CKOHLER

My tax refund was starting to burn a small hole in my pocket so I picked up a Nintendo DS Lite yesterday. I had owned an original DS for a few years but I eventually donated it to my nephew. I’ve wanted a DS Lite ever since then but never enough to actually go out and buy one. Now they sell a slick looking red model called the “Crimson Black” which is the one I ended up buying. It’s very stylish. At first, I thought it was almost too small and I had some trouble holding it comfortably. Once I adjusted to it, I found I actually prefer it. The screen is simply incredible. I knew it would be brighter than the original DS but until you actually see it, you don’t realize just how much. I’ve started compiling a list of DS games I’ve missed out on over the past few years that I’m eagerly wanting to try. I may look into a GameFly account as there isn’t a better way to rent DS games around here that I know of.

Speaking of DS games, the other thing that convinced me to pick up the system was Seth sending me SMS messages about how fun the new Pokemon Diamond and Pearl is. At first, I figured he just wanted someone to trade pokemon with. However, after I got the game I have to admit it is rather addictive. I had tried playing the Gameboy Advance version of Pokemon once but I never could get into it. This new Diamond version on the other hand is really pulling me in. Granted, the RPG aspects do feel dated and the game is geared more towards kids than your average game but I can overlook these issues and simply enjoy it for what it is: a fun battle/collection game. It is rare to find an RPG where you actually look forward to random battles. What’s more, this game features a slew of Internet enabled features such as online trading, online battling and more. It even supports voice chat which is very impressive for a handheld gaming system. I’m looking forward to trying these features out.