I'm pretty new to this board, and I haven't done anything except ask stupid questions (which I'm sure will continue in the future), so I decided to at least start a good topic. I collect primarily for the NES, so I'm more familiar with its library than other systems, but my question is what games are out there that are hard to find, play great, but aren't sought after at all? It's kind of frustrating to see shitty Color Dreams games and derivative, repetitive games like Bubble Bobble 2 and Snow Brothers worth so much money while games like these are ignored. I'm not sure if anything like this has been done before, but here are some games that I think fall into that category:
Sword Master (NES): I scored one of these on Ebay a few months ago for less than a buck, having never seen one in the wild anywhere. From my experiences, this is a tough game to find, and it is a hell of a lot of fun, too. Great graphics, music, gameplay, and a high challenge level. I've played this one quite a bit since I've gotten it, I can't believe that this one isn't going on Ebay in the $15-20 range.
Super Spy Hunter (NES): I hardly ever come across this game. I was lucky enough to score one for about $2 at a store a few years ago. IMO, this is one of, if not the best shooter for the NES. Some complicated scrolling effects for the NES, although it is accompanied by a healthy amount of slowdown. Still, very intense game with great power ups and tough boss battles. I remember FuncoLand was selling this thing for $30 about 5 years ago, it seems like the value of this game has dropped considerably since then.
Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat (NES): I always considered this game Super Off Road on asphalt. One of the best 4-player games on any system. Another game I don't run across too often, and when I do its extremely cheap (Gamestop sells it for 2 or 3 bucks). Running over and killing pit crew members is always a good time. It's also fun to damage your friend's cars during some 4 player action.
Felix the Cat (NES): Although obviously geared towards children, I always thought this was a great action/platformer game. It's too easy, but there are a lot of nice looking levels, a variety of vehicles, and nice play control. One of Hudson's last releases, if I'm not mistaken. It's funny how some of Hudson's later games (Adventure Island 3, Bonk's Adventure, Princess Tomato) are quite sought after, but this gem continues to be ignored.
Mighty Final Fight (NES): The only big strike against this game is that it only supports one player; if it supported two, I wouldn't hesitate to nominate this game over River City Ransom as the system's best beat-em-up. Yeah, the graphics are overly cute, but they're supposed to be. I actually like this game more than the original Final Fight (and its subsequent sequels).
Pirates! (NES): Actually, it seems like this game is becoming more and more valued by collectors, but it is still THE most underrated game ever, IMO. Actually, this may be my favorite game of all time. Of all the platforms I've played this game on (PC, Genesis, old Mac, etc.), the NES version remains my favorite. The Genesis version goes for obscene amounts on Ebay, but the NES game is still pretty reasonably priced.
Pac-Mania (NES): I like this game better than the original Pac-Man, yet this game seems to be blasted by a lot of critics. Pseudo 3-D Pac-Man is actually a blast! Like all the other games on this list, it's one that I rarely see yet doesn't seem to attract a lot of attention.
Tombs & Treasures (NES): Any Shadowgate/Deja Vu/Uninvited fans would feel right at home with this game. There is also some RPG-style overworld map wandering thrown in for good measure. Again, this is a very tough game to find that seems like it should be worth a small fortune on Ebay.
Quattro Arcade (NES): This is another game that I've never run across in the wild. I did buy one over the Internet for about $10, but it seems like I could have gotten it even cheaper (although it was definitely worth what I paid for it). Four fun arcade-style games, complete with decent graphics and music. Quattro Adventure isn't bad either, but I see that game all the time; Quattro Arcade is quite a tough find.
Outlander (Genesis): OK, I'm not sure how tough this is to find, but it is an awesome game. I don't know if I'd call it "rare", but it's definitely uncommon. This was supposed to be a licensed Mad Max game, but the deal fell through and it was released anyway. If you ever wanted to play a video game version of the movie The Road Warrior, here's your chance. The action gets a bit repetitive after a while, but I still think its a great game.
Tecmo's Deception (PSX): It's a crime that hardly anyone knows about this game, and two awful sequels don't help its case any. A first person game where you roam around a mansion and entrap invaders may not seem like a good concept for a game, but it works. Setting traps and luring enemies into them is a sometimes challenging, sometimes frustrating, but always fun proposition. IMO, the series died as soon as went to third person. I don't see this game often, it took me quite a while to find another copy for a friend who became addicted to it (although when I did finally find one, it was only $5 or so).
I'm sure there are plenty of other games just like this across every platform. What other games can you think of that fall into this category?