Can you remember your first console or computer? Mine was a Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128k back in the days when gaming was far more basic than now. Simply chunky graphics, limited colors (just 8 colors and 2 shades in fact) and tinny monotone music. It also took a long time to load games, which were all on cassette tapes.
Despite the limitations, my Spectrum, complete with its terrible clunky joystick and a light gun which never calibrated properly, felt like the most amazing gaming system ever to me. That was until my big brother bought a Sega Mega Drive (known as the Genesis in the US). The cartridge system that loaded games instantly felt like the greatest technological leap we would ever see and hours of playing Dizzy were swiftly traded for hours playing Sonic The Hedgehog.
Over the years technology has moved on, and so have my own gaming habits. Nowadays I’m more at home on my Nintendo Switch than my Sinclair Spectrum but I still have a huge fondness for old games and a special place in my heart for quirky gaming peripherals.
Some of these retro games and accessories are actually worth a lot of money these days, while others have their value in quirkiness or memories. Prices vary according to condition of course but some rarer games can fetch insane amounts of cash.
Here are 30 of those long-lost games and peripherals that you may have forgotten about and how much they are worth now. How many can you remember?
29 Games: Paper Mario For Nintendo 64
This role-playing game from 2001 featuring Mario is currently worth $190!
The game takes place in the Mushroom Kingdom where Mario and his partners must defeat a series of puzzles in order to rescue Princess Peach. There is also a unique turn-based battle system which players can influence the outcome of by pressing the correct combinations on their controllers.
This is the first Paper Mario game and second Mario RPG game. It was incredibly popular and well loved, scoring a whopping 93% on Metacritic.
28 Games: DarXide For Sega 32X
This shoot ‘em up for the Sega 32X was released back in 1995 and is worth $1600!
Darxide is pronounced “dark side” and has similar gameplay to Asteroids. Players must destroy enemies and space rocks in order to complete each level.
It was only released in Europe, hence its rarity warrants the hefty price tag.
It was also one of the last games released for the 32X, although an expanded version was later released for Nokia Mobile phones.
27 Accessories: Resident Evil Chainsaw For PlayStation 2
Also available for the GameCube, this unique controller brought out for Resident Evil 4 is worth $95!
Although this peripheral is from Nubytech, rather than Sony or Nintendo I couldn’t leave it out of this line-up. It features a 2-grip handle system as well as all the standard sticks and buttons of the regular controllers.
It is incredibly well presented, and every-one is said to have unique blood splatter patterns. The PlayStation version is red, while the GameCube one is yellow. The jury is out on how it plays but you can’t deny it is unique and it looks amazing.
26 Games: Snowboard Kids 2 For Nintendo 64
This snowboarding sequel is the most expensive game on our list and the PAL release is worth $2670!
Released in 1999 this Snowboard Kids sequel is very similar to its incredibly popular predecessor. It retains the same gameplay style of story mode and battle races. There are also boss stages and a training mode.
Players can choose from 9 characters and have the choice of 15 snowboarding courses.
The game had a very limited PAL release, with this version only being officially available in Australia. This means the PAL version is incredibly rare. Combine this with the game's popularity and it explains the hefty price tag.
25 Games: Mega Man X3 For Sega Saturn
The 1995 action-platformer from the Mega Man series is worth $270!
Mega Man X3 is a fairly standard action-platform game, following in the footsteps of the Mega Man and Mega Man X games. It features 8 stages, which can be played in any order, each with an end boss.
The unique part of this game is that it contains the first appearance of Zero as a playable character (albeit with some limitations) alongside X.
A port of the game for the latest generation of consoles is due to be released at the end of July 2018 as part of the Mega Man X Legacy Collection.
24 Accessories: Samba Di Amigo Maracas For Sega Dreamcast
These unique maracas controllers came with rhythm game Samba De Amigo and are worth $200!
The Sega Dreamcast was a hive of crazy peripherals. The maracas for Samba De Amigo are some of the most well-known.
The concept is that the maraca shaped controllers are used to match a series of patterns on the screen in-game.
Basically, a similar idea to the more modern Guitar Hero series. They must be shaken at the correct height and in time to the music. A mat accompanies the Maracas, so you are correctly positioned in relation to the sensors.
23 Games: Castlevania For Nintendo Entertainment System
The much-loved action-platformer from 1986 is worth $425!
The game is the first in the hugely successful series which currently boasts over 30 titles across the world. Castlevania is a platformer which sees players control Simon Belmont as he explores Dracula’s castle.
Stages are timed and must be defeated before the clock runs out. You can also lose lives through falling or being killed by bosses.
22 Games: Viewpoint For SDK Neo Geo
This 1992 isometric shooter from Aicom is worth a gigantic $1000!
Viewpoint for the Neo Geo launched to a host of positive reviews. The game supports single and multiplayer options and features different modes of play and 6 stages. It looks so simple now, but it actually won awards for best graphics and music in Electronic Gaming Monthly’s video game awards.
It was also released on the Sega Genesis and Sony PlayStation, but it is the Neo Geo version which is worth the most.
21 Accessories: R.O.B. For Nintendo Entertainment System
R.O.B stands for Robotic Operating Buddy. It is worth $180!
R.O.B is an official accessory for the NES and was released in 1985. There are only 2 games which support this unique robot controller, Gyromite and Stack-Up. Gyromite came with the controller and is a puzzle-platformer which involves collecting dynamite.
The robot receives commands via optical flashes on the screen.
As with older light guns R.O.B. only functions with a CRT style tv.
R.O.B. also features as a cameo character in various other Nintendo games including the WarioWare and Star Fox games. He also has a role in some Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. games.
20 Games: Primal Rage For Sega 32X
The Sega 32X version of this 1995 fighting game is currently worth $1350
Primal Rage is a versus fighting game that was originally an arcade hit. Atari brought it to a range of consoles including the SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, Jaguar, and PlayStation.
The game is set in a world where a meteor strike has devastated the human population. Seven primal creatures now control the Earth, worshipped by the human survivors. They now fight it out for power.
Primal Rage was a huge commercial success and remains a firm favorite for many.
19 Games: X-Zone For Super Nintendo Entertainment System
This rail shooter from 1993 is currently worth $1135!
X-Zone is a single-player shooter from 1993 which supports the popular Super Scope light gun. The story focuses on a soldier assigned the task of destroying an army of malfunctioning robots. They are being controlled by a sentient computer who is out to destroy humanity.
The most notable thing about this game is the reception of its hard mode. To this day there are no videos of anyone managing to defeat the brutally difficult setting.
18 Accessories: Virtual Boy From Nintendo
The Virtual Boy was released in 1995 and is currently worth $365!
Technically the Virtual Boy is a console, but I couldn’t exclude this forerunner of virtual reality from my list.
It was the first console capable of displaying stereoscopic 3D graphics.
rThis was before anyone else touched 3D technology on this level.
Despite this innovation it was a commercial failure due to its high price, lack of portability and low-quality games. It also had a monochrome display which many were unimpressed by. However, it remains an important part of both Nintendo and virtual reality history, which is why it’s featured here.
17 Games: StarCraft 64 For Nintendo 64
The N64 version of StarCraft is worth $600!
StarCraft is a military science fiction real-time strategy from Blizzard. It was released for the Windows platform in 1998 but did you realise there was an N64 version?
In 2000 StarCraft 64 was released in the West featuring all the missions of StarCraft and the Brood War expansion. It also included some exclusive missions including a secret mission.
Although it lacked online multiplayer options it did feature a split-screen cooperative mode.
16 Games: Power Drive For Sega Game Gear
Power Drive is one of the most valuable Sega Game Gear games and has sold for in excess of $1000
Power Drive is a 1995 racing game which was released across several platforms including the Atari Jaguar and Nintendo SNES as well as the Sega Game Gear.
Although the game was quite popular, at the time handheld consoles themselves were not as common.
The current price of the games reflects that. Even though a game may have been popular, if the platform was not sales would still be low, meaning the games are rarer. Many handheld consoles have games which now command a high price due to this.
15 Accessories: Mario Mix Dancemat For Nintendo Game Cube
This Mario themed Dance Dance Revolution Dancemat is worth $70!
The dance mat craze originated in Japan as Dance Dance Revolution and came to Europe as Dancing Stage in 1999. Originally an arcade game, it later came to the PlayStation before hitting the PlayStation 2 and Wii.
Dancing Stage Mario Mix from 2005 was the first Dance Dance Revolution game to be released by Nintendo outside of Japan.
The dance mat controller mimicked the arcade interface where you jump on different arrows to recreate the dance moves on screen. All the music and characters are from the Mario franchise.
14 Games: Batman Forever For Super Nintendo Entertainment System
This collector’s edition of the 1995 SNES game is worth around $1000!
Although the game had an international release, this particular box set was only available in Woolworths stores across Great Britain and sold incredibly poorly at the time.
It included a VHS making-of documentary, some themed stationary and the Batman Forever SNES game.
The game itself is a simple beat ‘em up based on the movie of the same name. Batman Forever for the SNES in particular, wasn’t received well. It’s the addition of the extra themed items and the Batman name that are boosting the price of this game.
13 Accessories: DK Bongos For Gamecube
These crazy controllers are worth $40
Originally these bongo drums were designed to be used with rhythm games Donkey Konga and its sequels. For reasons unknown they also released a platform game called Donkey Kong Jungle Beat which used them.
They are a pair of bongo drums and are played in rhythm.
The can also be used to control the movements of a character, depending on the game.
The best part of these controllers, however, is watching people who have hacked them to play other games with them. One guy, known as Bearzly, even beat Dark Souls on bongos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HdWWhZ0hDM Now that is commitment.
12 Games: The Adventures of Batman and Robin For Sega Mega CD
The Sega CD version of this game is worth $735!
This 1994 action game from the Batman franchise is unique in that each multi-console version has something different about it.
The Sega CD version has a whole animated storyline which progresses throughout the game. As each level is complete animated cutscenes, designed specifically for this purpose, move on the story.
These animated scenes total 17 minutes and are key to this versions appeal. They were created by the same animation studio as some of the original cartoon and feature voice actors from the show.
11 Games: DuckTales 2 For Nintendo Entertainment System
This DuckTales sequel for the NES is worth around $200!
DuckTales 2 is a platform game sequel to DuckTales and is based on the Disney animation of the same name. It is a non-linear game which allows players to pick and choose the order they complete the levels in.
It was recently re-released as part of The Disney Afternoon Collection.
This is a series of 6 games based on Disney Afternoon animated series collected and updated for modern platforms. The NES version of the original game had a limited production run in 1993 when the console was nearing the end of its life cycle.
10 Accessories: Konami LaserScope For Nintendo Entertainment System
The head-mounted light gun is worth $135!
Back in 1990 this futuristic looking head-mounted light gun was released for the NES. It was designed for the game Laser Invasion but will also work with other light gun games for the console. It was sold as an alternative to the NES Zapper.
It is voice-activated and features a cross hair that sits in an eyepiece on the unit. It also functions as a microphone.
Reviews were not favorable with many players complaining about the inaccuracy of the voice commands.