On my honeymoon in Europe, I did find some time to play some games (DS and Solitaire), mostly on planes and trains and the like. I learned three valuable lessons that I thought I’d pass on…in case anyone ever plans to travel.
Lesson 1
A week into the trip, I was humming along in the final chapter of Phoenix Wright, ready to expose the greatest conspiracy ever. I was on the last leg of the case, ready to scream OBJECTION and close the case, when *BLIP* my DS ran out of batteries. No problem, right? I’ll plug in my Nintendo issued dual voltage plug. Woops, Nintendo’s American DS charge is only 110 V. For some reason I thought it was dual voltage (like my cell phone charger, and my laptop, and EVERYTHING these days) but I was wrong. I ended up buying a European charger for 10 euros (~$15) that I can use in Asia as well. But man, this is the 21st century! Anyway, I should have just brought my transformer. Lesson learned: Don’t forget about voltage differences!
Lesson 2
After I finally charged my DS, it was time to finish Phoenix Wright! I was waiting for the subway in Barcelona with my luggage and about to finish the game. The subway pulled up, so I slipped the DS into my pocket and got ready to board the train. My wife got on ahead of me, but as I walked into the subway I found myself surrounded. All I remember is staring into the chest of a blue shirt. What’s going on here!? Then I suddenly felt something moving in my right pocket. I turned my head to the right and saw two fingers subtly pulling my DS out of my pocket. Ahh! My left hand was holding my luggage, so I only had one hand to fend off this would be attacker. I took my two fingers and gently pushed the DS out of his fingers and back into my pocket! SUCCESS! So I was close to getting foiled in my attempt to finish Phoenix Wright again, but once again I prevailed. Lesson learned: Don’t keep valuables in your pocket!
Lesson 3
Finally, I finished Phoenix Wright, so I went to the local electronics store to see what prices were like. Everything gaming related in Europe is EXPENSIVE. Almost everything I saw cost the same amount in euros as it did in USD, meaning everything is basically 50% more expensive. Seems like kind of a rip off. Anyway, I’m glad to be an American gamer. I ended up not buying anything, not only was it expensive, I also think it was all in Spanish! Lesson learned: Be thankful to game in America
Anyway, if you take the time to learn these valuable lessons, I think a trip to Europe is well worth it. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, but it’s good to be back! Monkey Island and 1943 time…the summer of arcade begins!
