Back when Working Designs still existed, the company's games had limited print runs and elaborate packaging. Once WD's products went out of print, they tended to increase in price. (A few of the company's PS1 games have been released on the Playstation Network.)
I'm kind of glad that digital distribution now exists. It's a lot easier to pay a few dollars for a legit download, rather than track down a rare physical copy of a game. Of course, I also like cartridges and discs, and I can certainly argue for their merits.
Blue Lemma wrote:New Super Mario Brothers for $29.99-$34.99 at stores STILL?! That thing's been out forever! Same with Dragon Quest V for DS...
First party Nintendo games don't tend to decrease in price. And if they're quality products, then fans tend to keep them. While I don't have documentation to back this up, I've heard that the company manages to sell its first party games month after month, often year after year. In the last few years, Nintendo has tended to sell its games to non-core gamers, even after serious business video game fanboys like me regard their games as yesterday's news.
Square Enix games on DS and PSP tended to cost a few dollars more than other companies' games. And while the company's console games tend to slowly decrease in price, its portable games may not necessarily go down. I'm thinking this is related to how many copies get sent to retailers, and how many copies the company expects to sell.
According to a recent episode of 1up's Games Dammit podcast, the English version of DQ5 DS only had a modest print run. So if you want a copy of this game in decent condition, then you may want to buy it soon. It's the only official translation of DQ5 (fans translated the original Super Famicom game, and also its PS2 remake).
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Thanks for the DQ5 tip, too, gekiganwing.
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