Rarefindit's Top 25 Rare Games (Part 1)

The art of collecting is a rather strange craft. Whether it be movies, games, music, comics, or media etc, people put a lot of effort and time in something to either preserve it for future generations, or shill it for a quick steady buck. Most may do it for the latter, but some may do it for the sentimental value that it had in their early years. Then there's myself included.

Lately I've been watching seldom videos of people showing off their Game collection on Youtube, and while I do appreciate the effort they put in to continue their dedication to what they love to do, many others don't share that same love. It's through the thought that if something is completed it's sacrificed for half or less value of what it was supposedly worth. Basically junk.

Over the past 9 years or so I've been working on gaining a reputation of being a Rare Game Hunter. The difference between that and collectors is I seek out these rare games for others more than myself. I've expanded to comics and TV as well in the past, but games are my forte. It's also taught me a bit about the business in which these are priced the way they are (Read: Gouged prices) and how much they are sought out. That's why I would like to present a top 10 rare games that I currently own. It maybe a list done over and over and compared to other games that are chump change compared to what I have, I don't care! You don't like it, look at some other generic top 10 list.

Here's Rarefindit's Top 25 Rare Games I Currently Own!

First, some guidelines. I will list the details on the rare games based on how much they are worth price wise, sentimental wise, history, and rating of rarity. You can probably find it on Rarityguide.com, but do note that some games aren't listed there yet. Also, the farthest I will go back to is at least the 3rd generation. I am from that era, you know. Also, no sports games. Those are a dime a dozen, and I don't play them. Lastly the prices are listed based on inflation of the market. So one thing may go up in terms of limited print run, or go down with the announcement of a remake on the IOS. Let's hope it's not for the latter because that's a cheap gimmick to entice smartphone users. If there is something I missed with these games, please let me know. Also, emulation devalues any potential for future rare games. Whether it be on the PSN/XBLA/VC/EShop/Hackers.

25. Silhouette Mirage

This obscure 2D run and gun action game has been lost to the annals of time and not many people remember this one. But what I do remember is that this one was published by Working Designs before their untimely death in the 90s. They are known for releasing Lunar on the Playstation and Sega CD. It's quite a shame that this fun game has not gotten enough love among collectors or there's not much of a demand for it. Currently it's worth 27.00. I'd still pick it up, as long as you can endure yourself from hearing "reflector" alot.

24. The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Golden Cartridge

Ocarina of Time is a timeless classic that has withstood the test of time and is always a blast to play. When it was released in 1998, Nintendo released 2 versions. The standard grey cart version and the gold one. The one major difference between the two is that Ganondorf's blood was changed from red to green. There was also a golden console version to go with the gold cart of the game. Unfortunately with the advent of the virtual console and emulation as well as a remake on the 3DS, the demand for this has gone slightly down for a loose copy at $29.00. That shouldn't stop you from picking up this game no matter what version it might be.

23. Persona 3 Limited Edition

I'm quite ashamed at myself that I didn't pick this up upon launch nor Fes. This is what brought in new fans to the Persona series and partially to Shin Megami Tensei. P3 refines the RPG and turns it into a turn based instead of strategy. Instead of recruiting demons and using cards of the arcana to make your own personas, the demons are the cards and you fuse them to make more. Also introduced from then on is the Social Link aspect where you interact with the NPCs to gain levels to level up your personas. Sure in the original P3 you had no control over your character and that one of the characters acted like a bitch in fes (Yukari), but with the release of P3Portable, you now can enjoy the same game, but with a different female aspect and controllable AI partners. If you still want the original with an artbook, it's still obtainable at $30.

22. Persona 2 Innocent Sin Collector's Edition.

Persona is a cherished and highly praised series. P4 is one of my favorite games of all time and 3 is up there to. However, not many know about it's turn based strategic origins on the Playstation. Atlus however released a remake on the PSP with a mini soundtrack. Innocent Sin is the forgotten half to Eternal Punishment and I'm glad it was released stateside. If you were to try and find Revelations Persona on the Playstation, you'd be paying a heft sum for it since it was remade on the PSP a couple of years ago and the localization of the original was not very good. I'd pick up Innocent Sin because the story is pretty good and if you have the patience, it's worth your time. Just try to not pay attention to the H.E.R (High Encounter Rate) as it's too damn high. Oh, and you fight space nazis. You can pick up the Innocent Sin remake for $30.

21. Koudelka

A precursor to the Shadow Hearts series, this origin game was conceived by ex Square developers and is a combination of survival horror and turn based RPG (wait what?). Koudelka the titular bratty gypsy is sent to a monastery in 19th Century Wales to find out about the psychic disturbance that she keeps hearing about. There he meets an adventurer named Edward and a priest named James. Oh and they meet Roger Bacon. Yes, that Roger Bacon. If you are an RPG enthusiast like myself, then you might enjoy this. A complete copy will nab you 60, but a loose copy is worth 32 on average.


20. Star Ocean the Second Story

I hated this game. Not because of the story or being the first Star Ocean game to reach US shores before the 3rd one. No I hated it because of it's difficulty. Star Ocean marks for the first time that real time combat is used in an RPG. As well as the aspect of gaining romantic relationships with NPCs and who you can recruit based on your choices. Too bad my choices sucked and I ended up not finishing the game. Later on Square remade Star Ocean the Second Story as Second Evolution for the PSP in 2009. But the original sequel is still worthy of being sought out at $32. Bonus: Incarnation of Devil is awesome.

19. Dark Cloud 2

Dark Cloud 2 is the sequel known outside the US as Dark Chronicle developed by Level 5, which is a spiritual successor to Act Raiser. Basically you are rebuilding the world after an evil being seals up all humans into spheres. It also has a rogue dungeon-like aspect in that most of the dungeons are randomly generated as you gain more and more objects to restore the world and rid of the evil Dark Genie. Oh, and Scott Menville plays a Time Hybrid (Man of the past has a child with a woman of the future). The first one is alright, but the sequel is a little harder to find. Currently Dark Chronicle is priced at $34.00.

18. Elemental Gearbolt

Now I know what you are thinking: What the hell is this? First, it's a rail shooter, but it's also an obscure rail shooter with RPG elements. Oh, did I mention that it had anime cutscenes done by Madhouse? It was also quite difficult for non guncon owners and LCD TV users. But that didn't stop it from being very hard to find 10 years after it's release. I found it for 20 bucks, and the price for it jumped to double. If you can find it, I'd give it a try.

17. Threads of Fate

This action/rpg known as Dew Prism elsewhere was pretty forgettable, but fun. The game offered 2 storylines with 2 different characters. One involved Rue, a boy that could turn into his enemies, the other was a girl named Mint who used magic and fought with a giant chakram. I picked this up a long time ago for $6 and was surprised that it's rarity jumped significantly online. Threads of Fate will set you back $36 for a complete and much more for a sealed copy.

16. Fate/Extra Special Edition

For those who moved onto the Vita at the time of this game's release, Fate/Extra is a turn based RPG/Visual Novel released for the PSP by Aksys. Why is this on the list? Well, the collector's edition has the extra incentive of including a hardback artbook and soundtrack to the game. Now every potential rare game hunter should take note that these small trinkets sometimes increase the value of the item. Don't know why, it just does. About the game itself, Visual Novel meets turn based rpg meets rock paper scissors. I'll give it a shot one day. You can pick up the game new for about $50 at Fry's, but a complete copy will run you at least 36.00. I got mine for $6.66... uh oh.

Part 2 will come soon. Also if you are interested in checking out Rarefindit, I'm also part of The Geek Spectrum. So everything here will be featured there as well. Check out both when you get the chance.

Persona Month: Persona 4 the Animation

It's sometimes known that a movie or TV show based on a game sucks. Some may avert that, but that's sometimes the general rule. Maybe it's the director behind it (Resident Evil) or it loses it's originality halfway through. You know, if something was once a drama, it becomes a comedy instead. However, there are exceptions to the rule where the adaptation becomes almost exactly like the original source material that it's herald as a great one. Thus is the case for today's subject.

Welcome back to Persona Month. The more you read about this, the closer you are to the truth.



Today I'll be tackling on Persona 4 the Animation. Now I know what you are thinking, "They made an anime of it?" Yeah, they did, and it's pretty good. It stays very well to the source material and expands upon it. It has it's own sense of style and flair that other adaptations seem to lack (Umineko). Plus the characters don't feel flat, disproportionate in design and just feel natural. I can simply say that Persona 4 the Animation is exactly like the original game, minus the level grinding. You don't have to be familiar with the game to enjoy this because it takes the game of 100+ hours (200+ if you are me) and condenses it into 26 bite sized chunks palatable for everyone. P4Animation was animated by AIC ASTA and music was done by Shoji Meguro (obviously)

If you lost track of what this story is about, check out the summary here. Or else I'll condense it.

Pretty much the story of P4A plays exactly like it's predecessor. Yu Narukami (his official canon name) goes to live with his uncle and cousin, he goes to high school, he hears about the Midnight Channel, goes inside the TV, meets Teddie, gets attacked by Shadows and unleashes a Persona. Izanagi of the Fool to be exact. There's a murder in the town, Yu and the others form the Investigation Team to find out the mystery behind the murder and the Midnight Channel. Rinse, repeat, enjoy the show.

P4Animation is entertainment in it's finite form. The characters are lively, and the show throws them into comedic moments, all hilarious, action packed and mysterious. I'm sure you've seen this done by every simple slice of life ever made since whenever the first slice of life was made, but Persona 4 does it with style thanks to the incredibly varied cast of characters. There is no doubt that the one that steals the show is Yu Narukami, the main protagonist, or in some cases "proswagonist". You can name him anything you want within 10 letters, but Yu (his in canon name) takes the role of the character the player plays in the game, so it might seem kinda risky to adapt him into an anime while keeping the flavor of the game intact. Thankfully Yu turns out quite tremendously as the sharp, witty and stoic male lead with just about enough personality to be capable and memorable but enough to be ambiguous to not let fans see him in their own way like they did in the game.

They did this All-Out Attack, just to take down a stalker.

By making Yu a somewhat blank slate, the writers keep that blank slate and give Yu his own unique personality. His facial expression never changes and seems rather comically serious most of the time. It's during the more funny moments when he shines the most as the timing of the jokes couldn't have fallen into better hands than Yu. You have your setup, punchline, and payoff (correct me if I'm wrong). It's in the more dramatic moments where Yu becomes more emotional, especially when he struggles with more serious moments.

Teddie, you're creeping me out more than usual.

It's not just Yu that comes to life, but also the other members of the Investigation team. Everyone has their own personality that makes them likable and memorable. There's Yosuke, a bumbling teenager working at a mall like place, Junes and your "partner"; Chie, a spunky tomboy who likes kung fu movies and meat; Yukiko, a beautiful black haired girl who works at her family inn and friend of Chie; Kanji, a rebel like person with some insecurities about himself and his hobbies; Teddie (Kuma) a mascot Teddie bear from the Shadow World; Rise, an idol on hiatus with inner struggles to show her real self; and Naoto, a detective looking into cases and working with the police. Everyone here is diverse and the first half of the show is focused on each of them gaining a Persona based on their inner selves with the help of Yu. It follows the game exceptionally well in that aspect and shows more about the character.

Uh, Yosuke. You might want to fix that catmouth of yours.

The second half, after some superior filler (but still relevant) Social Link episodes brings in the rest of the mystery and then a sudden change to drama when someone dear to Yu is brought into harm with the Midnight Channel. It is then the finale comes in as the main antagonist appears to reveal the reasons behind the murder. Although bringing the other Social Links into Yu's life is important, they aren't as fleshed out as they were in the game. Maybe it was to alott for time, but there was just so much potential to see them in a better light. What we have however is filler done right with the slice of life aspect. You have a 2 part summer piece that focuses on Nanako as she tries to reveal why Yu has been going outside alot, and the other in Yu's point of view; the School Trip which I highly recommend, the maxed Justice and Hierophant social links; and the culture festival (hint hint: "Miss Yasogami High contest")

"She's hot. I'd totally do her." That's a Dude. *15 minutes of vomiting later*  "Can I still hit that?"

The audio is where the humor gets rather weird. It's full of Easter eggs that fans might recognize. They reuse most of the music from the game along with a few other songs from Persona 3. That may seem lazy, but it actually works. And then there's a nod to this. However if you listen closely, the music tends to abruptly halt killing all emotion of the scene, but another time you hear the music slowing down. It's the equivalent to a record scratch, and it works for the sake of humor.

I'd do her, do her, wouldn't do her, ugh who hasn't done her, do her, lose the pigtails we'll talk, do her, do her...

Focusing on the characters instead of the plot brings the characters in a newer light makes P4Animation accessible to new people and fans of the game. I spent the whole summer this year playing P4 because I was curious. Sure I may have wasted 100+ hours only to lose to the final boss because of a dick move (Power Charge + Galgalim Eyes + Nebula Oculous = Rage Quit) and a corrupt save file, but it was worth it to experience such a gem (twice). Because the characters are seen more than the story, you have a very well executed slice of like factor in that they are more playful in their own environment. Especially during that time.



See, this works as both serious and funny. You have the shout out to Persona 3 with Mass Destruction, you have Yu in a more comically serious tone which cranks up the humor, and the payoff which results in this. The punchline is that what they were drinking gave them what's called a placebo effect. Yu isn't drunk, he's just playing. That's why it's hilarious and considered one of the funnier moments of the show.

It's good to be the King.

When the plot does start kicking in again it, everyone gets serious. No spoilers here, but when someone precious to Yu and the others gets in harm's way, they start to lose their personality and feel rather pensive. It's a direct contrast between the cheerful side and the somewhat sad moment of the show. The ending was decent enough that it followed the game, but condensing another few hours leaves a bit desired as the main villain seems the same instead of being fleshed out.

Acting works for what it does. The writers certainly had their fun with the script as it's funny and dramatic moments really do feel realistic. Because Yu can talk, Yosuke is not the expository guy to explain to the audience. Though Naoto can be kind of a killjoy telling what we already know. As of this writing the dub is not out yet, but Sentai has procured the original actors from Persona 4 Arena and not the original. So instead of Dave Wittenberg as the lovable Teddie and whoever voiced Chie we have as a coincidence, Sam Riegel and Erin Fitzgerald who voiced Allegretto and Polka from Eternal Sonata. Though my initial shock was that Erin voiced Nazz from Ed, Edd, n Eddy. Other than that, I'm sure they'll keep the flavor of the game's dialogue intact. Heck, Troy Baker might be ecstatic to do Kanji's Shadow again. Who knows, too bad the blu ray is dub and not sub.

P4Animation feels a bit rushed running at 26 episodes, but those 26 episodes are a bundle of fun. It retains the flavor and spirit of the original game and expands on it with style, flair, and a memorable cast that always feels fresh and new. It's characters are lovable, the humor is exquisite, and has plethora of callbacks and plenty of shout outs to other Atlus titles. P4Animation is available to stream at The Anime Network , and Hulu And for the dub purists, it's got the original cast (from P4Arena anyway). P4Animation part 1 comes out on DVD and bluray on September 18th. Pre order or pick up a copy soon. But wait, there is a true ending to this right? And it's out? Not yet, but soon.

That should keep you psyched when P4Golden comes out in the fall. This has been pretty P4outstanding, however I kinda feel that each of the characters has a bit of something that I couldn't write about here. So I'll be doing just that next as Persona Month continues..

Bonus: