It might be pretty crazy to think that a console like the NES could create such a demand almost thirty years after launch. With children from the 1980s becoming career people (i.e. they have an income) and these same people wanting to recapture their youth, the demand becomes ever so more.

The following list is a compilation of licensed NES titles that are either significantly difficult to find or fall on the pricey side of things. On top of that, all of these titles are games that we could have all purchased at one point or another in a retail store back in the 80s/90s.

Stadium Events

Back in 1987, this was a difficult one to find. Mainly because Nintendo bought the rights to Stadium Events, pulled all of those copies, and one year later, re-released as World Class Track Meet. Several sources state that approximately 200 copies of Stadium Events were sold before being pulled from retail shelves. As of this writing, there are some crazy high eBay auctions sitting in wait:

There are other cartridges by the same name going for considerably cheaper. However, those are generally the PAL (European) version, which is not nearly as rare as the North American version.

The Flintstones: Surprise at Dinosaur Peak

This game is considered rare because it was generally only distributed to video rental outlets. Finding one with a box is particularly rare also. A bit iffy for this list, but technically meets the criteria because you could eventually purchase it from one of these rental outlets. Prices on eBay currently:

The funny thing is that the gameplay, itself, is not really different from its predecessor Flintstones: The Rescue Of Dino And Hoppy. And that one seems to be all over the place at a price tag around $10-$20.

Little Samson

Although regarded as an enjoyable game, Little Samson did not sell well during its initial run. Because of this, the demand for the game has skyrocketed:

This game falls into, what is becoming, a larger category involving games that had decent-sized production runs, but never significantly made it into consumers hands. As is a theme for much of this list.

Bubble Bobble 2

Following the same theme as Little Samson – Bubble Bobble 2 is a game that was released at the tailend of the NES’ cycle, after the SNES was released. Not surprisingly, games like this did not sell well and are not considered more rare by the community:

On a side note, you might recognize the main characters, Bub and Bob, in other Taito games like Bust-A-Move.

Power Blade 2

The final game on this list. Two years ago, it would not have made it. But now, it sells for a much higher price tag:

This game is not actually rare, but like some games that just missed this list, the perception is what matters.