Random Thought Encounters

Hi! Welcome back to Once Upon A Table, where you can witness just how much trouble people can get into while sitting calmly in someone’s dining room. Okay, so that “calm” thing is probably an exaggeration, but it just makes the whole sentence work, you know.

I was witness to the illuminating effects of Gamester’s Flood Light for the Game Boy Advance this weekend. Not only did it make even Castlevania: Circle of the Moon playable for more than five minutes at a time, it’s a downright dangerous weapon in a darkly lit room. I had seen this thing mentioned at Penny Arcade earlier, but I put off trying it because of my less than glowing history with GB lights. However, those PA boys sure know what they’re talking about when it comes to bits of plastic with buttons and plugs and stuff. Except when they’re wrong.

Gamester seems to be hyping a new “Trap Light” now instead of the Flood Light, but I’m leery of this for two reasons. One is that I have a hard time seeing how this “dual light” display won’t be leaving me with dual reflections (I have to slightly tilt back even the Flood Light or all I see is a giant light bulb staring back at me in my GBA). The other reason is that it looks like the exact sort of thing I don’t want to be sticking both of my hands in between, especially when the word “trap” is involved anywhere in the thing’s name. I think the Flood Light will do until I either get myself an Afterburner or Nintendo decides to release a Game Boy Pocket Color Advance Garage Door Opener with the actual capability of being *seen* without third-party attachments.

Oh yes. The comic today begins our first look at RPG combat. Fun fun.