Top 10 - Collectible PlayStation RPGs

10 RPGs with the ‘it’ factor that makes them collectible.

One RPG is much like the next to many gamers, but some have that indefinable ‘something’ that will make them highly sought-after and collectible, while others will sit in the bargain bin unwanted. Just what that something is is what opportunists hope to cash in on and collectors secret away and gaze at with glassy eyes and sweaty palms. Being able to pick ahead of time precisely which of the dozens of RPGs that are released every year will become collectible is a talent. It’s the same talent that the DJ has who can pick which one of the hundreds of songs released each month will be a hit. But it is possible to do.

RPGs from several publishing companies are almost guaranteed to become collectible, not necessarily because they’re great games, but because they’re released in small numbers. However, even though a Square Enix RPG is released in numbers exceeding Atlus, Koei, Capcom and BanDai put together doesn’t mean that they’re not going to be collectible. They will be. They will, however, need to be in mint (perfect) condition, complete and sealed while, say, an Atlus RPG will merely need to be complete, but, of course, the nearer it is to mint the better.

Games being sealed - or not – is the biggest bugbear I have with the NZ retail gaming industry. Retail shops sell their games unsealed and opened for their own reasons, but gamers and collectors alike would prefer it if games were sold unopened for two very important reasons; 1) so buyer knows that the game he is purchasing is, in fact, brand new and unused, and 2) so the game retains its value. As soon as a game has had its wrapping removed it’s worth less, and because collections increase in value over time a collector does not want to be disadvantaged at the out set by buying a new game that cannot be proved as being new because the seal has been broken and the wrapping removed.

From amongst the dozens of collectible PlayStation RPGs I’ve mostly chosen the ones that are a bit ‘special,’ the one with variants that the average gamer doesn’t know about, and that makes them especially collectible. Some of the PS2 RPGs I’ve chosen because, even though they’ve been released fairly recently, they have developed a cult following amongst players, and therefore collectors. They may not be worth much at the moment, but they will increase in value - some quicker than others. Although I have numbered them 1 – 10 that doesn’t mean that #10 is less collectible than #1. It’s merely a number so I can keep a count of how many I’ve written about, otherwise I’d only stop when I ran out of space.

10 - Suikoden 1 & 2 (PAL/NTSC) Konami
Even though Suikoden 1 & 2 don’t have any printing variants, these two games are RPG masterpieces, as playable today as they were on their release over 10 years ago. The Suikodens’ storylines and their ‘108 Stars’ broke the mold of the ‘orphan saves the world’ plot that was, and still is, the RPG storyline staple. Suikoden 1 & 2 are not just sought after as collectibles, they’re sought after because they’re excellent RPGs to play.

9 - King’s Field (PAL/NTSC) Ascii
PAL’s King’s Field was released once and in a jewel case. NTSC’s King’s Field, however, didn’t get a jewel case until the third release. The first two releases came in a ‘long box’ - similar to the PS2 case we know today – and features two crossed swords one the front. The first release shows a pink jewel in the hilt of the sword on the left and comes with a phone card to a help line. The second release shows nothing on the left sword’s hilt. Naturally the first release, complete with phone card, is the hardest to find.

8 - Vanguard Bandits (NTSC) Working Designs
Unfortunately Vanguard Bandits didn’t get a PAL release, so if you’re planning on buying it you’ll have to rely on a US website. Working Designs was a small publisher that specialised in reformatting Japanese games to NTSC, and whose presentations were matchless. Arc the Lad and Lunar 1 & 2 come in gorgeous packages with small game-related goodies and their hard backed strategy guides are beyond compare. While Vanguard Bandits wasn’t released in a special box it did have a special run in which a small number of game discs were printed with the yellow mecha, Roaring Lion, instead of the usual white mecha, Ultragunner.

7 - Alundra (PAL/NTSC) Working Designs
The Adventures of Alundra, as its PAL release was named, didn’t have anything special about it. The NTSC Alundra, however, holds the record for PS1’s most variants. There are 9 different CD covers and back inserts. Another Working Designs RPG, Alundra comes in a double jewel case with a faux parchment double-sided map and a glossy-paged full-colour manual featuring an embossed cover. While the PAL release does have the map, it is, however, in monochrome and the glossy-paged manual is in black and white. The disc cover, blue on white, is unremarkable.

6 - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PAL/NTSC) Konami
The US might have the flashiest Alundra but PAL got the better Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. The NTSC Castlevania comes in a single layer jewel case and features the castle on the front cover and the game’s name written in yellow on a black background on the disc. PAL’s Castlevania features Alucard on the front, disc and manual covers. The very sought-after PAL Limited Edition features, along with the game disc and manual, a music collection disc and the Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight Art book. Although the Limited Edition may become available for sale fairly often, finding one that’s complete is the hard part.

5 - Kartia (PAL/NTSC) Atlus
Kartia: The Word of Fate was first released in the US as a rental exclusive to Blockbuster Video, but when the game caught on it got another press run and had a general release. This time the word ‘Kartia’ on the cover was in reflective foil but the game disc remains the same. PAL’s game case cover, in reds and browns, looks garish beside the plainer, more discreet, NTSC blue. The game’s content is exactly the same.

4 - Shadow Hearts (PAL/NTSC) Midway
Like many now collectible games, Shadow Hearts didn’t catch on when it was first released, which makes trying to buy a game that had only a small print run harder to find when you do want to play it - or collect it. There are only two differences between the PAL and NTSC releases, one being the disc cover - the picture of Alice and Yuri is in black and white on the NTSC release and in apricot and white on the PAL release; and the other being the mini strategy guide that came with the PAL release.

3 - Magna Carta (PAL) 505 GameStreet
Magna Carta: Tears of Blood (NTSC) Atlus
505 GameStreet, a division of the Italian company Digital Bros, brought Magna Carta to PAL, but due to trademark issues ‘Tears of Blood’ was dropped from the title. Originally a Korean game named Magna Carta: Crimson Stigmata, this is the second in the series and follows MC: Phantom of Avalanche. It was released in the US in a Deluxe Box Set, which contained, along with the game, a full-sized poster, a spectacular full-colour art book and mini strategy guide and art book.

2 - dotHack series (PAL/NTSC) BanDai
Because there are four games in the series this makes dotHack one of the hardest PS2 RPGs to collect. And because each game included an anime chapter, finding all the games complete, as well as in good condition, can be a tall order. There are only superficial differences between the PAL and NTSC releases, the manual and disc covers being the most noticeable and the spines of the 4 NTSC games, when placed together form a picture of Kite riding a grunty.

1 - Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer’s Call (PAL) Ghostlight
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (NTSC) Atlus
SMT: Nocturne has an interesting history. First released in Japan in 2003, it proved so popular that a second, ‘directors cut’, named ‘Maniacs’ was released a year later. Maniacs added Devil May Cry’s Dante to the cast plus several new monsters and an optional many-layered dungeon called the Labyrinth of Amala, which in itself added an extra, sixth, ending. Naturally the ‘Maniacs’ cut was chosen for NTSC and PAL localisations. Due to trademark issues, PAL’s release was renamed SMT: Lucifer’s Call. SMT: Nocturne went on to have two releases in the US, one with the official soundtrack and one without.