Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this column are those of the participants and the moderator, and do not necessarily reflect those of the GIA. There is coarse language and potentially offensive material afoot. No network connection for most of today... funny how you never miss things until they're gone. Don't say we didn't warn you.

Well, it's here.

I'd say more, but every line I write means less time spent with the GBA.

Onward.

That's actually my main problem with the GBA - I feel like I'd greatly enjoy it if I cut off each of my fingers above the top knuckle. I don't have huge hands (I can palm the GBA lengthwise without too much trouble) but the entire thing sits about one inch lower on my hands than I'd like it to. I suppose I'll learn to hit the shoulder buttons with the lower part of my index finger, but it's still a pain I'd ideally not have to go through... maybe I should look into some of those oversized grips.

I've been taking a long, serious look at GBA accessories, moreso than any other system I've ever owned - grip extenders, faceplates, battery/adapter systems, and most importantly, lights. Not a lot of feedback on any of it yet, but if someone wants to volunteer a few succinct product reviews, send 'em in.

And my guess is that it's a lot harder to jump on a Shyguy just right when he's about 4 millimeters in size.

Eh, don't get too upset. I bought the damn thing even though I really can't afford it, and I probably won't be playing it all that much, compared to a real system. Just think of it as 130-odd bucks that you'll have for FFX and MGS2 in a few months.

You're right that the two games are damn near identical, but to the best of my knowledge, nobody's ever had much luck copyrighting a particular type of "drop pieces until they disappear" game. SPF2 has Street Fighter characters and uses gems rather than food and animals; that may well be all they need to claim uniqueness.

My personal theory, completely halfassed and based on no evidence whatsoever, is that the only person who could have made such a claim stick was Alexi Pajitnov, the inventor of Tetris (because obviously just about every falling puzzle piece game out there is a result of someone else saying "how can I be like Tetris, but not?") But since the Soviet government screwed him out of the royalties for many years, nobody was much in the way of enforcing copyright, so anybody could rip off anybody else's falling puzzle piece game.

Of course, if anyone knows the real story of the relationship between the two games, feel free to send it in.

Interesting... it'd also explain why the gameplay of those third games matched up with the first titles so well, because often those games take place in a game world that's a clear ancestor of the world of the first game, which would necessitate similar play styles. Good call.

Yep, that's pretty much the size of it for me too. The thing is, there's a whole lot of really good games out for the GBA, and more coming soon, and many of them are done in a tasty SNES-style 2D fashion that brings back memories from the halcyon days of yore... or something like that. I'm just hoping Nintendo makes a GBA-display mode on the Gamecube, because otherwise I may have just bought a very expensive paperweight.

I disagree tho; both the PS2 and GBAs aren't vastly new approaches to gaming, the way the N64 was - they're more powerful, higher resolution versions of what came before. Admittedly there's a big difference between the edgy, grainy 3D models of the PSX and the (largely) smooth, beautifully textured stuff on the PS2, but they're basically the same thing, just refined. Likewise, the GBA is to the GBC as the SNES was to the NES (now why isn't that an SAT question?), but that's fine: I'm perfectly happy to see shiny new versions of old classics, rather than constantly chasing after the next big thing. (Besides, it's a portable system... how much can anybody really do innovative work on something that small?)

Part of the discomfort at Wal-Mart might have just been to the way the unit was displayed - if it was attached to some sort of stiff connector that moved up and down slightly without letting you change the angle, I can see why you'd find it uncomfortable. (Many of the GBAs at E3 were set up the same way.) Try and track down a free standing one, you may find it makes a big difference.

As for ideal portable gaming systems, I'll make my standard rant once again: it's not as important for the whole thing to be in one easily graspable package as it is that the system be portable and relatively uncumbersome. The controller could be a different unit from the processor and screen (ideally a head mounted model) and as long as they didn't have easily lost/tangled parts, it'd be ok. There's really no reason to make it pocket sized as opposed to other, portable devices (like laptops) - as many people have already found out, you're asking for a badly scratched screen if you actually try to transport a GBA in an unprotected pocket. Ironically enough, Gumpei Yokoi, the creator of the original Game Boy, may have been on to something with the Virtual Boy... if only he had survived 15 or 20 more years, to when display technology got good enough and cheap enough to realize his dream.

It's not that bad... most of the rest of the letter is about good old profit-making expansion. Still, you're right. If the CEO of the company can spew out touchy-feely crap like that, the game designers themselves should be able to wrap themselves in a philosophical straightjacket faster than you can say "Wave Existence".

Closing Comments:

More GBA stuff for tomorrow, if you please: this time more about games and accessories. See you then.

-Chris Jones, Color: Indigo