We are about a week out from the 21st anniversary of the Nintendo 64’s North American release. Building off last week’s article on Awesome Color Variations, this week we are going to look at the 5 rarest games to grace the platform! (Not including Beta carts or Not For Resale carts)
5. Bomberman 64: The Second Attack
The first game of our list is Bomberman 64: The Second Attack from Hudson Soft. While sales of the game weren’t terrible, the demand for the game in recent years has seen its price rise and availability lower. Today the game can be found ranging from ~$130 - $250 for just the cartridge and ~$500 for the whole package.
4. Turok: Rage Wars (Gray Cart)
Turok: Rage Wars, while not a rare game to find in its original black cartridge, had an unfortunate game breaking bug in its co-op mode. Customers who wanted to, could send in their games to Acclaim for a fixed replacement that came in a standard gray N64 cartridge. It is speculated that not many people wanted to go through the trouble of getting the replacement and this gray version cart has seen steady price increases ever since to ~$200 - ~$500.
3. Super Bowling
Super Bowling is a trend setter for the rest of our list. Being available only at Blockbuster Video stores has caused this decent bowling sim to become quite sought after by collectors. To snag this cart will cost ~$200 while a complete boxed set will double that price to ~$400.
2. ClayFighter: Sculptor’s Cut
Here it is: the most expensive game in the Nintendo 64 library Blockbuster rental exclusive ClayFighter: Sculptor's Cut! Serving as a directors cut to the previously released ClayFighter: 63 1/3, ClayFighter: Sculptor's Cut added in a few characters cut from the original game. Too bad it isn't a better game though... ClayFighter: Sculptor's Cut can be added to your collection for ~$450 - ~$3000, depending on if you are looking for just the cart or a complete sealed set.
1. Stunt Racers 64
While ClayFighter: Sculptor’s Cut has the honor of being the most expensive game on the N64, the rarest goes to Stunt Racers 64. Being a Blockbuster exclusive game ensured that not many copies of the game were produced, which is too bad since this one is quite fun. Stunt Racers 64 can be found for ~$100 for just the cart or ~$600 for a boxed set as of today. It has seen massive price hikes since last year when it cost ~$30 for the cart. If you are a collector of all things N64, grab this one as fast as you can, before it reaches ClayFighter prices!
Honorable Mention: Worms Armageddon
Worms Armageddon was a fantastic game on the PC. Unfortunately, the console versions of the game saw numerous limitations that made them less fun. While the game is also available on PlayStation and Dreamcast, the N64 version is in a whole other league when it comes to rarity.
Collecting for Nintendo 64 has become much more popular in the last couple of years and it is fascinating to see how this list changes with time. A few years back, Starcraft 64 was one of the top ten rarest games due to high demand! As nostalgia to relive consoles of the past grows, we can only expect to see the availability of these games shrink. Do you still own any of the games on this list? Leave a comment below and check back on September 26 when we share our favorite N64 games and memories!