The Thrill of Gaplus and the Agony of Defeat

This spinner, man... I'm pretty sure this blasted thing is going to kill me. I had plans to put it in a slick case with custom artwork sealed behind a polycarbonate sheet, but even after meticulous measuring, the artwork doesn't print out at the right size. I've got access to a high quality printer and glossy photo paper at the local library, but the copier won't recognize any of my flash drives, and the print software on their computer doesn't want to play nice, insisting on either stretching the image or shrinking it to fit to the page. You don't have to shrink anything, dammit, the image already fits on the page! 

Why are you testing me like this? Am I really going to have to take this file down to AlphaGraphics or the UPS Store to get it properly printed? Haven't I spent enough money on this already? Between the spinner itself and the case and the clear plastic and the drill bits needed to bore holes IN the clear plastic, it's at least been a hundred dollars. All I want is a spinner that doesn't look like the state costume Homer made for Lisa's school play! Is that too much to ask!?

image from Frinkiac

Adding to my level of grump is the realization that I'm probably not going to be given access to the latest iteration of the forum I've been visiting for over ten years. I gave myself some time to cool off after getting into a fight with another member, but they switched to different software in the interim, and attempts to sign up for the new forum have been fruitless. The admins haven't straight up told me that I'm not welcome there, but perhaps I need to buy a ticket for the clue train and just accept that my (talking) time there is over.

Yes, that's one of my comics. Yes, I'm
still a furry. Shut up.

So no, this hasn't been a great couple of weeks for me. At least I can take some solace in the NES port of Gaplus, included in Namco Museum Archives Volume 2. Sandwiched between Falcom's inscrutable Legacy of the Wizard and the dreadfully dull rogue-lite Dragon Buster II is a conversion of the third entry in the Galaxian series, which is not only faithful to the little-seen arcade game but may actually be more fun to play. The arcade version of Gaplus killed players in a hurry by showering them with falling bombs and the shrapnel from exploding diamonds, but these weapons of mass destruction drop more slowly in the NES port, in an attempt to both reduce the difficulty and compensate for the game's vertically challenged playfield. The end result is a game that will still kick your butt, but at least lets you stick around for a few stages before it tears your heart out and serves it to you in a greasy paper bag.