So 2 years ago, i made a post about me being unable to find Combat Wings : The Great Battles of World War II...
I consider the US/PAL release of that game to be the holy grail of video game collecting along with NBA Elite 11.
The game also eventually released physically in Japan and digitally under another name elsewhere but it seems like physical copies in PAL/US regions got recalled very quickly...
However, i did manage to find a shop that *might* have it :
http://www.micromania.fr/combat-wing-the-great-battles-of-world-war-ii-48200.html
There's no image for the box though. That's not unusual, because i found another game (Yu-gi-Oh Tag force 2 actually) like that and i've been told by the shop that had it that they had the game.
However, there's no way to know if the shop actually has it without going to a micromania store and ask for their inventory... A huge bummer.
It's possible that they may have the japanese version instead but that would be rather unusual for them (i think they have a policy of not stocking imports).
I'll do that Monday and if i get any positive answers then i'll surely grab this game.
Collecting games for the PSP
So far, most psp games are fairly cheap. There are a few exceptions though and i though i would cover them here.
Note that prices can vary at pretty much any time and it also depends across regions or even vendors.
I mostly check the prices on Amazon, ebay and some other obscure places too.
Class of Heroes 2
The US physical version of this game was released in very small quantities : only 3200 of them !
It probably didn't help that the first game was not received well and it seems that this sequel didn't learn much from their past mistakes either.
Still, that doesn't drop this game's value and it's the closest thing you have to a Limited run PSP game.
Currently, it's around 80$-200$. It pretty much depends on whom you have to deal with.
Hexyz Force
As far as i know, this is the only western physical release of that game and it was only released in the US in small quantities by Atlus.
As a result, it's price remains fairly high, and i suspect it will get much worse... So grab it if you can to give it a try.
Castlevania : The Dracula X chronicles Best of
I guess you could say that it's one game that never really dropped its price...
That game is really expensive on the PC-Engine or even its SNES version...
So compared to them, it's a fairly cheap alternative to them. (if you can get past beyond the average 3D graphics that is)
Sadly, it remains one of the most expensive PSP games and the US version is notoriously hard to get below 35$...
If you live in a PAL region, then you can get it for a slightly more reasonable price but it's still more expensive than most PSP games.
Metal Slug Anthology
Metal slug anthology is a game that remained very expensive over it's lifetime and that, despite being a multi-platform release...
All the Metal slug games up to 7 on one disc ! So it's no wonder that metal slug fans are doing their best to get their hands on it.
Due to the fact that it is the only portable platform that got a port of Anthology, prices for the PSP version are higher
than the cheaper Wii version. If you have to get it, i would advise that you get the Wii version instead.
Around 30$-60$ for a boxed copy.
Ys Games
Ys I & II Chronicles is very uncommon and it's not the cheapest either.
Xseed released limited quantities of it and it seems that people are hoarding it.
To make matters worse, it was only released in the US and Japan...
Critics didn't like the primitive graphics and the fact that it did not last very long, sealing its fate.
Spend at least 30$ to get your hands on the game.
Ys Seven is another uncommon physical release. Even though it did get a European release,
it was only over the PSN, not on physical...
This did not affect the price of that game and you may have to spend at least 30$...
Though at least it seems a little more common than Chronicles, ha...
Gitaroo-man
Gitaroo Man is a rhythm game by iNIS and published by Koei for the PS2 and PSP platforms.
The US/PAL PS2 version are infamous for being released in low quantities and were never reprinted.
As a result, it is one of the most expensive games on the platform.
What about the PSP version though ? Well, it depends on where you are getting it...
See, it's not too hard to grab a PAL version of it for less than 20$ complete.
However, should you try to grab a US version of it then prepare to pay a lot of money...
Even though the PSP port did end up getting a reprint, it was still far lower than most PSP games and it seems that the US reprint was smaller than the version for Europe.
Yu-Gi-Oh Tag Force games
Uggh ? Yu-Gi-Oh, on this list ? Why, yes ! I was just as surprised as you...
The first Tag force game can be gotten for fairly cheap, especially as it was also released for the PS2 (as Tag for Evolution) and PSP.
They are still more expensive than they should be though...
Unlike the US version, the PAL version is actually fairly cheap. It's usually doesn't go for more than 10€.
But it really gets off the rails starting with Yu-gi-oh GX Tag force 2...
The US version of that game was already notorious for being very expensive in 2009. (It was featured by pricecharting)
It became much, much worse since then... Even a used copy can go for as low as 40$ !
However in Europe, it is much more common and it can be gotten for 5-15$ unlike the US.
Then came Yu-Gi-Oh Tag force 3...
It simply was never released in the US, and it also was the last Tag force game based on the GX series.
So if you thought Tag force 2 was expensive, then prepare to pay a lot because importers will make sure you'll pay a lot for it !
Again, while it can be fairly expensive in europe too, it's possible to get at a decent price.
In fact, i got my copy for 10€ and i also managed to another find one for 5€.
Tag Force 4 and 5 were then released in the US and PAL regions. Those were the first games based on the 5D's series.
Again, same scenario here, US versions are much more expensive than it should be while the PAL version can be gotten for even cheaper than Tag force 2...
Tag force 6 was only released in Japan. The Yu-gi-oh franchise was becoming less popular and konami were scaling back on porting its yugioh games for the west.
Games like the 3rd Birthday and Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker sold less copies than expected and more games were either becoming PSN only or completely axing the PSP, preferring to release games on the DS (and 3DS) instead.
Thankfully, its prices aren't too crazy and you can grab it for 30$. Still not a great deal and the game's in japanese only.
Capcom Dual Pack
Here's an oddity i've never heard of... It's a pack combining two already un-common compilations into one.
Turns out that compilation is fairly uncommon (US-only release it seems) and can fetch for a lot of money too...
In fact, getting those games separately will be cheaper !
Still, that's not the first time that a compilation is rarer than the actual games themselves.
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable
Seriously, prices are not reasonable for this game, it's a hell lot expensive.
100$ for the single game only ? 60$ for a UMD ?
Not to mention it was released by Atlus in very short quantities, in addition to being popular. (again...)
This might be among this list the most expensive non-limited edition PSP game ever.
You might get the Japanese version for much cheaper but you won't be able to play it in english !
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
High demand and limited quantities in both Europe & USA... A hell lot expensive too on the PSP.
Heck, the price increase even carries over the other physical ports !
Unlike those outrageous prices though, digital is actually much cheaper.
Like Persona 3, give up getting this one...
The Hilton Family
The Hilton Family is a hotel simulation game for the PSP by the Hilton hotel group.
Only 500 copies were made and the game came only in UMD form (with no boxes or manual).
This makes it the rarest officially licensed PSP game and i doubt that most of those 500 copies will be found !
Rerez managed to find a copy of it with the necessary memory stick files and reviewed it :
Other mentions
Gurumin
Low quantities and higher-than-normal prices. PAL version even more expansive.
Breath of Fire 3
Sony refused to allow a US release and PAL version only got a limited release.
Final Fantasy 3 (Japan release)
The japanese version also has an English option !
Twinbee Portable
Not sure why it's that expensive but there you go... (almost rivals Persona 3 !)
========================================================================
That's pretty much it. If you find those games at a good deal then by no means grab them.
Most of them (with a few exceptions) are also still decent games.
I consider the US/PAL release of that game to be the holy grail of video game collecting along with NBA Elite 11.
The game also eventually released physically in Japan and digitally under another name elsewhere but it seems like physical copies in PAL/US regions got recalled very quickly...
However, i did manage to find a shop that *might* have it :
http://www.micromania.fr/combat-wing-the-great-battles-of-world-war-ii-48200.html
There's no image for the box though. That's not unusual, because i found another game (Yu-gi-Oh Tag force 2 actually) like that and i've been told by the shop that had it that they had the game.
However, there's no way to know if the shop actually has it without going to a micromania store and ask for their inventory... A huge bummer.
It's possible that they may have the japanese version instead but that would be rather unusual for them (i think they have a policy of not stocking imports).
I'll do that Monday and if i get any positive answers then i'll surely grab this game.
Collecting games for the PSP
So far, most psp games are fairly cheap. There are a few exceptions though and i though i would cover them here.
Note that prices can vary at pretty much any time and it also depends across regions or even vendors.
I mostly check the prices on Amazon, ebay and some other obscure places too.
Class of Heroes 2
The US physical version of this game was released in very small quantities : only 3200 of them !
It probably didn't help that the first game was not received well and it seems that this sequel didn't learn much from their past mistakes either.
Still, that doesn't drop this game's value and it's the closest thing you have to a Limited run PSP game.
Currently, it's around 80$-200$. It pretty much depends on whom you have to deal with.
Hexyz Force
As far as i know, this is the only western physical release of that game and it was only released in the US in small quantities by Atlus.
As a result, it's price remains fairly high, and i suspect it will get much worse... So grab it if you can to give it a try.
Castlevania : The Dracula X chronicles Best of
I guess you could say that it's one game that never really dropped its price...
That game is really expensive on the PC-Engine or even its SNES version...
So compared to them, it's a fairly cheap alternative to them. (if you can get past beyond the average 3D graphics that is)
Sadly, it remains one of the most expensive PSP games and the US version is notoriously hard to get below 35$...
If you live in a PAL region, then you can get it for a slightly more reasonable price but it's still more expensive than most PSP games.
Metal Slug Anthology
Metal slug anthology is a game that remained very expensive over it's lifetime and that, despite being a multi-platform release...
All the Metal slug games up to 7 on one disc ! So it's no wonder that metal slug fans are doing their best to get their hands on it.
Due to the fact that it is the only portable platform that got a port of Anthology, prices for the PSP version are higher
than the cheaper Wii version. If you have to get it, i would advise that you get the Wii version instead.
Around 30$-60$ for a boxed copy.
Ys Games
Ys I & II Chronicles is very uncommon and it's not the cheapest either.
Xseed released limited quantities of it and it seems that people are hoarding it.
To make matters worse, it was only released in the US and Japan...
Critics didn't like the primitive graphics and the fact that it did not last very long, sealing its fate.
Spend at least 30$ to get your hands on the game.
Ys Seven is another uncommon physical release. Even though it did get a European release,
it was only over the PSN, not on physical...
This did not affect the price of that game and you may have to spend at least 30$...
Though at least it seems a little more common than Chronicles, ha...
Gitaroo-man
Gitaroo Man is a rhythm game by iNIS and published by Koei for the PS2 and PSP platforms.
The US/PAL PS2 version are infamous for being released in low quantities and were never reprinted.
As a result, it is one of the most expensive games on the platform.
What about the PSP version though ? Well, it depends on where you are getting it...
See, it's not too hard to grab a PAL version of it for less than 20$ complete.
However, should you try to grab a US version of it then prepare to pay a lot of money...
Even though the PSP port did end up getting a reprint, it was still far lower than most PSP games and it seems that the US reprint was smaller than the version for Europe.
Yu-Gi-Oh Tag Force games
Uggh ? Yu-Gi-Oh, on this list ? Why, yes ! I was just as surprised as you...
The first Tag force game can be gotten for fairly cheap, especially as it was also released for the PS2 (as Tag for Evolution) and PSP.
They are still more expensive than they should be though...
Unlike the US version, the PAL version is actually fairly cheap. It's usually doesn't go for more than 10€.
But it really gets off the rails starting with Yu-gi-oh GX Tag force 2...
The US version of that game was already notorious for being very expensive in 2009. (It was featured by pricecharting)
It became much, much worse since then... Even a used copy can go for as low as 40$ !
However in Europe, it is much more common and it can be gotten for 5-15$ unlike the US.
Then came Yu-Gi-Oh Tag force 3...
It simply was never released in the US, and it also was the last Tag force game based on the GX series.
So if you thought Tag force 2 was expensive, then prepare to pay a lot because importers will make sure you'll pay a lot for it !
Again, while it can be fairly expensive in europe too, it's possible to get at a decent price.
In fact, i got my copy for 10€ and i also managed to another find one for 5€.
Tag Force 4 and 5 were then released in the US and PAL regions. Those were the first games based on the 5D's series.
Again, same scenario here, US versions are much more expensive than it should be while the PAL version can be gotten for even cheaper than Tag force 2...
Tag force 6 was only released in Japan. The Yu-gi-oh franchise was becoming less popular and konami were scaling back on porting its yugioh games for the west.
Games like the 3rd Birthday and Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker sold less copies than expected and more games were either becoming PSN only or completely axing the PSP, preferring to release games on the DS (and 3DS) instead.
Thankfully, its prices aren't too crazy and you can grab it for 30$. Still not a great deal and the game's in japanese only.
Capcom Dual Pack
Here's an oddity i've never heard of... It's a pack combining two already un-common compilations into one.
Turns out that compilation is fairly uncommon (US-only release it seems) and can fetch for a lot of money too...
In fact, getting those games separately will be cheaper !
Still, that's not the first time that a compilation is rarer than the actual games themselves.
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable
Seriously, prices are not reasonable for this game, it's a hell lot expensive.
100$ for the single game only ? 60$ for a UMD ?
Not to mention it was released by Atlus in very short quantities, in addition to being popular. (again...)
This might be among this list the most expensive non-limited edition PSP game ever.
You might get the Japanese version for much cheaper but you won't be able to play it in english !
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
High demand and limited quantities in both Europe & USA... A hell lot expensive too on the PSP.
Heck, the price increase even carries over the other physical ports !
Unlike those outrageous prices though, digital is actually much cheaper.
Like Persona 3, give up getting this one...
The Hilton Family
The Hilton Family is a hotel simulation game for the PSP by the Hilton hotel group.
Only 500 copies were made and the game came only in UMD form (with no boxes or manual).
This makes it the rarest officially licensed PSP game and i doubt that most of those 500 copies will be found !
Rerez managed to find a copy of it with the necessary memory stick files and reviewed it :
Other mentions
Gurumin
Low quantities and higher-than-normal prices. PAL version even more expansive.
Breath of Fire 3
Sony refused to allow a US release and PAL version only got a limited release.
Final Fantasy 3 (Japan release)
The japanese version also has an English option !
Twinbee Portable
Not sure why it's that expensive but there you go... (almost rivals Persona 3 !)
========================================================================
That's pretty much it. If you find those games at a good deal then by no means grab them.
Most of them (with a few exceptions) are also still decent games.
