Why is Sega Genesis stuff so completely worthless now?

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spmahn

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I've been wondering this for a while, and wanted some opinions. Why is it that Sega Genesis related items ie: Games, Console, Accessories have largely retained almost zero value over the years, while Super Nintendo items have held up in value for the most part. Last week on eBay, I sold a working Sega Genesis 2 console in the original box, with several games, and they weren't crappy games either, it was stuff like Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Sonic and Knuckles, Lion King, etc. It only sold for barely 10 bucks. Compare that to similar auctions for SNES Consoles with even a crappier selection of games which routinely for for $50 or more.

So why is it that Sega Genesis is largely worthless while SNES remains more valuable? I think part of it has to do with the fact that SNES games on the whole hold up a lot better today than most Genesis titles. The graphics and sound on most Genesis games seem primitive by todays standards, while a lot of SNES games still look and sound as fresh and vibrant in 2011 as they did in 1992. When played today however, Genesis definitely feels like the Atari 2600 to Super Nintendo's Colecovision.

Another reason is that Sega has done a good job whoring out and rehashing their classic titles on every conceivable venue since their original release, while Nintendo has locked most of their classics in the vault (where many still remain), and have only started re-releasing them over the past couple of years on the Virtual Console.

Could part of it be that Sega as a brand has eroded any value it might have had when it got out of the console business?

Can anyone else come up with any reasons why people are far more nostalgic today for the Super Nintendo than they are for the Genesis? It just seems so odd looking back at how fierce the competition was from 1992 through 1994, and wondering today how it was ever even a question as to which one was better.
 
I think you are right that on the whole SNES titles have held up better over time. But the biggest thing is all of the JRPGs on the SNES. JRPG fans are prone to nostalgia anyway, but that aside there truly is a long list of evergreen classics on that console that are as must-play today as they ever were, and that goodwill bleeds into other genres and the system as a whole.

Chrono Trigger practically ages backwards-- the more convoluted and overwrought JPRGs get with each generation, the fresher it feels.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']

Chrono Trigger practically ages backwards-- the more convoluted and overwrought JPRGs get with each generation, the fresher it feels.[/QUOTE]

...No... just... no.

Honestly, less people had SNES stuff and a lot of the SNES games had smaller numbers released. Almost everyone I knew owned a Genesis, I had one friend with a SNES, he didn't have half the Mario games let alone any of the valuable RPGs. Most people I knew that owned a Genesis had 2-3 Disney games because of SEGA promotions, not to mention every Sonic game.
 
the snes was by far better than the genesis, it's not really personal and I owned both back in the day, but like homie above me said, chrono trigger is the sheot! Final fantasy IV (II on the snes) is still my favorite fantasy. The games really do hold up much better and I will even give that to nintendo as a whole, their games just really hold up so well.

But com'on, nintendo has been pimping out their "vault" for years. how many different consoles (handheld too) is super mario on? legend of zelda 1, 2, a link to the past? lets look at mario for a second, nes, super nintendo, gba, ds, wii (I still think I am forgetting something). Zelda 1 was nes, gba, gamecube, and wii. All the companies seem to be pimping out their hits of old, cuz they know people will buy and play them again on the newest and greatest thing.

I don't know exactly why people don't care for sega, but maybe it's the newer generations of gamers who don't know shit about the snes and genesis wars and only know the the failure of the dreamcast and maybe saturn. Shining force oh how I miss you!
 
It's because almost all of the best Sega games have been put on numerous compilation disks (with the best being the PS2/PSP and the PS360 collections) while Nintendo has kept their stuff locked up. I mean people are paying over $60 for a STRAIGHT port of Super Mario All-Stars on a Wii disc when they could download all 4 of those games for 1/3 of that. Also the JRPG factor is big as Phantasy Star is on all of the Sega ports and Shining Force is on most of them, while the Square Enix and other JRPG's are harder to get, minus FF IV.
 
[quote name='Ryuukishi']I think you are right that on the whole SNES titles have held up better over time. But the biggest thing is all of the JRPGs on the SNES. JRPG fans are prone to nostalgia anyway, but that aside there truly is a long list of evergreen classics on that console that are as must-play today as they ever were, and that goodwill bleeds into other genres and the system as a whole.

Chrono Trigger practically ages backwards-- the more convoluted and overwrought JPRGs get with each generation, the fresher it feels.[/QUOTE]

I concur. Chrono Trigger feels so lean in comparison to pretty much anything cranked out of the JRPG mold these days. I love that damn game.
 
[quote name='MSUHitman']It's because almost all of the best Sega games have been put on numerous compilation disks (with the best being the PS2/PSP and the PS360 collections) while Nintendo has kept their stuff locked up. I mean people are paying over $60 for a STRAIGHT port of Super Mario All-Stars on a Wii disc when they could download all 4 of those games for 1/3 of that. Also the JRPG factor is big as Phantasy Star is on all of the Sega ports and Shining Force is on most of them, while the Square Enix and other JRPG's are harder to get, minus FF IV.[/QUOTE]

This is a big part of it. Genny games are available everywhere (on Steam!). Where can you get Secret of Mana?

Also NES and SNES clones consoles are fairly popular, which leads to a market for those old carts.

Also also, Nintendo, as a brand in general, is far more beloved, and therefore in demand and collectible then Sega, who are known more for console failures. But man do I love some of those failures! (Saturn & Dreamcast).
 
All the better for Genesis owners because we can get games nearly dirt cheap.
I paid $10 for mine with 6 games, 2 6-buttons, and an arcade stick at a yard sale. I sold the arcade for $15, and recently bought 4 more games for around $10. I'm definitely not complaining. :D
 
But even if you look at Genesis RPGs, the price is a lot lower. Phantasy Star IV cost about $25, while FF3 easily cost $40+. Both games been ported a number of times.
 
[quote name='62t']But even if you look at Genesis RPGs, the price is a lot lower. Phantasy Star IV cost about $25, while FF3 easily cost $40+. Both games been ported a number of times.[/QUOTE]

This is purely my opinion, but there is no comparison between Phantasy Star IV and FF 3 (VI). FF VI is one of my fav games of all time, and easily the best FF game by a wide margin (again, imo).
 
I agree with the NUMEROUS ports argument on different consoles. I also think that with your sale, while those games were good, they were also fairly common. It's not very hard to find copies of Sonic games (unless you're selling a factory sealed one) and I think that applies to the library in general. Unless the game is ULTRA rare, I haven't paid more than maybe $30 for a rare Genesis game. I bought The Punisher, Ghostbusters, and Gunstar Heroes off of Ebay and none of them went over $30. Just seems to be easier to get your hands on rare Genesis games than SNES ones.
 
Genesis stuff is just REALLY common around here, perhaps it just doesn't have too much nostalgia for people. I hardly ever find SNES stuff around here and when I do its $50 for just the console at a yard sale (ridiculous). I might find one SNES item every 5 years here but I find at least 5 or 6 genesis systems every summer.

Did more people buy the Genesis because of Sega's marketing.. probably! I live in a pretty urban area where everyone has to have the latest and the coolest so I can definitely see why someone would have wanted a Genesis over an SNES back in the day. Kiddie games are frowned upon greatly here or games that look cartoony in any way unless you are under 8 years old. Most 8 year olds play Halo and Call of Duty here. The SNES just wasn't the cool system to have back then, at least where I live.
 
Wasn't a big deal of the Genesis back in the day the sports games? That must have something to do with it being in low demand, who would want to play a sports game from the 16 bit era?
 
[quote name='KingDox']Wasn't a big deal of the Genesis back in the day the sports games? That must have something to do with it being in low demand, who would want to play a sports game from the 16 bit era?[/QUOTE]

Madden and NHL on Genny were WAY better than SNES Madden and NHL. Just like now, Nintendo was not the system of choice for sports games and gamers.

But we all know how well Madden and other sports games hold their value.
 
I think a big part of it would be that "Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection" can be had for under $19.99 and has close to 40 of Genesis's better games. Plus a handful of the AAA games that aren't on the collection are on VC - ToeJam & Earl 1 & 2, for example.

Of course the games are (mostly) better on the original hardware (which is why I still have my Genesis hooked up!), but a lot of people prefer the convenience of a compilation disc.

Plus there's a whole generation of younger gamers that may not realize that SEGA ever made consoles. Kinda crazy.
 
One thing no one touched on is that Genesis games physically held up better, leading to more complete or boxed games being on the market now. 98% of Genesis games came in the plastic cases, so they weren't nearly as prone to damage as their cardboard SNES counterparts. They also better protected manuals and carts, so you've got far more complete versions out there. Also, SNES games were a bit harder to open, so the flaps tended to tear as well.

And yes, it doesn't help when you can get huge collections on the modern systems, because it means fewer people want to track down those old games. Basic supply and demand: lack of demand for old Sega stuff with a greater abundance of it out there.
 
Also, the guy who said Genesis was far more popular was right. Most people only bought a SNES when Street Fighter II was an exclusive for the system. Up until then, everyone I knew sorta laughed at SNES as being too far behind the curve, because Nintendo had kept trying to milk the NES for years.
 
[quote name='skinkrawl']One thing no one touched on is that Genesis games physically held up better, leading to more complete or boxed games being on the market now. 98% of Genesis games came in the plastic cases, so they weren't nearly as prone to damage as their cardboard SNES counterparts. They also better protected manuals and carts, so you've got far more complete versions out there. Also, SNES games were a bit harder to open, so the flaps tended to tear as well.

And yes, it doesn't help when you can get huge collections on the modern systems, because it means fewer people want to track down those old games. Basic supply and demand: lack of demand for old Sega stuff with a greater abundance of it out there.[/QUOTE]

And it's funny you mention the durability of the games, because it's the exact opposite for the consoles themselves. Genesis 2 may be the poorest quality console ever released from a physical standpoint. They are notorious for loose wires, and connectors that break or have to be jiggled to work properly, and stop working when jostled even slightly.
 
I got the Genesis at release, and that first version still works today. Guess when they tried to streamline, they messed it all up.
 
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