What has been seen cannot be unseen.
Don’t worry, there will be no more pictures of David Dickinson – naked or otherwise – throughout this post.
A while back, when I was England for a brief stay, my mum took me to a car boot sale. We were there mainly to find some jeans to tear up to repair one of the many pairs that I had destroyed on my travels. However, the mercenary in me scanned the stalls for anything that might be of interest, be it old comics, new books or of course video games.
One vendor had a collection of boxed PC games from the mid-to-late nineties. Amongst them were Sim City 2000, Thief and a few others I can’t remember, but there was one that immediately stuck out. It was an image of a dude all in blue set against an orange background. I had forgotten how bad that cover looked: it was a pristine, original copy of Planescape: Torment.
I had a quick look at it and inspected the inside. Manual? Check. CD sans scratches? Check. I picked it up and casually turned to the guy at the stall.
“How much for this?”
“1 pound mate.”
I don’t know if he noticed my face change; if he did he didn’t comment. I could feel the muscles in my jaw extend, I had to literally control my eyelids from opening wide. My hands clenched the box a little tighter than necessary. Did he know what he had at his stall? Had he bothered to check Amazon or eBay (please note that at the time this game was not available in any digital distribution form)?
I gave him his pound and hurried off. There was no way that he was going to be able to renege on this deal.
So, my question of the week: What hidden gem are you most proud of finding and being able to claim?
If you want to find out more about Planescape: Torment, it is now available on GOG so check it out for yourselves.
Comments
13 responses to “QOTW: Cheap as Chips”
Shadow Hearts 2.
Admittedly with no manual or box, floating in the Gamestation 'whatever bin', but it was SHADOW HEARTS 2, after the point where it was very very hard to get, before the point it became impossible to get, which was before the point where it became reasonably challenging but quite possible to get.
Also, this is ridiculously picky, but Planescape: Torment didn't come on a CD, it came on some CDs or a DVD. I will feel shame now forever.
It was the original multi-CD edition. I know this because AJ, being a totally awesome guy, gave me this very copy of Planescape as a gift a few years ago. In return I gave him, um, a crappy little Z pin badge. :(
Edit: In terms of bargains I've found… hmm… the other day I got Condemned, no case but game and manual, for £1.50. I also found the big box Replay reissue of the original Carmageddon in a charity shop for £3, which is probably close to the original budget edition RRP so not actually that much of a bargain. Plus I doubt it runs on Windows 7.
Also recently I got Michigan for PS2 for £25 rather than the £50-75 it usually goes for nowadays (cue AJ saying it's shit) which I guess was pretty good in context. And when I was in my teens I found Star Control 2 for £2.99, but that was the RRP. It was mere coincidence that the amount of game I got for that £2.99 was so extensive and memorable. ;)
It's shi-
Oh, you beat me to it. All well priced for sure.
This actually brings me to something I spotted in the future stores the other day… Resonance of Fate, I heard it was getting a bit pricey in Blighty. If so, I know that the X360 adn PS3 versions are region free and I can get it for about 49.99 cdn if anyone needs a copy.
Dylan has tried to get me to play RoF on several occasions but I just can't get another JRPG when I've not finished Lost Odyssey, Enchanted Arm or FF13. And that's only the 360 specimens…
Oh, you'll be pleased to hear I've acquired Deadly Premonitions!
This message is an automated response to a thread which mentions Resonance of Fate. Do not reply to this message, just buy Resonance of Fate instead.
Resonance of Fate is shi- oh.
Looks like it's going for about £13 on the big sites and they still have it in stock, so I think I'm okay for now!
But is Planescape: Torment as good as Halo? Huh?
No major bargains here, except what I find online. Because online sales have become Bargainopolis, Marketopia, these days.
Hey, can you confirm whether the rumours about the steam exploit are true?
https://www.upsploit.com/index.php/advisories/vie…
I have no idea. Where the hell is the steamLogin cookie?
My oldeschool rpg collections :)
Dragon quest 1 to 4. LufiaI, Lufia II, FF4,FF6, Illusion of gaia, secret of evermore, secret of mana, mario rpg, a few more I dont remember. I'm happy I never got rid of em, although I'm missing most boxes and instruction booklets :/ I think I may have Fallout 2 at my parent's.
I'd love to get my hands on the Chronicles of the NeverhoOd one day :)
It wasn't a gem when I bought it, but for some reason I like to think owning a copy of The Rise of the Triads is somehow awesome.
Did you burn FF8 as an apology for all its crimes against gaming culture? C'mon it would make a great story down the pub/your local gaming community. The look of JRPG nerd horror as you recound watching the plastic melt-
Hi, my name is badger commander and hate Final Fantasy 8
I'll be truthful, I never really got into FF8. However, for a pound I thought it was worth it. Also, I live in very working class North Wales. People in my local think I'm gay because I work with computers. They'll never catch on, you see.