Better Layton Than Never…

All week I’ve been hunting for ‘Professor Layton and the Curious Village’. I had foolishly put it on my Christmas list rather than snapping it up weeks ago and now all copies seem to have been dragged down to the earth’s core by some furious leviathan. When other-half announced that he couldn’t find it for me anywhere, I was sceptical. Nonsense, I snorted and promptly snapped open a new browser window. Hours later, however, I was forced to concur. Oh, there were copies out there – if I wanted to pay upwards of seventy two quid from the highway robbers lurking in Amazon’s unpatrolled bushes, or if I wanted to supply a kidney in a jar to keep my arm and leg happy on eBay. No thanks. I have paid stupid money for things I swore I wanted at the time, only to have them gather guilty dust as I become distracted by life.

I tried all the usual online haunts and then veered off the beaten track to places like WHSmith online and the supermarkets. Nope, nope, and nope. Harumph. Fine, I thought. I’ll have to do it the old fashioned way and after a few days of grouchy internet searching, I set off to jolly Glasgow.

I came back with a ticket for my dry-cleaning, some discounted sausage rolls, and a Greggs sarnie (score!) but no Professor Layton. I searched in every shop I could think of, including stupidly venturing into Woolworths and nearly getting trampled by lycra clad bargain hunters buffaloing up and down the aisles. Currys, Smiths, Zavvi, HMV, Game (spit), Gamestation, etc, etc. Nope. Then I dragged my weary bones to Union street and nipped into the indy shop where I had a feeling I would find it. And there it was – a row of them, shiny and new. Then I hesitated. It wasn’t just the fact that it was forty notes and I could get a 360 game for that… though that was a huge consideration, but I didn’t like the cover. That admission makes me cringe – I know, it’s pathetic, beyond pathetic. It was a US import copy which if experience dictates, then it should have a better cover than the UK one, they always do. Fate however, had decided that it wasn’t to be, and frankly I thought it was a tad shite.

Nice...

Nice and not so nice…

So there I am, standing in the shop pondering on the game I have sought for ages, like a game hunter finally coming face to face with his quarry and suddenly pouting about using his expensive bullet for something whose plumage isn’t really all that, up close. So I walked away. I know, pathetic. After all that, I didn’t buy it. Shallow fool, perhaps. Penny pincher, indubitably, but I walked away. The logical part of me said that there would be a ton of the UK versions lining the shelves after Christmas for a lot cheaper and for once, I listened to it. I was an adult rather than a grabby want-it-now kid about it and it felt good. Although, I rather childishly shunned it because it had the wrong picture on the cover, so that balances out my mature victory somewhat.

So a Layton free Christmas for me but I have more than enough games to keep me going anyway, plus I have sworn that I will play Sims 2 to death before the onslaught of Sims 3 next year forces it into sad retirement. So up yours professor.

Breaking news! Shiny, new, nice-pictured Laytons have been spotted on PC World online… this hypocritical kid is heading over there now and if I don’t get manage to get one I’ll scweam until I’m sthick.

More breaking news! PCWorld online lied to me and are refunding my money…’out of stock’. You utter bastards. *Takes huge breath and prepares to scweam*


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11 responses to “Better Layton Than Never…”

  1. arc14716 avatar
    arc14716

    I thought the US import copy did have a better cover than the UK copy. The UK cover seems a little dull, doesn’t have that jump off the shelf feeling, whereas the US cover is more colorful, vibrant, jumps off the shelf at you. Plus it’s what they use in the print ads for the game out here.

    Of course, there are times when the opposite is true. Can’t think of any examples at the moment though.

  2. MrCuddleswick avatar
    MrCuddleswick

    I guess not every great quest ends in treasure….maybe you’ll run into it on some idle Tuesday hidden in the back of an HMV somewhere

  3. Lorna avatar
    Lorna

    I usually dig vibrant but I just disliked this – thought the piccy was dull. I like the mysteriousness of the other one…all black with a hat and stuff 😀 😉

    I keep hoping a trained Magpie will drop one in the back garden but it hasn’t yet happened…

  4. Richman avatar
    Richman

    Haha, poor Rain 🙁

    Agree with you on the covers – I prefer the UK one.

    And I’ve never seen buffalo used as a verb, but I will be trying my hardest to wedge it into my next conversation! 😀

  5. Lorna avatar
    Lorna

    Welcome to the place Rich 😀 Good to have you here 🙂 And buffaloing is a great word 😉

  6. The Rook avatar
    The Rook

    I’ve been casually looking for this in shops too, but not seeing it anywhere. Just prior to it coming out I had a mailshot from Game offering it at £10 on release.

    Can’t get it for that price nowadays. Saw it on Play at £45 and others are sellnig it on there from £55+. It’s crazy money, unfortuately, they know coming up to Christmas, people will pay crazy money for it.

    I remember when I bought Ocarina Of Time, as soon as I left the shop, someone offered to buy it off me for a tenner more than store price, but that was a no.

    I will get to visit this Curious Village sometime.

  7. Scott avatar
    Scott

    @ The Rook: It’s absolute madness. You could get the USA copy of the game game for about £20 on eBay easy… BEFORE it came out here and apparently became another casual hit.

    GAME have it in stock. Shame about the outrageous forced bundles:

    http://www.game.co.uk/lowdown.aspx?lid=10441&cm_mmc=game-_-multi-_-laytonfit-_-email

  8. dante76 avatar
    dante76

    So your importing number 2 now to save future disappointment?

  9. The Rook avatar
    The Rook

    @ Scott. I had the newsletter e-mail from GAME letting me know as well about being back in stock. Hadn’t read it in detail at the time to notice it was bundle offer. Could get it with More Brain Training I guess,like the Soduku in that.

  10. Lorna avatar
    Lorna

    Good old Game and their bundles…arses.

    I haven’t even considered the second one yet Dante 😀

  11. Lorna avatar
    Lorna

    Wow, Amazon suddenly had it back in stock at a normal price and it has apparently been dispatched, but I’ll believe that when it is in my sweaty little mitts 🙂

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