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In the WildWith the GameCube on it's final breath of air for 2006 it has managed quite the catalog of games over the years since it's introduction in 2001. Past trends have shown that when a console says farewell collectors take notice of the rare games on the console and prices soon shoot sky high, whether it be high demand or low production, there's always going to be a select elite group of games that are sought after and take some time and money to get a hold of. Here's five games you should be on the look out for so you can beat the rush.
Bust-A-Move 3000
The only Bust-A-Move title to ever reach the GameCube didn't grab too much attention from gamers and was left unsold on store shelves. Before you knew it Ubisoft had taken it off shelves within months of its release never to be heard from again. Finding it in stores is certainly not an easy task, so your best bet is finding it used somewhere, and of course your trusted eBay, and even there you'll only see one or two listed at a time. Prices however continually fluctuate; about a year ago I bought a new copy for $40 only to sell it online for $90. Yet since then it's been up for grabs for as low as $25.Rarity: Moderate
Value: Moderate
NCAA College Basketball 2K3
It's not really a surprise that sports titles don't sell as well on the GameCube when compared to the much more mainstream consoles like the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. I mean, it's a trend that's been going on since the Super Nintendo days. But in case you do own a GameCube and love NCAA basketball, you'd know there are no games on the market covering the genre. Well actually, there is one (yes one) and it's NCAA College Basketball 2K3 developed by the Visual Concepts crew. Early on in the GameCube's lifespan SEGA tried to cater to the sporty crowd with a series of 2K games (NFL, NBA, etc.) and the final such SEGA-published title to hit the market was this gem. However, due to low sales from the other titles, SEGA quickly pulled the plug on NCAA College Basketball 2K3 before it even got a chance to get snatched up. Reports say that under 5,000 of these are actually in the wild, and can run up to $100 on eBay.Rarity: Very High
Value: High
Go! Go! Hypergrind
One of the most bizarre games created for the GameCube is also one of the most difficult to track down. Atlus is notoriously known for creating their games in low quantities and Go! Go! Hypergrind is no exception. This oddball skateboarding game was worked on with SPUMCO, the company behind the infamous Ren & Stimpy, which explains the wackiness of the gameplay. Grabbing a copy might take some time, but not much cash; apparently people just don't care about the title, seeing as it can be picked up at dirt cheap prices. It's a great game in my opinion, well worth the time spent finding it.Rarity: High
Value: Very Low
The Tower of Druaga (Import Only)
While the casual gamer might not care about demo discs, collectors are avidly buying and gathering them to complete their collections. Certainly one of the most unheard of games on the GameCube, The Tower of Druaga, was actually only available to Japanese gamers, and was given to those who pre-ordered Baten Kaitos. It comes in a classic style Famicom box, and even has Namco spelled "Namcot" (the company's old name). The game itself is indeed on a GameCube disc. I've actually only seen it once on eBay and it ended at roughly $30, but that was years ago now. If you can locate yourself a copy you'd be wise to lay down a good amount for it, considering its value can only rise from here.Rarity: Very High
Value: Moderate
This is just grazing the surface of some of the oddities the GameCube has to offer. As we get closer to the death of our purple boxes, the games will thin out, but those that do come out will more than likely suffer a loss of interest and a low-quantity production (especially anything after Twilight Princess). Most recently we've seen both Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix and Chaos Field showing their faces very rarely in retail. Games that come straight from Japan also tend to make small splashes in the US – Cubivore and Ribbit King are prime examples of this and should be purchased sooner rather than later.
On The Auction Block
Years ago eBay use to be considered the corner of the world where you could find everything and anything at low, low prices. As its reputation grew, however, so did its popularity and the hard to find stuff sky rocketed in price and sellers were rolling in the dough. So in every Collector's Corner we look at what those crazy eBayers are throwing their money away at.
Talk about a whopping collection! Original NES games are extremely hard to find in new condition, but eighty-three in one collection is pure insanity. This auction garnered thirty-four bids from various buyers and the winner ended up paying $1,425.00 + shipping and handling. The collection contained Nintendo favorites such as Yoshi's Cookie, and Super Mario Bros. 3 as well a large amount of hit third party games like Mega Man 2 and 3, Ninja Gaiden, and Battletoads.
Well that's it for this edition, happy hunting.
