Friday the 13th
In 1989 LJN's Friday the 13th hit shelves. This game was one of LJN's early attempts at breaking into the movie tie-in market, with one of the most recognizable horror icons. Judging by the box art alone, this game should have been a fun, if not colorful romp, around Crystal Lake. Yet despite the publisher and developers' best intentions, this game was critically and commercially panned. Friday the 13th is consistently ranked as one of the worst video games ever, an impressive feat.
For me personally, this is a weird, yet somewhat fun game -- even if it has very little to do with the actual movie. The game became a cult classic, with graded and ungraded copies commanding serious money.
This sealed CGC blue label 9.8 A+ is one of the best copies I've ever seen. While there is little sales data on 9.8 CGC-graded copies, a 9.8 WATA-graded copy has a one-year average of $1,001. The current 90-day average is $1,500 -- and with 80's horror icons becoming trendy again, this could be a worthwhile game to bid on.
Deadpool
Marvel's Deadpool seems like the perfect character for a video game. The wise-cracking character with a penchant for violence is a ton of fun, especially when he's interacting with other characters. In 2013, Activision released Deadpool across multiple platforms. The game follows the questionable hero as he joins forces with the X-Men and Cable. The game was praised for its humor and storyline, but the game was otherwise a mixed bag of reactions. If you're a Deadpool or Marvel fan, this is a worthwhile game to own.
This sealed 9.8 A+ WATA-graded copy is perfect. Despite being nearly 10 years old, this game looks brand new. The current one-year average for this game is $192, but the current 90-day average is $300 -- so interest in this game has started to go up. If you're a Deadpool collector, don't sleep on this title.
Kirby's Pinball Land
Kirby is a personal favorite of mine. The little guy is just plain cute and lends himself well to all kinds of adventures. Plus I like pinball. Yet in the mid-1990s Nintendo came up with an idea for a claymation Kirby to advertise this game in North America, and the ads are equally absurd and horrifying. In the UK, Nintendo went with a balloon Kirby with an animated face, which was less horrifying but still weird.
Japan got the best of the three with a 3D rendition of a Kirby pinball playfield and a catchy song to go with it. The bizarre ad campaigns worked, and Kirby's Pinball Land was a success. The game is admittedly a ton of fun, and Kirby is a perfect pin ball.
This sealed CGC blue label 8.0 A+ is just plain fun. While this does have noticeable wear, the box art is still crisp and clean. This is a Players Choice version, and currently, there is little sales data for the Players Choice versions. The first edition games fare well on the aftermarket -- 9.4 WATA-graded copies have a one-year average of $780. Lower grades still do well, but it wouldn't surprise me if this game sold for under $400.
