Introduction 

I've bought so many gaming items over the years, that I've got various games and other items that could be considered holy grail items. In the past, I've shown a few of my rarer games or items here on VGS. But the fact that I've acquired several uncommon items (including one or two items that some collectors might be unaware of) led to the idea of creating a blog about ten items, as well as some honorable mentions, in my collection that are so uncommon they might as well be holy grail items. Now some of these might be easier to find in Taiwan or China, but are pretty hard to find in Canada.

My Favorite Holy Grail Items in My Game Collection

10.Resident Evil 2 (Game Boy Advance)

Originally released for PS1 and later released for N64, Dreamcast, PC, and GameCube, Resident Evil 2 was planned to be released for Game Boy Advance. The first Resident Evil, also a PS1 game, was planned and almost released for the Game Boy Color, but canceled despite being almost complete. The GBA version of Resident Evil 2 is a tech demo, and was barely started. It can literally be beaten in about two minutes. Visually, however, it is impressive. The pre-rendered screens are taken straight from the PS1 version and look almost as good. There are voice clips that play on the title and intro screens, which are compressed but sound reasonably clear for a GBA game. Most of the sound effects sound basically the same as the PS1 version. Leon is the only playable character. The menu features both a handgun and a knife, but only the gun can be used. Only the title screen has music; there's no music during gameplay.

This is a reproduction cartridge that I found on eBay in 2018 or so. It didn't cost very much, but the demo it contains is scarce. I didn't know Resident Evil 2 was even planned for the GBA until I got this cartridge. Check out my video above for some footage.

9.Mega Man CES 1990 Hat

A Mega Man hat that Capcom gave away during the Consumer Electronics Show in 1990. It came in orange and pink. I remember it costing around $700 Canadian. The seller I bought it from also had the pink hat.

8.Super Mario Bros. 3 Bootleg Cartridge

I found out about this cartridge in the early 2000s (https://web.archive.org/web/20051201161627/http://www.nesplayer.com/pirates/smb3pirate.htm), on an NES site called NES Player (now known as Nintendo Player). It contains the Japanese version of Super Mario Bros. 3, which has several differences compared to the American version (like an extra pipe in World 5-1 that leads to a different goal than the one used in the American version).

In 2022, one of my friends found this cartridge and decided to give it to me for free (knowing that I've been collecting imports for years). Before he gave it to me, he opened up the cartridge. The game is attached to a converter that allows it to work on an American NES, like several early copies of black box NES games such as Gyromite.

7.Wonderland Dizzy (NES)

Codemasters, the company behind the Game Genie and unlicensed NES games such as Micro Machines, made several "Dizzy" games for the NES, but they had plans to release more. One such game was Wonderland Dizzy. The ROM for the game was made available for download in 2015. A physical copy playable on a real NES, shown here, was released only as part of a Kickstarter. Only 100 copies were made. I bought the game sealed for about $800, and I believe it is still the most expensive game I have ever purchased.

6.Mega Man Cartoon VHS Tape

This isn't one of the officially released Mega Man cartoon VHS tapes (some of which I also have). Rather, this is a recordable VHS tape containing episodes of the American Mega Man cartoon from when they were originally shown on Fox in 1994/1995. I bought this on eBay in 2001/2002, before the series was released on DVD. For a while, this was the only way to watch other episodes that weren't officially released on VHS. In 2002 or so, I remember a Mega Man site, called the Protoman Homepage, had all but two episode available for streaming. One of the missing episodes, "Bad Day at Peril Park" from season 2, is on this VHS tape.

The versions of the episodes shown on Fox were shortened somewhat. Almost every instance of Mega Man getting hit was cut. But perhaps the most interesting things about this tape are the promo screens shown during commercial breaks, as well as the credits. These weren't included on the official VHS and DVD releases (below).

5.Mega Man X Controller

Probably the coolest looking Controller ever made. The Mega Man X Controller was made by NubyTech, and officially licensed by both Nintendo and Capcom. It was originally suppose to be released for both PS2 and GameCube in 2004, alongside Mega Man X: Command Mission. It was delayed, and only the GameCube version of the Controller was released in late 2005/early 2006 alongside Mega Man X Collection.

The Controller was shown in the 2005 Mega Man commercial, and advertised in the Mega Man X Collection manual.

4.Nintendo Power First Issue

The very first issue of Nintendo Power. I also have issues 3, 5, and 6. Just need issues 2 and 4, then I'll have the entire first year of Nintendo Power. The cover is slightly wrinkled, but the pages are very clean and in near mint shape. The poster is still attached. Somewhat of a collector's item nowadays.

3.Japanese Zelda: Twilight Princess

The Japanese release of Zelda: Twilight Princess for GameCube. This was the last game Nintendo released for the GameCube, in December 2006 (there were some third-party games for the console that followed in 2007, however, some of which are shown in my video above). The GameCube version is a little uncommon, but no where near impossible to find because it got a full release in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. However, in Japan only the Wii version got a full release while the GameCube version was available online only. This makes the Japanese release of the GameCube version one of the rarest games for the console. I bought it complete for a little over $100 in 2020, but it'll likely cost a fortune someday.

2.Sealed GameCube Component Cable

The GameCube's Component cable was available in the U.S. and Canada only from Nintendo's online store (in Japan, it was available at retailers). This is the American release of the cable, and is still sealed. The most surprising thing about it, however, is that it was cheaper than my used GameCube Component cable. My used cable cost around $115 U.S. dollars in a buy it now eBay auction in 2012. For this sealed cable, bidding ended at around $90. No one outbid me and I won the cable. Nowadays it's worth at least a few hundred for a used one.

1.Super Mario Bros. 3 McDonald's Happy Meal Toy Display

This is my favorite of the holy grail items that I have. The display that McDonald's used in 1990 when they sold Super Mario Bros. 3 toys with their Happy Meals. McDonald's had another Mario Happy Meal earlier this year, with toys for the new Super Mario Bros. movie.

Honorable Mentions

Mario Party 4 Event Disc

I made a blog about this. I came across this disc in 2018. The only information I could find out about it at the time was the name of the disc and a picture of it. I found it sealed for a few hundred bucks and had to know what was on it. Well, it's nothing overly exciting. It contains the minigame mode only, and was apparently used (or planned to be used) for a competition in Japan. It is still interesting, as before I got it in 2018 I had no idea this even existed.

Mario Smash Football Pearl White GameCube bundle

A bundle released in Europe, containing a Pearl White GameCube and Super Mario Strikers.

Coleco Telstar Pong Console

I've seen many loose Pong Consoles over the years, but unexpectedly found this one with its box from a nearby seller.

Mega Man Bootlegs

Various Mega Man bootlegs for the original Game Boy and Game Boy Color. One of them is a Mega Man 8 bootleg. Two others, called Zook Hero Z and Rockman DX3 (a.k.a. Zook Hero 2), are games from a Taiwanese company called Vast Fame, and contain different characters and music but basically the same gameplay as the Mega Man series. Zook Hero Z and Rockman DX3 use the same sound effects as Mega Man III, IV, and V for the original Game Boy. There are multiple versions of Rockman DX3. I remember watching a video of it on YouTube in 2007/2008, and the version shown had all of the levels already completed and music recycled from Zook Hero Z. The version I have has mostly different music, a save feature, none of the levels are completed. However, collision during boss battles is broken and you can get hit even if it looked like nothing touched you.

Mega Man 8 also had multiple versions, with a color version being released under the title "Rockman X4" which has nothing to do with Mega Man X4 other than the opening screens. Recently, I found out that the color version was also released under the title "Rockman 99". Thanks @fcgamer for showing pictures of that version in the "what's new in your collection" topic.

Crash Bandicoot 2 Shirt

A promo shirt that was included with Crash Bandicoot 2 when it was released.

GameCube Kiosk Demos

GameCube demo discs used at GameCube Kiosks in stores. The October 2001 demo disc was the first GameCube demo disc in the U.S. and Canada, while the Japanese disc contains Super Smash Bros. Melee and Pikmin demos as well as commercials/trailer videos. The Version 17 demo disc (top) contains a demo of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, from when it was known simply as "Paper Mario 2".

Super Donkey Kong 2 (Famicom)

A Donkey Kong Country 2 bootleg for the Famicom/NES. This is another bootleg that I found out about on NES Player in the early 2000s:

https://web.archive.org/web/20071217193529/http://nesplayer.com/pirates/sdkc2.htm 

While technically it is a port of the SNES game, it is missing quite a few levels. There are only three levels, and only Diddy Kong is playable (Dixie Kong appears on the title and ending screens, but isn't playable in this version). The third level features Rattly the Rattlesnake, the only animal buddy from the SNES version that's included. The music is from the SNES version, with some music tracks being full length while others were shortened a little. The music that plays on the third level (which is based on the "Rattle Battle" level in the SNES version), is pretty catchy and is a fairly accurate rendition of the "Snakey Chanty" music from the SNES version. The graphics are also impressive for a Famicom/NES game. Many of the screens (title, map, ending, etc.) are taken directly from the SNES version, with reduced color.

Official GameCube SD Card

   

That's right, the GameCube has its own official SD Card accessory. It was shown in some issues of Nintendo Power in 2001, and released in Japan in 2003. It's intended to be used for saving pictures taken with the Japanese version of Pokémon Colosseum and Japanese e+ version of Animal Crossing, which can then be printed, used in a digital frame, used as a YouTube Channel icon (which I did about a decade ago), posted on a website, etc. But the SD Card can also be used for homebrew stuff like NES, SNES, Game Boy, and PlayStation Emulators. I use this card to play hacks and homebrews of NES games using the FCE Ultra GX Emulator, like an updated version of Mega Man 3 called "Mega Man 3 Improvement". I also used this card to play an unreleased Game Boy Advance version of Rainbow Islands using the Visual Boy Advance GX Emulator, and a beta version of Mega Man 8 using the CubeSX PlayStation Emulator.

Donkey Kong Country 2 Audio Cassette

I've got several DK soundtracks on CD, including a Donkey Konga soundtrack CD I imported from Europe that I thought about listing here. But, I decided to list this Donkey Kong Country 2 Audio Cassette instead. The DKC ("DK Jamz") and DKC3 soundtracks are a little uncommon, but aren't too difficult to find on eBay. The DKC2 soundtrack, however, is pretty rare (as of this writing, there's a DKC2 CD on eBay for over $1500). The Cassette, which I have here, is even rarer than the CD. I bought it new on eBay in 2002 or so. While Cassettes haven't really made a comeback like Vinyl, I'm glad I still have this DKC2 Cassette. It still works well; check out my video below and have a listen.

Japanese Game Boy Tetris

Tetris, of course, is one of the most common games for the original Game Boy. I'm listing this because it is an earlier Japanese copy that contains a slightly different version of the game. The "A-Type" music in this copy is a different music track known as "Minuet", instead of the more iconic "Korobeiniki" music (a.k.a., the Tetris theme).

Conclusion

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These are just some of the rare goodies I've collected over the years. Some other "holy grail" items I have include a reprint of the very first Ninja Turtles comic that came with pre-orders of the 2007 TMNT game at GameStop, a Battletoads costume I got during my childhood, a Mario Party 3 soundtrack CD, a Resident Evil 4 Chainsaw Controller for GameCube, a fully complete copy of Mega Man II on Game Boy, a Michael Jordan Upper Deck card from an issue of GamePro magazine, a Mario Tennis flyer, and so on.

-MegaMan52