Dumb stuff that happened while I was gone, Episode II

Wednesday, August 31, 2005 » gaming thought

Here's the rest. It may be outdated news at this point, but I still love to complain!

#2 - Gameboy Micro pricing announced alongside DS price cut
Let's forget about the DS thing for a second and just consider the Micro. For $99, you get a miniature, skinnable GBA, with dubious advantages over the wonderful (and cheaper) GBA SP. Admittedly, the SP's frontlit screen can look a little washed out and there's no headphone jack (what EVER!), but it's still probably the best-designed piece of hardware to come out of Nintendo. The Micro offers little practical improvements, unless you're really into switching out your cellphone faceplate constantly.1

But, the same week they finally announce the Micro's price, Nintendo announces a DS price cut to $130!! So now, instead of picking up a Micro and one game, you can get a portable that has two backlit screens, impending wi-fi multiplayer, and plays all the awesome DS games coming out, too? Hopefully they can convince retailers to space the two handhelds far enough apart to save some sales.

$99 is a bit steep for a Micro, anyway, although I could be swayed to pick one up once it's under $50, because it'll probably be a big help if the next WarioWare turns out to be WarioWare: Thrown as Far as You Can!. Or maybe WarioWare: Accidentally Ingested!

#3 - Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence was in the news again and nobody cared
I get the impression that Metal Gear Solid 3, my 2004 Game of the Year, was unjustly overlooked, but why? The stealth/survival premise was very suspenseful, the boss battles were ingenius, and, thanks to the masterfully-directed cutscenes, it felt like the first true game/movie hybrid I've played. Subsistence is going to have all of that, plus it'll be online!! Seriously, who can I buy a PS2 network adapter for so we can have epic cardboard box battles into the early morning?2

#4 - The Half-Life 2: Aftermath trailer
This mostly-black-screen clip just reminded me that Valve still owes me at least 1½ endings.

1Oh wait, that's all of Japan.
2Recipient must be on-call 24 hours a day to don their cardboard box at a moment's notice. (Also must provide me with reciprocal network adapter.)