Is there anything online that shows concrete production numbers for games, to show how rare games actually are? The only thing I have ever seen for a game is the Tengen version of Tetris, and even then they only said there were fewer that 100,000 copies. Also, was Snow Brothers one of those Blockbuster only games, or were there other reaasons it is so hard to find?

I think Snow Bros is lumped in the same category as Contra Force and Bubble Bobble 2. They were fully released, but late in the system's life as SNES was really commanding dollars. They may not have been available in all areas NOT because they weren't marketed there, but because game stores were putting money into SNES stock and may have passed on the option to get these titles. That began the scarcity, but also because they're high-demand...BB2 and Contra obviously, and Snow Bros because it's Capcom and it wound up being a superb 2-player simul. game; got good press.

The perception you may have that they were rental only is largely because at that point NES players I think were saving their dollars for SNES and really only put money into the NES system for rentals. Most rental stores would buy at least one of each new game, meaning that many of the ones on the after-market for all of these titles were likely ex-rentals. Although personally all of the copies I've ever seen of these carts were clean, no stickers, meaning perhaps video stores mirrored chain dept. stores in their passing on these titles.

Bubble Bobble 2 and Flintstones 2 were both rental only Dan. Blockbuster had exclusive rights to them from what I have seen. They is why they are so hard to find, and getting them CIB is retardedly hard. No clue on production #'s though, only Nintendo and the game manufacturers would know that info.
~~NGD

And why myself and Dr. Morbis will never see copies in the wild. Didn't get any Blockbusters around here until late in the SNES' life

^Yeah, but I've got them both CIB and mint already, so I don't really *need* to find them in the wild