Wondering what the rarest and most expensive N64 games for PAL (European) territories are? The N64 is a great console if you can get over the unconventional controller. Not that it’s a bad controller, it’s just… different. Different is good though, we love different here at Retro Review.
There’re some amazing games on the Nintendo 64 and it’s been gaining in popularity within the game collecting community for some time now. Being an older Nintendo console, all the games came packaged in cardboard boxes. Cardboard boxes that for the most part got damaged, torn open or got chucked away altogether. Thankfully this would be the last time Nintendo made this packaging decision, (at least regarding their home consoles). For game collectors hoping to keep their games minty fresh, this was great news.
Opportunities to find boxed N64 games out in the wild is becoming more and more infrequent. If you do happen to get lucky though, here are a few rare and expensive N64 games to look out for.
Flying Dragon – N64 PAL
Famous for their Harvest Moon series, publishers Natsume thought they’d have a shot at breaking into the fighting genre of video games with Flying Dragon. If you’ve ever played a fighter on the N64, you’ll know that mostly, they suck. This wasn’t a console built for fighters, which probably explains why this game didn’t do too well. Visually it’s pretty and has an inherent Japanese feel to it, but pretty isn’t good enough is it? Finding a loose cart PAL copy of this game is quite tricky, but the real challenge is tracking down a complete boxed one in good condition.
- Loose Cart Average Price – £35
- Boxed and Complete Average Price – £100
- New and Sealed Average Price – £350+
Rat Attack – N64 PAL
Published by Mindscape and developed by Pure, Rat Attack is an arcade-style puzzle game where you play as cats catching rats. There’s not much more to say really. It was originally released on the Sony PlayStation 1 in 1999 and later got a release on the Nintendo 64 in 2000. The PS1 version is easy to find, but there’s not so many out there on the N64. A loose copy can be found quite easily, but a boxed one will take a little more effort. Is it worth the massive price tag for a boxed copy? From a gameplay perspective, not really but for those that need all the games, it’s just got to be done. Because this game doesn’t show up too often boxed, the price can fluctuate quite dramatically. We’ve not seen a sealed copy, so it’s anyone’s guess what some collectors would be willing to shell out.
- Loose Cart Average Price – £30
- Boxed and Complete Average Price – £200 – £400
- New and Sealed Average Price – ?
Top Gear Hyper Bike – N64 PAL
It’s everyone’s favourite show Top Gear! Aside from featuring cars, this game has nothing to do with the popular British TV show. No Hammond, Clarkson and May we’re afraid. You may be surprised to read that a driving game has made it onto a list of rarest and most expensive N64 games, but here it is! Keep reading, there are more surprises to come. The Top Gear N64 series had a number of instalments including Top Gear Rally 1 & 2 and Top Gear Overdrive. The most obscure by far though is Top Gear Hyper Bike, a game centred around racing dirt bikes.
- Loose Cart Average Price – £10
- Boxed and Complete Average Price – £50 – £100
- New and Sealed Average Price – £200+
Shadowgate 64 – N64 PAL
Shadowgate 64 is a unique adventure game on the N64 shown through a first-person perspective. Published by the same guys that brought us Top Gear Hyperbike, Kemco, by most accounts, this isn’t the greatest of games. However, the cover art looks cool and reminds me of The Dark Tower from the Lord of the Rings. The quality of the game still doesn’t stop it from commanding a relatively high price tag.
- Loose Cart Average Price – £15
- Boxed and Complete Average Price – £50 – £100
- New and Sealed Average Price – ?
Duck Dodgers Starring Daffy Duck – N64 PAL
Find this one for cheap and pass it up, you’d have to be quackers! Awful jokes aside, this Looney Tunes game starring everybody’s favourite spitting duck is pretty desirable. Published by Infogrames, this is your run of the mill platformer, however, it’s quite fun. Join Duck Dodgers as he explores five unique planets to save Earth from destruction. Is it fun enough to spend a small fortune on? Probably not, check out how much it’ll set you back and be the judge.
- Loose Cart Average Price – £35
- Boxed and Complete Average Price – £100 -£150
- New and Sealed Average Price – ?
Rush 2049 – N64 PAL
An old-school racer with a smidge of the future thrown in. Not a bad game but Rush 2049 doesn’t hold a candle to the classic F Zero X. San Francisco Rush was the third instalment of the Rush series on the N64 and is by far the rarest in PAL territories. This is the sort of game that could be easily overlooked and you’ll be kicking yourself right now if you ever have. A PAL loose cart copy of Rush 2049 is expensive enough and so naturally a boxed copy is worth even more. If you see this one for sale cheap, make sure you don’t miss it.
- Loose Cart Average Price – £50 – £100
- Boxed and Complete Average Price – £150+
- New and Sealed Average Price – ?
Hercules – The Legendary Journeys – N64 PAL
When I think of Hercules, my mind immediately jumps to the Disney film and that killer ps1 game action game. In actuality, there exist many games based on the legend of the son of Zeus. Hercules – The Legendary Journeys is a spinoff game from an Amercian TV show of the same name. Being an American TV show, this may explain why it wasn’t so popular over the waters in PAL territories. Well, that and the fact that it’s a very much average 3D action game. But average doesn’t always mean cheap. In fact, when it comes to game collecting average and flat out bad games have a tendency to be quite rare. If you find this game on the cheap, be sure to pick it up. You might not get too much enjoyment out of it, but it’s a nice one for the collection.
- Loose Cart Average Price – £35
- Boxed and Complete Average Price – £200
- New and Sealed Average Price – ?
Aidyn Chronicles – N64 PAL
If you’re a seasoned N64 gamer/collector you may have noticed that there’s a considerably low amount of RPG’s on the system. Fun fact, Final Fantasy VII was originally planned to launch on the N64 before ending up on the PS1; imagine how that would have shaken things up. Aidyn Chronicles is one of the few exceptions to the rule. It’s not considered a great game, but RPG beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to the Nintendo 64. Even still, it’s a nice one for the collection being one of the few RPG’s for the system.
- Loose Cart Average Price – £50+
- Boxed and Complete Average Price – £200 – £300+
- New and Sealed Average Price – ?
Star Wars: Battle for Naboo – N64 PAL
Just like every other system, there are plenty of Star Wars games on the N64. My favourite was Star Wars: Pod Racer! For the most part, Star Wars game son the 64 can be picked up relatively cheap, but Battle for Naboo supersedes that rule. Compared to some of the other games on this list, it’s not quite as pricey, however, you’ll still have to save up your pennies to buy one at market value. Battle for Naboo is considered a pretty good flying game, generally, the N64 handled that genre well. It’s not quite Rouge Squadron but it’s still pretty good.
- Loose Cart Average Price – £25
- Boxed and Complete Average Price – £80 – £100
- New and Sealed – ?
NBA in the Zone 2000 – N64 PAL
A basketball game has made it onto a list of rare and expensive N64 games? That’s right! NBA in the Zone virtually doesn’t exist in PAL territories. We’re not as big on basketball here in England when compared to our NTSC cousins so that may be part of the reason this game is so difficult to find. You can find a few European boxed versions around for a bit cheaper (£60ish) but one with English written on the back will cost you.
- Loose Cart Average Price – £20
- Boxed and Complete Average Price – £200
- New and Sealed Average Price – ?
Bass Hunter 64 – N64 PAL
No, it’s not some sort of music production game for the Nintendo 64, this is a good ol’ fishing game! I used to get my fishing fix from Ocarina of Time, so there wasn’t really room in my life for Bass Hunter 64. Evidently, a lot of others felt the same way, which is why this game seems to be relatively hard to find today. If you’re a fishing enthusiast, why not grab this overly expensive game? Or just go fishing, it’s cheaper and probably more fun.
- Loose Cart Average Price – £15
- Boxed and Complete Average Price – £80
- New and Sealed Average Price – ?
Daikatana – N64 PAL
From the mind of John Romero comes the game to end all games! At least that’s what it was hyped up to be. Daikatana got plenty of praise during development and people were seriously pumped for it. When it came to launching though, it ended up being very much underwhelming. If you want to be extra disappointed you could pick up the n64 version which is usually considered to be the worst. Not the most expensive game on this list and not the rarest either, but one to look out for on your travels. For great gaming though, stick to DOOM.
- Loose Cart Average Price – £15
- Boxed and Complete Average Price – £40 – £70
- New and Sealed Average Price – ?
Milos Astro Lanes – N64 PAL
If you want to play bowling on a Nintendo console Wii Sports will do you just fine. If you want to be edgy about it though try Milo’s Astro Lanes. Published by Crave the same people that brought us GEX 3 and the unforgettable Virtual Pool 64; Milo’s Astro Lanes is an intergalactic bowling game. It’s got its charm but ultimately, it’s still a bowling game with aliens. Even still it’s quite the uncommon game on the Nintendo 64 so it’s worth picking up if you find it.
- Loose Cart Average Price – £25
- Boxed and Complete Average Price – £120
- New and Sealed Average Price – ?
Taz Express – N64 PAL
In the great words of Taz himself “WA’BLURGH’BLARGH’BLOO’BLARGH’BLEB’LAH”. Another one from Infogrames this time in the form of Taz Express. This one actually only got a PAL release so for you hardcore collectors overseas that need all the games, add this to your list. In this game, Mrs Taz has made her husband finally get up off his butt and get a proper job delivering mail. Spinning around all day and spitting everywhere is all well and good but it doesn’t put food on the table now does it? If you want to own this game in its box it’s going to cost you a fair bit, but on the plus side, a loose cart won’t hurt the wallet so much.
- Loose Cart Average Price – £10
- Boxed and Complete Average Price – £80 – £100+
- New and Sealed Average Price – ?
Rare and Expensive N64 Games List – TBC
That’s the list for now! We hope you’ve found it useful and can now go out into the wild armed with a bit more PAL N64 knowledge. We may update these lists as and when the need arises, so look out for any updates in the future.
Rare and Expensive N64 Games – Some Things to Remember
You may have noticed that there’s quite a lot of “?” after the new and sealed prices. The reality is a lot of the games on this list rarely come up sealed. It’s sometimes tricky to gauge a price because of this. Sometimes, when it comes to sealed game collecting, a bidding war can arise. Some collectors just desperately feel the need to own them. Much of time the price will quite simply be as much as one collector is willing to pay. We will keep our eyes peeled however and update the list when we can to make it more helpful for you.
Also, bear in mind that prices on boxed N64 games rely heavily on conditions and how “complete” the game is. A roughed-up copy without a manual is going to cost you quite a bit less than one that’s in pristine condition. For reference, the prices we’ve provided reflect boxed and complete N64 games that are in a good to a very good condition.
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