Pricefall: Finding Deals for Super Metroid and Other Niche Games

In this latest edition of Pricefall, Super Metroid is 30 cents on the Wii U eShop. I’ll wait for you to go purchase it. Back? Good, because there are many other sales going on not related to the Super Nintendo scifi-exploration-masterpiece that, while not quite as drastic, have still fallen considerably in price. Another gem in this week’s Nintendo Download was a sale for BIT.TRIP Presents…Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien on the Wii U eShop. We have many more sales beyond that, some pre-order deals (like Project X Zone), and price tracking the original games behind some upcoming re-releases. With Super Metroid already purchased and out of the way (because who wouldn’t get that game for only 30 cents?), it’s time for the sales.

Active Sales

Super Metroid
$0.30 USD – $7.69 off on the Wii U eShop

Project X Zone
$33.99 USD – $6 off the pre-order at Newegg with promo code EMCXRWP236

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D
$34.99 USD – the pre-order comes with a free digital download of Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels at Best Buy.

Fire Emblem: Awakening
$29.99 USD – $10 off at BestBuy
One of several 3DS games on sale at BestBuy. We compiled a list earlier in the week you can view here.
Average used price: $36.00 USD

BIT.TRIP Collection 2012
$11.98 USD – 75% off on Steam Expired
~~Individual games in the series are also on sale. Runner2 is also on sale through either the Wii U eShop or Steam for $11.24.~~

Asura’s Wrath
$17.13-$17.61 USD – 66% off at Amazon (Xbox 360, PS3)
Average used price: $13.08–$14.99 USD (PS3, Xbox 360)

Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk
$34.99 USD – 30% off at Amazon Expired
Average used price: $36.89 USD

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner – Soul Hackers
$29.90 USD – $15 off at Play-Asia with free shipping and arranged soundtrack
Average used price: $32.99 USD

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES
$4.99 USD – new PS2 Classic on PSN
Average used price: $14.84 USD

Persona 4: Golden
$27.90 USD – $17 off at Play-Asia Expired
Average used price: $31.00 USD

Ubisoft Weekend Promo
Classic Ubisoft games from the Might and Magic series, modern Prince of Persia, Rayman, and others are 50% off at GOG.

Borderlands 2
$13.59 USD – 66% off on Steam Expired
Every week there seems to be a new deal for Borderlands 2 (and Ni No Kuni for that matter). ~~This week it looks like Steam’s turn to cut prices for the PC action RPG, and they also have the original Borderlands at 75% off.~~
Average used price: $20.23–$21.84 USD (PS3, Xbox 360)

~~Diablo III Standard Edition~~
~~$39.99 USD – $25 off at Newegg with promo code EMCYTZT3454~~ Expired
Average used price: $16.13 USD

Mass Effect Trilogy
$39.99 USD – $20 off at GameStop (PS3, Xbox 360)
Average used price: $34.50–$35.00 USD (PS3, Xbox 360)

Liberation Maiden
$4.99 USD – on sale until May 30 on the 3DS eShop. Crimson Shroud and Aero Porter, other games from the Guild01 series, are also on sale.

The Humble Double Fine Bundle
The bundle is pay what you want to support charity and includes Psychonauts, Costume Quest, and Stacking. Bonus items for paying more include Brutal Legend, Broken Age backer access to the Kickstarter project, and more. Expired

3DS Games on Amazon
Not to be outdone by Best Buy, there are several deals of 25% off or more for 3DS games at Amazon. These include:
Mario Kart 7
Super Mario 3D Land
Kid Icarus: Uprising at 23% off
Paper Mario: Sticker Star at 38% off
Professor Layton and The Miracle Mask at 35% off
New Super Mario Bros. 2
and others

And just a friendly reminder that Tales of Xillia (Collector’s Edition) is back in stock for pre-order at Amazon in case you missed out earlier.

Free on PlayStation Plus

The Cave
Closure
Gravity Rush
Knytt Underground
LittleBigPlanet 2
Malicious
SoulCalibur: Broken Destiny
Tekken 6
Vanquish

Reported Earlier

Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition for $7.49
Amazon Selling Studio Ghibli Films Half-Off As Deal of the Day
Nintendo Download: May 16th (North America)
Best Buy Discounts 3DS XL, Fire Emblem Awakening, and More
PSN Weekly: Week of May 15th (Europe)
Kemco’s Aeon Avenger on Sale in iTunes

Price Tracking

Super Metroid

Have I mentioned that Super Metroid is only 30 cents right now? Because Super Metroid is only 30 cents right now on the Wii U eShop. This may come as a huge surprise to all of you, but I am a huge fan of this game and will take any excuse I can to replay it. Needless to say, the Virtual Console service on Nintendo consoles are a much cheaper alternative at the moment than purchasing a more authentic experience with the original cartridge. While not incredibly expensive on the grey market, the prices are still higher than most Nintendo-published games this side of Earthbound. There’s still no replacement for playing the original on an SNES, however, especially for a game that has made as big an impact on the standard of quality we hold games to even today.

Lowest recent completed listing on eBay: $17.99 USD

Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon

So you just read our latest Games of the Past review yesterday and decided you finally want to try out this niche Wii game for yourself? You’re in luck, because you can still find this game used without breaking the bank. Many similar niche titles, if they weren’t widely distributed, will quickly rise in price. Something like that could very well happen in the future for Fragile Dreams, but for now you can still find the game new and in stock at online retailers. The used prices don’t fall too sharply below that.

Fragile Dreams - Pricecharting.com — Fragile Dreams used prices – Pricecharting.com

Lowest recent completed listing on eBay: $16.05 USD

Donkey Kong Country

With the release of Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D later this week, the 3DS platformer is the latest in a successful trend of retro revivals that many publishers have reaped. If the newest game in the Donkey Kong Country series has you feeling nostalgic for the old days of gaming, it may be time to revisit (or introduce yourself) to the original that reinvented Donkey Kong as a character.

Lowest recent completed listing on eBay: $5.74 USD

If you’re a collector, there may be a different version of the game you’re looking for right now. While there are many copies of Donkey Kong Country out there, there’s a rare edition of the game that was used for video game competitions. SNES Central says there were only 2500 copies of the Competition Cartridge made according to the game’s box art. It was used in the Powerfest ’94 finals, and as a qualifier for the Blockbuster World Video Game Championships II. It was then sold to fans via the Nintendo Power Supplies Catalog. With so few copies made, the prices for this edition make even Earthbound tremble, but an essential for any SNES collector. You have to be careful of reproduction copies with a game as rare as this, and the prices fluctuate greatly from the low volume of listings. Pricecharting estimates only 11 sales are made per year on eBay, Amazon, and Half.com. The only real legitimate listing of the game on eBay right now is one that is going for $2,100.00 USD.

Donkey Kong Country Competition Edition - Pricecharting.com — Donkey Kong Country Competition Edition used prices – Pricecharting.com

Lowest recent completed listing on eBay: $850.00 USD

Final Fantasy VIII

Final Fantasy VIII is being released again on PC, but before you jump to conclusions, this is not simply a re-release of the PC version from 2000. It will include high definition graphics, though other additional features and a release date are not yet known. If you can’t wait for the release of the updated version, or just don’t like the uncertainty of whether it will be localized (we know how you feel), then you can always try to get a copy of the original PlayStation game used.

Lowest recent completed listing on eBay: $1.50 USD

Yakuza

In other HD re-release news, Yakuza 1 & 2 was announced during the Japanese Nintendo Direct for the Wii U with upgraded visuals and special features. This is another game with no word of localization, despite the pretty extensive partnership Nintendo has developed with Sega for some upcoming games. The PlayStation 2 games can be bought cheaply for those who would like to be introduced to the series before we get any sort of confirmation on when or if we’ll be able to play the updated versions on Wii U.