The Rarest and Most Valuable Super Nintendo (SNES) Games

The 8-bit and 16-bit Nintendo markets have really taken off in the last five years even in comparison to the growing retro gaming landscape as a whole. At the same time, we are starting to see some of the true rarities and gems surface into collectibles and some less rare classics hold steady instead of getting further out of hand.

With so many more obscure games rising in value, this list could give you more motivation to dig through your piles for valuables and give you a solid reference while treasure hunting in the wild. While it may not be a surprise, boxed copies are continuing to see even more of a premium.

In stark contrast to the Cheapest Games series, this Rare and Valuable series will round up the rarest and most valuable games for a given console or handheld so you’ll know what to look for whether you are buying or selling. Below you will see two prices beside each title. The first is the average daily selling price, which is typically the going rate for the cartridge by itself. The second price is the highest daily selling price of recent history. The list is ordered by the balance of the two prices.

Values Current as of January 2018

The Expensive Super Famicom Releases

It’s rather difficult to find solid rarity and value information on Super Famicom titles unless you have a Japanese connection, but here are some of the most desirable Super Famicom releases from the research we did. If you have more to add, please use the comments section below.

Kunio-kun no Dodge Ball Zenin Shuugou Tournament Gold Cart: $950 – $1200

There were a number of Super Famicom games that were released as limited edition gold carts for tournaments in Japan, one of the most valuable being the Kunio-kun no Dodge Ball Zenin Shuugou Tournament Special. It was given away as a prize to winners of Technos Japan’s Dodgeball Tournaments which they used to host several times during 1993.

There hasn’t been a lot of value changes in this cartridge in the last 7 years. Back in 2010 and 2013, we had this in the $1,100 to $1,300 range based on some Japanese Yahoo Auctions, but it can been seen in Japanese shops in a more narrow range.

Rendering Ranger R2: $500 – $2200

From the makers of the Turrican series, this run-and-gun shooter is one of the most desirable and beautiful standard-issue Super Famicom games. It is one of those import titles that is worth the hype, but it has been climbing up in value. It is hard enough to find a bare cartridge of this game, but boxed copies are quite the rarity.

Loose copies get listed for $700 or more without sales on eBay, but $500 is the approximate price you’ll need to sell for if you want it to move quickly. Complete copies can command more than $2000 (although some have tried listing it for more than $3000 without sales). This is a dramatic increase from our 2013 valuation of a $120 to $299 price range for loose and complete.

Iron Commando: $240 – $1220

This Final Fight clone was put out by French developer Arcade Zone in 1995. It was localized for a PAL release, but that was later cancelled. It has been seen at Japanese game shops for $1000 but has sold for more than $1200 complete on eBay.

It is also worth mentioning that Piko Interactive completed funding for an Indigogo campaign to obtain rights to reproduce NTSC SNES cartridges of the game and sell them for $45 for a cartridge and $55 for a boxed edition. It will be interesting to see what long-term effect this development has on the valuation of the Super Famicom version.

Magical Pop’n: $200 – $1200

This cute gem is like a arcade-friendly Metroid with extra Japanese cuteness that you might expect from the likes of Cotton, Magical Chase, or Kid Dracula.

It didn’t really get much exposure outside of Japan until recent years, but as collecting of the 16-bit era heats up, this is increasingly becoming one of the hot imports with the perfect blend of rarity and interesting gameplay and style.

Back in 2013, this lovely title was going for a range of $180 to $250, but you can’t blame 16-bit Nintendo fans for scooping this up to round out their collections and skewing the supply and demand curves.

Fire Emblem Box Set Fire Emblem Thracia 776 Box Set: $300 – $330

Before the Fire Emblem series came to the West on the GBA and Gamecube, it was a very popular strategy RPG series in Japan. To satisfy the many fans of the series, a feature-packed box set was released that included maps, posters, toys, and other cool stuff. What makes this particular Fire Emblem entry so rare is that it was such a late release in the Super Famicom’s lifespan. It was originally released in 1999 on a Super Famicom flash cartridge through Nintendo Power and received this extremely limited release in 2000 – just one year before the Gamecube launched. Check out this forum thread to see pictures of the complete Box set.

Since we bought more attention to this set earlier in the decade, we have seen more boxed units surface on eBay. The value certainly hasn’t declined, but it has had a modest increase from its 2013 $150 – $270 valuation (There were fewer complete/pristine copies at the lower value, so good condition sets really only increases 10% to 15%).

Limited Edition Collectables

Nintendo Powerfest 1994: $10,000 – $23,000

Nintendo experienced a wave of hype from their 1990 World Championship competition (the buzz from the 1989 film, The Wizard, may have helped), and the resulting game cartridges that were given out to finalists (gold) and used in the competition (grey) have become holy grail fixtures in video game collecting.

In 1994, Nintendo tried to replicate the experience during their Super Nintendo era, but for various reasons, it didn’t quite build up quite the same enthusiasm. In the US, the NES dominated the 8-bit era and was synonymous with video games. The SNES was still indeed popular, but Sega had kicked in as the “cool kid” by 1994. Nintendo also did not follow the same model of giving out and using collectible game cartridges this time around. Instead the 1994 Powerfest used beefy, improvised cartridges containing several EPROMs (one for each game plus the front-end in addition to a DSP chip to be used in Super Mario Kart) and 8 dip switches to customize the amount of time players got to spend playing the games.

The Powerfest Competition tested how many points could be racked up in a certain amount of time in level 1–1 of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, the first track of the Mushroom Cup in Super Mario Kart, and the home run derby in Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball.

Nintendo produced around 33 cartridges for the PowerFest ’94. These were used in stores across the country in 1994 for around 130 different events. The winners of each event won a trip to San Diego, CA to play in the World Championships. The second-place winner at each event got a Star Fox Jacket, which had been left over from the Star Fox Competition the year before.

Out of the 33 cartridges, there is said to be only two remaining today. The rest were supposedly returned to Nintendo where they were reused for parts. This relative rarity combined with the growing hype and valuations of the NES Championship Cartridges has led a certain group of collectors to pay large sums to own a copy.

One of the owners put up his cartridge on an auction in 2007 for $50,000, but it failed to attract an offer. Collector and game store owner, JJ Hendricks, bought the other cartridge in a private exchange for $12,000 in 2012 and then re-sold a year later on eBay for $23,100.

Since these cartridges aren’t polished, and decorated cartridges intended to be in the hands of a Nintendo fan, it shouldn’t be surprising that the valuations aren’t at the same level as a NES Championship Cartridge. One could argue that there aren’t really in the same league as the valuable retail games or collectors editions but instead more of a rare promotional cartridge that leans towards a prototype build.

Nintendo Campus Challenge 1992: $4,000 – $7,000

The Nintendo Campus Challenge cartridge was created by Nintendo for a video game competition like the Nintendo World Championships in 1990 (and later the Powerfest in 1994, mentioned above), but these contests would tour college campuses and spring break hot spots. There was a competition and accompanying cartridge in 1991 for the NES (see the NES Rare and Valuable guide plus our look at the 1991 NES Campus Challenge Cartridge), but this Super Nintendo installment took place a year later in 1992. This particular competition tested players ability on Super Mario World, F-Zero, and Pilotwings.

Much like its NES counterpart (and the later ’94 Powerfest), these bulky cartridges were supposed to be destroyed and not designed for fan or collector consumption. Currently, there seem to be three known 1992 Campus Challenge cartridges. One was found in 2006 at the same New York City garage sale by Rob Walters as the 1991 cartridge. The cartridge is owned by a video game collector named Rick Bruns. A second unit was listed on eBay in 2011. A third unit was found in 2012 within an attic of a former employee of a company who did projects for Nintendo.

Like the ’94 Powerfest cartridge mentioned above, these are items that start out as “one-of-a-kind” items until more get discovered and are only worth what people are willing to pay.

Back in 2011 (back before the third unit was discovered), the eBay auction closed with no bids with an asking price of $15,000. Before that, the first unit sold in a private sale for $4,000 in 2006 (when it was the only known unit). So supply has increased, but values have yet to officially climb.

M.A.C.S. Multipurpose Arcade Combat Simulator 1500

By now, most of us have heard about military use of video games to train soldiers in an inexpensive and low-risk environment. It maybe be rather surprising, however, to learn that the the US Army used Super Nintendos for combat training.

The Multipurpose Arcade Combat Simulator (or M.A.C.S.) was a shooting simulator that was teamed with a rifle peripheral. The light gun rifle used is a replica of a Jäger AP 74 (an M16A2 clone). The unit is far more accurate than the Super Scope and has the weight and feel of an authentic weapon. The gun includes a scope used for aiming, and the light sensor is in the barrel of the gun. The cord that connects to the controller port of the SNES comes out near the end of the barrel. It is worth noting that the game cannot be played with a standard controller although a Super Scope can be used.

The cartridges that came with the guns were rather generic SNES cartridges with a white label and black text. Rumor is that there were only about 600 of these units produced, and many less are likely to have survived in good condition. You can find more info and pictures here.

Exertainment Mountain Bike Rally/Speed Racer Combo: $1000 – $4800

While some people are hawking the single game carts for a handful of money, the rare version of these games actually has both the Speed Racer and Mountain Bike Rally game on it together for use with the LifeFitness Bike Unit. It is one of the rarest games for the system as it may have not seen full or even any retail distribution.

This 2 in 1 most likely never made it to stores, and most copies that have been found have been from Nintendo of America’s warehouse itself. Loose cartridges have been hovering in the $1000 to $1900 range. A boxed copy finally showed up and sold successfully in 2014 for about $2700. A sealed copy later sold in 2016 for $4800. However, another sealed copy was listed for $3700 in 2017 from a reputable seller and did not sell successfully.

Batman Forever Woolworths Box Set: $900 – $1000

This PAL Limited Edition box set was only available from Woolworths and is very hard to find. The set includes the game, a “Making Of” VHS, Batman diary, Batman sticker, competition entry form, and the outer slipcase.

As many of you know, the game wasn’t especially popular, and in the days of people not really collecting video games, most people who purchased it would not have kept all the items and packaging together let alone in good condition. It has surfaced on eBay a few times in recent years, but it hasn’t always reached its asking price. It just recently sold complete for about $1000.

Donkey Kong Country Competition Cartidge: $1200 – $2500

Donkey Kong Country Competition cartridges were used exclusively by Blockbuster Video stores in tournaments held within the store. The competition cartridge is rumored to have a print run of 2,500 copies and looks very similar to the standard commercial release other than the little accent in the corner of the label. If you’re lucky, there are also official clamshell cases out there that are green plastic and have some special cover art.

As typical with most video rental stores, a few leftover carts were tossed into the bargain bins for customers to purchase. Nintendo Power also offered some extra carts in their catalog. These “official” means of distribution makes them a little less mysterious than other Nintendo and Sega competition cartridges, but it’s still a pretty cool collectors item.

Bare carts can go for between $1200 and $2000 recently. There has also been an empty case with artwork sell for $500. You can do the math on what complete copies can reach, but it’s worth noting that the $3900 listing didn’t close with a bid on eBay.

Star Fox: Super Weekend Cartridge: $400 – $1000

Much like the DKC Competition cartridges, this Star Fox cart was used by Blockbuster for game tournaments, and extra carts were sold off by Blockbuster and Nintendo Power. An article included in the original packaging suggests that the Starfox Weekend cart actually had a smaller production number (around 2,000) than the DKC cart, but for some reason, the Star Fox cart has shown up on auction sites a bit more often and has fetched a lower price.

Back in 2013, it had been listed on eBay a number of times and not sold for asking prices of $255 and $285. However, as more interest in Super Nintendo collecting has grown, we have seen loose copies sell for $1000 on eBay

It doesn’t seem that this cartridge was offered with packaging like the Donkey Kong Country cart, but there were other related items offered

Treasured Standard North American Releases

Hagane: The Final Conflict : $675 – $1375

This was a hidden gem for many years and has recently become one of the best Super Nintendo collectors pieces. Just a handful of years ago, you could find a copy of this game for around $50. However, in July of 2012, Mike of AVGN posted this video of obscure SNES games that praised Hagane and mentioned it being a Blockbuster-exclusive title although some Blockbuster store managers mentioned that they saw it sold new in Electronic Boutiques stores. Regardless, the fire of rare game talk was lit, and Hagane has been near the top of SNES collectors’ lists since.

We may never truly know what the real circumstances are; we can only observe the true supply and demand on the open market. The game itself is a side-scrolling action game from Hudson Soft that has a graphical style that feels more at home on the Genesis or TG16 and a gameplay style that seems inspired by the likes of Shinobi III on the Genesis.

Aero Fighters – $600 – $1450

Aero Fighters was released as an arcade game in 1992 and then ported to the SNES two years later in very limited quantities. After being under the radar for a while with collectors of 2D shooters driving prices of many 16-bit shmups up, this gem is finally getting more recognition in collecting circles and has taken off in value and keeps climbing with prices nearly doubling every few years (couldn’t avoid the aviation analogies).

The $1400 value mentioned above for a complete copy actually a conservative estimate. I haven’t seen a successful sale of a complete copy on eBay in a while, but asking prices currently range from $1500 to $2500 for an opened complete copy (There’s even a graded, sealed copy up for $11,000+ right now.

Loose cartridges can clear up to $800 in pristine shape, and an empty box by itself (not even 100% pristine) is currently listed on eBay for $1000 (or best offer), if that gives you any indication.

Mega Man X3: $240 – $1250

The NES and SNES both were crucial platforms for fans of the Blue Bombers, and this particular beauty has continued to climb several of spots on this list each time we update the guide. Mega Man X3 has essentially doubled in value every three years since 2010.

Mega Man X3 was one of two games to use a specialized chip called Cx4 that allowed for some 3D graphics in games (Mega Man X2 being the other title). Because of this chip, it is an oddity and has some of the best graphics on the SNES. It is also quite hard to find. These two factors combine to make it one of the more expensive Super Nintendo games.

Earthbound: $190 – $1500 (+$4000 sealed)

One of the easiest to find games on this list, Earthbound is also one of the most popular. The game is famous for its cult like following of fans, and those who love it most are always on the hunt for one in wonderful condition.

Earthbound a non-traditional RPG taking place in suburbia, and the game’s weapons are everyday household items. It is still regarded as one of the most enjoyable RPGs to this day. Prices have increased quite a bit for Earthbound over the last decade. Back in 2007, you could score a cartridge for under $70 and a complete copy for about $180, but it has seen been doubling in value every 3 years (for each condition level). Currently, loose copies range from $130 to $250 each. Complete copies go from $400 to $1500 depending on condition of the box and manual. A sealed copy recently sold for $4000 (up from $2500 four years ago).

Pocky & Rocky 2: $285 – $1050

This installment of cult-classic series from Taito and Natsume is often regarded as a favorite in the franchise. It’s a charming top-down shooter that has an adventurous story and support for 2-player co-op. I can’t blame collectors for wanting to round out their Super Nintendo collection with this gem.

Pocky & Rocky 2 has always been quite hard to find in the wild, but in the last 5 years, more attention has been drawn to the game, and eBay hunters often swarm when it shows up for auction. Back in 2013, you could find it for less than $100 for a cartridge and $300 complete. Now, you’re looking at nearly $300 for a cart and $400 to $1000+ for a boxed copy depending on condition.

EVO the Search for Eden: $200 – $750

The game can not only be tricky to find, but is has a bit of a following. It is a unique platforming/role-playing game that is based around the evolution of a creature. It can be rather slow-paced and has lots of grinding, but it has an interesting way of letting you determine how your create evolves (which also adds to re-playability). Being a truly unique RPG title and a SNES exclusive helps solidify its collectibility for the platform. (SNESDrunk has a great video of EVO, in case you are interested)

EVO made a huge jump in value between 2010 ($60 to $115) and 2013 ($150 – $200), but the last four years have seen a bit slower growth than some of its peers mentioned above. Cartridge values have seen a modest 25% increase over 4 years, but complete copies have more than tripled in value. Also worth noting that back in 2013, we saw a sealed copy sell for $3,500 but have not seen another sealed copy sell recently.

Final Fight Guy : $200 – $950

The original Super Nintendo port of the arcade classic (released in 1991) only had two playable characters – Mike and Cody – with the third character, Guy, trimmed to help it fit on a cost-effective cartridge.

This second variation of the classic Final Fight brawler had a full retail release in Japan a year later. It swapped out Cody and let you play as Guy instead. In the States, this variation didn’t show up until the summer of 1994 as a rental exclusive at Blockbuster stores. It eventually had a very limited retail release.

Metal Warriors: $200 – $900 (+$2650 sealed)

This sidescroller was published by Konami but developed by LucasArts. Metal Warriors is very much influenced by Cybernator/Assault Suit Valken franchise and is considered by some to be an unofficial spinoff of the series. According to an interview with the developer, it was built on the game engine of “Zombies Ate My Neighbors,” but you’d never guess by looking at it. Metal Warriors has slowly built up a bit of a following among collectors and has recently begun climbing these rankings.

Loose cartridges range from $150 – $265 each while complete copies range from $520 to $900 depending on condition of the box and manual. A sealed copy also recently sold for $2651.

Wild Guns: $225 – $800

There aren’t a ton of Western-based video games or really good Cabal clones (shooting gallery-style shmups), but Wild Guns delivers in every area from graphics, music, controls, and challenge. With this being a high-quality, unique SNES exclusive, it’s not hard to see why the value of this game has been climbing, especially for complete copies.

Wild Guns has essentially doubled in value since its $140 to $400 range in 2013, although before that, it was actually a rather affordable gem.

Mega Man 7: $200 – $1000

After seeing NES Mega Man games rise in value, it is no surprise to see the trend continue with the SNES installments. While Mega Man 7 didn’t really bring anything new to the series (and was possibly even a step backwards for Capcom), it still ended up as a collector’s item. It is the first and only title in the main series to make use of 16-bit graphics, and the eight Robot Masters in the game are the product of design contests held for fans in Japan.

Mega Man 7 has actually appreciated quicker than most games on this list. Back in 2010, you could find cartridges for under $40 and a mint boxed copy for under $80. 2013 jumped to a $100 – $306 range before going from 2X to 3X of that today.

Zombies Ate My Neighbors (Box Variant): $400 – $1000

This classic top-down shooter with a humorous flair was developed by LucasArts and saw solid commercial exposure on both the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, but it can be extremely difficult to find the game with this late-release artwork.

There were some rumors that this variant was only sold in Mexico, due to these particular boxes stating they were “Made in Mexico”. There are actually a good handful of SNES titles that had notices of being made in Mexico, but they were all sold in the US and other parts of North America. The more logical explanation is that for a later run of games after the ESRB ratings were put in place, Konami (who served as the game’s publisher) decided to change out the artwork. Most gaming fans actually prefer this artwork as it captures the personality of the game and is a great illustration. Sadly, the game cartridge and the manual still features the original commercial artwork.

Because the artwork is only a variant on the outer box, the pricing above is only either the empty box, boxed, and complete copies of the game. The bare cartridge does not have any premium. See our forum discussion for more info and photos of this great variant.

Harvest Moon: $155 – $555

The original Harvest Moon was released on the Super Nintendo the same year the Nintendo 64 was launched, so many gamers had already moved onto Nintendo’s new console and didn’t bother picking up this game. However, the Harvest Moon series eventually grew into cult classic series (including an installment on the aforementioned N64), and many fans and collectors starting hunting down the cartridge that started it all.

Even with the series picking up beforehand, we have seen some strong value appreciation over the last 8 years. In 2010, the game was selling for $57 for a cart and less than $100 in complete form. 2013 saw a jump to the $150 to $500 range, and it has seen modest increases since then.

Incantation: $175 – $400

This little title got lost in obscurity due to being seen as a mediocre Mega Man knock-off at the very end of the SNES’s lifespan. The developer, Titus, already had a relatively bad reputation during the 16-bit generation, so the game really got buried in the bargain bins by the time it left stores.

Over the last two decades, Super Nintendo collectors have been trying to flesh out more of their collections, and finding this piece can be be a challenge to track down in good condition. Back in 2010, the cart could be found for $15 and complete boxed for only $25. Once it got on collectors’ radars, we saw a rise to a $60 to $760 (sealed) range in 2013. Loose copies have nearly tripled since then and complete copies remain strong.

Super Turrican 2: $195- $540

This installment of the underground-popular run-and-gun series saw a release late in the Super Nintendo’s platform life. Between the rather niche following and the 1995 release, it shouldn’t be surprising that there aren’t a lot of copies floating around.

In 2010, it was pretty easy to find loose copies in the $20 range and boxed versions in the $50 range. Collecting heated up by 2013 with values rising to the $100 to $300 range (it may have also been boosted by getting retired from the Virtual Console in all regions without explanation that same year). However, in the last 5 years, we have seen values nearly double from that 2013 mark. Complete copies in solid condition can be tricky to find and command a grand premium.

Castlevania Dracula X: $210 – $380

Castlevania Dracula X is the final Castlevania game released on the SNES, and like many games in a series, the later versions didn’t sell initially. As the Castlevania series got a boost with Symphony of the Night on the PS1 and then the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS, the series saw many more collectors jumping back to older installments. However, now the series is firmly a pillar in the retro gaming landscape, so there is very little surprise in its collectability.

“Dracula X” on the Super Nintendo is actually an adaptation of the classic Japan-exclusive PC Engine game, Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. While it may be simple to view this SNES version as a port, there are game elements (including level designs) that are drastically altered from the original. It is also worth noting that Dracula X is considered be in a different universe than the official Castlevania timeline.

While not having as dramatic of value increases as some others on this list, we did see Dracula X go from $58 to $125 in 2010 to $100 to $230 (or $400 sealed) in 2013 before nearly doubling again 5 years later.

Chrono Trigger: $115 – $650 (+$1250 Sealed)

Chrono Trigger is probably one of the most abundant of the games on this list, but it has such a strong bond with Super Nintendo and RPG fans that it commands a strong premium. As one of the most loved RPG games of all time (especially outside of the Final Fantasy series but still inside Square’s domain), it is considered an essential addition to any Super Nintendo collection. Even by Square standards, Chrono Trigger was created by an all-star cast of developers and stands up to the test of time in terms of story and game play.

While we have obviously seen both the SNES and NES libraries inflate in price quite a bit, Chrono Trigger actually hasn’t increased in value too much over the last 8 years. Even compared to 2010, we have only seen an increase of loose cartridges go from $70 to $115 now. Complete copies have even remained around the $200 to $650 range (depends mostly on condition, of course) while sealed copies have stayed around the $1200 level since 2010 as well. Even though Chrono Trigger has a strong following, its heavy premium despite its lack of rarity combined with a DS release and digital re-issues have kept these values in check over the years.

Space MegaForce: $155 – $395

While RPGs have a stronger presence on the Super Nintendo, shmups have become a strong collecting force on many retro platforms. The Aleste series from Compile is often a mainstay with collectors, and Space Megaforce (known as Super Aleste outside of North America) is the offering for Nintendo’s 16-bit platform. While it didn’t quite get the attention that it’s Sega Genesis counterpart, MUSHA did, Space Megaforce is starting to climb the ranks for SNES collectors.

Earlier in the decade, the game was mostly isolated to hardcore shooter fans and could be found in the $50 range for a cartridge. It wasn’t until about 2014 or 2015 that we really saw values rising. By 2016, Space MegaForce had nearly tripled from the levels just two years earlier.

Bronkie The Bronchiasaurus: $180 – $270

This rarity was part of series of health educational games from Raya Systems that was a simple run-and-jump platformer aimed at teaching children about asthma and how to prevent it. While the game and Raya’s series had good intentions, the games are nothing to get excited about other than their current collectible status.

Upon booting up the games, you can tell that Raya Systems (who was actually a supplier of health devices) worked with developers that could create a game quickly and cheaply. YouTuber Kim Justice actually has a brief video discussing their work (focusing on one of the most unfortunate releases, Captain Novalin).

Five years ago, Bronkie could be picked up for about $35 for a bare cartridge and about $100 for a complete copy. After getting more exposure, SNES collectors are noticing how hard this title is to find on a regular basis and are willing to pay a premium.

Final Fight 3: $135 – $495

Much like Final Fight 2, this third installment was an exclusive to the Super Nintendo. Critics at the time of the game’s release weren’t especially impressed as it didn’t add a whole lot to the formula other than it being the first Final Fight title to give four playable characters. However, in hindsight, if you are a fan of the series, you can appreciate that Capcom did put some effort into refining the Final Fight experience on the SNES. Running attacks are a subtle, but welcome addition and there are also special moves that can be pulled off with Street Fighter-like control motions.

Up until 2012, you could find loose carts of the game for $30 to $40 and $100 for complete. In 2013, prices doubled in the span of a year or two and has increased gradually from then. With it being a solid installment in a classic franchise and a late-release SNES exclusive, it shouldn’t be too surprising that Final Fight has started to attract attention.

Ghoul Patrol: $130 – $400

If you ever fell in love with top-down shooter Zombies Ate My Neighbors, you will feel at home with the follow-up, Ghoul Patrol. LucasArts worked with a third-party developer on Ghoul Patrol, but it runs on essentially the same gameplay engine as Zombies. Unfortunately, it lost a bit of its charm and humor while adding a few clumsy gameplay elements. Overall, critics marked it as a “worthy follow-up”, but it didn’t get nearly the exposure of Zombies Ate My Neighbors (the Sega Genesis/Megadrive port was also cancelled)

After being relegated to a forgotten title that would claim only $25 to $30 for a loose cartridge in 2012 and 2013, the game started picking up a bit of steam in 2014.

Ninja Gaiden Trilogy: $150 – $295 (+670 Sealed)

After the Ninja Gaiden series was rejuvenated on the Xbox in 2004, more attention was brought back to the classic games in the series. This particular cartridge brought back the original NES titles to the SNES with enhanced graphics and music (plus some slight tweaks to the gameplay).

Unfortunately, this release did suffer from some slowdown, unresponsive controls, spotty hit detection, and censorship. With this all in mind, it is understandable why 1995 gamers didn’t think this warranted a purchase originally.

The Trilogy release remains a nice SNES collectors’ item, but the value increases have cooled over the last 5 years. Cartridge prices have only increased about 30% over those five years and complete copies have really only increased about 10% or so.

Demon’s Crest: $115 – $355

This game is a follow-up to the Gargoyle’s Quest games on the Game Boy and NES (and stars Firebrand, a baddie from the Ghosts ‘n Goblins series), but unlike its predecessors, shared a dark, gothic feel with the Castlevania series.

After being regulated to its Hidden Gem status for a while, fans have increasingly grown appreciative of Demon’s Crest’s mix of standard platforming with mild RPG elements. However, after rising from obscurity, values have leveled off a bit since 2013 — only increasing about 15% over five years.

R-Type III: The Third Lightning: $120 – $225

R-Type III: The Third Lightning is one of the more popular games in the influential shmup series and one of the best shooters on the SNES due to its huge levels, impressive bosses, and a solid difficulty level. R-Type III also made good used of the SNES’s Mode 7 graphics to bring in rotating backgrounds. Irem also worked to cater to the SNES hardware to avoid slowdown. With this in mind, it isn’t a big surprise that R-Type III never saw an arcade release, but it was eventually ported to the Gameboy Advance. In the mid 1990s, this was a bold move, but it makes for a nice console exclusive for collectors.

Even though the R-Type series has been a mainstay in the shmup community, cartridges were relatively easy to find in the $25 range up until about 2014 when values started to appreciate. In the next two years, values of the game doubled or tripled. Complete copies started hitting the $200+ mark in 2015 and have stayed rather steady since then.

Additional Super Nintendo (USA) Games of Value

Ninja Warriors: $95 – $350 (eBay)

Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel: $95 – $350 (eBay)

Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen: $95 – $325 (eBay)

Pocky & Rocky: $90 – $350 (eBay)

Mega Man X2: $85 – $350 (eBay)

Kirby’s Dream Land 3: $85 – $350 (eBay)

Sparkster: $90 – $330 (eBay)

Hurricanes: $100 – $300 (eBay)

Spiderman Maximum Carnage: Collectors Edition: $155 – $275

Super 3D Noah’s Ark (Unlicensed): $100 – $230 (eBay)

Syndicate: $110 – $180 (eBay)

Captain Commando: $100 – $200 (eBay)

Super Copa: $100 – $150 (eBay)

Nosferatu: $79 – $330 (eBay)

Fire Striker: $90 – $300 (eBay)

The Ren and Stimpy Show Buckeroos: $80 – $300 (eBay)

Sunset Riders: $69 – $300 (eBay)

The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang: $87 – $180 (eBay)

Knights of the Round: $78 – $230 (eBay)

3 Ninjas Kick Back: $77 – $120 (eBay)

Casper: $55 – $420 (eBay)

Mega Man Soccer: $59 – $252 (eBay)

Additional Super Famicom Imports of Value

Undercover Cops: $210 – $1100

Majyuu Ou: $225 – $840

Deae Tonosama Appare Ichiban: $118 – $520

Ghost Chaser Densei : $90 – $$460

Do-Re-Mi Fantasy Milon no Doki Doki Daibouken – $75 – $550

Final Fight Tough (Final Fight 3) – $85 – $365

Kiki Kaikai Pocky & Rocky 2 Tsukiyo Soushi : $50 – $430

Spriggan Powered – $75 – $185

Fire Emblem Thracia 776 – $54 – $210

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