In search of the Famicom adapter

The summer seems to be doing strange things to my head. In addition to traversing thrift shops and flea markets to find used games like mad, I've also become obsessed with finding an NES cartridge that houses a Famicom to NES adapter inside.

Not owning a ROB, this cartridge was useless to me anyway

As many of you may already know, there's a quick and guaranteed way to obtain an NES to Famicom converter, and that's by gutting certain old NES titles. The original line-up of NES titles to be released didn't actually have NES ROMs inside of them, instead having the Famicom circuit board connected to an adapter to plug into your Nintendo. So playing a Famicom title is as easy as taking out the adapter and plugging it into whatever Famicom game you want to play.

A quick trip to my local game shop and I come across some copies of Gyromite. I held each in my hand, trying to find one that felt a bit heavier. After pawing a few titles and feeling more than a bit self conscious at how silly I must look doing it, I find one that I believe to weigh a slight bit more.

Luckily, the older NES titles also were kept together with nothing more than Phillips head screws, so taking them apart is a cinch. Each screw removed left me more and more excited about what I might find in this retro archeological excursion, until finally, the last one fell to the desk and the gray plastic loosened.

Aw dang

Nope, nothing there this time. Oh well, I saw a copy of Hogan's Alley at that shop for $1.99. I will not rest until one of these adapters is in my possession

Is there nothing Spore can't do?

Just a quick post for anyone who hasn't seen this yet, it's so hilarious.

This week's VGCats comic deals with the new Will Wright game, Spore, and includes some bizarre creatures, including one with an "ass for eyes"(not shown here).

The people at Maxis took the liberty of remaking the strip, now with exact recreations of Scott's creature drawings as real Spore creatures...even the "ass for eyes" one! I can't wait to get ahold of these creature construction tools! You can check out the full comic at the VGCats website.

DS Lite essentials

So the DS Lite launch has come and gone. And in the midst of the launch is a lot of third party crap that is supposed to "enhance" your playing enjoyment. However, I've find two items in particular to be absolutely invaluble when playing on my DS, and I highly encourage everyone out there who wants a complete experience to give these a consideration:

NuShield Screen Protectors

These are the screen protectors you've been looking for since the first DS launched. The first big difference you might notice is that these screen protectors are made from a company that only deals with protecting screens, like PDAs and such, instead of someone like MadCatz (shudder). These screens are a bit longer than the DS screen, so the sides actually slide *behind* the casing! There they don't move, and there's no need for any sticky residue on your screens, so no air bubbles! Never worry about scratching your screen again. Twelve dollars gets you a pack of 3.

I should point out that I'm not positive these screen protectors will work on the DS Lite, and it doesn't make mention of it on the website. It looks like it will, though, and I've emailed NuShields so hopefully we'll find out soon.

PDA Panache Pro Stylus

This one is a little less on the necessary side, but not only does it look good, it feels much better than even the new DS Lite stylus. The link above takes you to the version for the original DS, with a notice at the bottom that the Lite version is coming soon. Made of brass with a grey finish, it's amazingly weighted and feels great during gameplay. It has a rubber tip which is much more responsive than the tip on the pack-in. It sound strange to say, but you can instantly feel the difference, and you'll love it. I can't wait for the Lite version to become available. The old DS stylus goes for fifteen dollars.

So there you have it, two products in which you'll definitely get your money's worth over the years. Do yourself a favor and get these as soon as possible

Adventures in Backwards Compatibility

One of the reasons I thought the Xbox 360 would be a good purchase for me is because I don't own an Xbox, so even if the 360's library is a bit thin right now, I could delve into the offerings in their backwards compatibility. Only now am I realizing that all is not fluffy clouds and perfect pixels when playing an Xbox game in your 360, whether or not it's supposedly compatible.

My "fun" actually began at the EB Games, and the frequent trips this harkoning back to the days of Xbox would lead me to. I decided to pick up Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. I have the first game on PC, and it's an incredible marriage of high quality RPG storytelling and play mechanics with that of the Star Wars universe. If you haven't played it and are a fan of either Star Wars or RPGs (or especially both) then go out and get it right now. So I've suddenly developed an insatiable craving for more of that which was given to us in the first title. EB was having a used games deal, so I got Sith Lords as part of it, knowing that it's listed on the Xbox 360's list of backwards compatible titles. I open the case later that evening only to find that I was given the right manual, but the wrong game disc. I was given the first Knights of the Old Republic instead.

So the next day after work I head over to the EB Games again, and it's the same clerk. He asks if anything was wrong with the games and I told him no, but I was given the wrong disc. So he kindly hands me the correct disc, and i go home a happy gamer. Later that night I pop it in, and am treated to that great LucasArts logo. ...then 30 seconds later, I'm still being treated to that very logo. I reset the system, and try two more times. It doesn't get more than a few seconds into the game before freezing. I take out the disc and look at it, and notice that it is pretty smudged up, with some actual scratches around the outer edge. Figuring the scratches must be the culprit, I figure I'll get a new copy the next day.

So the next day (today), I stop by there on the way home from work, and once again it's the same clerk, and by this point I kinda feel like a jackass to keep on having to come back. They don't have any other copies of the game, but tell me to go up to Gamestop and see if they do. So I do, and they do. I inspect the disc, which is all shiny and very well-kept.

Quite excited to finally play the sequel to this sweet, sweet amalgamation of geeky culture and geeky gamedom, I race home and pop the disc in. I hold my breath as the LucasArts logo fades in...and fades out! The title screen at last, I've made it! I start a new game and take some time to work at my character's stats. Satisfied with my new Jedi identity, I start my game. The loading screen comes on, preparing to send me on my journey into a galaxy far far away...and freezes. I reset the system two more times, making two more characters, each more rushed than the last, but every time it freezes at the loading screen. So I go online and search through the forums, but most people just seem to have audio problems when playing this on a 360, so that was no help. I immediatly drive to the nearest Gamestop, as I can't bare to once again show my face to that clerk, and return the game, opting instead for Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow on the DS, a fitting title to match the sorrow experienced on my first forray into Xbox backwards compatibility.

So one of the big reasons I thought a 360 would be a good purchase, and my first attempt has left me very hesitant about continuing in the backwards compatibility trek. Which is a shame, because one of Rare's two Xbox titles, Grabbed by the Ghoulies, has just been made compatible today. At any rate, Knights of the Old Republic II seems to be going for $15-20 new for PC, so I think I'll just stick to that for now.