Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (GameCube) — Price Guide & Live Deals

What this Path of Radiance page covers

Live eBay listings for Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance on Nintendo GameCube: the North American (NTSC-U/C) retail disc, released in 2005. Intelligent Systems developed it and Nintendo published it. It was the first Fire Emblem with 3D battle graphics and the first home-console entry released in English. Its story continues in Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn on Wii.

Path of Radiance had a modest print run for a first-party GameCube game, and Fire Emblem's later popularity has pushed collector demand well past what that run supplies. Even loose discs ask a lot by GameCube standards, so it pays to know what you're looking at before you pay.

Use the condition chips at the top of the deal grid to sort what's listed:

• Loose: disc only, sometimes with the manual but without the original case.
• CIB: complete in box, meaning the disc, the original GameCube case with its cover insert, and the manual.
• Sealed: factory-sealed copies, graded or ungraded.

The prices in the table come from active US listings. They are asking prices, not sale prices, so treat them as the starting point for negotiation.

Path of Radiance variants worth knowing

• US NTSC-U/C retail disc. This is what the feed tracks. The case is rated T (Teen) by the ESRB. The feed shows US copies only.
• Japanese release (Fire Emblem: Sōen no Kiseki). The same game released in Japan under a different title. Japanese copies ask far less than US copies and are listed constantly, often with an English title, so the feed filters them out (see the gotchas below).
• PAL release. A European/Australian version exists and is filtered too. It asks a premium of its own, and it won't play on an unmodified US console.

Path of Radiance: loose vs CIB vs sealed

Loose copies are the cheapest way in, but by GameCube standards they are not cheap. A GameCube disc is an 8 cm (3-inch) optical disc. Loose prices mostly depend on the state of the data side (scratches, signs of resurfacing), on whether the seller has actually played it, and on whether a manual comes with it. "Disc + manual, no case" and "No Manual" listings both appear often. Disc-and-manual copies usually land in the Loose bucket and should ask less than a full CIB.

CIB is the biggest bucket. A complete copy includes the disc, the original GameCube case, the printed cover insert in the case's clear sleeve, and the instruction manual, along with whatever Nintendo paperwork was packed with it. CIB prices vary with case condition (cracked hinges, a broken disc hub, sticker residue), insert condition, and whether the manual is present and undamaged. Titles that say "all inserts" or "complete" are claims, so check them against the photos. A few CIB listings include the official strategy guide as an extra. Those ask more, and the guide is the reason.

Sealed copies sit well above CIB. Graded copies from WATA, VGA, CGC or PSA appear regularly. The feed applies a price cap, so ungraded and mid-grade sealed copies appear, while top-grade slabs listed above that cap don't. That cap is deliberate.

Saves: GameCube uses memory cards, not batteries

GameCube discs don't store saves. Progress goes to a GameCube Memory Card in the console, which is sold separately, so there is no save battery to worry about. A Wii model with GameCube controller ports and memory card slots also plays the disc and uses the same memory cards. Budget for a card if you don't have a working one. "Memory card with a 100% save" listings are not the game. The feed filters memory card.

Spotting counterfeit Path of Radiance discs

A GameCube disc can be counterfeited by anyone with a disc press, and Path of Radiance sells for enough to make that worth doing. The feed excludes listings whose own titles say repro, reproduction, aftermarket or repo. A dishonest seller calling a fake "authentic" will still get through, so the physical checks are up to you:

• Data side colour. Authentic pressed GameCube discs have an even silver data side. Recordable media often shows a purple, blue or gold tint, which strongly suggests a burned copy.
• Label print quality. Compare the label face against a known-authentic photo of a US Path of Radiance disc. Look for blurry print, colours out of alignment, or washed-out colour.
• Real-hardware testing. Ask whether the disc was played past the title screen on a GameCube or a GameCube-compatible Wii, not just booted. Several sellers offer a gameplay video, which is worth asking for at this price.
• Case and insert (CIB). An authentic case doesn't make the disc authentic. Reproduction cover inserts are also sold to people assembling CIBs from parts, so compare print quality and the back-of-case layout with reference photos.

A US disc priced far below the rest of the feed is the biggest warning sign. Check the listing for a Japanese or PAL disc before you suspect a fake, though. Those are the usual explanation.

Path of Radiance verification checklist by condition

Loose

• Silver data side with no recordable-media tint, compared against an authentic reference photo.
• Crisp, well-aligned label print, and confirm it is the US disc, not a Japanese or PAL one.
• "Tested" should mean played on real hardware, ideally with a video.
• Resurfaced or "polished" discs are fine if they play, but a "mint" disc described elsewhere in the listing as resurfaced has had material removed.

CIB

• Original GameCube case with an intact disc hub and hinges.
• A printed (not photocopied) cover insert that matches reference photos of the US release.
• An original manual, not a reprint. Replacement manuals and cases are sold separately, so check for them.
• All the Loose checks still apply to the disc itself.

Sealed

• For graded copies, check the grading house and look up the certificate number.
• Ungraded sealed copies carry reseal risk: a disc put back into an opened case and re-wrapped. Compare the wrap and seams with authentic sealed reference photos, and treat an ungraded "sealed" copy priced like a CIB with suspicion.

Path of Radiance buying gotchas

• Japanese copies under an English title. This is the biggest trap on this title. Japanese copies are listed as "Fire Emblem Path of Radiance GameCube" at a fraction of the US price, and some name the region only by the Japanese title, a product code, or nothing at all. The GameCube is region-locked, so a Japanese disc won't boot on an unmodified US console. The feed filters titles mentioning Japan, the Japanese title or the Japanese product code, and it excludes sellers located in Japan, Hong Kong or China. A US-based seller with a Japanese disc and a plain title can still get through, so check the case and disc art for Japanese text.
• Parts sold alone. Case-only, box-only, manual-only and cover-insert-only listings are common at prices that look like a deal on the game. Some are ex-rental-store cases. The feed filters titles that say so (case only, box only, manual only, cover art only, sleeve only, no game), but check the photos to confirm a disc is included.
• Path of Radiance + Radiant Dawn pairs. The GameCube game and its Wii sequel are often sold together. The feed filters those pairs, and other Fire Emblem titles, so the price table reflects Path of Radiance alone.
• Strategy guides and promo items. The official strategy guide, Japanese guidebooks, promotional soundtrack CDs and posters all carry the full game title. The feed filters the common wording (strategy guide, game guide, guide book, soundtrack, poster). That also drops a rare game listing that includes a soundtrack as a bonus.
• Condition grade vs title. Sellers pick eBay's condition grade loosely. The feed accepts every working grade (including "Like New", "Brand New" and the refurbished grades), so the chip comes from the title and condition together. Read the description for anything the title leaves out.
• Problems mentioned only in the description. The feed reads titles, not descriptions. A listing can say "read description" in the title and keep the problem in the body text. Read the description before you buy.
• Seller feedback floor. The feed only shows sellers with at least 50 feedback and 99% positive, which removes a lot of throwaway accounts selling suspiciously cheap copies.