DSi Protector arrives, the DSi VC(?), and a gig at nintendolife.com

A quick entry - my Hori DSi Protector arrived today. Play-asia.com is very efficient and quite speedy. I will definitely be doing business with them again in the future, and suggest the same to any who have a need or desire to import some goodies.

I'm quite pleased with the Protector, though I knew I would be. I love the one I bought for my DS Lite, and it serves me well. I took some pictures below to compare - even though I've read on the internet and seen side by side comparisons, I had an image in my mind that it (the DSi inside the protector) was going to be a little longer. It's pretty much the same size though, just a touch (pun) bigger.

Length comparison.


Width comparison (sorry for the glare!)


DSi Hori Protector - stand tall!


What's missing from this picture? :(


All I need now is the actual DSi, and I'll be in business!

Rumor has it that the DSi is going to have an often fantasized about Virtual Console featuring Gameboy and Gameboy Advance games that can be played straight from the SD card. Sound too good to be true? Well it might be, since it is awfully close to April 1. This was either leaked info or a rumor created to disappoint many that came out of the recent DSi prelaunch parties that Platinum Club Nintendo members were invited to join.

To wrap this post up, I'd like to mention that I recently applied to join the staff of WiiWare World and was accepted to their main site Nintendo Life as a reviewer/reporter. Nintendo Life focuses exactly on what its name implies - all things Nintendo - reviews, news, rumors, etc. My first review was on Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume for the DS, and I'm working on one for The World Ends With You. I'm pretty excited about the idea of being able to help on a good network, as I really have enjoyed both Virtual Console Reviews and WiiWare World for as long as I've had the Wii.

The World Ends With You (and my DSi case arrives)

I've nickel and dimed 17 hours on The World Ends With You, and beat it last night. I have had this game sitting on my desk since October 2008, and had I known it was THIS good then, I would have played it sooner. As with every Christmas, due to the sudden influx of new games, and I suddenly had a lot of new stuff to play (Castlevania: OoE, Chrono Trigger, Animal Crossing: City Folk, and others). TWEWY is a great game with a brilliant battle system and very catchy music - I now see why IGN gave it DS Game of the Year.

Interestingly, I switched to the original DS to play it. The Lite's brighter screens are nice, but for the first time, my left hand cramped while using the dpad when fighting Minamimoto (so zeta slow!) - to whom I lost the first time, and had to take a break to give my hand a rest. After that, I started using the old trusty brick again (and started carrying a heal to boss battles!), and had no further trouble with top screen fighting.

I got my DSi case in the mail from playasia a couple of days ago. Unfortunately, the clear black DSi protect case by Hori went from 5-15 days to backorder. I'm waiting to see if this will effect my order since I ordered before then, but if it does, I'll settle for the readily available clear blue.

The DSi case carries three games, and even has a little spot for you to stick your extra stylus in (see above game card holders). The inside is very soft, it's like a little cozy bed for your DSi to rest in. I'm glad I went ahead and got it since Amazon's Hori DSi products won't be available until April 15...