Blob Light System/accessory by NYKO Reviewed by Superguy3000 superguy3000@juno.com Released: 2000 Height: 3 1/2 in. Width: 4 1/2 in. Depth: 2 in. Battery Life: Uses EXT. port for power Use with: Game Boy Color and Game Boy Pocket +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Opening Snide Remarks: After the huge success of the Worm Light, Nyko decided to improve on the form aspect of their innovative product. The means they chose, however, were strange to say the least. The Blob Light, available in Solid Purple and Green, is a... well, a blob! Boasting four eyes - one with a light on it - and full shapability (is that a word?) the Blob Light is a sight to behold. I chose Solid Purple because it matches my Game Boy; in color, not in looks at all... The Blob Light claims to have no glare and to fit snugly onto the top of any Game Boy Color or Pocket. Let's see if all of that is true... +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Impressions: There are several issues facing any lighting peripheral: glare, snug fit, bulkiness, and lighting power to name a few. Rather than write an unstructured paragraph detailing each problem, I will perform case studies on each issue, using a different game each time. Well, here goes... ____________________________________________________________________________ Case One: GLARE Game in Use: Face Ball 2000 Idea: If the light causes glare, then it will be difficult to identify objects in the middle of the screen. In this study, Smiloids will be used as the objects and a .44 rifle as the identifying tool! Results: Having set the difficulty in the Arena mode to Hard (2 Rovers) I pro- ceeded to begin the fragfest. Much to my dismay, I got killed right off the bat because I couldn't see the darn Smiloids. After respawning, I tried to find another to seek revenge on. I found one and, trying to pull a shot in the back and then ducking, then coming back for two more, I missed thanks to the glare. I manged to get this one, but I was down to the "frown" life level. Throughout the game, I gradually began to tilt my head to position the glare away from the screen center. This, however, defeated the whole purpose of the peripheral, leaving areas of the screen unlit. Conclusion: There's a glare on this baby, that's for sure. It's about like the glare on Nyko's previous lighting product, the Worm Light, but that's to be expected. As for the "patented White Light" that the box brags about, um... NO! There's no white light, just a faded light screen. And it doesn't work. I'm probably being too hard on the glare aspect, but I need to point this out. The glare isn't anything that makes you want to not use the Blob Light, but it is something that very clearly exists. Hope fully, future light developers or even Nyko will find a better way to reduce glare and give us better under- the-covers gameplay. Ooh, that didn't sound so great... Grade: C+ ____________________________________________________________________________ Case Two: Snugness Game in Use: Harvest Moon 2 GBC (Cherry Cup Races Minigame) Idea: The Cherry Cup Races minigame is one of those "smash the A and B buttons alternately until your hands break so that your horse crosses the finish line first" types. The player's hands go all around, the worst nightmare of the Blob Light's grip onto the Game Boy. If the light comes off during play, then the fit isn't tight enough. Results: The first two races went without fail, (well, I lost each one, but that's another story) the Blob Light not moving an inch. I was amazed at how well the light stayed on with so few supports. In fact, the only place the light is anchored is at the EXT port. There is a lip, though, that loosely fits over the top of the machine. It provides some of the support, along with a bulge of the blob that is posable, this one on the opposite side as the EXT port. The third race, however, was a different story, with the Blob Light completely disconnecting. I lost all light but, oddly enough, came in second. It's a mindless game, though, requiring only button smashing - a skill that is not one of my best :). Had it been a more complex game like Tetris or Kirby's Dreamland, this could have been a serious problem. The fourth race also saw a disconnection, although not one of the light this time. This disconnection was only the right bulge, causing the top of the light to shift up and the lighting to move away from the screen center. This was nothing major, but it was a disconnection. The fifth race was a success, with not one disconnection. Conclusion: There is a chance of disconnection, but only in such physically involving games such as this. Play Tetris and I guarantee there will be no disconnection, thanks to the great design. In fact, it arguably fits more snugly than its predecessor, the Worm Light. Disconnection is not a serious problem, unless you're playing on a motorcycle or something, in which case you'd be stupider than the Nintendo executive who decided to rename FOY! Grade: A- ____________________________________________________________________________ Case Three: Bulkiness Game Used: None Idea: If the game fits into my hands without any kind of discomfort or undue weight, then it's suitably compact. However, you don't really want anything called a Blob Light to be too compact! Results: It's great - no topheaviness, no bulging out to the side except for the EXT. port connection, and the light eye doesn't block much of the screen. In fact, you can even switch the light around so that some of the screen is unlit but there is no screen blockage. I wouldn't try to fit this thing in my pocket, but would you put any blob in your pocket? I didn't think so... Conclusion: No complaints. Grade: A ____________________________________________________________________________ Case Four: Lighting Power Game Used: Bust-a-Move Millennium Idea: If I can easily distinguish between colors on the screen, then the light is sufficiently powerful. Bust-a-Move Millennium has some very similarly colored bubbles, causing problems playing in the dark - some of which I have experienced myself. I'll use the blue and green bubbles as the testing objects this time, since they seem to cause the most problems. Results: I had no trouble distinguishing between blue and green. However, the green with orange dots seemed a lot closer to the green with the light. The only real problem that arose during the game was that of lighting of the full screen. I sometimes had to squint to see the color of the next bubble, and this cost valuable bubble bursting time! It's really hard to adjust the light so that the entire screen is lit, and it's even harder to get the thing to stay that way. I feel that if the light eye was a bit taller, maybe the whole screen would be easily lit. Conclusion: There's definitely enough lighting power, the thing just doesn't light the whole screen sometimes. It's nothing major, though. Grade: B+ ____________________________________________________________________________ Case Five: Power Use Game Used: Bust-a-Move Millennium Idea: During Case Four, my GBC's power cut out. I unplugged the Blob Light, thinking that this was the light's fault. I was right; having taken the light out, power returned, albeit very dim. I put the light back in, and the power cut out. The same happened time after time, until I eventually grew tired of this and recharged the batteries. Results: Any device such as the Blob Light must use some power, and the Blob Light does use some power. The amount of power use isn't too great, though, as the batteries lasted through many hours of Harvest Moon and most of this review without needing a recharge. It would be nice if someone discovered a way to get a device to run on 100% efficiency. Then it could be applied to the areas in greatest need (game systems, what else?) rather than trivial things like industrial power stations and fuel-depleting automobiles. We would have Blob Lights that could run forever without having to replace or re- charge any batteries; we could even be free of AC adapters. Alas, that is not today, and we must make do with what we have. Conclusion: The power usage really isn't that bad, kept to a minimum thanks to the wizards at Nyko and all of their techno-genius. Don't be worried a- bout this, I just thought I'd mention it because it is an issue. Grade: A- ____________________________________________________________________________ Liked: Most of the aspects of the Worm Light are great, but the glare is kind of bad. Don't rely on the Blob Light too much, but it is a great way to play at night, on late night car trips, and even during funeral services! By the way, don't play your Game Boy at funeral services, that's just not right... Hated: There's some glare, but that's to be expected. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Improve: Fix the glare problem and make the other eyes posable. Maybe make a mouth for the Blob and some teeth. Make a glow-in-the-dark Blob Light for extra lighting, or something like that... +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Final Words: The Blob Light is a great tool with only one real weakness - glare. The glare isn't really bad, but it does exist. If you're into making your GBC look crazy, the Blob Light is a must have; and if you want a rippling, slimy lump of ooze on the top of your Game Boy, then there's really no other place to turn to! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Score: 90% +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Secrets: The eyes of the Blob Light are all-seeing, so be careful about what you wear while playing your GBC!