(no subject)
Sent out my Xmas wish list to the fam yesterday. For some years now I've been telling everyone exactly what I want. It's not just me, Eileen started the practice. Sure it kills the surprise, but it saves the hassle of running around returning to stores the stuff that doesn't fit, is the wrong color, or just plain ugly. One time my evil aunt gave me a terry cloth T-shirt in a puke green color, and to this day I don't know if she was trying to irritate me or if she honestly thought I pimp for a living. Oh, and since I have to haul anything given to me back to Seattle, having the list means I can plan my luggage space needs accurately.
Top of the list is some sci-fi anime DVD box set (I'm down with the giant robots), the entry annotated with "I REALLY WANT THIS" for subtle emphasis. Put down the Star Wars: KOTOR sequel on there too, because a man's got to get his Jedi on. Added a GBA on there.
Been thinking about getting a game handheld to have a bit of fun during long flights or whenever I have time to kill and don't have a laptop handy or charged to watch content on. There are a couple GBA games I'd like to play (Advance Wars, FFTA, Tactics Ogre, FF I&II, Harvest Moon... yes, Harvest Moon). So my options are a nice silver GBA SP, or a DS which of course can play GBA as well as the DS-specific games. Did some homework, and here's a summary of my thoughts on DS (vs GBA):
Top of the list is some sci-fi anime DVD box set (I'm down with the giant robots), the entry annotated with "I REALLY WANT THIS" for subtle emphasis. Put down the Star Wars: KOTOR sequel on there too, because a man's got to get his Jedi on. Added a GBA on there.
Been thinking about getting a game handheld to have a bit of fun during long flights or whenever I have time to kill and don't have a laptop handy or charged to watch content on. There are a couple GBA games I'd like to play (Advance Wars, FFTA, Tactics Ogre, FF I&II, Harvest Moon... yes, Harvest Moon). So my options are a nice silver GBA SP, or a DS which of course can play GBA as well as the DS-specific games. Did some homework, and here's a summary of my thoughts on DS (vs GBA):
- No compelling DS titles. All of its 1st gen games are underwhelming, with mediocre review scores (see gamerankings or gamespot); only Mario64 scores well, but I've already played it on a real N64! Tried Metroid at a kiosk and while it wasn't bad, it underscored my belief that the 3D action thing is better done on a large screen with better sound, not on a handheld.
- For playing Advance games, the GBA SP seems better than the DS -- its smaller size means it'll fit in my pocket, and the button layout is more comfortable.
- Not really my thoughts, but found respectable reviewers generally agreeing with my impressions:
- Gabe of Penny Arcade describes it as "big, heavy, and uncomfortable to hold… the entire DS experience has been very underwhelming. The games range from worthless to decent and the machine itself feels awkward."
- Cesar. A co-worker who's a hardcore fan and defender of everything Nintendo, Cesar was an early DS adopter. I just found out he returned his DS! Holy crap! I couldn't believe it. He said it was too tiring to play Mario64 with the control layout, something about having to extend his thumb constantly.
- Ben from joystiq.com liked some DS features but didn't dig its size, weight, and build quality.
- Gabe of Penny Arcade describes it as "big, heavy, and uncomfortable to hold… the entire DS experience has been very underwhelming. The games range from worthless to decent and the machine itself feels awkward."