PS2 game price spike?

[Warmsignal]

Is this happening?

I don't have too many more PS2 games to get, but there are a few I held off last year and now they're double, if not triple what I remembered. Like, when did Dual Hearts become a $40 game? Last I checked it was like $15 on average. When Did Jade Cocoon 2 become a $25 game? It used to be like $5 - $8.

You might not see a full-on spike occuring, but I've noticed across many platforms lately not just PS2, there seems to be a scalping trend going on with obscure titles. Not really rare games, but games that are overlooked / obscure and look solid, are becoming the target of scalping. Doesn't seem to require any sort of demand for them, they're just sort picked at random - "this is worth a lot because most people haven't ever heard of it", I guess.

Gah, you can't escape this sort of thing with any platform nowadays. Seems like folks will pay about anything for a game, if it was $5 yesterday they'd buy it and if it's $50 the day after, they'd still buy it. At such a rate it'll always be a seller's market.

[burningdoom]

That's how I feel when I go out looking for NES and SNES games anymore. I mean the RPGs and certain rare titles always held their value. But even the most generic beat-em up or action-game seems to garner value on NES and SNES now.

I've been in this collecting game too long. And I see no getting out any time soon.

But PS2/XBox/GameCube is when I got smart and really stocked up on titles when GameStop was practically giving them away. So I luckily have most of my PS2 wishlist covered. Right now is the perfect to do the same on 360/PS3/Wii & DS titles at GameStop. They're in that mode, it seems, again.

[dashv]

Yeah, general scalping is attacking all consoles.

[mastafafik]

Yeah, general scalping is attacking all consoles.

Sad, but true...

[dreama1]

Is this happening?

I don't have too many more PS2 games to get, but there are a few I held off last year and now they're double, if not triple what I remembered. Like, when did Dual Hearts become a $40 game? Last I checked it was like $15 on average. When Did Jade Cocoon 2 become a $25 game? It used to be like $5 - $8.

You might not see a full-on spike occuring, but I've noticed across many platforms lately not just PS2, there seems to be a scalping trend going on with obscure titles. Not really rare games, but games that are overlooked / obscure and look solid, are becoming the target of scalping. Doesn't seem to require any sort of demand for them, they're just sort picked at random - "this is worth a lot because most people haven't ever heard of it", I guess.

Gah, you can't escape this sort of thing with any platform nowadays. Seems like folks will pay about anything for a game, if it was $5 yesterday they'd buy it and if it's $50 the day after, they'd still buy it. At such a rate it'll always be a seller's market.

Everything except microsoft consoles it seems.

[Warmsignal]

Is this happening?

I don't have too many more PS2 games to get, but there are a few I held off last year and now they're double, if not triple what I remembered. Like, when did Dual Hearts become a $40 game? Last I checked it was like $15 on average. When Did Jade Cocoon 2 become a $25 game? It used to be like $5 - $8.

You might not see a full-on spike occuring, but I've noticed across many platforms lately not just PS2, there seems to be a scalping trend going on with obscure titles. Not really rare games, but games that are overlooked / obscure and look solid, are becoming the target of scalping. Doesn't seem to require any sort of demand for them, they're just sort picked at random - "this is worth a lot because most people haven't ever heard of it", I guess.

Gah, you can't escape this sort of thing with any platform nowadays. Seems like folks will pay about anything for a game, if it was $5 yesterday they'd buy it and if it's $50 the day after, they'd still buy it. At such a rate it'll always be a seller's market.

Everything except microsoft consoles it seems.

Some of the horror themed games on Xbox have gone up, as the entire genre seems to be way more collectible now than it was a few years ago.

[burningdoom]

Is this happening?

I don't have too many more PS2 games to get, but there are a few I held off last year and now they're double, if not triple what I remembered. Like, when did Dual Hearts become a $40 game? Last I checked it was like $15 on average. When Did Jade Cocoon 2 become a $25 game? It used to be like $5 - $8.

You might not see a full-on spike occuring, but I've noticed across many platforms lately not just PS2, there seems to be a scalping trend going on with obscure titles. Not really rare games, but games that are overlooked / obscure and look solid, are becoming the target of scalping. Doesn't seem to require any sort of demand for them, they're just sort picked at random - "this is worth a lot because most people haven't ever heard of it", I guess.

Gah, you can't escape this sort of thing with any platform nowadays. Seems like folks will pay about anything for a game, if it was $5 yesterday they'd buy it and if it's $50 the day after, they'd still buy it. At such a rate it'll always be a seller's market.

Everything except microsoft consoles it seems.

Sega Genesis and Atari 2600 seems to still be safe.

[sweatycowch]

That's how I feel when I go out looking for NES and SNES games anymore.

Yeah, I held off getting a NES for years and I really regret it. $50+ for just a front loading console and 1 controller. My local stores have Mario Duckhunt for $8. I remember seeing those go for a freaking penny!  I have since put together a retro pie for playing cartridge systems. I'll still hunt for disc game, though.

[indenton]

If I recall from my research, the PS2 has a bountiful selection of RPGs which I was interested in picking up at some point, pretty much all of them were way out of my price range, practically retail price tags for USED games.  A good example I recall was 'GrimGrimoire'. 

[argyle]

As a matter of fact, almost 2 years ago now I bought a copy of Dual Hearts complete & in really good shape that included a copy of Jak & Daxter (that I didn't need, but whatever) for $12 + $3 shipping off of eBay. $40 now??? That IS nuts.

Luckily I have most of the really expensive ones I wanted for it now, except for RoR which I honestly won't even bother with unless I stumble across it for cheap in the wild. At least, I think - who knows, maybe some of the ones on my wish list have skyrocketed since I last checked them.

[Warmsignal]

As a matter of fact, almost 2 years ago now I bought a copy of Dual Hearts complete & in really good shape that included a copy of Jak & Daxter (that I didn't need, but whatever) for $12 + $3 shipping off of eBay. $40 now??? That IS nuts.

Luckily I have most of the really expensive ones I wanted for it now, except for RoR which I honestly won't even bother with unless I stumble across it for cheap in the wild. At least, I think - who knows, maybe some of the ones on my wish list have skyrocketed since I last checked them.

It can surprise you how quickly it will happen. Less than six months ago, Dual Hearts was selling from about $12 - $18. I think the fascination with Rule of Rose is what has inspired this witch hunt for 'rare and desirable' PS2 games, and scalpers hoping to find the next one that will break $100 and actually have people paying for it. Evidently Dual Hearts has been selling steadily at around $35 - $40 for some months. Makes you wonder sometimes if it's all artificial. People selling AND buying their own games to drive up the interest and costs on some of them. What would stop someone from doing just that?

[bikingjahuty]

I knew this was going to happen, I guess I'm not shocked it has finally started to happen now. Gamecube was the first to take off, then Dreamcast, now PS2 (xbox will probably follow soon).


I'm just happy that I got into PS2 collecting a long, long time ago and completed most of my PS2 collection when these games were abundant at under $5, even the rarer titles. The only two PS2 games I'm still actively looking for are Wild Arms 5 w/ box and Sega Classics Collection. Wild Arms will probably give me trouble, but whatever.

[argyle]

Wild Arms: Alter Code F and the two Growlanser titles (esp. if I try to get those complete w/ the CE stuff) will be the hardest ones that I still want.

[gartcat]

It's about that time, it's 2 generations old.  I sold Haunting Ground for like $70 last year & now it's gone up quite a bit.  In 2012 I sold Wild Guns at auction for $30 with barely any competition, I don't even like to look at what the prices are on some of the ones I got rid of.  2012 is when it all started climbing, but also right when I got laid off from my job.    

[matimo]

I' am personally really into collecting Ps2 titles, esp RPG's. I grew up with a Ps2 and Gamecube so that i have money im buying the ones i had, and didn't have now. I can't say im too surprised the prices are rising right now, it was bound to happen soon. My most recent additions being Dark Cloud 1&2 (Which was not cheap)