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 theres a high resale potential for certain titles, as well as a huge collectable market, which could be a factor in Konamis decision to distribute many of their games unsealed. Of course, sealed copies do exist, and collectors 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: Sons Of Liberty (Pack-in version)
Metal Gear Solid II: Sons Of Liberty (Retail version)
Metal Gear Solid II: Sons 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
Ys: The Ark Of Napishtim
Zone Of The Enders
PSP
Metal Gear Acid II
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
Ys: 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?
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 theres a high resale potential for certain titles, as well as a huge collectable market, which could be a factor in Konamis decision to distribute many of their games unsealed. Of course, sealed copies do exist, and collectors 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: Sons Of Liberty (Pack-in version)
Metal Gear Solid II: Sons Of Liberty (Retail version)
Metal Gear Solid II: Sons 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
Ys: The Ark Of Napishtim
Zone Of The Enders
PSP
Metal Gear Acid II
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
Ys: 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?