Circadian Circumvention

Before I delve into the subject at hand, I'm going to talk a little bit about Nintendo's Game Boy Advance and my experience with the device. I owned a few GBA games before I owned a GBA. Paradoxical, I know. I owned the Game Boy Player Gamecube add-on, however. This was, of course, when my Cube was still functional. I did not purchase a GBA until one irresistible game came along; a game that would cement Keif, Legoman and myself as the J-Team.

That game was Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. I can not say enough good things about that experience, and I hesitate to mention it around Keif, as she is then likely to renounce any gaming agenda that had been previously decided on (Ultimate Alliance, Smooth Moves, etc.) and demand that we again play through FF:CC. Then the point is brought up that her betrothed, Legoman, traded in his GBA when he got his DS, because, Hey, why would anyone need a GBA if they have a DS? ... ... Yeah, exactly. The link cable issue.

Anyways, though we did get massive use of the GBAs with that game, I did expand and play other games on the system. Most notably, the entire Mega Man Zero series, of which I am very fond. I am disappointed, though not surprised, that its spiritual successor Mega Man ZX is for the DS. I also enjoyed Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow and the NES Classics rerelease of The Legend of Zelda. However since MMZ4, my GBA has gathered substantial dust.

The other day, I met up with this gaming cohort known as Keif when she was getting off work, to forcibly remind her to pick up the copy of Wario Ware: Smooth Moves she had pre-ordered. While in Ye Olde Video Game Shoppe, I once again browsed through the used GBA selection. One never knows when a quality cartridge might surface through the second hand trade. Well, one particular gem that I had looked for before had suddenly found its way to the locked display case: Boktai. Yes, that's right, The Sun is in My Hands now.

Now let me make the point, if Hideo Kojima was involved in the developement of carcinogenic bubble gum, I would buy it. The Metal Gear series has earned him quite a bit of loyalty, so I am at all times eager to indulge in such other offerings as Snatcher, Policenauts, and Zone of the Enders. Boktai fits neatly into this category, and for a scant $6.99, I pounced on the chance like a ninja.

As usual, there was a dilemma. As Catarina has alluded to before, my occupation and general disposition often result in an abnormal diurnal cycle. For the past few days, I have been active mainly at night.

Boktai's solar cell requires daylight. Therefore, since I bought this game a few days ago, I have been unable to defeat the first boss, as some reasonable amount of light is needed to purify this Immortal. When I awoke late this afternoon, the little bit of overcast illumination was still insufficient. Resigned, I watched Jeopardy and had my morning coffee.

Luckily, the intellectual stimulation of the classic thinking man's answer-and-question game got the lobes humming. The solar cell needs sunlight, not artificial light. The difference being UV rays. Now where can I get ultraviolet light at night? Hmm... Why, I still have a massive blacklight in my living quarters, don't I? A fortunate remnant of my raver days. Minutes later, the first boss was purified and I had my method of playing Boktai whenever I please. Not unlike Nimrod, the biblical hunter before God, I am the great gamer before convention, thwarting the laws of time and photodynamics. I am, predictably, quite pleased with myself.