History KeepCirculatingTheTapes / VideoGamesRescued

* Despite being considered one of the greatest and most important video games of all time and becoming a best-seller for the platform, ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}'' was only available on the [[Platform/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]] for nearly 20 years after its first release--arguably due to [[AcclaimedFlop the game failing to recoup its high development costs]], which also added to Sega's financial debt that ultimately led them to bow out of the industry as a console maker. Its equally well-regarded sequel, ''Shenmue II'', underperformed in sales[[note]]despite being made on a significantly cheaper budget, some of the budget for the first game went into the sequel[[/note]]; the only place to obtain the game outside of the Dreamcast release was the subsequent Xbox port. And even those two releases had their own issues of NoExportForYou: only Europe received both versions of the game, with the Dreamcast release skipping America and the Xbox release skipping Japan. Years later, however, series creator Yu Suzuki (who left Sega to create his own studio, Ys Net) got the license from Sega and enough funding [[SavedFromDevelopmentHell to start production on a long-awaited third entry]], re-igniting hope from fans that the first two games could finally see a modern re-release someday. These hopes eventually came to fruition in 2018, when Sega announced a Platform/HighDefinition CompilationRerelease of the first two ''Shemmue'' games for Platform/PlayStation4, Platform/XboxOne, and PC.

* Black&White first-person horror game ''VideoGame/{{Betrayer}}'' was removed from digital sale a couple of years after the small indie company that made it shut down. However, years later it eventually showed up as a free download on [=GOG.com=].

* ''VideoGame/MeltyBlood: Actress Again Current Code'' is an interesting case: the game was never released on its own like its predecessors (the original, ''Re-ACT'', and ''Act Cadenza Ver.B'') but instead was shipped with the third season Blu-ray of ''Carnival Phantasm''. The Blu-ray set however became sought-after item [[JustHereForGodzilla simply for the game alone]] and it eventually ran out of print with the Blu-ray set going for as much as $150 ''used'', almost twice that for a brand-new copy, and it wasn't put through any digital distribution services such as Website/{{DLsite}}. The game was eventually released overseas through Steam by Creator/ArcSystemWorks in 2016 along with a PC port of ''VideoGame/UnderNightInBirth''.

* For years, ''[[VideoGame/SimCity Sim City 3000]]'' was the only game of the series not to have any sort of legitimate digital release after going out of print. This wasn't because of poor reception or sales, but because it couldn't run on UsefulNotes/DOSBox like its predecessors (and couldn't run natively on modern Windows like ''Sim City 4'' can). After many years of remaining a conspicuous gap in the series, EA and Platform/GOGDotCom finally teamed up to bring it back in mid-2016, and this time it's compatible up to and including Windows 10.

* Despite being considered one of the greatest and most important video games of all time and becoming a best-seller for the platform, ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}'' was only available on the [[Platform/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]] for nearly 20 years after its first release--arguably due to [[AcclaimedFlop the game failing to recoup its high development costs]], which also added to Sega's financial debt that ultimately led them to bow out of the industry as a console maker. Its equally well-regarded sequel, ''Shenmue II'', underperformed in sales[[note]]despite being made on a significantly cheaper budget, some of the budget for the first game went into the sequel[[/note]]; the only place to obtain the game outside of the Dreamcast release was the subsequent Xbox port. And even those two releases had their own issues of NoExportForYou: only Europe received both versions of the game, with the Dreamcast release skipping America and the Xbox release skipping Japan. Years later, however, series creator Yu Suzuki (who left Sega to create his own studio, Ys Net) got the license from Sega and enough funding [[SavedFromDevelopmentHell to start production on a long-awaited third entry]], re-igniting hope from fans that the first two games could finally see a modern re-release someday. These hopes eventually came to fruition in 2018, when Sega announced a UsefulNotes/HighDefinition CompilationRerelease of the first two ''Shemmue'' games for Platform/PlayStation4, Platform/XboxOne, and PC.

* For PC gaming, before [[ArtifactTitle branching out into indie games and movies]], Website/GOGDotCom originally started for this purpose (its original / full name being "Good Old Games"). Along with Platform/{{Steam}} (to a lesser extent), it offers some old games that were either {{abandonware}} or will have compatibility issues if people try to run the original release.

* Before ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}} I'' and ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} I'' and ''II'' were added to [[Website/GOGDotCom GOG]] in March 2019, any Creator/BlizzardEntertainment games older than the original ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'' (1998) were largely inaccessible. ''VideoGame/TheLostVikings'', ''VideoGame/{{Blackthorne}}'' and ''VideoGame/RockNRollRacing'' were available for free for a time on Blizzard's official website, but the download links have since been removed and there was no way to legally acquire digital copies until 2021, when all three games were rereleased as the ''Blizzard Arcade Collection''.

* The arcade version of ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'' was rereleased on Platform/XboxLiveArcade for a while, until Empire Interactive went bankrupt, also erasing hopes of a rerelease of the second game. Luckily, all three arcade games were rescued in the Platform/{{Steam}} and Website/GOGDotCom CompilationRerelease ''Double Dragon Trilogy''.

** Likewise, the [[GaidenGame spin-off]] games ''[[VideoGame/AnElderScrollsLegendBattlespire Battlespire]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsAdventuresRedguard Redguard]]'' were victims of this trope until August 2015 when [[https://www.gog.com/news/release_the_elder_scrolls they were made available]] on Website/GOGDotCom. As a bonus, versions of ''Arena'' and ''Daggerfall'' that have a DOS emulator included and set up were also made available to anyone that bought another game published by Bethesda on GOG.com. This changed in 2022 as the aforementioned games became freely available on GOG.com and Steam, with the former even adopting the fan-made Daggerfall Unity port project and includes a very large collection of mods.

* In TheNewTens, Creator/LucasArts, Creator/DoubleFine, Creator/{{Sony}}, and Website/GOGDotCom embarked on a quest to rescue largely popular games in the former's library that have been stuck in circulation limbo. To wit:

* For years, ''[[VideoGame/SimCity Sim City 3000]]'' was the only game of the series not to have any sort of legitimate digital release after going out of print. This wasn't because of poor reception or sales, but because it couldn't run on UsefulNotes/DOSBox like its predecessors (and couldn't run natively on modern Windows like ''Sim City 4'' can). After many years of remaining a conspicuous gap in the series, EA and Website/GOGDotCom finally teamed up to bring it back in mid-2016, and this time it's compatible up to and including Windows 10.

* The Game Boy Advance title [[UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte Napoleon]] was one of the very few RTS games for the system and received a limited release in only France and Japan. Because of this, copies are hard to come by and are expensive for Game Boy Advance titles. However, the game was recently released for the Wii U in 2015.

* ''VideoGame/TooHuman'' is a particularly surprising case -- due to losing a lawsuit with Creator/EpicGames in 2013 over the use of the the latter's UsefulNotes/{{game engine}} Unreal 3, Silicon Knights was order to recall and destroy all unsold copies of games they had created using the engine; those being ''Too Human'' and ''VideoGame/XMenDestiny''. Silicon Knights, being a skeleton crew by this point, didn't have the resources to actually pull this off and thus simply delisted the game from the Xbox storefront. In 2019, however, to everyone's surprise, the game was added to the Xbox One's backwards compatibility list and relisted on the Xbox store - for free, to boot. When Major Nelson was announcing the addition, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDODX8dZa4c&t=5408s he even stated]] that it was "One I bet you never thought would happen." (''VideoGame/XMenDestiny'', which was wrapped up in the same lawsuit, will likely remain MIA due to the ''X-Men'' license.)

** Its prequel, ''MOTHER'', had it even worse in the west. Originally planned for an English release in the very early 1990s, it was cancelled due to the release of the SNES and the high price of the cartridge the game would require, despite the localization and programming being entirely completed before the cancellation. Only ''five'' prototype cartridges of this version are known to exist, making it impossible for anyone but the most dedicated (and wealthy) of collectors to play it on official hardware. ROM dumps and pirated reproduction cartridges were the only way to play the game for many years... until the strong Virtual Console sales of ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound|1994}}'' finally convinced Nintendo to officially release the localization under the title ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' for the Wii U's Virtual Console. It would also be added to the NES Online service for the Nintendo Switch, making it available to even more potential fans for the first time ever.

* For PC gaming, before [[ArtifactTitle branching out into indie games and movies]], Website/GOGDotCom originally started for this purpose (its original / full name being "Good Old Games"). Along with UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} (to a lesser extent), it offers some old games that were either {{abandonware}} or will have compatibility issues if people try to run the original release.

* UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole (for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, and UsefulNotes/WiiU), UsefulNotes/XboxLiveArcade, and [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationNetwork [=PlayStation=] Network]] have sections for games from previous systems. Games that sell for ridiculously high prices on eBay and Amazon are available for far less on these services, such as ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', and games that are very hard to find in retail (like ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'') can easily be found here.
** Virtual Console (Consoles): Games for the [[UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]], [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]], and UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} for both the Wii and Wii U; and additionally games for the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis (Mega Drive), UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 (PC Engine), and even a few arcade games in the case of the Wii. (The Wii U, thanks to native backward compatibility with the Wii, is also able to download and play games on the Wii Virtual Console).

** Virtual Console (Handhelds): Games from [[UsefulNotes/GameBoy Game]] [[UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor Boy]] [[UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance systems]], the UsefulNotes/GameGear, UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16, and NES for the Nintendo 3DS. The New Nintendo 3DS is also able to play SNES games as well.
** Xbox Live Arcade: Games for the original UsefulNotes/{{Xbox}} in the case of the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}} and UsefulNotes/XboxOne.
** [=PlayStation=] Network: Games for the original UsefulNotes/PlayStation in the case of the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable PSP]], [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 PS3]], and [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita Vita]], and additionally UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 in the case of the [=PS3=].

* ''VideoGame/AlisiaDragoon'' never sold well in any territory, making copies of this CultClassic [[UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis Genesis]] game somewhat rare. It ''finally'' saw a re-release in 2019 after being included on the Sega Genesis Mini.
* The ''VideoGame/BatenKaitos'' duology were a pair of cult hit [=RPGs=] developed by Creator/MonolithSoft for the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube. They were the only releases of the games until it was announced that they were to be remastered for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch in 2023.

* The only re-release of ''VideoGame/{{Crystalis}}'' used to be the 2000 port to the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor. This was one of the few games Creator/{{SNK}} originally created for the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem rather than for arcades, and their Virtual Console support was usually limited to UsefulNotes/NeoGeo games. (SNK's pre-Neo Geo arcade games, however, are well represented on the UsefulNotes/PlayStationNetwork.) This changed with the 2018 release of ''SNK [=40th=] Anniversary Collection'', which includes the NES version of ''Crystalis''.

* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'' was absent from the UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole for years, for [[http://web.archive.org/web/20100210103051/http://www.rareware.com/extras/scribes/18sep09/index.html whatever]] [[https://twitter.com/RareLtd/status/25013528136 reason]]. The most popular theory due to its absence were the inclusions of ''VideoGame/{{Jetpac}}'' and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' as playable mandatory mini-games within the game (you have to play them if you want to fight the final boss and complete the game, so removing them isn't an option unless they were to heavily alter the game's code)--''Jetpac'' as it's owned by Rare themselves, and ''Donkey Kong'' as the version Rare ported to ''[=DK64=]'' is the original arcade version, to which Nintendo doesn't own the rights. An alternative theory was Rareware's N64 games need a certain code to run on Virtual Console that Rare may have access to, but Nintendo may not--which was evident when people have tried to inject Wii Virtual Console files with [=ROMs=] of Rare's N64 games to no or very little success. Fortunately, the situation was eventually remedied when ''Donkey Kong 64'' was released on the Wii U's Virtual Console in April 2015.

* ''VideoGame/Doom64'': An original entry to the classic ''Doom'' series that was unfortunately mistaken as just another port of the original ''Doom'' due to the [[SuperTitle64Advance "64" in the title]], never left the Nintendo 64, and--to make things worse--came out around time when ''Turok'' and ''[=GoldenEye=] 007'' were considered state-of-the-art for their time. Thankfully some copies of the original Nintendo 64 cartridges are floating around for a reasonable price on Amazon and [=eBay=], and numerous fans have made remakes that are compatible with ''Doom'' source ports. However, in September 2019, Nintendo and Bethesda announced that a remastered port of the original game would be coming to the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, and [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PC]], courtesy of Creator/NightdiveStudios, and included as a pre-order bonus of ''VideoGame/DoomEternal'' as an apology for the delaying the game from its original Q4 2019 release.
* The arcade version of ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'' was rereleased on UsefulNotes/XboxLiveArcade for a while, until Empire Interactive went bankrupt, also erasing hopes of a rerelease of the second game. Luckily, all three arcade games were rescued in the UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} and Website/GOGDotCom CompilationRerelease ''Double Dragon Trilogy''.

* After its unfortunate initial US performance in 1995, ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound|1994}}'' saw no re-release in America for nearly two decades, not even on the UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole. Its Masterpiece demo in the Japanese version of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'', and its appearance in a WebVideo/NintendoDirect press release regarding the UsefulNotes/WiiU Virtual Console (losing its position to -- of all games -- ''VideoGame/PunchOut Featuring Mr. Dream''), were even explicitly removed from international versions! Rumors abound as to why this was the case, the most common ones involving legal issues over [[{{Sampling}} its music]], but nothing was ever confirmed by Nintendo and plenty of arguments against those theories surfaced too. [[note]]The real reason for it being kept from a Western re-release for so long was actually due to concerns involving its frequent use of flashing and flickering effects, which had to be blurred in the Virtual Console release.[[/note]] At any rate, it became very rare to find someone who actually played the game on a console rather than just emulating it. Being a very famous game, during the years where it was difficult to find, it was selling for anywhere between $80 and ''$200'', making it a true standout. Finally, after plenty of patience and plenty of waiting, Nintendo at last announced its release for the Wii U Virtual Console, later making good on their promise in July 2013. It was also added to the SNES Online service for the Nintendo Switch, making it even more available than before. There is still no word on [[VideoGame/Mother3 its sequel]], but this is certainly a step in the right direction.

* ''VideoGame/GoldenEye1997'' didn't see a re-release for 25 years after its original release on the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64. The fact that it was a LicensedGame developed for Nintendo by Rare, who were later purchased by Microsoft made its rights into a complicated issue. However, in September 2022, it was announced that the original game would be re-released on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch Online Service, and that a remastered version would be launching for Xbox consoles.
* The majority of ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'' games before ''Friends of Mineral Town'' are difficult to find used copies of, especially the ''Game Boy'' and ''Color'' ones. However, the ones on Creator/{{Nintendo}} systems received UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole releases while ''Back to Nature'' for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation received both a UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable port and a [=PlayStation=] Network release of the original version.
** ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon64'' took such a long time to see a rerelease that said rerelease came out on the UsefulNotes/WiiU in 2017, the year that system was discontinued. It is a CultClassic and considered the best Harvest Moon game by many, but it never received a UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} Virtual Console release, an enhanced remake (a la the [=PS1=] games to GBA), or a port release (like the [=PS1=] games). Only the original SNES game ended up having a Virtual Console release on the Wii, and the same game's Wii U Virtual Console release came when the system was still in production. [[http://www.destructoid.com/harvest-moon-64-not-coming-to-the-virtual-console-181459.phtml Interviews with]] [[https://www.siliconera.com/harvest-moon-beyond-whats-next-natsume/ Natsume executives]] reported that technical problems concerning the source code made the notion of any possible remake or port impossible; despite the fact that this game was supposedly one of the first games they planned for a Virtual Console release. But to everyone's surprise, [[http://www.natsume.com/community/showthread.php?p=160863#post160863 it was finally announced for a Wii U Virtual Console release]]--not only for North America, but for Europe as well, even though the game was never originally released there.

* ''VideoGame/JudgementSilversword'' was one of the most sought after UsefulNotes/WonderSwan games, being developed as a homebrew title during the [=WonderWitch=] contest in 2004 and gained a cult following in the shoot 'em up crowd. Due to its obscurity and limited print run, the game could go for upwards of ''hundreds'' of dollars at auction. Its GaidenGame, ''Cardinal Sins'', was released as freeware for the [=WonderSwan=], but not in a form playable on emulators. These games, however, did see a re-release on the Xbox 360 bundled with their SpiritualSuccessor, ''VideoGame/{{ESCHATOS}}'', albeit as a Japan-only region-free import title, but it was later ported overseas to PC via Steam for a much more wallet-friendly price of $5 USD. It also was bundled with the [=PlayStation=] 4 and Nintendo Switch remasters of ''ESCHATOS''.

* ''Keen Dreams'' was often referred to as the "lost chapter" in the ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen'' series, and follows Billy having a dream where he has to fight a potato king in a vegetable kingdom. It has a confusing rights history -- developed by Softdisk Publishing and published by id Software, with the rights to the game being owned by Flat Rock Software from 2005-2014. The game was considered freeware for quite some time (although this wasn't the case), and copies passed freely between collectors. In 2013, an Android port was made available, but the original game still hasn't been officially released. Instead, the source code was bought by a crowdfunding campaign, and there is an attempt to get the game ported to Steam through its Greenlight program. It was later released on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch [=eShop=] in early 2019.

** Up until 2015, ''VideoGame/GrimFandango'' was known for being notoriously hard to obtain, as there had been exactly zero re-releases up until that point, and the game suffered from extremely low sales (it was released during the same time as the more anticipated titles of '98). Thankfully Double Fine released a remastered version of the game in February 2015 for Sony systems ([[UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 PS4]] and [[UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita PS Vita]]) and personal computers (Windows, Mac, and Linux).

* ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy'': When Nintendo and Creator/RetroStudios hawked this compilation of all three ''Prime'' games as a "[[LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition Limited Edition release]]", for once, ''they weren't kidding''. It's cheap enough (and easy, due to the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}'s backward compatibility, but... not for those with a UsefulNotes/WiiU, as ''Trilogy'' is the only way to play the first two ''Prime'' games on that system, or play them in [[AspectRatio widescreen]] on either) to get all three games by themselves, but those looking for this triple-pack including all three games on one disk with Wii Remote controls and bonus features were left searching for pre-owned copies that could run up to $100 for ''the disk alone''. Fortunately, in January 2015, Nintendo announced that ''Trilogy'' would become available to download from the Wii U eShop by the end of the month for $20 (initially available for $10 during the first week of its release).

* For the longest time, late-entering fans of the ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'' series had an extremely tough time getting a hold of it. The UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube version went out of print, and the game is so well-loved used copies would almost '''never''' pop up anywhere. They were eventually granted a Wii re-release of the game with enhanced controls in 2009.

** In 2023, Nintendo released HD remasters of the first 2 ''Pikmin'' games for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.
* Ironically enough, ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'''s debut games ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' used to suffer from this in the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS era due to the Game Boy Advance and DS/DS Lite being discontinued, ruling out the remakes (''[=FireRed=]'' and ''[=LeafGreen=]'' on the GBA), and the original games not being released on 3DS UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole (likely because the Virtual Console didn't support link functionality, which would've locked off trading, which is a major, nearly mandatory part of the game). With the Johto and Hoenn gap being closed on remakes playable on the Nintendo 3DS, they were the only Pokémon games not playable on it in either original or remade form. However, they were released on 3DS Virtual Console (with trading and multiplayer battling intact, now done through local wireless connections as opposed to Link Cables) for their [[MilestoneCelebration 20th anniversary]] on February 27, 2016. ''Yellow'' also suffered from this problem even worse, as almost none of its differences were implemented into the remakes, but it too was re-released. The following year, the original forms of ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' were released on the eShop in September 2017, once again being able to trade and battle wirelessly (the former also being possible with ''Red'', ''Blue'', and ''Yellow'' once the Time Capsule is unlocked), as well as retaining the ability to use Mystery Gift via the system's built-in infrared port (a feature the 3DS shares with the UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor, as the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance dropped the infrared port). Then, ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Pokémon Crystal]]'' was announced for a Virtual Console release on the 3DS eShop in January 2018.

* The entire ''VideoGame/RaySeries'', especially ''[=RayCrisis=]'', were lost in time a few past-generation console or limited PC releases, with ''[=RayStorm=] HD'' being only available on Xbox 360 outside of Japan as a downloadable title. However, they've been brought back to [=iOS=] and Android systems based on their arcade counterparts. These games would get another [[ArcadePerfectPort arcade-accurate]] re-release as part of the ''Ray'z Arcade Chronology'' developed by Creator/{{M2}} for the [=PlayStation=] 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}. The Xbox 360 and [=PlayStation=] version of ''[=RayStorm=] HD'', however, remains stuck on those consoles, and the Android ports of the series were delisted.

* ''VideoGame/Shantae2002'' was a very late release UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor game by Creator/WayForwardTechnologies. It sold less than 100k copies during its release (only about 77k, if numbers are to be believed), [[AcclaimedFlop but word of mouth (and reviews) spread stories of the game's excellent quality]]. Copies routinely go for ''over $100'' on eBay, and people who attempted to play the game through [[DigitalPiracyIsEvil slightly cheaper methods]] were out of luck, as the game proved difficult to emulate, with most emulators of the era either having major inaccuracies or not even running at all. Its rarity was even lampshaded by WFT themselves on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STfLWs6XGkM official Risky's Revenge soundtrack release video]]. Come 2013, when WFT announced that they were working on a port of the game for the Nintendo 3DS's Virtual Console, and eventually released said port in July that year. Another enhanced port of the game was later for the Nintendo Switch in 2021.
* Despite being considered one of the greatest and most important video games of all time and becoming a best-seller for the platform, ''VideoGame/{{Shenmue}}'' was only available on the [[UsefulNotes/SegaDreamcast Dreamcast]] for nearly 20 years after its first release--arguably due to [[AcclaimedFlop the game failing to recoup its high development costs]], which also added to Sega's financial debt that ultimately led them to bow out of the industry as a console maker. Its equally well-regarded sequel, ''Shenmue II'', underperformed in sales[[note]]despite being made on a significantly cheaper budget, some of the budget for the first game went into the sequel[[/note]]; the only place to obtain the game outside of the Dreamcast release was the subsequent Xbox port. And even those two releases had their own issues of NoExportForYou: only Europe received both versions of the game, with the Dreamcast release skipping America and the Xbox release skipping Japan. Years later, however, series creator Yu Suzuki (who left Sega to create his own studio, Ys Net) got the license from Sega and enough funding [[SavedFromDevelopmentHell to start production on a long-awaited third entry]], re-igniting hope from fans that the first two games could finally see a modern re-release someday. These hopes eventually came to fruition in 2018, when Sega announced a UsefulNotes/HighDefinition CompilationRerelease of the first two ''Shemmue'' games for UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, and PC.

* ''[[VideoGame/TacticsOgre Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together]]'': The [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]] version of this classic game never made it to the West due to it being released around the same time the UsefulNotes/PlayStation came into existence, and the [=PS1=] re-release (which did get localized) was super-rare even at launch, not to mention being a notoriously shoddy port (and for English-speaking gamers, a notoriously even-worse translation). Sixteen years later, Creator/SquareEnix released an enhanced remake of the game, overjoying fans and enraging speculators the world over.

** Then, on November 3, 2017, ZUN announced that the two then-most recent entries, ''Hidden Star in Four Seasons'' and ''Antinomy of Common Flowers'' would be released on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}. Soon after, the official Steam page for the former was revealed, and ''[=HSiFS=]'' was finally released on November 17, 2017. ''[=AoCF=]'' was also confirmed to be released on Steam worldwide in 2018. By 2019, every game from ''[[VideoGame/DoubleSpoilerTouhouBunkachou Double Spoiler]]'' to ''[[VideoGame/TouhouKikeijuuWilyBeastAndWeakestCreature Wily Beast and Weakest Creature]]'' had been released on Steam. The exceptions are ''[[VideoGame/TouhouShinkirouHopelessMasquerade Hopeless Masquerade]]'' (unknown reason at the time of this writing) and ''[[VideoGame/TouhouShinpirokuUrbanLegendInLimbo Urban Legend in Limbo]]'' (likely due to the existence of the official UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 port).

* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'' for the Wii was originally only given a tiny print run in North America, causing it to go out of stock almost immediately thanks to its really good word-of-mouth advertising. Due to its popularity, it eventually received a port to the New Nintendo 3DS and a subsequent Wii U Virtual Console re-release of the Wii original, opening it up to the audience that couldn't get it in time. This was followed by a [[VideoGameRemake remake]] on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch that overhauled the graphics and added new content.

* UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole (for the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, and UsefulNotes/WiiU), UsefulNotes/XboxLiveArcade, and UsefulNotes/PlayStationNetwork have sections for games from previous systems. Games that sell for ridiculously high prices on eBay and Amazon are available for far less on these services, such as ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', and games that are very hard to find in retail (like ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'') can easily be found here.

* Before [[ArtifactTitle branching out into indie games and movies]], Website/GOGDotCom originally existed for this purpose, as if the original "Good Old Games" wasn't obvious enough.

** For PC gaming, UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} and Website/GOGDotCom offer some old games that were either {{abandonware}} or will have compatibility issues if people try to run from the original.

** Its prequel, ''MOTHER'', had it even worse in the west. Originally planned for an English release in the very early 1990s, it was cancelled due to the release of the SNES and the high price of the cartridge the game would require, despite the localization and programming being entirely completed before the cancellation. Only ''five'' prototype cartridges of this version are known to exist, making it impossible for anyone but the most dedicated (and wealthy) of collectors to play it on official hardware. ROM dumps and pirated reproduction cartridges were the only way to play the game for many years... until the strong Virtual Console sales of ''VideoGame/{{Earthbound}}'' finally convinced Nintendo to officially release the localization under the title ''VideoGame/EarthboundBeginnings'' for the Wii U's Virtual Console. It would also be added to the NES Online service for the Nintendo Switch, making it available to even more potential fans for the first time ever.

* ''VideoGame/RadiantSilvergun'' was notorious for running for at least $150 USD after the game went out of print. It was finally re-released on Xbox Live for the low low price of $10 USD.

* The entire ''VideoGame/RaySeries'', especially ''[=RayCrisis=]'', were lost in time a few past-generation console or limited PC releases, with ''[=RayStorm=] HD'' being only available on Xbox 360 outside of Japan as a downloadable title. However, they've been brought back to [=iOS=] and Android systems based on their arcade counterparts. These games would get another [[ArcadeAccuratePort arcade-accurate]] re-release as part of the ''Ray'z Arcade Chronology'' developed by Creator/{{M2}} for the [=PlayStation=] 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}.

* Originally released to iOS for Apple devices, ''[[VideoGame/AceCombat Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion]]'' was removed from the App Store in 2015. Reportedly the game had issues running in iOS 7 that prevented Apple from permitting Xi from being sold any further. Thankfully, you can find the IPA on the Internet Archive. [[note]] While it doesn't work on newer phones, if you have a phone that is older than IOS 11, you'll be fine.[[/note]]