If you counting down until the start of Memorial Day weekend, you are not alone.
This weekend presents a great opportunity to relax, enjoy spending time/appreciating friends and family, and gaming.
Most importantly, it is a time to remember the sacrifices made by members of the military. In keeping with the patriotic theme of the weekend, we are featuring a game with a rare, patriotic cover. This particular copy of Syphon Filter 3 is rare (and valuable) partly because of that patriotic aspect!
Read on to learn more.
Patriotic Weekend Gaming: Extremely Rare Syphon Filter 3 Alt-Flag Cover Back Again
We actually covered this alternative cover last year. If you missed my original post on the Syphon Filter 3 alt-cover, Syphon Filter is a third person stealth shooter game that originally released back in February 1999 for the Playstation.
This game was developed by SCE Bend Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment.
The premise of the original Syphon Filter is the United State government gives two special agents (Gabriel Logan and Lian Xing) the task of arresting an international terrorist. Subsequent iterations of Syphon Filter added on to the ever evolving premise of the game.
One particular iteration of the game, Syphon Filter 3, had the potential to raise some controversy.
SF 3 was set to release in late September 2001.
The game’s cover featured the two main characters in front of an American flag with a cloud of green gas behind them. In light of the tragic terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, Sony felt it would be inappropriate to release the game with the merchandising as it was.
The concern was that the gas depicted on the cover would upset Americans who were still reeling and on edge following the 911 tragedy/Anthrax scares. Sony created new cover art for Syphon Filter 3 and altered their marketing plan for the game. Syphon Filter 3 released in November 2001 with a simple cover that depicted the faces of the main characters.
One Ebayer acquired what is likely one of the only versions of Syphon Filter 3 with the original American flag cover and recently listed it for sale on Ebay.
All searches on the internet indicate that this is an incredibly rare find! Some speculate that the few versions of Syphon Filter 3 with the original flag cover were sold by Sony warehouse employees who snagged a copy of the original game right before it was pulled.
As a result, this particular copy of the game is extremely valuable. The Ebay seller listed the game for $4,500.00. While that is a large chunk of money for most people, keep in mind that you may never see this particular copy of the game being sold again! You can check out this incredibly rare listing here.
Check out these other rare patriotic video game merch listings:
- PSX 2016 – Call of Duty #070 Collectible Card Autographed by ESPORTS Havok/More
- Assassin’s Creed IV 4 Black Flag The Black Chest Edition + Freedom Edition PS3
- XBOX GAME LOT FULL SPECTRUM WARRIOR TEN AMERICAS AA ARMY RISE OF A SOLDIER THQ
- Call Of Duty Black Ops Collectible Medal In Plastic Case LIMITED EDITION
- Global VR America’s Army Video Arcade Game
- BN SEALED GRAND THEFT AUTO V GTA 5 SLEEPING BAG
- Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood Limited Codex Edition PS3
