I’m curious about why Ridge Racer, especially the Japanese version, doesn’t seem to be sought after compared to games like Xenogears. Ridge Racer was a launch title in Japan and has the first serial number SLPS-00001, so shouldn’t it be valued more? Meanwhile, people are asking crazy prices for a worn copy of Xenogears, which wasn’t even released widely. What gives?
3 Answers
Ridge Racer sold a whopping 1.5 million copies, so there’s just a ton of it out there. Classic arcade-style racing games have a lot of competition from their sequels. With all the superior Ridge Racer titles that came out later, it’s hard to go back to the original and feel the same thrill. That’s why it’s not as sought after as something like Xenogears, which was a rare gem and didn’t sell nearly as well.
It’s kind of wild; a lot of people seem to overlook that the Japanese version of Xenogears is actually quite cheap. Sometimes the hype around certain games just drives their prices up, even if their availability doesn’t justify it!
At the end of the day, initial sales figures really matter. Ridge Racer was a hit, while Xenogears was more of a niche title. Not every good game is pricey, and not every expensive game is great—Ridge Racer is a classic, but availability keeps its price down.
