Well, it got better.
I just received the replacement case in the mail yesterday (I know, it was Sunday, but I didn't check my mail the day before) and spent a sizable chunk of the night taking the system apart and reassembling it, using this handy guide. Overall, the process wasn't too difficult; I just needed to remove a lot of screws and gently unplug a ribbon cable connecting the screen to the mainboard. It was the hinges on the top of the system that were a real sonuvabitch, held in place with tiny plastic clips that made them almost impossible to remove.
Over the course of the case swap, one of the shoulder buttons also popped off, and it took a great deal of time and a biker bar's worth of swearing to put it back together. "Frustrating" doesn't even begin to describe it, folks. However, in the end, I persevered, and the Game Boy Advance looks worlds better for it. Here now is the fruit of my labor:
Mmm, my labor fruit tastes like tangerines! Anyway, here's the system in action, running Mr. Driller A from my flash cartridge:
The screen no longer locks in two different positions like it had with the old case, and the plastic is cheap, with an off-putting waxy appearance. Still, the system looks a lot better than when I first laid eyes on it. Now I just need to find a way to get this stencil of my old site mascot on the front and my work will be complete...
Off that (admittedly self-indulgent) subject, another E3 has come and gone, but it hasn't gone so well for Nintendo in particular. While Microsoft announced limited backward compatibility for its Xbox One (sorry, Don Mattrick! Not sorry) and Sony plans to release the third chapter of the Shenmue series for its Playstation 4, Nintendo gave us... more Amiibo-dependent crap. And oh yes, a spin-off of the Metroid series which I'm convinced absolutely nobody wants.
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| "Hey, Puppet Pal Shiggy, 'ya know what we're releasing for the Wii U next year?" "I dunno, Puppet Pal Reggie, what?" "BONK!" |
(Kind of a shame, really, as I was just getting attached to Miiverse. Some days, it's the only reason I turn on my Wii U!)
Oh, good job, Jess! Also, I don't know how the shell looks in person, but in these photos, it looks pretty darn good. As for E3, my general reaction is a big ol' yawn. I was glad to see the FF VII fanboys finally will get their remake, TLG lovers seemingly will get their long-awaited game (at some unknown point in the future) and Shenmue fans will get their second sequel, but I can't say I want any of these titles myself. Also, Nintendo's showing is barely worth acknowledging, IMO. At least we're getting Yo-kai Watch this year, and Fire Emblem Fates was confirmed for next...
ReplyDeleteI know Metroid Prime: Federation Force isn't the Metroid game we all wanted, but all the same it's the Nintendo games nobody wants that usually tend to be the ones to watch out for. At the very least it has Next Level Games of Punch-Out!! remake and Luigi's Mansion sequel fame working on it, so even if it's not like Metroid it'll probably be a good game on its own merits.
ReplyDeleteWould've been better received alongside a standard Metroid, though.
Anyway, Nintendo's new announcements being multiplayer-centric games wasn't exactly what I expected, but given how Nintendo is as of late they're probably saving some of their bigger announcements for their own Nintendo Directs. Even if they had shown new footage of the Wii U Zelda or had a new F-Zero or Super Mario 64-2 or whatever, the triple whammy of Final Fantasy VII Remake Announcement/Shenmue 3 Kickstarter/New The Last Guardian footage from Sony's show would've been a hard act for anyone to follow.
Oh well, at least they had some awesome pre-show eShop releases like the Smash Bros. DLC and Mother 1, as well as stuff like indie demos and a Classic Link outfit for Hyrule Warriors throughout the week.
Definitely excited for Mario Maker, Woolly World, and Xenoblade X.