort of stuff, mostly but not strictly. Tall order I know. Thanks guys. 

[theflea]

Its hard to say what will shoot up in value in today games Basically watch for Limited Quantity games.
Like there was a 3DS game released just a few weeks ago called One Piece: Romance Dawn it's a Gamestop Exclusive that was limited to 16800 copies. A One Piece game was released on the Wii a few years ago and it too had a limited quantity and it sells for $70-$100 on ebay. Then There was that game on PSP not too long ago Class of Heroes 2, it was limited to pre-orders online on the developers website. This game sells for $70-$80 now. But as a general rule seems like any RPG game (especially JRPGs) seem to go up or hold value.
Then there was a game for DS called Diamond Trust of London, It was limited to 10,000 copies and you had to order it from a website. This game sells for about $40+ and the Collector's Edition goes for $75-$100.
If you find out about a game that's going to have limited quantity's then it's a not a bad idea to grab a copy asap.

Then there's Collector's Editions, While some lose value days after release, Others especially ones only available on the developers web sites seem to hold or go up in value. Look at Ni No Kuni, or most of the NIS collector's editions. Even Final Fantasy did this with FFXIII Lightning Returns & FFX HD. While idk if these will go up in value, they will be rarer due to they where only available to buy online. 

Personally If I hear any game is starting to become rare or going up on price, I start to hunt down a copy asap if it's still going at a decent cost. In fact after I saw this post I found a complete copy of Cave Story 3D for $50 and figured, better grab it now. It's only $10 more then when it was new. 

In fact if any VGcollect'er's out there find out about an upcoming game that is limited and could become something rare in the future, please post on the forums and let us now. I'll try and do the same.

In fact here's a game I just learned about.
Magic Girl on Sega Genesis, You can find info here about pre-ordering a copy. http://www.magicgirlgame.com

[turf]

I'm not the guy to ask. I passed up on Little Samson for at least a year (around 04-05) because it was too expensive. It was $50. 

[disgaeniac]

Its hard to say what will shoot up in value in today games Basically watch for Limited Quantity games.
Like there was a 3DS game released just a few weeks ago called One Piece: Romance Dawn it's a Gamestop Exclusive that was limited to 16800 copies. A One Piece game was released on the Wii a few years ago and it too had a limited quantity and it sells for $70-$100 on ebay. Then There was that game on PSP not too long ago Class of Heroes 2, it was limited to pre-orders online on the developers website. This game sells for $70-$80 now. But as a general rule seems like any RPG game (especially JRPGs) seem to go up or hold value.
Then there was a game for DS called Diamond Trust of London, It was limited to 10,000 copies and you had to order it from a website. This game sells for about $40+ and the Collector's Edition goes for $75-$100.
If you find out about a game that's going to have limited quantity's then it's a not a bad idea to grab a copy asap.

Then there's Collector's Editions, While some lose value days after release, Others especially ones only available on the developers web sites seem to hold or go up in value. Look at Ni No Kuni, or most of the NIS collector's editions. Even Final Fantasy did this with FFXIII Lightning Returns & FFX HD. While idk if these will go up in value, they will be rarer due to they where only available to buy online. 

Personally If I hear any game is starting to become rare or going up on price, I start to hunt down a copy asap if it's still going at a decent cost. In fact after I saw this post I found a complete copy of Cave Story 3D for $50 and figured, better grab it now. It's only $10 more then when it was new. 

In fact if any VGcollect'er's out there find out about an upcoming game that is limited and could become something rare in the future, please post on the forums and let us now. I'll try and do the same.

In fact here's a game I just learned about.
Magic Girl on Sega Genesis, You can find info here about pre-ordering a copy. http://www.magicgirlgame.com

Lots of good stuff in Flea's post!

I especially agree w/ NISA's LE's/CE's -as Flea mentioned- specifically the ones that you can only pre-order from their on-line store (for a pretty recent example - check out the LE of the Vita game DangonRonpa...came out < a month ago)!

I had no idea that Cave Story for the 3DS had been going up in value like that 

I got a sealed one for 'free' (by using my NIS coupon codes) around a year ago...

...Speaking of Cave Story for the 3DS - you might wanna give NISA a call to ask if they'll be getting more iin stock; as it's still listed in their on-line store @$39.99 NEW 

As far as posting about upcoming + potentially rare & valuable games - I'd say that "Prinny Bombsters" like myself (and Argyle) will pretty much always have the info for the newest NISA LE's/CE's posted shortly after they're announced ==> just occasionally check out the "VGCAnonymous"/'General' thread     

[argyle]

I think one of the biggest factors is what is the game's appeal?  Is it a AAA blockbuster?  If so, odds are it will never be truly rare because they're going to make a ton of them.  But more niche games (and most JRPGs are definitely niche) will typically have a limited print run and therefore be more scarce.  A few upcoming games I'd keep an eye on:

Deception IV: Blood Ties (PS3 / Vita) - Comes out at the end of the month.  A sequel to an already niche and mostly forgotten PS1 franchise (there was also a game from the series on the PS2 but it went by a different name, Trapt).  Definitely a quircky game, and almost certain to have a very small print run. 

Drakengard 3 (PS3) - You've already missed the boat on the CE for this one.  It was limited to 5k copies which were only available directly from Square-Enix's website and they sold out VERY quickly.  But also keep in mind that the only place to buy a physical copy of the game PERIOD is from Square-Enix's website, so the game in any physical form is pretty much guaranteed to become rare. 

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle (PS3) - Here's another one with only a couple of places offering the physical version of the game - this time it's either direct from Namco-Bandai or from Amazon.  As soon as Amazon put this up for preorders, I jumped on it.  Again, I doubt this game has a very big print run. 

Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi (PS3) - There's an LE of this still available to preorder (last time I checked...) as well as a standard edition.  Not limited to certain retailers, but don't go looking for it at Wal-Mart (and I don't think I've seen any sign of Best Buy carrying it).  It's a visual novel, so this is the nichiest of the niche.  My wife wanted it after seeing the trailer so I have the LE on order for her.  FYI, Amazon currently has the LE listed at $10 off making it $50, only $10 more than the standard ed. 

On a more general note, recently I've begun trying to get ahold of any PSP RPGs I want that I missed (which is quite a few).  Most of these are still somewhat reasonably priced, some of them are actually very cheap - I ordered a copy of Tactics Ogre for $10 new last night from Amazon.  I expect GS to start liquidating what's left of their already small inventory of these any day now, and once they're no longer carrying them you'll start seeing the prices climb. 

EDIT:  One last thing I wanted to mention, all of these PS3 games I've mentioned have one thing in common - they're niche games coming at the end of a console cycle, and those have historically had the smallest print runs & become some of the most sought-after games.  But there's a new wrinkle in things this time.  Companies know these games probably won't sell a ton but they may be able to squeak out more digital sales than physical.  So I'm expecting even smaller print runs than normal on many of these quircky games with more of a focus being on the digital side. 

[karyann]

In fact if any VGcollect'er's out there find out about an upcoming game that is limited and could become something rare in the future, please post on the forums and let us now. I'll try and do the same.

That's a neat idea! I'll do it too, when I can find some infos

Your whole post has great points, too. I think you nailed it quite well.

I think one of the biggest factors is what is the game's appeal?  Is it a AAA blockbuster?  If so, odds are it will never be truly rare because they're going to make a ton of them.  But more niche games (and most JRPGs are definitely niche) will typically have a limited print run and therefore be more scarce.  A few upcoming games I'd keep an eye on:

Deception IV: Blood Ties (PS3 / Vita) - Comes out at the end of the month.  A sequel to an already niche and mostly forgotten PS1 franchise (there was also a game from the series on the PS2 but it went by a different name, Trapt).  Definitely a quircky game, and almost certain to have a very small print run. 

Drakengard 3 (PS3) - You've already missed the boat on the CE for this one.  It was limited to 5k copies which were only available directly from Square-Enix's website and they sold out VERY quickly.  But also keep in mind that the only place to buy a physical copy of the game PERIOD is from Square-Enix's website, so the game in any physical form is pretty much guaranteed to become rare. 

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle (PS3) - Here's another one with only a couple of places offering the physical version of the game - this time it's either direct from Namco-Bandai or from Amazon.  As soon as Amazon put this up for preorders, I jumped on it.  Again, I doubt this game has a very big print run. 

Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi (PS3) - There's an LE of this still available to preorder (last time I checked...) as well as a standard edition.  Not limited to certain retailers, but don't go looking for it at Wal-Mart (and I don't think I've seen any sign of Best Buy carrying it).  It's a visual novel, so this is the nichiest of the niche.  My wife wanted it after seeing the trailer so I have the LE on order for her.  FYI, Amazon currently has the LE listed at $10 off making it $50, only $10 more than the standard ed. 

On a more general note, recently I've begun trying to get ahold of any PSP RPGs I want that I missed (which is quite a few).  Most of these are still somewhat reasonably priced, some of them are actually very cheap - I ordered a copy of Tactics Ogre for $10 new last night from Amazon.  I expect GS to start liquidating what's left of their already small inventory of these any day now, and once they're no longer carrying them you'll start seeing the prices climb. 

EDIT:  One last thing I wanted to mention, all of these PS3 games I've mentioned have one thing in common - they're niche games coming at the end of a console cycle, and those have historically had the smallest print runs & become some of the most sought-after games.  But there's a new wrinkle in things this time.  Companies know these games probably won't sell a ton but they may be able to squeak out more digital sales than physical.  So I'm expecting even smaller print runs than normal on many of these quircky games with more of a focus being on the digital side.

Awesome mentions! Now I wish I could pre-order all of these haha.

[bikingjahuty]

It's not perfect, but here are several factors that increase the chance of a game being valuable someday. Keep in mind as you go down the list the factors become more and more predictive that a game's value will rise substantially. Also, the more of the factors a game has, the more likely it will increase in value:

1. Is it a good game?
There are many, many good games out there that are dirt cheap, however years down the road it is good games that people will be coming back to, driving the demand, and the price of those games up. Look at games like FFVII or Contra; the games sold millions worldwide, however their reputation for being incredible games has kept their value high and even increased it despite being common.

2. Genre
Certain genres of games have way more collectibility than other. While there are valuable games in every genre, the games that seem to become the most valuable and sought after with time are RPG(specifically JRPGs), SHMUPS, and Platformers. These genres seem to have pretty rabid fanbases and at least with platformers a fairly large appeal.

3. Late release games
Games released late in a consoles life tend to go up in value more so then games released earlier on in a consoles life for a variety of reason, but one major factor seems to be that late release games don't sell as well, limiting their abundance in the market. Games that we are all painfully aware of like Little Samson and Contra Force were released towards the end of the NES's lifespan and after the SNES had already come out. This means that many people had moved on while these games sat on the shelf and sold poorly, limiting the amount of copies that made it into people's hands.

4. Limited/Collectors Edition
Almost without exception, limited and collectors editions of games hold a greater value then there standard edition counterparts. This is kind of a no brainer; everyone wants all those extras and goodies or the really cool case/box they come in.

5. Limited Printruns/Quantities
This is where you get into games that are genuinely "rare" or "uncommon." Certain games that either were never released in mass, sold poorly, or were pulled from distribution seem become highly sought after later on because they are so hard to find.

6. Limited Distribution
I actually place this one at the top because games that have limited distribution, be it exclusive to one store, sold online only or through mail order, or as part of a contest are almost always rare given they were never exposed heavily to the general public, making very few people aware of their existence. This also includes games that were rental only and were unavailable except as clearanced out games at Blockbuster or Hollywood video. And of course, games like NWC grey and gold fit into this category.

[badATchaos]

I would say any major last gen games. 360, PS3, Wii. Now is the time to buy. Retailers are starting to transition into the newer systems and a lot of their old stocks have to go. Prices are generally low.

One game I see with potential is Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It's predecessors are trending fairly well right now. One could speculate that something similar could happen to Brawl.

[Warmsignal]

A lot of this makes sense for current day releases where the writing is on the wall basically, for said limited production titles. What confuses me more, are the classic games (and games in general) which weren't intentionally limited, but also not massively produced. Some games that fall into this sector, become basically worthless. Others, end up becoming a gold mine. Some will sit at deflated prices for a long period of time, then suddenly see a big rise in value out of seemingly nowhere.

Example, I was shopping Genesis games. One of the lesser known, but still desirable titles is Chakan (which I still do not own). That game can be had for a really low price, even complete. It has been cheap for years and years. Will it stay cheap? Who knows? It definitely seems like a game most Genesis collectors would like to own. Then, I later come across games like Alisia Dragoon and Shadowrun. According to PriceCharting, those games have seen a steady increase more than doubling value since about 2009 to present day. Can you believe people were buying Alisia Dragoon carts at $5 on eBay a few years back? Couldn't happen today. If I had been really aware of these games beforehand, I would have grabbed a copy when they were still dirt cheap. Same situation with SNES, NES, Master System, etc.

Those are the types of heads up I'd love to have concerning the classic platforms. Games that weren't meant to be rare, but could still go either way as far as value. It's difficult to say what makes this happen or not happen with Genesis games, or NES, or PS1 games (any classic platform). One year they're a total bargain, a few years later the price is starting to gouge wallets. So I'd love to know which games are still a bargain that might not stay that way.

[disgaeniac]

Yeah - just about ALL (1st party) Nintendo games seem to command higher prices (new and/or used) for a much longer time than many other games.

One more comment/idea/tip to throw out there is...

...*Strategy Guides*!

Particularly if they are (IMO, in this order):

1). Limited, unique, scarce (limited/small amounts printed), and/or signed/autographed by someone (Ex. the hardcover art book signed by George RR. Martin, that came with pre-orders of the Game of Thrones PS3 game),

2). Hardcover guides for all (*especially* "niche" RPG/JRPG's)... (ex from this gen = Dark Souls guides); if you look at many of the guides for such games from the PS1 era of such games ==> you'll find - more often than you'd probably expect - that the guides are going for just as much as (sometimes more)! than the games themselves (yep; even some of the valuable ones:), and

3). (And here, it becomes a bit more "Iffy" and more of a gamble -but- it's still done very well by me as I've seemed to develop a knack for 'picking' the right ones) - Paperback strategy guides (once again, *especially* for the "niche" RPG's & JRPG's)!

Ex. of some from PS1 gen = Lunar, some of the Persona games, Valkyrie Profile, the Ogre Battle games, etc.

-from the PS2 gen = most Doublejump guides for N1 games, some of the Shadow Hearts games, etc -and-

from the PS3 gen...well - off of the top of my head, Valkyria Chronicles.

...just sayin'

 

[Veilor]

As for now I think these Xbox 360 games atleast are considered somewhat rare, got them both but I had to look for them for quite a while and paid atleast 20€ for each of them.

Naruto: The Broken Bond
Avatar: That Last Airbender - The Broken Earth (game sucks more than any other thing I've played, for now, but easy gamerscore makes it rare)

[argyle]

Doesn't even matter if the guide is "good", it's more about it being somewhat scarce and most importantly being for a niche game that people love to collect for.  For example, the Tales of Vesperia guide goes upwards of $30 and from everything I hear it's terrible as a guide. 

[disgaeniac]

Doesn't even matter if the guide is "good", it's more about it being somewhat scarce and most importantly being for a niche game that people love to collect for.  For example, the Tales of Vesperia guide goes upwards of $30 and from everything I hear it's terrible as a guide.

Yep. I've heard the same.

[denniedarko]

I think one of the biggest factors is what is the game's appeal?  Is it a AAA blockbuster?  If so, odds are it will never be truly rare because they're going to make a ton of them.  But more niche games (and most JRPGs are definitely niche) will typically have a limited print run and therefore be more scarce.  A few upcoming games I'd keep an eye on:

Deception IV: Blood Ties (PS3 / Vita) - Comes out at the end of the month.  A sequel to an already niche and mostly forgotten PS1 franchise (there was also a game from the series on the PS2 but it went by a different name, Trapt).  Definitely a quircky game, and almost certain to have a very small print run. 

Drakengard 3 (PS3) - You've already missed the boat on the CE for this one.  It was limited to 5k copies which were only available directly from Square-Enix's website and they sold out VERY quickly.  But also keep in mind that the only place to buy a physical copy of the game PERIOD is from Square-Enix's website, so the game in any physical form is pretty much guaranteed to become rare. 

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle (PS3) - Here's another one with only a couple of places offering the physical version of the game - this time it's either direct from Namco-Bandai or from Amazon.  As soon as Amazon put this up for preorders, I jumped on it.  Again, I doubt this game has a very big print run. 

Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi (PS3) - There's an LE of this still available to preorder (last time I checked...) as well as a standard edition.  Not limited to certain retailers, but don't go looking for it at Wal-Mart (and I don't think I've seen any sign of Best Buy carrying it).  It's a visual novel, so this is the nichiest of the niche.  My wife wanted it after seeing the trailer so I have the LE on order for her.  FYI, Amazon currently has the LE listed at $10 off making it $50, only $10 more than the standard ed. 

On a more general note, recently I've begun trying to get ahold of any PSP RPGs I want that I missed (which is quite a few).  Most of these are still somewhat reasonably priced, some of them are actually very cheap - I ordered a copy of Tactics Ogre for $10 new last night from Amazon.  I expect GS to start liquidating what's left of their already small inventory of these any day now, and once they're no longer carrying them you'll start seeing the prices climb. 

EDIT:  One last thing I wanted to mention, all of these PS3 games I've mentioned have one thing in common - they're niche games coming at the end of a console cycle, and those have historically had the smallest print runs & become some of the most sought-after games.  But there's a new wrinkle in things this time.  Companies know these games probably won't sell a ton but they may be able to squeak out more digital sales than physical.  So I'm expecting even smaller print runs than normal on many of these quircky games with more of a focus being on the digital side.

That is the whole reason I won't buy Drakengard 3. Limiting it to just their store is stupid. And though I know I won't see it at every one I go to, I know some copies will pop up used at Gamestop or my local game store, (not to mention 3rd party sellers on amazon, though for a bit more I am sure, but if SE wants to pull crap like this I don't want to give them my money).

[disgaeniac]

I think one of the biggest factors is what is the game's appeal?  Is it a AAA blockbuster?  If so, odds are it will never be truly rare because they're going to make a ton of them.  But more niche games (and most JRPGs are definitely niche) will typically have a limited print run and therefore be more scarce.  A few upcoming games I'd keep an eye on:

Deception IV: Blood Ties (PS3 / Vita) - Comes out at the end of the month.  A sequel to an already niche and mostly forgotten PS1 franchise (there was also a game from the series on the PS2 but it went by a different name, Trapt).  Definitely a quircky game, and almost certain to have a very small print run. 

Drakengard 3 (PS3) - You've already missed the boat on the CE for this one.  It was limited to 5k copies which were only available directly from Square-Enix's website and they sold out VERY quickly.  But also keep in mind that the only place to buy a physical copy of the game PERIOD is from Square-Enix's website, so the game in any physical form is pretty much guaranteed to become rare. 

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle (PS3) - Here's another one with only a couple of places offering the physical version of the game - this time it's either direct from Namco-Bandai or from Amazon.  As soon as Amazon put this up for preorders, I jumped on it.  Again, I doubt this game has a very big print run. 

Hakuoki: Stories of the Shinsengumi (PS3) - There's an LE of this still available to preorder (last time I checked...) as well as a standard edition.  Not limited to certain retailers, but don't go looking for it at Wal-Mart (and I don't think I've seen any sign of Best Buy carrying it).  It's a visual novel, so this is the nichiest of the niche.  My wife wanted it after seeing the trailer so I have the LE on order for her.  FYI, Amazon currently has the LE listed at $10 off making it $50, only $10 more than the standard ed. 

On a more general note, recently I've begun trying to get ahold of any PSP RPGs I want that I missed (which is quite a few).  Most of these are still somewhat reasonably priced, some of them are actually very cheap - I ordered a copy of Tactics Ogre for $10 new last night from Amazon.  I expect GS to start liquidating what's left of their already small inventory of these any day now, and once they're no longer carrying them you'll start seeing the prices climb. 

EDIT:  One last thing I wanted to mention, all of these PS3 games I've mentioned have one thing in common - they're niche games coming at the end of a console cycle, and those have historically had the smallest print runs & become some of the most sought-after games.  But there's a new wrinkle in things this time.  Companies know these games probably won't sell a ton but they may be able to squeak out more digital sales than physical.  So I'm expecting even smaller print runs than normal on many of these quircky games with more of a focus being on the digital side.

That is the whole reason I won't buy Drakengard 3. Limiting it to just their store is stupid. And though I know I won't see it at every one I go to, I know some copies will pop up used at Gamestop or my local game store, (not to mention 3rd party sellers on amazon, though for a bit more I am sure, but if SE wants to pull crap like this I don't want to give them my money).

WTF ya' been DennieD.?!

I've missed seeing u around here