The Konami Phenomenon
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The Konami Phenomenon
by Gemini-Phoenix Tue Aug 05, 2008 6:40 am
As many of you may or may not be aware, Konami are infamously known to not seal many of their UK retail games, especially where Sony games are concerned (PlayStation, PS2, PS3 and PSP). However, other markets enjoy a greater availability of sealed Konami games, such as America and the rest of Europe. The UK market seems to be unique in this sense, with sealed PAL Konami games for many consoles being considerably rare and sought after.
As many of you may also know, Konami games make up the majority of the rarest games for many consoles, from NES to the PlayStation 2, and many others in-between. This means there’s a high resale potential for certain titles, as well as a huge collectable market, which could be a factor in Konami’s decision to distribute many of their games unsealed. Of course, sealed copies do exist, and collector’s will pay high amounts of money in order to obtain them
The reasons for this phenomenon are unknown. Some people believe it is due to cost-cutting - The cellophane wrapping process costs money, so therefore costs can be saved by not sealing games which are destined for the high street, where a store such as GAME will be able to sell the games easily in this condition. However, many people believe it is to limit the resale value of the games - As we all know, sealed games can have a huge impact on the market and the resale value of some titles can exceed the original RRP. In the case of Konami games, many have limited production runs, thus making certain games very sought after amongst collectors. Those of you who collect for PAL Sony consoles will have probably realised by now that many PAL Konami games are exceedingly hard to get hold of in sealed condition…
As an example, I have compiled a list of PAL UK Konami games that I currently own and can confirm DO come factory sealed. I will update the list whenever I obtain evidence (Ie, when I actually own the game OR if sufficient evidence is available) - If you are searching for a particular Konami title and are wondering whether or not it does indeed come sealed, then this list can help you! (If you require visual evidence or advice on how a certain Konami game ‘should’ look, then feel free to send me a PM)
PlayStation
PlayStation 2
PSP
Dreamcast
Nintendo DS
Nintendo Wii
Xbox
X360
As you can see, most of the games above are considered "Rare" or "Sought after" by collector's, especially in sealed condition. Take the PlayStation game Suikoden for example - One of the top 5 rarest and most sought after games for the console, and very hard to find in sealed condition! Of course, this isn't always the case and some of Konami's key franchises are considered more common than others, with some games even gaining a Platinum rerelease (Ie, some of the Silent Hill games; Some Metal Gear Solid games; The Pro Evolution Soccer series etc)
I have also found that in some instances, the original black label release of a game will be very difficult to track down in sealed condition, whereas a Platinum rerelease will be widely available sealed - The Pro Evolution Soccer games are a prime example. It seems Konami don't like to seal many of their initial releases, especially if a certain game or series has a small production run, which is often the case with certain Konami games, making sealed copies much harder to locate
Below, as an example, is a small list of games which are exceedingly hard to find in sealed condition:
PSP
PlayStation 2
GameBoy Advance
As you can tell by the game titles, these are very hard games to get hold of at the best of times, let alone in sealed condition!
As collector's, what are your thoughts on this strange phenomenon, and why do you think it's isolated to just Konami releases?
As many of you may also know, Konami games make up the majority of the rarest games for many consoles, from NES to the PlayStation 2, and many others in-between. This means there’s a high resale potential for certain titles, as well as a huge collectable market, which could be a factor in Konami’s decision to distribute many of their games unsealed. Of course, sealed copies do exist, and collector’s will pay high amounts of money in order to obtain them
The reasons for this phenomenon are unknown. Some people believe it is due to cost-cutting - The cellophane wrapping process costs money, so therefore costs can be saved by not sealing games which are destined for the high street, where a store such as GAME will be able to sell the games easily in this condition. However, many people believe it is to limit the resale value of the games - As we all know, sealed games can have a huge impact on the market and the resale value of some titles can exceed the original RRP. In the case of Konami games, many have limited production runs, thus making certain games very sought after amongst collectors. Those of you who collect for PAL Sony consoles will have probably realised by now that many PAL Konami games are exceedingly hard to get hold of in sealed condition…
As an example, I have compiled a list of PAL UK Konami games that I currently own and can confirm DO come factory sealed. I will update the list whenever I obtain evidence (Ie, when I actually own the game OR if sufficient evidence is available) - If you are searching for a particular Konami title and are wondering whether or not it does indeed come sealed, then this list can help you! (If you require visual evidence or advice on how a certain Konami game ‘should’ look, then feel free to send me a PM)
PlayStation
- Dancing Stage Euro Mix
- Dancing Stage Disney Mix
- Dancing Stage: Party Edition (Platinum)
- Metal Gear Solid (Platinum)
- Metal Gear Solid: Special Missions
- Suikoden
- Vandal Hearts II
PlayStation 2
- Age Of Empires II: The Age Of Kings
- Castlevania
- Castlevania: Curse Of Darkness
- Deadly Skies III (Navy case)
- Deadly Skies III (Blue case)
- Ephemeral Fantasia
- Gradius
- Metal Gear Solid II: Son’s Of Liberty (Pack-in version)
- Metal Gear Solid II: Son’s Of Liberty (Retail version)
- Metal Gear Solid II: Son’s Of Liberty (Platinum)
- Metal Gear Solid II: Substance
- Metal Gear Solid III: Snake Eater
- Metal Gear Solid III: Snake Eater (Metal Edition)
- Metal Gear Solid III: Subsistence
- Nanobreaker
- Pro Evolution Soccer III
- Rumble Roses
- Silent Hill II (LE)
- Silent Hill III
- Silent Hill IV: The Room
- Silent Hill Collection (Silent Hill 2, 3, & 4)
- Suikoden IV
- Suikoden V
- Suikoden Tactics
- The Sword Of Etheria
- Y’s: The Ark Of Napishtim
- Zone Of The Enders
PSP
- Metal Gear Acid II
- Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
- Y’s: The Ark Of Napishtim
Dreamcast
- Deadly Skies
- Nightmare Creatures II
- Silent Scope
- The Grinch
Nintendo DS
- Castlevania: Dawn Of Sorrow
- Castlevania: Portrait Of Ruin
Nintendo Wii
- Eledees
Xbox
- Castlevania: Curse Of Darkness
- Metal Gear Solid II: Substance
- Pro Evolution Soccer IV
X360
- Rumble Roses XX
As you can see, most of the games above are considered "Rare" or "Sought after" by collector's, especially in sealed condition. Take the PlayStation game Suikoden for example - One of the top 5 rarest and most sought after games for the console, and very hard to find in sealed condition! Of course, this isn't always the case and some of Konami's key franchises are considered more common than others, with some games even gaining a Platinum rerelease (Ie, some of the Silent Hill games; Some Metal Gear Solid games; The Pro Evolution Soccer series etc)
I have also found that in some instances, the original black label release of a game will be very difficult to track down in sealed condition, whereas a Platinum rerelease will be widely available sealed - The Pro Evolution Soccer games are a prime example. It seems Konami don't like to seal many of their initial releases, especially if a certain game or series has a small production run, which is often the case with certain Konami games, making sealed copies much harder to locate
Below, as an example, is a small list of games which are exceedingly hard to find in sealed condition:
PSP
- Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles
- Darkstalkers Chronicles: The Chaos Tower
- Death Jr
- Gradius Collection
- Metal Gear Acid
- Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus
- Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel
- Silent Hill Origins
PlayStation 2
- Enthusia
- Shaman King
- Silent Hill II (Platinum)
- Silent Hill Origins
- Tour De France: Centenary Edition
- Tour De France
- Zone Of The Enders II: Second Runner
GameBoy Advance
- Boktai (GBA)
- Boktai II (GBA)
- Castlevania: Aria Of Sorrow (GBA)
- Castlevania: Circle Of The Moon (GBA)
- Castlevania: Harmony Of Dissonance (GBA)
As you can tell by the game titles, these are very hard games to get hold of at the best of times, let alone in sealed condition!
As collector's, what are your thoughts on this strange phenomenon, and why do you think it's isolated to just Konami releases?
Gemini-Phoenix- Moderator
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Re: The Konami Phenomenon
by bballno1 Tue Aug 05, 2008 2:09 pm
just to add another konami game to the list of 1's that came sealed, holy magic century for the n64 came sealed with the red nintendo strip:
bballno1- shrinkwrapped (with holes)
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Dark Sol- factory sealed SingStar ABBA
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Re: The Konami Phenomenon
by rarebucky Tue Aug 05, 2008 3:44 pm
That is a MUCH better box than the US got for that game!!!
rarebucky- factory sealed, gem mint
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Re: The Konami Phenomenon
by pooch Wed Aug 06, 2008 1:05 pm
bballno1 wrote:just to add another konami game to the list of 1's that came sealed, holy magic century for the n64 came sealed with the red nintendo strip:
Yes, MUCH better artwork, where did you get the picture?
pooch- Complete in box, mint
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