We don't know about you, but we love browsing retro gaming shops here in the UK. To be honest, CEX isn't our favourite way to buy things (the indie stores are preferred when we can find them!), but it's easily the most mainstream chain when it comes to buying classic original Xbox and Xbox 360 titles, as well as some more modern games.
Trade-ins are obviously a part of the experience as well, and these days, CEX actually sorts its "rarities" into specific categories that make it really easy to see whether you've got any physical titles that are worth big money.
Now, we should note that there are differences between what's considered "rare" in NTSC and PAL regions, although the likes of Steel Battalion and Outrun 2006 apply in both - they can fetch some serious, serious money. In the US, the NBA Ballers: Platinum Hits edition is ridiculously valuable right now, while in the UK you can get over £300 in cash for a used boxed copy of Xiaolin Showdown on the OG Xbox - crazy money!
What we didn't expect to find though, in the case of CEX specifically, is a few games that we hadn't anticipated could attract such great prices. These include the Xbox 360 version of FIFA 19 (surely a few people have this lying around?!), along with the Xbox 360 versions of BioShock Infinite: Complete Edition and Need for Speed: Most Wanted.
Let's take a look at some of these trade-in prices, which are split into vouchers and cash:
- Back To The Future: The Game (Xbox 360) - up to £28 cash / £40 voucher
- BioShock Infinite: Complete Edition (2 Disc) (Xbox 360) - up to £42 cash / £60 voucher
- Crash Time 4 (Xbox 360) - up to £63 cash / £77 voucher
- FIFA 19 (Xbox 360) - up to £23 cash / £33 voucher
- Kick-Ass 2 (Xbox 360) - up to £23 cash / £33 voucher
- Lollipop Chainsaw (Xbox 360) - up to £23 cash / £33 voucher
- My Horse & Me 2 (Xbox 360) - up to £58 cash / £70 voucher
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted '05 (Xbox 360) - up to £30 cash / £43 voucher
- Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge (Xbox 360) - up to £30 cash, £43 voucher
- Silent Hill Downpour (Xbox 360) - up to £35 cash / £50 voucher
Now, as mentioned, these are not the only Xbox rarities you'll find at CEX; we've just picked out a small selection that we were surprised to see going for so much money. If you're interested in the five most valuable altogether, they are Xiaolin Showdown, Room Zoom, Steel Battalion, Castlevania: Curse of Darkness and TMNT 3: Mutant Nightmare.
If you do have any of these in your possession and you're interested in trading them in, we always recommend shopping around first - CEX can be good for a lot of people, but if you've got any other gaming stores in your area, you may as well get the best price possible! There's obviously the option of selling online as well.
And for the Pure Xbox readers who are based in other regions, let us know if you're interested in this topic - we'll happily take a look at some of the rarest Xbox games in the US, for example. There are plenty of surprises to discover...