Collector Chronicles: Super Rare Games #2

Today's rarity focus is on Sega. They have a very interesting and colorful history, but I'm not going to focus on that. I am going to make vague observations about games that I will most likely never get to play. I hope you enjoy it!

Sega Master System: James "Buster" Douglas Knockout Boxing

Sonic the Hedgehog is close, but none of the US games are harder to find and more expensive than this one. This is almost always the last game collectors get for the system. I hardly ever see them on Ebay, but there might be a couple of logical reasons for that. First of all, it has a very confusing title. You can't just type in "Buster Douglas" or you'll get a bunch of boxing memorabilia. This turns away confused game collectors. Also, the Genesis version is much more common, so it's difficult sorting through all of them to find the two SMS copies on there. I guess the easiest way to do that would be to set your search to show the most expensive first. 100 dollars is a pretty good price for it if you ever see one with a box.

Sega Genesis: M.U.S.H.A.

For years I didn't think Genesis even had any rare games. It doesn't have the large amount of online support that Atari and Nintendo does, so its history is a little more hidden. Well as it turns out there's this game called M.U.S.H.A. for it, which is also an annoying title to type. I really don't know much about this game, but it seems like the Genesis has about 20 popular games and 700 obscure ones, so my ignorance can be forgiven. Due to this game's obscurity it seems a little more likely to show up cheap in the wild. Keep your eyes open.

Sega CD: Keio Flying Squadron

Now Sega CDs got some expensive games. Almost any famous game or RPG is going to cost you a good amount, but not even Shining Force CD or Snatcher cost as much as Keio Flying Squadron. I have no idea where the legend of this game comes from as it's not even that rare. There are plenty to be found online everyday. It's also a side scrolling shooter, which makes it sound more like a rare Turbografx game than a Sega CD game. On top of everything else, it's only a good game and not a great one. Would someone please explain this one to me?

32X: The Amazing Spider-Man: Web of Fire

Sure it was only around for about a year, but that was long enough to have a rare and expensive game. I think this was the last US game, so it had a very limited production run. What drives me crazy about this one is that if you leave it out the 32X has one of the easiest libraries to complete. About 20 of the 31 games can be bought for under 5 dollars. Most of the rest are less than 20. This game by itself costs almost as much as the whole rest of the catalogue. Thanks Spider-Man for crushing my dreams.

Sega Saturn: Panzer Dragoon Saga

This is the best example of a game coming out too late. When this game came out the Saturn was already dead. Sega was getting ready to release the Dreamcast and everybody was playing Playstation or N64. This game came out to universal acclaim, but by then nobody had a Saturn anymore. Nowadays it sells for about 250 dollars if you're lucky, so it's still a secret classic. Incidentally Sega released several other great games in 1998 including Shining Force 3, Magic Knight Rayearth, and Burning Rangers. If they had released some of these games a couple years earlier the Saturn might have had a different fate. That just wouldn't be very Sega though.

Well that's about it for the Sega. I know I didn't do an entry for Dreamcast, but it doesn't have any super expensive games from what I can tell. They have a few that are kind of rare, like Cannon Spike, but they can all be found for a fair price if you look around a little. Perhaps in 10 years there will be some, but until then it's safe. Oh also none on Game Gear. That's all I need to say about that one.

Sega CD #1: Sonic CD

At long last Sonic CD! I've been wanting to play this game for almost twenty years now. I don't think I'm alone in that either. I think this is the game that the most people wanted to play who never got to. The Sega CD was a modest success, but it never really got to smaller places like Arkansas. We all had to read about it in magazines where it was almost always called the best Sonic game ever made. I thought everyone would finally get the chance when all those Sonic collections started getting released, but it was left off most of them. By the time they finally got around releasing it everybody already had one of the earlier collections. I will always remember 2011 as the year I finally got to play this mythical game.

All these years I was expecting a nicer looking version of Sonic 2, but this game is unlike any other ones in the series. At first it seems like any other Sonic game. The fist level is certainly familiar looking. Then you start to notice some strange things. There are some very strange design elements such as rings that are stuck in the middle of walls and areas that just don't look like they can be reached. Of course you will ask yourself the most obvious question. "Does this have anything to do with those whispering signs." That's a silly question. Of course it does.

Sonic CD allows you to travel through time. In fact, you are trying to go back in time to destroy Dr. Robotnik's evil plans before the world is destroyed. This means hunting down an evil machine somewhere in the level and destroying it in the past. What this all means is that this particular game is focused on exploration instead of speed. That seems like a small thing, but in a game like Sonic it makes a huge difference. Some of the levels are quite small and can be finished in only a couple of minutes if they are ran through in the traditional fashion. However, if you take your time and explore this game it becomes a much richer experience.

I was a little bit skeptical about this game at first, but the more I played it the more I enjoyed it. It's similar to Castlevania IV in that it has many graphical tricks and game elements that are revealed slowly throughout the game. The more you get into it the more you will see. I always wanted to go on to the next level just so I could see the sights. It also has interesting boss fights. It's not the usual dodge Robotnik and then hit him eight times routine. Some of those bosses I sill don't understand, but I defeated them all so that's what really counts.

My one main complaint about this game is the very easy difficulty level. Now I know that I'm 27 years old and have been playing games like these for about 23 of those years, but I think I could've gotten through this game when I was in kindergarten. The slower pace makes it easier to walk around safely, and none of the regular enemies are that much trouble. The game autosaves, so even if you get a game over you can start back at the world you were just in. It doesn't even make you start over like all those other Sonic games. I will say, though, that I prefer this to the invisible spike after every just system of Sonic 3, but it does diminish the experience somewhat. Now I will admit that I didn't destroy all the evil machines or beat all the bonus stages, but I only see these as making the game longer. It doesn't add to the challenge that much.

So I guess it's time for the verdict. After all the hype this could've been a complete letdown, but I really enjoyed this one. It almost felt like capturing a lost piece of my childhood. It is much different than the other games, but it still fits in with the rest of the series. I think the graphics are really nice, and it is interesting that instead of animals the robots turn into plants. Just be warned, if you do play it than you are going to get that cheesy song stuck in your head. It's even got the lyrics printed inside so you can sing along during the credits. But hey, just be thankful that this isn't Sonic Adventure. At least this one doesn't rap.

Collector Chronicles: Super Rare Games #1

People are always asking me questions about rare games on here, so I thought it would be fun to talk about some of those games that I'll probably never get to own. For this one I'm sticking to older systems that only had one or two extra expensive games. I'm going to leave Atari 2600 for its own post because it has as many games over 100 dollars as all other systems combined. Or at least if you leave out Neo Geo it does. This one is going to cover the other Atari and pre-NES systems. I'll come back in a day or two and do Sega and other consoles.

Atari 5200: Meteorites, Bounty Bob Strikes Back

It's a toss up on 5200, so I'm including both of the famously rare games. Meteorites is probably a little bit more interesting because it comes from a tiny company that is symbolic of the industry at the time. There were a whole bunch of these little known start up companies making games in the early 80s. Most of them, however, made games for the 2600. This is one of the few that is for 5200. It's also one of the dozen or so games on the system that wasn't just a remake of a 2600 game. No wonder it goes for 100 bucks or more. Also, word on the internet is that it was originally going to be called Disasteroids. I sure hope this is true.

Bounty Bob Strikes Back is the sequel to Miner 2049er. Of course that probably means nothing to you. It was a fairly big success back in the day though. I believe that is is a Donkey Kong clone, but I could be wrong. I've heard that this is the rarest game for the 5200. I was actually going to find a copy on line to check on the price, but I couldn't find it anywhere. There aren't that many 5200 collectors out there, but the ones that exist are very dedicated, so I doubt that this game gets sold that often. It's a shame too because I've heard it's very good.


Atari 7800: Tank Command

I have no idea why Tank Command is so expensive. It's really not that rare. You can find a copy of it on Ebay just about any day, and it seems like it was fairly cheap a few years ago. Somewhere along the line line the prices went through the roof. I guess I should've bought it way back when. I'm thinking that the people who ran out of 2600 games to buy started collecting 7800 and that increased demand. I certainly cant think of a better explanation. This is a game from the company Froggo who are significant for being the last new company to make games for 2600. All their 2600 games were remakes of older games though. It is only the two on 7800 that are original. This might be one of the reasons that it is so expensive. As I said I really don't know. All I know is that someday I'm going to be looking at the gaping hole in my collection and wondering why.

Atari Jaguar: Air Cars

There are quite a few expensive games for the Jag, but this one is probably the most expensive of all the games that got a regular release. There are a few home-brews and other special cases that cost more, but Air Cars wins by the sheer fact that it was a real game in real stores. It was also the last Jaguar game to be released which always seems to help in the rarity department. It is such a late obscure release that it doesn't even have a box. I've always heard that this game is a stinker, but I'll probably never get to play it. That's probably for the best, but it does drive me crazy when there's a really awful game out there that I'm not able to play. I have an old issue of Game Players where the review this game. I think they gave it a 30. They said that it was nice having a new Jaguar game to play, but they sure wished it was actually worth playing.

Intellivision: Spiker! Super Pro Volleyball

Spiker is the very las game released for the Intellivison years after the system had lost its relevance. This game came out in 1989 which was 11 years after Intellivison was first released. It's very strange to think that it came out around the same time we got Blazing Lazers and Super Mario Brothers 3. Intellivision was actually kept alive for a number of years thanks to its mail order service, so I'm not sure if this game was ever in actual stores. After the video game crash somebody at the company decided to keep the thing going, and there were a few games released every year. This helped Intellivison pass the decade mark which is quite an achievement for a game console. I can only think of the 2600, Neo Geo, and Playstation 2 reaching that milestone. Anyeay, this was the last of them, and I doubt that there are too many copies floating around. Seriously, who was still playing Intellivsion in 1990? I once heard that it was the only Intellivison game to sell for over 1000 dollars. I don't know if that's still true or not, but it certainly cemented its legacy. I don't know if I'll ever play this one, but I certainly respect it.

Odyssey 2: Power Lords

This is the game on this list that I know almost nothing about. I've never even played an Odyssey 2 before. I do know, however, that almost every game can be bought for 3 dollars or less. In fact, Power Lords seems to be one of the only games that costs anything at all. There are a couple more, such as Quest for the Rings, but this one tops them all. I've searched for it many times on line, and I've never seen a copy of it. If not for Power Lords than Odyssey 2 would be a super easy collection to complete. At least it makes the system a little more interesting.


So this is part one. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to split this one up, but there will probably be two or three more parts. Next time I'll talk about Sega and maybe Nintendo. The games on this list are frustrating, but they do make for exciting trips for the used game stores. You never know when you're going to stumble upon a holy grail. Its the kind of thing that keeps lonely 40 year olds scouring garage sales across the country. It truly is a worthwhile experience.

System Profile: Sega CD & 32X

There was a time about 15 years ago when Sega seemed completely fearless. While Nintendo was busy making the greatest games of all time, Sega was pushing the limits and trying everything that seemed like even a halfway good idea. They released game systems for kids, made a game that you could attach other games into, attempted early internet experiments, and had a few infamous add-ons. Probably the two most famous, although not the least successful, are the Sega CD and the 32X. It seems like these machines get insulted constantly on line, and so of course I had to pick them up. I'm looking forward to setting the record straight.

In case you've never seen them in action, here's what the set up looks like:


And here's what it looks like when you squish a model 1 Genesis in there:


I think they are both beautiful things, even with q-tips on the floor. When you collect video games you end up with those all over the place.

Actually most people feel that this is an unwieldy monstrosity, and they are partially right. It does drive me crazy how many wires it takes. Still when I first put the pieces together I got very excited. I would've been the king at my school back in 1995, at least until somebody got a Playstation.

Here's what it looks like when you've got it hooked up. Yes, it takes three plugs to have all three at once, and there are a few games that require this. I'm sure that's a fire hazard, but as a collector I've seen worse.


I am going to talk about 32X first because it is the less interesting of the two. It's got plenty of character, but it also had a very short lifespan. Actually of all the things Sega ever did, this is possibly the most confusing. It was released only a few months before the Saturn, and its graphics are only a little bit up from the CD. Nevertheless there it is.

I actually think it's got some pretty good games on it. The version of Virtua Fighter is excellent, and so is the version of Virtua Racing. It must've made people feel like chumps who paid 100 dollars for the original Genesis version. I would love to post about some games I've beat for it, but as it turns out I suck at 32X. I've never won a race or even got through Virtua Fighter on the easiest setting. I'm alright at Metal Head, but it is very boring. That seems to always be my luck.

There's actually not that much to say about it. It's a lump that sits on top of your Genesis and plays a few slightly better looking games. It didn't make any sense then and, it doesn't make sense now. There's only 36 games for it that makes it easy to collect for. Of course there are two that are ridiculously expensive. Isn't that always the way?

Now on to the Sega CD. This probably won't surprise you too much, but I love this machine. The entire game library seems to be made up of underrated gems and extremely funny cult classics. I mean, what's better than watching extremely grainy Soundgarden videos?

That's actually the biggest caveat of the Sega CD. The sound is good but the picture is not. It has real actors and filmed cutscenes, but they are very grainy because of the lack of colors. Most of the gameplay sections of the games look fine , but they are often interrupted by grainy videos that don't even make much sense. In its defense there are some games that look very good. Games like Silpheed wouldn't look too bad on Playstation. However, some of them do give you the sense that you are fighting in front of a back drop, which I guess in a way you are.

Of course the system is best known for its full motion video which features a bunch of games that remind me of Syfy movies. The difference is that every once in a while the characters will look at the screen and say "well what are you going to do now?" and then you will have to shoot something or solve a puzzle. As I said before, they are mostly lousy but definitely entertaining. I actually don't have many of these yet, but I will keep you posted.

So those are the latest editions to my Sega collection. I admire the company's boldness, and I wish that people would go back and see their failed systems in a more sympathetic light. Sure you make fun of Sega CD now, but you know you wanted one. Didn't you think that Sewer Shark looked like the most awesome game ever? Well anyway you should track one down. It's especially good if you like good space shooters, cheesy FMVs, and obscure, expensive RPGs. Luckily, these are all my favorite things.