Extremely Valuable Xbox Games You Have Hiding In Your Closet
It was the last of the sixth generation consoles launched in 2001, but the original Xbox had specs so awesome that it seemed like it was a few generations ahead. In other words, it made gaming serious business, and it sold a ton of games. A few of those games are still worth some pretty sweet cash, so check your closets.
Like last time, this list is based on games that were available at retail, and factors in current prices from both VGPC and eBay for used games in good condition. While special editions count for this list, those ultra-sets with pack-in statues, extraneous arcade joysticks, props, and other game ephemera aren't factored in here. You already know those things are valuable, and you've also probably lost pieces from your sets over the years. We're also counting all three Xbox systems. Any exceptions will be noted—now get in your closet and start digging.
Steel Battalion (Xbox, 2002): $300-$400
The most intensely realistic robot simulator ever created, Steel Battalion launched like no other game before it: with a 40-button controller that takes over an entire table, intended to immersively drop the player into the cockpit of an actual walking mech. Capcom hoped players would spend $200 on the complicated, challenging set, and even with an insane price tag for 2002, the game set sold out worldwide. Even the re-issue is a collectors' item, simply because there's absolutely no other experience like it.
A full set can reach up to $400 at auction. We know we said "no joysticks," but these controllers are integral to play, and the disc by itself can't be used with a standard controller. Neither can the online-only sequel, Steel Battalion: Line of Contact, since Xbox turned off the servers in 2005.
Metal Wolf Chaos (Xbox, 2004): $200
As one of the earlier Xbox games to skyrocket in price, Metal Wolf Chaos has plenty of reasons to be valuable. First, the storyline is awesome: you're the President of the United States piloting a giant power armor into battle against the traitorous Vice President. Second, the game was released only in Japan, even though the entire thing is in English, and is a hilarious parody of American politics. Third, unless you were a fan of watching YouTube playthroughs in 2004, you probably missed this game completely, making it a relative rarity in the U.S. today. And finally, the game requires a modded Xbox to play, since it was only released in NTSC-J format.
So yes, you could have purchased this game, but you probably didn't. While there are a few Japan-exclusive games that are worth a bit of cash today, this is the only one you can play without a translator. If you picked it up back in 2004, it's worth up to $200 today.
Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis (Xbox, 2003): $75-$160
It's like Rollercoaster Tycoon, except with angry dinosaurs. The main thing missing from most Jurassic Park video games is the fact that you never actually get to build the park...until now. Since Sims games were almost always exclusive to PC gamers in 2003, Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis was overlooked by console users when it came out. The PC version also was easy to mod, and developed a pretty rich community of users who made book- and movie-specific scenarios and missions for other players, so console users may have felt a little prehistoric in comparison.
Fan fervor for Jurassic Park never seems to die, so the console game still fetches up to around $200—and even that's a comedown from the $500 it was worth at its peak.
Tales of Vesperia: Special Edition (Xbox 360, 2008): $75-$100
It isn't hard to get your hands on a copy of Tales of Vesperia if you just want to play through. Copies for both Xbox and Playstation sell for a pretty reasonable cost. It's the Special Edition of Vesperia that collectors can't seem to get enough of. The only difference between the Special and regular editions is a steelbook case and a soundtrack CD, which features selections from the entire Tales series. It's a small difference, but it triples the value of the regular game, especially for fans who have been playing the series since 1995's Tales of Phantasia.
Because everything was designed to be packaged together, you probably still have that CD wedged in that steelbook. Get the whole thing out and put it on eBay for $100.
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Gold Edition (Xbox 360, 2006): $60-$130
For your money, there are probably better Marvel-based games out there, but Marvel Ultimate Alliance is a pretty solid, diverse action RPG, including over 140 Marvel characters, both playable and as NPCs. Unfortunately, anyone who wasn't playing on an Xbox kinda got screwed out of a bunch of exclusive, top-tier characters, including Hulk, Doctor Doom, Cyclops, Magneto, and Nightcrawler. Thanks for the Mr. Fantastic and Daredevil, Activision. Really.
As a result, the Gold Edition, which includes eight additional characters that were previously download-only on Xbox, is the most beloved edition of this game, and people will pay up to $130 for a chance to wreck weirdos like Tiger Shark and Ultimo with the Xbox-exclusive Sabertooth.
Teen Titans (Xbox, 2006): $80-$100
Years before Teen Titans Go!, there was simply Teen Titans, an over-serious animated series based on the DC Comics characters of the same name. For five seasons, Warner Bros. couldn't decide if their demographic was kids or comic fans, and the whole thing was canceled with a final movie. Before the show was retooled into a parody of the genre, Teen Titans got a top-down, beat-'em-up video game on PS2, GameCube, and Xbox.
The game is readily available on all systems except the Xbox, making it an oddity inexplicably worth more than its counterparts. One might expect the higher-rated GameCube port to be the sought-after edition, but copies of Teen Titans for the Xbox are regularly bid up to $100. We'll take it.
Futurama (Xbox, 2003): $60
Based on the animated TV show of the same name, Futurama is actually an important part of the series' continuity, as it's a lost episode in almost every sense. Featuring a completely new plot, 23 minutes of original cutscene animation, and all of the same voice actors and composers, the only real difference is that this is an episode you have to play through. Because the TV series aired its final episode on Fox only two days before the game came out, it filled a very sad place in the hearts of dedicated viewers. Unless Futurama fans took to YouTube to see the missing episode, they had to wait until 2008 to see it, as a feature included on The Beast with a Billion Backs DVD.
And it isn't even a good game. Most reviewers gave Futurama completely middle-of-the-road scores, proving that quality isn't always important when it comes to pure need and nostalgia. You'll pay up to $60 to play this on your Xbox.