10 Of The Rarest Original Xbox Games
If you remember these old Xbox games, you’ll be shocked at how much they cost now.
The original Xbox was a machine that used to be pretty cheap to buy. Games aren’t as cheap as they used to be because their prices have gone up. Not as much as GameCube or PS2 games, but enough to make you think about getting Xbox 360 games instead, since they’re still pretty cheap.
The original Xbox, PS2, and GameCube were the last systems to come out before the next generation had a lot of collector’s versions. This means that most of the rarest Xbox games are standard copies, though some are expensive versions. Some of these games are pretty hard to find and hard to buy.
Azurik: Rise Of Perathia (Not For Resale) – $104
Azurik: Rise of Perathia is a launch window original Xbox game. A lost fantasy action-adventure game, it got bad reviews at the time, but now, thanks to a different version, it’s one of the most expensive games on the system. The old “Not For Resale” label is usually only put on packages of consoles or sometimes display units.
This version was available for a lot of launch-era Xbox games, but it’s not worth much except for Azurik. Due to how rare it is and the fact that it wasn’t included in any packages, Azurik is probably the last game with the NFR label from that launch window. This makes Azurik the most rare Xbox game that can’t be sold again.
Obscure – $104
There will be a scary game that costs a lot for every machine. They are in a lot of PS2 games, so it’s no wonder that Xbox has one. The game itself is a surprise. It’s Obscure instead of Silent Hill or Fatal Frame. Like its name, Obscure is not a very well-known game for this age of consoles. It got mixed reviews, but the price is high for two main reasons.
One is that because DreamCatcher Interactive is not a big developer like Silent Hill or Fatal Frame, not as many copies of the game were made. Second, the game was released in April 2005. Before the Xbox 360 came out, 2005 was pretty much the last year for the original Xbox. Many of its oldest games came out that year.
Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 – $125
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is one of the best fighting games ever made and one of the best fighting games ever made by Capcom. It’s so popular, but because it’s no longer sold publicly, almost every port wants a high price. The Xbox port is part of this. This version is pretty good, but it’s not in the top three.
Most people play the arcade version, the Dreamcast version, and the Xbox 360/PS3 port. It’s too bad that this game costs so much, because everyone should be able to play it. All of these ports should get cheaper if MVC2 is ever re-released on modern systems.
Spikeout: Battle Street – $173
Here’s a Sega game you probably haven’t played before. Spikeout was a short-lived Sega game that was played in arcades from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s. It was more or less a bridge between the Streets of Rage series and the Yakuza series, and Yakuza’s author, Toshihiro Nagoshi, even directed the first episode.
Spikeout: Battle Street is the only game on platforms, and it came out in 2005, which is a bit strange. This and the fact that Battle Street is so unknown are probably why it costs so much. It’s too bad, because it looks like fun, but it’s not worth that much.
Teen Titans – $195
Teen Titans on the Xbox isn’t based on the comic book, but on the very famous animated show that was on at the time. The background of the animated show is pretty interesting, but not so much for the game. It was made by the same company that later made Dead by Daylight and got mixed reviews on all three platforms.
The versions for the GameCube and PS2 aren’t worth much, but the one for the Xbox is a different story. Teen Titans is a very late-era original Xbox game. It came out in October 2006, five months after the other versions. Teen Titans was sure to become a rare game because it came out near the end of the system’s life.
Futurama – $207
Futurama was the second most popular cartoon show that Matt Groening made. It made sense to make it into a game, just like The Simpsons or Family Guy. It has funny characters that people like and good humor. The Family Guy game and some Simpsons games are pretty cheap, but Futurama is the exact opposite.
Both the PS2 version and the Xbox version cost around $200, which is crazy. The game also came out in 2003, which was the best year for both systems. Spacebar Clicker didn’t sell very well, which is why it’s so expensive. Not many are out in the wild, and 2003 wasn’t a good year for this animation show, since it was also the last year of the show’s run.
OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast – $286
Sega’s OutRun games are a popular set of arcade racers that have won many awards. OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast is an improved version of OutRun 2, and it’s great. The price isn’t too bad for the PS2 version, but not for the Xbox port.
Coast 2 Coast is the oldest racing game on the system. It costs close to $300 and is hard to find. This game came out in April 2006, which is late for an Xbox game. This game is so fun, and I think the Xbox version is the best. Due to the price, most people will settle for the PS2 port, which doesn’t look as good.
NBA Ballers (Platinum Hits) – $359
There are always one or two very rare Greatest Hits games for every disc-based system. Even though many fans don’t like Greatest Hits albums, some try to get the whole set. NBA Ballers is the most rare Xbox game. This game is so rare that it’s hard to even find ads for it right now.
Again, it came out near the end of the system’s life in 2005, which means it must have had a small print run. If you go to stores often, you might know that some Greatest Hits games are hard to find, and NBA Ballers must have been the hardest to find when it came out.
Steel Battalion – $514
Steel Battalion is so expensive not because of the game itself, but because of the huge controller it comes with. This controller is a monster. It has over 40 buttons, two joysticks, and pedals, making it one of the biggest consoles ever.
You need the controller to play the game, and because it is so unusual, the whole set is still very popular. Steel Battalion was pretty pricey back in the day, and it hasn’t gotten any cheaper since then. But the game is really good, so if you have a lot of money to spend, it’s worth it because it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Shrek Super Party (Watch Bundle) – $600
Shrek Super Party is not a very uncommon game by itself. It got bad reviews, but because it has a unique version, it’s the most expensive stand-alone Xbox game. There was a unique Shrek watch in a very rare version, and it was shown on the front cover.
To give you an idea of how much the game costs, a full copy without a watch costs many hundreds of dollars. With the watch, the game costs even more. Even though there hasn’t been a new Shrek movie in well over a decade, the franchise is still very famous, and Shrek fans will want to get this.
