The 20th anniversary of the original Xbox is coming up on November 15, reminding fans of how Microsoft's first console established the company as a major player in the home-console market. The original Xbox was a reasonably inexpensive console to collect for before the boom in prices seen in 2020. While the most popular games like Halo: Combat Evolved, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind remain inexpensive, other Xbox games have shot up in price over the past couple of years.
The original Xbox's library is quite extensive, which means plenty of great games fell through the cracks upon release. Others have titanic boxes that collectors need every part and piece to consider it complete. Print runs and collector demand drives the prices and how rare these games are rather than simply how good the games themselves are. With that said, here are the five rarest and most desirable in the Xbox library.
Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 is well known to fans of arcade fighting games, as the combination of iconic Marvel heroes and Capcom characters was an immediate hit. After originally launching in Japanese arcades and on Sega Dreamcast, it was ported to PlayStation 2 and Xbox, with the latter being the most desirable due to the console's increased power over its contemporaries. While it was once available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Capcom lost the license to Marvel's characters and took the game off Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, which were the easiest ways to play on home consoles.
Now, loose copies of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 can go for between $60 and $70. Depending on the condition, grabbing a complete copy with the manual will run between $110 and $130. There's no easy way to play this game on consoles now, and the Dreamcast and PS2 versions are also hard to find and expensive.
Licensed games typically aren't collector's items, but 2006's Teen Titans for Xbox breaks some of those rules. The game is based on the animated series and allows players to play as Robin, Cyborg, Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy using fairly standard beat 'em up gameplay. However, with the popularity of Teen Titans and Teen Titans: GO, demand for this game has risen as the franchise's fanbase has grown.
These days, a disc-only Xbox copy of Teen Titans goes for between $50 and $60, while complete copies fall between $120 and $145. The game was also released on PS2 and GameCube, with those versions being considerably cheaper. However, as with Marvel vs. Capcom 2, the fact that the game plays best on Xbox reflects in its price.
Another licensed game, Futurama is a fan-favorite that combines shooting and platforming with the characters from the TV series. Though it has the shoddy gameplay and controls of other licensed games of the era, it comes with a special treat for Futurama fans: 28 minutes of unused animation from the show. This makes it something of a lost episode in which Fry, Leela, Bender, Zoidberg and other characters go on a mission to stop Mom from enslaving Earth.
While it was also released on PS2, a planned GameCube port never released. Futurama received mixed reviews when it was released, and it'll only really appeal to hardcore Futurama fans or original Xbox collectors. A disc-only copy goes for between $65 and $80, and the complete game generally sells for between $175 and $200.
The OutRun franchise had its heyday in the '80s and '90s but saw a resurgence in the early '00s with games like OutRun and OutRun 2. OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast is an expansion on the second game that added new tracks, cars and even had online play through Xbox Live. While it also released for PS2 and PSP, the Xbox version is by far the most in-demand. Coast 2 Coast released after the Xbox 360's launch, which limited the number of copies that were produced and sold.
A disc-only copy of Coast 2 Coast goes for between $90 and $100, and those sold for cheaper are probably just the similar-looking OutRun 2. Complete copies are far more expensive, selling for between $175 and $210. For those non-collector who just want to experience the game, the PS2 version is only around $50, while the PSP version is $30.
Known for its brutal difficulty and steep learning curve, Steel Battalion is only for the most hardcore of Xbox collectors. It came with a unique massive controller with 40 buttons crafted specifically for the game that's is used to control the mech. Without this controller, Steel Battalion is worthless, as the normal Xbox controller isn't compatible. This means it's imperative to not let this peripheral overheat or take too much damage. The full package also came with a dense manual modeled after an actual military field guide.
Because of the controller, finding a full Steel Battalion set in the wild is almost impossible. Loose copies go for between $250 and $300 in good condition. However, mint condition boxed copies will sell for as high as $1000.
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