<html>

<head>
<title>loonygames presents: Pocket Full o' Love - handheld gaming reviews biweekly</title>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<style type="text/css">
a { text-decoration: none; }
a:hover { color:000000;  text-decoration: underline; }


</style>
</head>

<body bgcolor="#FFF4D0" link="#3333FF" vlink="#000000" alink="#000000">
<center>
</center>
<table width="100%" border="0" bgcolor="#3596B3" height="58">
  <tr> 
    <td height="69" width="29%" align="left" valign="top"> 
      <div align="left"> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#FFFFFF"><b><i><img src="../../images/logo_new.jpg" width="182" height="63" border="0" usemap="#logoa"> 
        </i></b></font></div>
    </td>
    <td height="69" width="29%" align="center" valign="top"> <center>
<script type="text/javascript"><!--
google_ad_client = "ca-pub-2373963192914918";
/* 468x60 */
google_ad_slot = "3417104156";
google_ad_width = 468;
google_ad_height = 60;
//-->
</script>
<script type="text/javascript"
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
</script>
</center>
    </td>
  </tr>
</table>
<table width="100%" border="0" bgcolor="#3596B3" height="29">
  <tr> 
    <td height="20" width="25%" align="center" valign="middle" bgcolor="#86531A"> 
      <a href="../../../about.1"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#FFFFFF"><b><font size="2">about</font></b></font></a></td>
    <td height="20" width="25%" align="center" valign="middle" bgcolor="#86531A"> 
      <a href="../../../feedback.1"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#FFFFFF" size="2"><b>feedback</b></font></a></td>
    <td height="20" width="25%" align="center" valign="middle" bgcolor="#86531A"> 
      <a href="../../../archives/index.html"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#FFFFFF" size="2"><b>archives</b></font></a></td>
    <td height="20" width="25%" align="center" valign="middle" bgcolor="#86531A"> 
      <b><a href="../../../submissions/index.html"><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">submissions</font></a></b></td>
  </tr>
</table>
<div align="center"> <br>
</div>
<table width="100%" border="0">
  <tr> 
    <td width="72%"> 
      <h5><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">//<a href="../../../index.html"><font color="#7C420E">loonygames</font></a>://<a href="../index.html"><font color="#7C420E">issue 
        2.4</font></a>://<a href="index.html"><font color="#7C420E">pocket full 
        o' love</font></a>://1, <a href="index2.php"><font color="#7C420E">2</font></a></font></b></h5>
    </td>
    <td align="right" valign="middle" width="28%"> 
      <div align="right"> 
        <h5><a href="../../cgi/printme.pl?url=%252F2.4%252Fpfol%252F"><img src="../../images/icons/print01.gif" width="27" height="27" align="baseline" border="0" alt="switch to printer-friendly version"></a></h5>
      </div>
    </td>
  </tr>
</table>
<br>
<table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
  <tr> 
    <td align="center" valign="top" width="25%"> 
      <table border="0" width="99%" bgcolor="#D7B582" align="center" bordercolor="#E0E0E0">
        <tr> 
          <td align="LEFT" valign="TOP" width="100%"> <font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> 
             </font> <p><webdog><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#0022A8"><b><font color="#693A0C">What's 
           new today:</font></b></font> 
          
<p><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><a href="../../../index.html" target=""><b><font color="#00025E">New!!!</font></b></a><br></b>
  The archives have been cleaned up, dead links fixed, and the printable versions restored! Also, don't miss the new comments on the main page!</font></p>

 
<p><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><a href="../../2.15/feat/index.html" target=""><b><font color="#00025E">Livin' 
  With The Sims</font></b></a><br></b>
  theAntiELVIS explores the wild and wacky world that is Will Wright's <b>The Sims</b>, 
  asking the inevitable quesiton, &quot;is <b>The Sims</b> the first step toward a virtual 
  life where everyone is Swedish?&quot;</font></p>
<p><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><a href="../../2.15/pixel/index.html" target=""><b><font color="#00025E">Pixel 
  Obscura </font></b></a></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><br>
  Josh Vasquez on <b>Omikron: The Nomad Soul</b>.</font></p>
<p><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><a href="../../rl/index.html" target=""><b><font color="#00025E">Real 
  Life </font></b></a></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><br>
  Check out our newest comic strip, <b>Real Life</b>! Updated daily!</font></p>
<p><font color="#000000" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><a href="../../uf.1" target=""><b><font color="#00025E">User 
  Friendly</font></b></a></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><br>
  Updated daily!</font></p>
<p></webdog> </p>
 
            <p></p>
            <p> </p>
            <p></p>
             
            </td>
        </tr>
      </table>
      <br>
      <table width="100%" border="0" bgcolor="#D7B582">
        <tr bgcolor="#D7B582"> 
          <td> 
            <div align="center"> 
              <p align="left"><font size="-1"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#0022A8"><b><font color="#00025E">Random 
                Feature:</font></b></font> </font> </p>
              <p><p align="CENTER"><img src="../../images/thumbs/bnl.jpg" width="129" height="107" align="MIDDLE"></p><p><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><a href="../../1.13/feat/index.html">Blue & Levelord Get Drunk</a>: Truly the definitive interview with Levelord, Stephen "Blue" Heaslip and the Ritual level designer get drunk and talk about the gaming industry.</font></p>

<i><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-2"> 
                </font> </i></p>
            </div>
          </td>
        </tr>
      </table>
      <br>
      <table width="99%" border="0" bgcolor="#D7B582">
        <tr> 
          <td> 
            <div align="center"> 
              <form method="get" action="http://www.google.com/custom" name="">
                <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-1"><b><font color="#339900">Search 
                the Archives!</font></b></font> 
               
                 <INPUT TYPE=text name=q size=12 maxlength=255 value="">
 <INPUT type=submit name=sa VALUE="Google Search">
 <INPUT type=hidden name=cof 
VALUE="LW:216;L:http:/home/loonygames/loony.timedoctor.org/content/images/logo1.jpg;LH:55;AH:center;S:http://www.loonygames.com;AWFID:13a298c7abe84fd0;">
<input type=hidden name=domains value="loonygames.com"> 
<input type=hidden name=sitesearch value="loonygames.com">               
</div>
              </form>

              <p align="left"><i> </i></p>
            </div>
          </td>
        </tr>
      </table>
    </td>
    <td width="75%" align="center" valign="top"> 
      <table width="90%" border="0" cellpadding="0" align="center">
        <tr> 
          <td width="50%" valign="top"> 
            <div align="center"> 
              <h5 align="right"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#00025E"><img src="../../images/icons/pfol_final.jpg" width="192" height="248" align="left"><loonystart>Vol. 
                2, Issue 4<br>
                December 1, 1999<br>
                </font></b></h5>
              <h5 align="right"><font color="#00025E"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> 
                </font></b></font></h5>
              <div align="center">
                <p align="center"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#0000FF"><i><font color="#904C10" size="3">Pocket 

                  Full o' Love:</font></i></font></b></p>
                <p align="center"><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#0000FF"><i><font color="#904C10" size="6"> 
                  Finally! </font></i></font></b></p>
                <p align="right"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">by 
                  Jason &quot;<a href="mailto:jason@loonygames.com">loonyboi</a>&quot; 
                  Bergman</font></p>
              </div>
              <script language="JavaScript">

<!--
       function gotoSite(obj)
          {
          var s;
          s=obj.options[obj.selectedIndex].value
                         location.href=s;
          }
// -->

</script>
              <form>
  <div align="RIGHT">
    <select name="SiteSelector" size="1" language="JavaScript" onchange="gotoSite(this)">
      <option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.6/pfol/">Jump to an 
      Archived Column!</option>
  <option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.6/pfol/">Issue 2.6 
      (Pac-Man)</option>
    <option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.4/pfol/">Issue 2.4 
      (The NGPC)</option>
      <option value="http://www.loonygames.com/content/2.2/pfol/">Issue 2.2 
      (GBC Love)</option>
    </select>
  </div>
</form>              <p align="right">&nbsp;</p>
              <p align="right">&nbsp;</p>
              <p align="right">&nbsp;</p>
              <p align="left"> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><img src="../../images/letters_new/b.jpg" width="25" height="44" align="left">elieve 
                it or not, there hasn't been a real handheld system released in 
                the US since Sega's GameGear all those years ago. Sure, there's 
                been the Game.com, but that was so limited, I can't even call 
                that a &quot;console&quot;. The Neo Geo Pocket Color isn't just 
                a new system - it's (finally!) a step up from the quickly aging 
                GameBoy technology.</font></p>
              <p align="left"></p>
              <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">For roughly 
                the same price as a GameBoy Color (in some places the NGPC is 
                cheaper, in others it's the opposite) you get a true 16-bit CPU 
                capable of displaying 146 colors simultaneously (compare that 
                to the GBC's maximum of 56 - if you're lucky) an internal memory 
                backup system (cool feature here kids, more on this in a bit), 
                a calendar with horoscope, an alarm, the ability to connect to 
                the Dreamcast, and hey! It even plays games, too. </font></p>
              <table border="0" align="right" bgcolor="#D7B582" width="92" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
                <tr> 
                  <td height="43"> 
                    <div align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="http:/home/loonygames/loony.timedoctor.org/content/cgi/image.pl?image=/content/2.4/pfol/ngpc.jpg&amp;w=270&amp;h=169&amp;back=/content/2.4/pfol/index.php&amp;name=Pocket%20Full%20of%20Love"><img src="ngpc_sml.jpg" width="120" height="75" border="0" alt="click to enlarge!"></a></font></div>
                  </td>
                </tr>
                <tr> 
                  <td height="18"> 
                    <p align="center"> <i><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="1" color="#000253"> 
                      <ignoreme>Woo...dig that design. (30k).</ignoreme></font></i></p>
                  </td>
                </tr>
              </table>
              <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">First 
                things first: the system itself is just about the same size as 
                a GameBoy Color, although it's significantly lighter. The cartridges, 
                which are the smallest to date for any system (even the venerable 
                HuCard can't touch these - they're only slightly larger than a 
                book of matches) fit snugly into the system, and have a curved 
                top so as to make the back a seamless curve. Swanky stuff. </font></p>
              <p align="left"></p>
              <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The joystick 
                (and unlike every other system to date, it is an actual joystick, 
                not a gamepad) is a little odd...there's a depression around it, 
                and so it only barely sticks out (don't worry, you can throw it 
                in your bag and not worry about it being broken off). At first 
                glance it sort of resembles the stick on the N64 controller. This 
                is not an analog stick, however. It is a nice addition to the 
                system, no question about it, but it's not entirely necessary. 
                Some 2D games (<b>Pac-Man</b> being a notable example) are greatly 
                hindered by the stick, as making simple &quot;left&quot; and &quot;right&quot; 
                movements can be a bit of a hassle. There are two buttons, labeled 
                &quot;A&quot; and &quot;B&quot;, and one labeled &quot;Option&quot; 
                above them. Sadly, the system looses some major points here. </font></p>
              <p align="left"></p>
              <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">While 
                I applaud SNK for their forward thinking in implementing a 3D 
                control stick, the fact that there's only three buttons is a bit 
                puzzling. All I can guess is that there was a lack of space in 
                the design for other buttons. The end result of there only being 
                three buttons, is that in some games (<b>Metal Slug: 1st Mission</b> 
                being the one that comes to mind immediately) you can't pause 
                the game. Ack! The system does have a built-in shutdown mode that 
                can be turned on in most games, although be warned, if it turns 
                off, your game is lost.</font></p>
              <p align="left"></p>
              <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The power 
                button is pretty nifty. Instead of a switch to turn on the power 
                (like every other handheld system to date) it's a simple button, 
                not unlike the start button on a GBC (although, like the &quot;Option&quot; 
                button, it's rubberized). You turn the system on by pressing and 
                holding the button for two seconds or so. This is cool, because 
                it means the odds of the system being inadvertently turned on 
                inside your travel bag are pretty slim. If you've never had this 
                happen to you with an older system, believe me - nothing sucks 
                more than taking out a system on an airplane and discovering that 
                your batteries have died while you were waiting. </font></p>
              <p align="left"></p>
              <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The battery 
                power on the system is fantastic. For your two AA batteries, you 
                get whopping 40+ hours of gameplay. There's a separate watch battery 
                in place to keep the clock and memory functions from being unaffected 
                if the regular batteries die (a very cool thing indeed). <br>
                The screen itself is not at all unlike the GameBoy Color's. It 
                uses the same low-power consuming reflective LCD technology, which 
                means that instead of having a backlight for the system, it uses 
                whatever light is available around it. It works a lot better than 
                it sounds, believe me, and it accounts for the incredible battery 
                life. The screen is slightly larger than the GameBoy Color's. 
                It runs at a 160x152 resolution, as opposed to the 160x144 resolution 
                of the GBC. Those few pixels do make a difference, although the 
                less congested layout around the screen of the NGPC doesn't hurt 
                either.</font></p>
              <p align="left"></p>
              <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></loonystart> 
                </font></p>
              <p align="right"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="index2.php"><font color="#7C420E"><b><font size="+1">Next 
                &gt;&gt;</font></b></font> </a></font> </p>
              </DIV>
            </td>
        </tr>
      </table>
    </td>
  </tr>
</table>
<br>
<table width="100%" border="0" bgcolor="#3596B3" height="29">
  <tr> 
    <td height="20" width="25%" align="center" valign="middle" bgcolor="#86531A"> 
      <a href="../../../about.1"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#FFFFFF" size="2"><b>about</b></font></a></td>
    <td height="20" width="25%" align="center" valign="middle" bgcolor="#86531A"> 
      <a href="../../../feedback.1"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#FFFFFF" size="2"><b>feedback</b></font></a></td>
    <td height="20" width="25%" align="center" valign="middle" bgcolor="#86531A"> 
      <a href="../../../archives/index.html"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#FFFFFF" size="2"><b>archives</b></font></a></td>
    <td height="20" width="25%" align="center" valign="middle" bgcolor="#86531A"> 
      <b><a href="../../../submissions/index.html"><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">submissions</font></a></b></td>
  </tr>
</table>
<table width="100%" border="0" bgcolor="#3596B3" height="29">
  <tr> 
    <td height="20" width="35%"><a href="../../../index.html"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#FFFFFF"><b><i>loonygames</i></b></font></a></td>
    <td height="20" width="65%"> 
      <div align="right"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#FFFFFF">  </font></div>
    </td>
  </tr>
</table>
<p><i><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-2">Credits: Illustration 
  &copy; 1999 Dan Zalkus. Pocket Full o' Love is &copy; 1999 Jason Bergman. All 
  other content is &copy; 1999 loonyboi productions. Unauthorized reproduction 
  is prohibited, you weirdo.</font></i></p>
 <map name="logoa">
  <area shape="rect" coords="52,47,112,59" href="http://www.bluesnews.com">
  <area shape="rect" coords="3,3,179,46" href="../../../index.html">
</map>
</body>
</html>
