The console known as the Genesis in North America and the Mega Drive in Europe wasn’t the first game system Sega made, but it was the console that made Sega a serious contender against Nintendo and the SNES. Sega would later leave the console market after the failure of the Dreamcast, butfans remember the Genesis fondly to this day.
RELATED:The Rarest Sega Saturn Games (& How Much They’re Worth)
Because of this nostalgia, the collector’s market for Genesis games is still very lively. However, the rarest and most expensive Genesis games aren’t the first titles gamers might think of.Sonic the HedgehogandMortal Kombatsold incredibly well, after all, so finding a spare copy isn’t that hard. Instead, the rarest Genesis games are either cult classics that failed to sell initially or limited editions that are unusually hard to find.
All prices were taken fromPriceCharting.com, and were accurate at the time of publication.
$93.14
$367.23
New
$487.50
El Vientois a somewhat confusing game. It has a Japanese developer, an anime sense of style, an Italian name, an American setting, and a Lovecraftian villain. Fortunately, players don’t need to understand too much of what’s going on becauseEl Vientoisan action platformer along the lines ofNinja Gaiden. The game also emphasizes speed, taking advantage of the Genesis hardware that madeSonic the Hedgehogpossible.
To most players,El Vientois a decent platformer, but it’s rough around the edges and offers nothing special aside from the quirky story and setting. What makes this game collectible is the fact that it didn’t do well in the United States, making it rare, and the fact that it’s part of a trilogy of games developed by Wolf Team. The desire to complete this trilogy certainly helps to drive the price up.
$260.12
$442.82
$1,371.85
In 1994, Marvel and Software Creations did something unusual. Instead of just putting a well-known superhero in a game and creating a story to go with it, they tookan existing story from the comic seriesand adapted it into a game.Maximum Carnagewas a major arc that had just ended, and it had enough action to turn it into a beat-em-up with comic book cutscenes between each stage.
RELATED:Where Can Venom’s Story Go After Carnage?
Maximum Carnagehad a mixed reception from video game reviewers when it came out, but appreciation of the game has gone up over the years thanks to its excellent soundtrack and remarkably faithful adaptation of the original comic arc. More important to collectors, however, is the fact that the first copies of the game came with a special red cartridge instead of the usual black. This scarcity makes the red edition of the game especially valuable, even without the complete box.
$130.00
$599.50
$933.32
Sonic wasn’t the only cartoon mascot to appear on the Sega Genesis. In 1993, American developer Iguana Entertainment createda 2D platformer calledAero the Acro-Bat, and in 1994 the studio created a sequel and then a spinoff that focuses on Aero’s rival:Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel.Zerowas an edgy cartoon platformer back before that combination was popular, and it uses clever techniques that make the game seem more colorful than the Genesis could normally handle.
Much likeEl Viento,Zerohas two main reasons why collectors give it a high price. First, while the game isn’t bad, it wasn’t popular when it came out and so only a few copies exist. Second,Zerois part of a trilogy and is the hardest to find out of the three games. These factors make it especially valuable to a collector looking to expand their Genesis library.
$504.36
$624.18
$849.27
Papriumis by far the newest game to have come out for the Sega Genesis, having been published in the slightly more recent year of 2020. In 2012, developer WaterMelon started a crowdfunding campaign to createa new beat-em-up game for the Genesis(or Mega Drive, since WaterMelon is European). The campaign was successful, but the developers went dark soon after, and backers worried that they had paid for vaporware. However, in 2020 WaterMelon releasedPapriumin special cartridges that could boost the power of the Sega Genesis and worked with most versions of the console.
RELATED:Sega Genesis Games Turning 30 In 2023 (That You Should Replay)
WaterMelon would releasePapriumin three editions. The Classic Edition came in a basic clamshell, while the Limited Edition copied the box design of late-era Genesis titles. True to its name, the Limited Edition is rarer and thus more expensive than the Classic Edition. The game also has an Investor’s Edition complete with a pink cartridge, but so few copies exist that collectors are unlikely to come across them in the open market.
$265.00
$900.00
$2,250.00
Mushais a top-down shoot-em-up that borrows a lot of its imagery from Japanese history and culture, much more than players would normally see even from other Japanese developers. Aside from that,Mushais short, intense, and forgiving, making itvery easy to play, plus it has an impressive speed metal soundtrack that makes full use of the Genesis' sound hardware.
Unfortunately,Mushacame out at a time whenan absolute flood of shmups were being released, both on the Genesis and on the SNES. The game’s quirks weren’t enough to make it stand out back then, but by the time it got released on the Wii Virtual Console in 2009, it had become a fondly remembered classic. Between this reevaluation and the game’s poor sales performance,Mushahas become one of the most expensive Sega Genesis games.
$472.50
$1,622.05
$4,055.00
The competition between Sega and Nintendo went beyond the rivalry between Sonic and Mario. Sega also wanted to compete with other Nintendo properties, andCrusader of Centrywas their response to theLegend of Zeldaseries. The game isn’t just aZeldaclone, but anyone who’s playedA Link to the Pastwill quickly understand how to move around and reach new areas.
Crusader of Centryis by no means a bad game, but RPGs (including action RPGs) were never popular on the Genesis. After a brief marketing push, Sega and their audience forgot aboutCrusader of Centry, and it wasn’t until years later that collectors and fans would rediscover this hidden gem. Asthe seemingly ultimate cult classic of the Genesis era,Crusader of Centryhas become the crown jewel that every collector wants but few can afford.
