Most valuable sega master system games

While the graphics are scaled down a bit, they look respectable and most of the levels are still there. Controls are solid so jumping and throwing javelins feels relatively authentic. Developed internally by Sega, Psycho Fox is a solid platformer that feels a bit like an early successor to the Sonic games while being inspired by certain characteristics of Super Mario Bros 2 and 3.

The game is pretty much an essential piece for deep Master System collections, but we highlighted it detail in our Master System Hidden Gems guide. Before too long, Sega did correct their ways and put the proper spelling on the label.

And like some classic baseball card spelling errors from the same era, the limited print-run mistaken cartridge is a collectors piece with a hefty premium. Check for Psycho Fox on eBay. The box set includes the Lucky Caper game, a cassette tape, t-shirt, and poster inside a sturdy and attractive box that will look nice on a bookshelf. As you might guess, without the NHL license, this game uses national hockey teams with fictional players. Check for Championship Hockey on eBay. One-on-one fighters were all the rage in the 90s.

Masters of Combat attempted to remedy that deficiency by delivering a rather competent and interesting 8-bit fighting game. Check for Masters of Combat on eBay. You have to not only evade Harry and Marv but keep them from making off with valuables from the house. The game basically falls into the trap-em-up genre with the likes of Lode Runner. The Master System Home Alone game has similarities from its Mega Drive and Game Gear games, but it is indeed a separate game from a different developer Probe Software and many fans consider this Master System version to actually be superior to its peers.

This pairing along with some 90s movie nostalgia makes for a highly collectable piece for expansive Master System collections. Check for Home Alone on eBay. You might think that Streets of Rage 2 for the Master System is just a quick port of the more common Game Gear game of the same name, but it is indeed a slightly different game. The biggest problem is that the game just moves far, far too quickly, meaning enemies will rocket around the screen, surround you, and stunlock you for all your health before you can react.

Anyway, on the Master System, Streets of Rage 2 was exclusive to PAL regions and Brazil in rather limited quantities, so dedicated Master System fans or completists Streets of Rage fans have to pay up quite a bit to score this collectable. Check for Streets of Rage 2 on eBay. This release was not only an exclusive to PAL regions, but it was distinctly a Power Strike game instead of part of the formal Aleste series.

Power Strike II a well-crafted game and was an easy recommendation for one of the best Master Systems Gems check out that guide for more info on the game itself. This is an impressive testament to how collecting for both high-quality shmups and retro games overall has increased over the past decade. For the much of the first decade of the new millennium, this late sequel release was seemingly unearthed and shared with the collector community.

As more years passed, more copies started to be discovered in small shops, and eventually unopened cases of them surfaced, resulting in sealed copies being sold on eBay to interested collectors. Most collectors are holding onto them and the New-Old Stock units are just slowly being sold as time goes on.

Check for Smurfs 2 on eBay. Many of them were actually simple ports of Game Gear games, but ended up being regional exclusives for the Master System. There are many Tec-Toy releases that are rather hard to find and can bring in some good money, but here are some of the most valuable. Shop for more Tec Toy Releases on eBay. In the Mids, there were a handful of special re-releases of Master System games sold in Portugal that had a more distinct purple tone to their cover artwork.

Some of the games were older titles that were pushed to garner more sales while others were Portugal-specific units of the Brazilian Tec-Toy games mentioned above. Shop for more Portuguese Purple Releases on eBay.

Covers and manual differs, cartridges are the same. Shop for more Mah-jong on eBay. This vertical 2D shooter was the very last Master System game released in Japan. Shop for Bomber Raid on eBay. This game was a completely common retail release in North America, but had a special, limited-edition release in Japan utilizing a completely different cartridge format.

The game was not issued with a box in this Japan promotion, so is only sold now in this particular cartridge format. Shop for Great Ice Hockey on eBay. As someone that has had a complete set since , and has had a system since childhood in sunny Austin, TX around , I have to say how times change. I have some information to share. Speaking on old history, I rented my games at a Blockbuster video in far South Austin back then as a kid few mention rental availability of the SMS, so here you go.

The UPC story has changed over time. It used to be there were only ever three final releases, Golden Axe Warrior was never held up as having a UPC sticker.

Mine does not and is a regular release, no multi-languages on the back. There was an ebay auction back in the day that really cleared this up, where an ex-buyer from Babbages was selling copies of Sonic.

He said it was a retail level decision by the companies to sticker these releases. My pet theory is that these UPC releases were likely from Toys R Us since they were the largest retailer that stocked these back in the day.

In other words, this whole UPC sticker situation may not be what collectors have made it out to me. I have a picture saved from this auction somewhere.

On variants, there are more than are commonly talked about. It is annoying as a collector, but there is a bit of history there. I always enjoyed finding nice used copies that still had the posters from and There was also a games catalog shaped like a manual but full color inside that is particularly difficult to find.

I am glad to see Toy Liquidators mentioned. I also remember seeing Scramble Spirits on the shelf, this release probably came over from Canada. Oddly enough I saw two copies in separate trips when I was going to thrift stores back in So be aware some of the Canadian releases multi-language exactly like the European releases did sneak over.

I still own one of the copies of Scramble Spirits I found at Goodwill, though no manual. I guess by the standards of today, my set is incomplete. I do like how Racketboy mentions things change over time. I guess, be careful what you throw your money into because what is hot to day in collecting may not be later.

I hope this helps out some collector out there, and also know it is a much bigger rarity to keep your full set as the years pass. I have seen formerly big collectors sell out over the years and I always find it a bit sad. Thank you so much for sharing, ifkz! These are the kind of comments I always hope full.

Yes, having especially accurate accounts of industry things from the 80s and early 90s is especially tricky. The scenario of only certain stores or even just one major one putting the UPC on their North American stock is certainly plausible. But in reality, its the only way to tell the difference between a North American and PAL unit — unless somebody like you knows for a fact that you bought it at retail.

I always find it especially fascinating when people still have original receipts or price stickers. Anyway, thanks again for all this info — if you think of anything else, please feel free to share. I am glad it is helpful. I turns out I indeed do have the misprint. Someone at Sega of America could have used a pocket spell checker or something back then! The blue labels are a bit of a talking point. The blue subset is odd and hard to find.

I left it but it had no manual and would have been loose. I have a blue Endro Racer. A blue Outrun and Rambo I have never seen in person.

I know it is exceedingly rare, that is correct. No one knew about it back then and I highly prize it as my copy and I knew immediately something was different.

The font on the side shares the style of the blue subset. And they were swiftly defeated. Despite being no slouch in terms of quality, Sega's 8-bit answer to the NES failed to topple Nintendo's black and gray crown, never reaching the sales figures of its rival console. But the scarcity of its games has only boosted their rarity, thereby raising their monetary value. Master System owners who wrote off its library as merely forgotten relics may be surprised to learn they could be sitting on a proverbial goldmine.

All prices listed are for games that are complete in box. This Solomon's Key-esque puzzle game is not just a rarity for America, but for the entire gaming world, as well. While the hit from Utopia Software's Robert Jaeger has seen worldwide releases on numerous platforms, this port was only ever distributed in North America. You read that right — a North American exclusive on a console that famously underperformed in North America.

Needless to say, it's not the easiest game to come across, but nonetheless, a worthy collectors piece for any Master System fan. It's hard to think that Ghosts 'n Goblins has had so few games despite being such an important name in Capcom's library.

The series is 36 years old and has only just received its fifth mainline console release with this year's Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection. As if that wasn't enough to make the second game's Master System port stand out, it also features a unique upgrade system that allowed players to increase their attributes through exploration. This version of Ghouls 'n Ghosts has never been re-released, so it's an experience only available on the Master System.

Although all versions of this platforming crossover can fetch a pretty penny, the American release with its bright-blue cartridge label easily attracts the highest prices. Copies from this printing reliably sell for roughly one-third more than their traditional red-labeled brethren. Despite Sega pushing good old Mr.

Kidd as their Mario -esque platforming mascot at the time, the game reportedly shipped in limited quantities, especially in the West. The game's release put it one year after the launch of the Sega Genesis and one year before the arrival of Sonic the Hedgehog , so Sega was probably beginning to consider Alex Kidd a bygone relic. But even if that's true, the plucky character's ninja adventure is an ideal find for any gaming anthropologist worth their salt.

Remember ALF? He's back in game form for only the cost of two next-gen AAA games. This platformer based on the American sitcom of the same name was mostly developed as a side-project of programmer Kevin Seghetti as he worked on the Master System port of Monopoly.

Seghetti reportedly protested releasing the game because of the sorry state it was in but failed to get his way, resulting in easily the worst price to value ratio on the system. Whether it's so expensive because of that distinction, or just because it became rare by virtue of no one buying it, anyone with a spare ALF game in their shoebox has a happy sale on their hands.

Unless you're a hardcore collector, this game won't offer you much else. One of the few retro gaming rare gems that are just as fun to play as they are to collect, Phantasy Star arguably holds up better than any other JRPG of its era — although that probably hasn't helped its secondary market value as much as its battery and above-average price upon release.