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, but fans remember the Genesis fondly to this day.
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 Hedgehog and Mortal Kombat sold 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 from PriceCharting.com , and were accurate at the time of publication.
6 El Viento ($367)
Loose | $93.14 |
|---|---|
Complete in Box | $367.23 |
New | $487.50 |
El Viento is 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 because El Viento is an action platformer along the lines of Ninja Gaiden. The game also emphasizes speed, taking advantage of the Genesis hardware that made Sonic the Hedgehog possible.
To most players, El Viento is 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.
5 Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage Red Edition ($442)
Loose | $260.12 |
|---|---|
Complete in Box | $442.82 |
New | $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 took an existing story from the comic series and adapted it into a game. Maximum Carnage was 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.
Maximum Carnage had 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.
4 Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel ($559)
Loose | $130.00 |
|---|---|
Complete in Box | $599.50 |
New | $933.32 |
Sonic wasn't the only cartoon mascot to appear on the Sega Genesis. In 1993, American developer Iguana Entertainment created a 2D platformer called Aero 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. Zero was 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 like El Viento, Zero has 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, Zero is 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.
3 Paprium Limited Edition ($624)
Loose | $504.36 |
|---|---|
Complete in Box | $624.18 |
New | $849.27 |
Paprium is 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 create a 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 released Paprium in special cartridges that could boost the power of the Sega Genesis and worked with most versions of the console.
WaterMelon would release Paprium in 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.
2 Musha ($900)
Loose | $265.00 |
|---|---|
Complete in Box | $900.00 |
New | $2,250.00 |
Musha is 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, Musha is short, intense, and forgiving, making it very easy to play, plus it has an impressive speed metal soundtrack that makes full use of the Genesis' sound hardware.
Unfortunately, Musha came out at a time when an 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, Musha has become one of the most expensive Sega Genesis games.
1 Crusader of Centry ($1,622)
Loose | $472.50 |
|---|---|
Complete in Box | $1,622.05 |
New | $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, and Crusader of Centry was their response to the Legend of Zelda series. The game isn't just a Zelda clone, but anyone who's played A Link to the Past will quickly understand how to move around and reach new areas.
Crusader of Centry is 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 about Crusader of Centry, and it wasn't until years later that collectors and fans would rediscover this hidden gem. As the seemingly ultimate cult classic of the Genesis era, Crusader of Centry has become the crown jewel that every collector wants but few can afford.