The Sony Playstation Portable was the first big contender to break up Nintendo’s stranglehold on the portable console market in a while.  And while the PSP didn’t quite reach its full potential or wide, mainstream adoption, it had quite a few fans and catered well to a certain gaming demographic.  As you you may have guessed, the PSP has strong RPG support and that trend is supported in this list of highly-collected games.   This is our first installment in this PSP guide, so if you have any interesting information to share that I didn’t cover, please feel free to share it in the comments section below.

In stark contrast to the Cheapest Games series, this Rare and Valuable series will round up the rarest and most valuable games for a given console or handheld so you’ll know what to look for whether you are buying or selling.

Below you will see two prices beside each title. The first is the average selling price for loose games (although this isn’t as common for PSP as many other portable consoles. The second price is the highest price in the past three months for a complete game.   The list is ordered by the balance of the two prices.  Also: in some instances, we will also list an unopened/sealed price range, when available.

The Most Valuable Standard North American Releases

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona Series $100-$260 ($200-$300 Sealed)

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable: $130-$260 ($300 Sealed)
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2: Innocent Sin: $115-$235 ($200-$290 Sealed)
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona: $100-$200 ($200-$300 Sealed)

The Persona series (also known as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona), published by Atlus, is now quite well-known by hardcore gamers, but was fairly under-the-radar back in the late 90s and even up until the mid aughts, coinciding with these PSP re-releases of the PS1 games. At the time of their original PS1 releases, Persona broke typical RPG conventions in North America by taking place in a modern high school setting and the game’s title is inspired by the beings summoned by characters in battle, manifesting from their psychological persona.

Persona 2: Innocent Sin is the second entry in the Persona series (first part of the Persona 2 story), but this PSP re-release is the first localized version for Western territories. It features characters and themes that have been seen in the PS1 game, Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. Persona 2: Eternal Punishment also was re-released on the PSP, but only in Japan, which is an interesting reversal.

Persona 3 was originally released on the PS2, but was a welcome addition to the PSP library as well and is often regarded as one of the very best RPGs on the handheld. It’s also worth mentioning that this PSP “Portable” edition can be viewed as either a preferred way of playing the game or worth replaying for those that already have the PS2 original. It is a more compact version of the game that doesn’t have the epilogue content of Persona 3 FES, but does offer the ability to play as a female character, control their allies in combat, and even run into new characters from Persona 4 and even Catherine — all of which is exclusive to this version.

Each of these three releases saw modest growth each year in aftermarket sales, but all saw a big boom starting in 2020 and accelerating over the next two year — essentially doubling or tripling in value over those three years. (You could typically buy a complete copy of Persona 3 Portable for $30 or less up until mid-2017)

Check for Shin Megami Tensei: Persona on eBay
Check for Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2: Innocent Sin on eBay
Check for Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable on eBay
Check for Persona Series on Amazon

Hexyz Force: $130-$185 ($190-$235 Sealed)

Another Atlus-published RPG, Hexyz Force features an engaging narrative that puts you in the role of one of two different protagonist, each with their own origin and each taking their own path. This is all complemented by vibrant graphics, solid battle mechanics, and gorgeous anime cutscenes.

The game was developed by Sting Entertainment, who is known for games such as Riviera, Yggdra Union, and Knights in the Nightmare. However, Hexyz Force may be Sting’s most straightforward and accessible title.

Due to being a bit more limited in distribution than the Persona games, Hexyz Force was never ultra-cheap, but did dip below the $50 range for a couple years in 2017-2019 before spiking up dramatically.

Check for Hexyz Force on eBay
Check for Hexyz Force on Amazon

Ys I & II Chronicles: $100-$200 ($210-$250 Sealed)

Premium Version: $160-$250

The Ys series has been a staple in the RPG genre and Ys I & II have actually been ported to more systems then Final Fantasy III — with each version having their own art style and soundtrack. The PSP version happened to get rave reviews from fans and is recommended as a highly recommended addition to a RPG fan’s PSP collection.

The standard version of the game could often be scored for $30 or less though mid 2019. Once both the 2020s retro boom and the PSP collecting scene got its major boost, we quickly saw prices rise before plateauing in 2021.

Check for Ys I & II Chronicles on eBay
Check for Ys I & II Chronicles on Amazon

Legend of Heroes III Song of the Ocean: $74-$200 ($200-$250 Sealed)

The Legend of Heroes series (which started as the Dragon Slayer series in the 80s) has quite a heritage. And unlike the typical PSP games, Song of the Ocean uses 2D graphics and a linear gameplay system. This release also featured an interesting pet system where players could bring their pets into battles.

Legend of Heroes III Song of the Ocean was never quite as affordable as most of the others in this list back in the day. It would usually be up to $40 for a complete copy pre-2017. And between 2017 and 2019, you could expect to spend up to $70 for a nice, complete copy. But these last few years have seen copies at least double in value.

Check for Legend of Heroes III Song of the Ocean on eBay
Check for Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean on Amazon

Hammerin’ Hero : $55-$200 ($260 Sealed)

This cult classic gem is from the lineage of the Hammerin’ Harry games that originated on the NES and Game Boy (which our buddies at HG101 have labeled as a “modern day version of Mystical Ninja / Goemon”.

The franchise was resurrected in 2.5D fashion on the PSP and was one of the first games in the series published in the US by Atlus. It’s a rather cute platform with beatemup influences.

Check for Hammerin’ Hero on eBay
Check for Hammerin’ Hero on Amazon

Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble: $75-$175

Another game with beatemup leanings, Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble is a beat’ em-up in a sandbox setting that was developed by Spike and published by Atlus. It definitely wasn’t targeted for a mainstream US audience, but found a cult following with its limited release.

Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble was almost in bargain bin territory for less than $25 complete through early 2018. In 2019, it did start getting come collecting attention.

Check for Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble on eBay
Check for Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble on Amazon

Most Valuable Japanese Releases

Shinsouhan Clover no Kuni no Alice: Wonderful Wonder World: $250-$500

The particular release is the 2nd remake of the Heart no Kuni no Alice game (which was also release on the Vita). The games are a Japanese adventure/visual novel with a fresh take on the Alice in Wonderland story. The game itself originated on the PC before being ported to the PS2 and PSP. (There is also a manga series that follows the story as well).

This PSP version was also released in a double pack with Twin World (the 7th installment in the series — see below). These both came out as the PSP was approaching its eventually discontinuation in 2014 so quantities were rather limited.

Check for Shinsouhan Clover no Kuni no Alice: Wonderful Wonder World on eBay

Heart no Kuni no Alice: Wonderful Twin World $145-$$300

Oh hey, we just talked about about this is both the 7th installment in the Heart no Kuni no Alice series and came out near the end of the Japanese PSP run. It also came in double-packs with Shinsouhan Clover no Kuni no Alice: Wonderful Wonder World (mentioned above).

It takes place in the same location of the first game, but the story is different and introduces some new characters.

Check for Heart no Kuni no Alice: Wonderful Twin World on eBay

Additional North American PSP Games of Value

• Ys: The Oath in Felghana: $50-$200 ($220-330 Sealed) (eBay)
• Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky: $60-$165 ($180-200 Sealed) (eBay)
• Def Jam Fight for NY The Takeover: $75-$120 (eBay)
• Silent Hill: Shattered Memories : $60-$130 (eBay)
• Ys Seven: $65-$125 ($125-150 Sealed) (eBay)
• Fate/Extra: $60-$120 (eBay)
• Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team: $50-$120 (eBay)
• Sonic Rivals Double Rivals Attack Pack: $65-$100 (eBay)
• Wild Arms XF: $40 -$125 (eBay)
• Steambot Chronicles: Battle Tournament: \(45-\) 120 (eBay)
• Class of Heroes 2: $60-$100 ($130 Sealed) (eBay)
• Lunar: Silver Star Harmony: $45-$115 ($125 Sealed) (eBay)
• Star Ocean Second Evolution: $55-$105 ($125 Sealed) (eBay)
• Monster Kingdom Jewel Summoner: $57-$100 ($100-150 Sealed) (eBay)
• Ragnarok: Tactics: $55-$100 ($185-210 Sealed) (eBay)
• Legend of Heroes II Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch: $40-$115 ($145 Sealed) (eBay)
• Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley: $50-$100 (eBay)
• Brave Story New Traveler: $43-$105 (eBay)
• The 3rd Birthday: $42-$100 (eBay)
• Phantasy Star Portable 2: $50-$85 (eBay)
• Gitaroo Man Lives: $50-$80 (eBay)
• Ys The Ark of Napishtim: $35-$95 (eBay)
• Gungnir: $50-$75 (eBay)
• Growlanser Wayfarer of Time: $42-$85 (eBay)

Most Valuable Limited/Premium Editions

• Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable [Junpei Hat Bundle]: $350-$475 ($770 Sealed) (eBay)
• Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky [Premium Edition]: $200-$375 (eBay)
• Ys I & II Chronicles [Premium Edition]:$160-$250 (eBay)
• Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2: Innocent Sin [Limited Edition]: $150-$250 (eBay)
• Ys: The Oath in Felghana [Premium Edition]: $ 135-$200 ($330 Sealed) (eBay)
• Shin Megami Tensei: Persona [Soundtrack Bundle] : $180-$210 (eBay)

The post The Rarest & Most Valuable Sony PSP (Playstation Portable) Games appeared first on RetroGaming with Racketboy.