An ode to my DS

I've been thinking about it for a while, but a recent event has pushed me to actually post a rant on what it's like to own a DS. I bought it 5 months ago (almost to the day, actually), and despite the relative lack of quality DS games, I've been quite satisfied with the purchase. I'll admit that up until I bought Meteos, I was using my DS mainly as a GBA. As disappointing as that may be to some, that suits me just fine. I bought my GBA right after it came out (the idea of walking around with a SNES in my pocket was too appealing), and complaints about the dim screen hadn't really built up enough steam yet. Switching from a dim-screen GBA to one with a backlight that can also play DS games was just great.

Incidentally, now that I've owned Meteos for a good amount of time, I wanna stress just how great this game is. Obviously if you're not into "look for patterns and align shit"-type puzzle games, it won't really be fun for you, but if you are, the replay value is just insane. I often find myself playing a quick 3 to 5 minute game when I know I should go to bed, but I just feel like playing something beforehand. Console games can easily trap you for at least a half hour extra when you tell yourself you'll only play for 5-10 minutes.

Anyway something happened on Thursday night that REALLY made me appreciate my DS. I was sleeping over at my brother's house and while I was playing Meteos just before going to bed, the power went out. Knowing that I was the last one awake, I went to wake up my bro and let him know his alarm clock wasn't gonna ring tomorrow. I improvised a flashlight with the DS that was in my hands. That gay-ass health warning and DS splash screen provide a surprising amount of light when combined. Afterwards I set my DS to ring at 5am and praised God that my little gaming gadget had such functionality. I really REALLY had to get to work early yesterday. Portable gaming can save your career! Can PSP owners make the same claim? ;o)

Rock Joe actually finishes a game!

That's right folks. Exactly as I predicted back in June, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is the first game I've actually finished in a while. I finished it yesterday. I think the one I finished before that was Tales of Symphonia a bit under a year ago. Neo Contra doesn't count. Anyway this supports the fact that portable gaming is more compatible with my lifestyle than console games. It also confirms that my strategy of not talking about a game I'm playing until I finish it is a poor one. I should at least blurt out a list of games I could've ranted on by now:

• Metal Gear Solid 3
• Killer 7
• Incredible Hulk, Ultimate Destruction
• X-men Legends
• Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls (started FF1 the night I finished FFTA)
  

That's all that comes to mind right now. More to come in the not so distant future I guess.