When you talk about the rarest PS2 games, Rule Of Rose always crops up in conversation.
Developed by Japanese studio Punchline, Rule of Rose triggered something of a moral outrage in Europe, causing its UK release to be cancelled (the North American and Japanese releases were unaffected).
The truth behind the controversy is even more shocking, and you can read the full story of what happened here – but because it was pulled from release in the UK, Rule of Rose is now something of a collector's item and can fetch prices close to £600.
However, the value of the game appears to have dropped recently due to the discovery of old "new" stock in Italy, where European publisher 505 Games was based.
More than one seller has stock of the game, which would suggest that unsold copies (perhaps those intended for sale but then pulled when the outrage took place) have been discovered.
It goes without saying that when you flood the market with a particular product, supply gets closer to meeting demand, and prices tumble – and that seems to be the case here.
It remains to be seen if this stock injection (which will eventually run out) will have a lasting impact on Rule of Rose's value, which is almost always high due to the game's (largely undeserved) reputation.