Don't Back Down

Is success in a video game something to celebrate in real life? I think so.

I got bitten by the Game Boy bug around this time last year. I was tired of playing and fixing old pinball machines. Collecting something small for a change seemed perfect. I spent a lot of time watching "best of" and "hidden gem" videos and reading similar lists online.

Apparently, one of the best (and most expensive) games for the Game Boy Color is Shantae. Look, it's on sale on eBay:

I was reading about Shantae in video game forums, and a few guys admitted they hadn't play that game, but they had played their sisters' copy of Sabrina: Zapped. Most agreed playing Sabrina was a good time. 

Both Shantae and Sabrina are platform games developed by WayForward Industries. They share a similar look and similar game play. Sabrina, however, is way easier and can be purchased locally for $6. Also, their recommendations were solid - Sabrina is fun. The run, jump, bounce controls were similar to the games Charlotte likes on the computer, so I showed her the game.

Char and I played the first few levels of Sabrina together last summer, and by watching YouTube examples, she finished the game. In times of stress, I also helped.

"In times of stress" is a kind way to put it. Char isn't very good at handling defeat. When things get tough she... oh, what am I saying? When things get tough, or she gets frustrated, or she fails at something important to her, she acts just like me. She yells, blames an inanimate object for her troubles, and sometimes hits things and hurts her hand. Like father like daughter. 

Anyway, to keep her interested in and positive about gaming, I've been keeping an eye out for games that are fun to play and not all that difficult. WayForward and eBay have been really helpful. So far Char has played Barbie and the Three Musketeers (2009), Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses (2006), Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus (2005), and Barbie: Princess and the Pauper (2004). That's a lot of Barbie games for a gal who does not play with dolls very often. "I don't really like Barbies, and these games are kinda weird, but they're way more fun than I expected." 

Sounds like high praise to me. 

I keep looking for games Char will enjoy, and when I read this DS game review of on IGN.com, I thought de Blob 2 would be a winner:

"It’s tightly designed, evolves nicely and is true to the style of de Blob, but it’s very easy... This makes it a fantastic kids game… It’s also short… Even so, this would make a perfect introduction to platforming on DS for casual players.”

I found a copy on eBay:

Char loved the game almost immediately. "Ha! This game is awesome. I love de Blob!"

The problem was the final boss. Char lost to de Blot, and she got intimidated. She snapped the DS closed and dramatically ran upstairs. I tried to talk her into trying again, but she refused. 

Now, do I really care if she beats this video game? No, I couldn't care less. But do I care if she runs from adversity? Yes, I care a lot about that. 

She was greeted with this sign on Tuesday morning.

"2s-day." Get it? Sigh. She didn't either.

That night Charlotte tried the game again. Twenty minutes later she had beaten de Blot, and finished deBlob 2 on her own. She was so pumped! Daphne exclaimed congratulations. I ran over to the couch and gave her a fist bump with finger confetti. I didn't get a picture or a video, though. Sometimes it's just good to celebrate without your cell phone.

This sign was waiting for her on Wednesday morning, though.

"Hmmp Day." Get it? Like Hump Day. You know, Wednesday?
Sigh.

Playing Internationally

Both Char and Earl enjoy playing with Char's Nintendo DS Lite. The DS Lite is a new toy for Charlotte, even if it was discontinued about 8 years ago.

The DS Lite hits a sweet spot in our retro-gaming collection. The Lite's back-lit screen is brighter than the original DS, and the unit is also sleeker than the original. Plus, the Lite plays both DS and Game Boy Advance games. Nintendo produced about 1,700 DS games and 900 GBA games, so that's a lot of bang for your gaming buck. 

PLUS, even though some desirable GBA titles are becoming scarce, DS games are plentiful because they can still be played on the current 3DS. Many used DS titles can be picked up for a few dollars, and the more popular games are less than $20. 

Disclaimer: I am only talking about physical game cartridges. I know nothing about games that are downloaded from the net. I am old.

A used DS Lite goes for about $45 here in Des Moines. But you can get one cheaper if you have some patience. 

Like Game Boy games, the DS software wasn't region-locked by Nintendo. You can play DS games from all around the world on any DS Lite. That also means you can use a DS Lite from another country to play DS games made in the US.

So what? Well, if you can handle the slower speed of international mail, you can pick up a Japanese DS Lite. I bought this one on eBay for less than $15 shipped. It took 11 days to arrive.

Sure, it plays great, but the display is in Japanese. Well, that's not a big deal. You can change the DS Lite's language.

It's a simple process. Here's how I did it on my backup DS Lite from Japan (the weird lines are caused by the camera):

This doesn't work with Nintendo's DSi (the next generation of DS players). That software is region-locked. I made a mistake and bought a DSi LL from Japan. I can't change its language, and it won't play American DSi enhanced games (but we only own one - de Blob 2).

The DSi LL does play the standard DS games from the US. So, I can still enjoy playing Space Chimps on the larger screen.

That wasn't a joke, by the way. I really like playing Space Chimps.