Valuable PlayStation Games That Might Be In Your Closet
Gamers of the mid-'90s, it's time to check your closets. While the prices for many vintage video games have skyrocketed, those 8-bit relics aren't the only artifacts to benefit from the retro-gaming boom. If you were an oldschool PlayStation devotee, you might have some fairly rare games tucked away behind your boxes of VHS tapes and Smashing Pumpkins t-shirts. The games listed below were all available at retail back in the day, and reflect recently sold auction values for games in good, complete condition...even if they've been played a few times. Here are few of the most valuable original PlayStation games that might be lurking in your collection.
The Misadventures of Tron Bonne: $150-$300
Nintendo's original Mega Man series is one of the most purely enjoyable 8-bit franchises, but Mega Man Legends introduced a more complex element to the hero's adventures, beyond the tried-and-true "defeat Dr. Wily and his evil robots" story. The Misadventures of Tron Bonne stars the robot-building sister of Legends' main, non-Wily archenemy. It serves as a prequel to the Legends series, but was published after the first Legends game. Because it's a spinoff title without prominent Mega Man branding, it was only produced in small numbers and didn't sell extremely well. Tron's appearance in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 revitalized interest in her character, so a clean copy of her game, with the Mega Men Legends 2 demo disc included, can snag up to $300 on a good day.
Mega Man Legends 2: $60-$140
Because the first Mega Man Legends game scored lukewarm reviews, the superior follow-up didn't sell as well as Capcom had hoped. And while Mega Man Legends is still part of the overall franchise, its departure from side-scrolling adventure and use of a new Mega Man character, named Mega Man Volnutt, meant fans didn't immediately follow along. Even in Japan, the game sold less than 90,000 copies. Compare that to something like Crash Bandicoot 2, which sold 1.3 million in Japan, and you have some really low numbers. Mega Man Legends 2 is one of those rare games that became worth a bit more than its original retail value, topping out around $140.
The Adventures of Lomax: $100-$250
Just about everyone with any access to a computer in the '90s played Lemmings, the action-puzzle game in which the player guides scores of suicidal, mindless lemmings through deadly or impassable terrain using a limited set of tools. Given the indifferent nature of the aimless drones, splitting a single one off into a spinoff series seems like a difficult and potentially boring idea—after all, you wouldn't just give a koopa troopa his own title. Strangely, The Adventures of Lomax turns a lemming into a knight with some standard abilities from Lemmings, plus a magic helmet. Reviews from sources like GameSpot gave the game high praise...for younger players. Relegating a game to the kids' table is practically a death sentence, which helps account for a limited amount of copies around today. Find this one in your closet and you could sell it for up to $250.
Team Buddies: around $200
It's not hard to see why this game was passed by the first time around; it has a title that makes it sound like a movie about talking dogs, the main characters look like angry Excedrin, and the game's art direction seems rather childish. But behind all that noise is a system of interesting game mechanics which may not have caught on at first, but later developed a strong following. A limited release, and no reissue yet on the PlayStation Network, means that this game is one of the PS1's greater rarities, clocking in at around $200 for a nice copy.
Suikoden I & II: $75-$140
Very loosely based on the ancient Chinese novel Water Margin, the complex Suikoden RPG series didn't immediately catch on with American gamers, despite positive reviews. After all, in 1999, Suikoden II had to compete with powerhouses like Final Fantasy VIII, Super Smash Bros., and Pokemon Gold. Konami didn't anticipate a huge demand for Suikoden II after slim interest in the first, and only published a limited run. As the series progressed and caught on with RPG lovers, players wanted to return to the roots of the franchise. Despite a digital re-release in 2014 on PSN, Suikoden II hovers around the $140 mark, with the original, which had a higher production run, coming in around $60.
Tales of Destiny I & II: $100-$150
If there's a single trend in this list, it's that low-profile sequels and spinoffs can sometimes fetch big bucks. Tales of Destiny is actually a sequel to Tales of Phantasia, though you wouldn't know it from the cover, and Tales of Destiny II is actually called Tales of Eternia in Japan...so no one would blame you if you're confused by the whole mess. Critics gave the series mixed reviews, complimenting gameplay but criticizing a sluggish story and graphics that lagged behind the times. Still, modern American players looking to relive the glory days of the late-'90s JRPG have a great appreciation for the relative simplicity, and will shell out around $100 for the first Tales of Destiny, and up to $150 for the second.
Valkyrie Profile: $150-$225
As a strange hybrid of RPG and platforming elements, Valkyrie Profile is an example of a game that was a big critical success, saw a portable reissue, and is still worth a good deal of pocket change just because it's a great game. Another title obscured by the glut of JRPGs flooding the PlayStation in the '90s and early 2000s, Valkyrie Profile sold less than 100,000 copies in the US, but gamers' love of Square Enix has them seeking out this early title, issued back when the company was just Enix. Find an original copy in your closet and you could be looking at $225 in the bank.
Klonoa: Door to Phantomile: $150-$250
Squint your eyes and you might think you're looking at a hip hip Sonic the Hedgehog. While the titular Klonoa's species is unknown, we know that he's basically the Dr. Samuel Beckett of dreams, travelling from place to place to place to...preserve the sanctity of dreaming or something. Klonoa is undoubtedly the most positively reviewed game on this list, with the harshest criticism levelled at the title being that it can be "too cute," which is like a hamburger being "too delicious." Nintendo Power even included the game's later remake in its list of Top 100 Nintendo games of all time. Despite graphic and gameplay enhancements in the re-release, the original is still highly prized, and snags up to $250 at auction.