DS Nuts
Posted: Fri Dec 17, 2004 5:34 pm
As though I could afford to be a hardware whore, I grabbed a DS on the sole principle that it was new and I wanted it, despite the fact that, by all good wisdom, I should've simply not dropped two hundred chucks on this console that I did and still do consider to be nothing more than a passing novelty. However, I could never claim to be a victim of good wisdom, so here I am, minus a pair of (desperately needed) Ben Franklins and plus a shiny new DS.
Roughly 40% of the 60-page owner's manual consists of intricately detailed and fully illustrated examples of what you should not do with a DS system, such as flinging the AC adapter into an open flame. I wonder if there's a school that teaches people how to make these kinds of drawings?
The system itself is not tremendously ergonomic, but I don't there's ever been a Game Boy that was. (I actually think that, despite its bulk, the Game Gear was the most comfortable handheld I've ever used.) It's just a tad heavy, which is only really a problem when you're messing with the stylus pen... granted, I've got narrow wrists, but the hand I use to hold the system up keeps getting tired before the hand I use to draw does. Other than those complaints, it feels like a sturdy little system. The buttons and touch pad all work fine, and the lid secures shut with a satisfying click. There's even a swell little gap that the stylus pen slips right into when not in use. Unlike the SP, the DS has a headphone jack, which is great because - like the GBA - the speakers are like the punchline in a deadpan joke.
It's an all-round solid piece of hardware. The only thing that makes me uncomfortable is the giant gaping hole for GBA carts... it would be nice if there were a way to cover that.
When you start the system for the first time, you set a username, date, your birthday, etc, etc, which I guess comes into play when you use any of the multi-player features, which I will most likely never use. (It also ensures that, rather than sharing a DS, brother and sister each feel compelled to purchase their own.) Included with the hardware is a Picto-chat feature which lets you communicate via text and primitive doodles with any other nearby DS's. It's a nice bonus, but having to actually tap each letter with the stylus pen seems too clunky to be functional, except to exchange dirty jokes on the bus without getting in trouble.
The only games I got are the new Made in Wario and Kimi no Taming the Shrew or whatever. Wario's exactly what you'd expect... it's just like the old one, except that now you scribble over the touch pad instead of pressing buttons. It's still a blast, and to the end of the system's lifespan will probably remain the game that makes the best use of the DS's otherwise baffling features. There are some cool, utterly pointless "bonus" games that you unlock, such as one that lets you mess with a wobbling tower of pudding for no purpose other than the joy of messing with a wobbling tower of pudding. Regardless, though it's still a riot and utilizes the weird interfaces, it is basically the exact same experience that the old GBA Made in Wario offered.
I haven't started the nekkid silhouette lady game yet. I ordered the Japanese version, and I didn't think about it at the time, but it's probably got a bit of a language barrier, unless, like the Sonic Team GBA games, it includes 13 different language options, which I rather doubt. Supposedly it's pretty good, though I still can't imagine it as being anything more than Wario, simply mini-game after mini-game.
Overall this is exactly what I was expecting. The system is well constructed and the technology is impressive (especially for the price), but I may not buy any more games for it, like... ever. I got Wario and I think that's kind of it. So what do you cats think?
I also have a PSP on order, but I'm waiting for the price to drop down to normal, and with the dead pixel fiasco, I'm thinking of cancelling the order altogether until Sony gets its shit straight. I wonder if they've trademarked Disc Read Error yet?
Roughly 40% of the 60-page owner's manual consists of intricately detailed and fully illustrated examples of what you should not do with a DS system, such as flinging the AC adapter into an open flame. I wonder if there's a school that teaches people how to make these kinds of drawings?
The system itself is not tremendously ergonomic, but I don't there's ever been a Game Boy that was. (I actually think that, despite its bulk, the Game Gear was the most comfortable handheld I've ever used.) It's just a tad heavy, which is only really a problem when you're messing with the stylus pen... granted, I've got narrow wrists, but the hand I use to hold the system up keeps getting tired before the hand I use to draw does. Other than those complaints, it feels like a sturdy little system. The buttons and touch pad all work fine, and the lid secures shut with a satisfying click. There's even a swell little gap that the stylus pen slips right into when not in use. Unlike the SP, the DS has a headphone jack, which is great because - like the GBA - the speakers are like the punchline in a deadpan joke.
It's an all-round solid piece of hardware. The only thing that makes me uncomfortable is the giant gaping hole for GBA carts... it would be nice if there were a way to cover that.
When you start the system for the first time, you set a username, date, your birthday, etc, etc, which I guess comes into play when you use any of the multi-player features, which I will most likely never use. (It also ensures that, rather than sharing a DS, brother and sister each feel compelled to purchase their own.) Included with the hardware is a Picto-chat feature which lets you communicate via text and primitive doodles with any other nearby DS's. It's a nice bonus, but having to actually tap each letter with the stylus pen seems too clunky to be functional, except to exchange dirty jokes on the bus without getting in trouble.
The only games I got are the new Made in Wario and Kimi no Taming the Shrew or whatever. Wario's exactly what you'd expect... it's just like the old one, except that now you scribble over the touch pad instead of pressing buttons. It's still a blast, and to the end of the system's lifespan will probably remain the game that makes the best use of the DS's otherwise baffling features. There are some cool, utterly pointless "bonus" games that you unlock, such as one that lets you mess with a wobbling tower of pudding for no purpose other than the joy of messing with a wobbling tower of pudding. Regardless, though it's still a riot and utilizes the weird interfaces, it is basically the exact same experience that the old GBA Made in Wario offered.
I haven't started the nekkid silhouette lady game yet. I ordered the Japanese version, and I didn't think about it at the time, but it's probably got a bit of a language barrier, unless, like the Sonic Team GBA games, it includes 13 different language options, which I rather doubt. Supposedly it's pretty good, though I still can't imagine it as being anything more than Wario, simply mini-game after mini-game.
Overall this is exactly what I was expecting. The system is well constructed and the technology is impressive (especially for the price), but I may not buy any more games for it, like... ever. I got Wario and I think that's kind of it. So what do you cats think?
I also have a PSP on order, but I'm waiting for the price to drop down to normal, and with the dead pixel fiasco, I'm thinking of cancelling the order altogether until Sony gets its shit straight. I wonder if they've trademarked Disc Read Error yet?