It's recently been Sega Saturn. Sega's second-to-last system was a major disappointment and sold poorly, meaning that the console and most of its must-have games are quite expensive today.
While retro video game prices fluctuate often, Sega Saturn software isn't likely to see a drastic reduction in price any time soon. That said, the Saturn had a few seriously stellar titles that never received any ports or remasters on other systems.
BattleSport
$144 - $623
The graphical capabilities of the Sega Saturn may come across as primitive by today's standards, but the hardware was capable of some miraculous stuff relative to the early days of 3D gaming. In fact, the console seems like a complete powerhouse when compared to Battlezone, which is commonly held to be one of the first vector graphics-based 3D games of all time.
Though the two titles technically don't have anything to do with one another, the 1996 Sega Saturn title Battlesport bares an uncanny resemblance to the polygonal gaming forefather. Unfortunately, this unique piece of gaming history is tough to come by, as it goes for upward of $140 for a loose copy of the Saturn version.
Mortal Kombat Trilogy
$150 - $250
Released in 1997, Mortal Kombat Trilogy was a celebration of the infamous series that had earned the ire of parents and politicians the world over earlier in the decade. Yet, while the Sega Saturn compilation would make for a great conversation piece among fighting game collectors, the somewhat slow-paced fights and considerable balance changes made for a somewhat wonky release.
Still, the series remains a staple of both the genre and era, and die-hard Mortal Kombat fanatics certainly wouldn't mind owning this port. Unfortunately, a loose copy goes for about $150, and the title is considerably cheaper on other platforms.
Saturn Bomberman
$200 - $532
Most gamers likely associate the Bomberman franchise with its acclaimed inaugural outing on the NES, but, with mainline and spinoff entries numbering in the dozens today, it's safe to say that the series has suffered from oversaturation.
Still, Saturn Bomberman remains a standout title in the franchise. Inventive stages and a creative campaign mode mixed with a particularly compelling multiplayer component that can up to 10 players makes this one of Bomberman's most memorable outings. However, collectors can expect to pay at least $200 for a loose copy, with complete-in-box variants going for much more.
Powerslave
$210 - $400
Known as Exhumed in PAL territories, 1996's Powerslave was a definite standout on the Sega Saturn. Only three years removed from the landmark debut of Id Software's Doom, Powerslave represented an important evolution of the burgeoning genre.
Aliens hellbent on invading Earth plan to conquer the planet with the help of a resurrected King Ramses, and the player, with the help of Ramses' ghost, must cut through the invading forces with a legendary classic FPS arsenal in order to save the day. Fans of retro shooters can pick up the excellent remaster on digital storefronts like Steam and GOG, but hardcore fans may expect to pay at least $210 for a loose copy of the Saturn version.
Mega Man 8
$276 - $562
Capcom's hexology of Mega Man gaming titles made for a solid foundation for the many great sidescrolling platformer titles that would come to define the third and fourth console generations. However, save for a brief return on the SNES, the mainline Mega Man series would mostly be forgotten in favor of the Mega Man X spin-offs.
The fifth generation of home consoles saw a single mainline entry in the form of Mega Man 8. A colorful clash against rival Bass, Mega Man would hit it out of the park in his eighth outing, but the title — on the Sega Saturn, at least — would get to be pretty pricey in ensuing years.
Burning Rangers
$282 - $783
Developed by Sonic Team, Burning Rangers was something of a flagship title for Sega's ill-fated fifth-generation console. The game bears a distinctive anime style, and it was praised for what were at the time groundbreaking graphics, relatively open levels, and innovative ideas.
Starring a team of far-future firefighters tasked with using laser weapons to put out infernos of various sizes, it's a neat part of Sega's history, but its status as a late addition to the console's library made it exceedingly rare. Today, loose copies are pushing $300, and complete-in-box versions are almost $800.
The House Of The Dead
A seminal arcade lightgun series, Sega's House of the Dead rarely received home console conversions, though a Sega Saturn port did surface in 1998. Although outrageously polygonal and cheesy enough to make Resident Evil 4 seem like a Hitchcockian horror drama in comparison, House of the Dead was an excellent on-rails shooter that was one of a select few gamers to take total advantage of the console's light gun peripheral.
The Saturn version of House of the Dead is outrageously pricey today, though interested parties may want to look into the 2022 HD remaster that was released on the Nintendo Switch.
Magic Knight Rayearth
$483 - $951
Magic Knight Rayearth is an iseaki anime series that debuted in 1994 and received little attention from Western audiences. That said, it was successful enough to earn a localized Sega Saturn RPG in 1998.
Famous for its status as the very last Sega Saturn game to release in North America, this Secret of Mana-esque RPG adventure is incredibly expensive today. Going for nearly $500 loose and almost $1,000 complete-in-box, this is among the rarest games to release in the past quarter-century, and it's likely a prized possession for a proud few dedicated Sega fans.
Panzer Dragoon Saga
$818 - $1,158
The Panzer Dragoon series earned a stellar reputation thanks to its epic aerial combat and unique premise, but 1998's Panzer Dragoon Saga eschewed most of that in favor of an alternative RPG style that worked out far better than fans may have expected at the time. Panzer Dragoon Saga is often heralded as one of the very best games in the Sega Saturn's library, but its late release and incredible quality culminate in an extreme price tag.
Just the case alone goes for about $200 today, with some complete versions selling for well over $1000. Panzer Dragoon Saga may be an excellent game, but very few gamers will be able to experience it on original hardware.
Daytona USA Championship Net Link Edition
$1,731 - $3,195
While multiplayer gaming would gain traction in the mid-90s thanks to PC titles like Doom and Quake, it wouldn't be a major part of console gaming until the advent of Xbox Live during the Xbox and Xbox 360 era. That said, Sega did experiment with it, offering up an exclusive version of Daytona USA Championship that allowed for online multiplayer.
This version was never actually available in stores and could only be bought from Sega directly. As a result, it's incredibly rare, and a complete-in-box version can go for more than $3,000. This is without a doubt the holy grail of Sega Saturn collecting.
