The Ballad of Sleeveboy and Bionic Commando GBC
Let me relate a mildly sad story that happened to me.
This past Friday I flew out to Buffalo, NY to attend my cousin's wedding. While driving back home from the hairstylist to finish packing, I decided to stop by the local used game shop to pick up a cheap Game Boy game, maybe even Tactics Ogre if it was available. (Buffalo's not exactly the most exciting city around, I'm afraid.)
To my delight, I found a copy of Bionic Commando GBC for $12.99. Being a huge fan of the NES original and its spiritual successor, Umihara Kawase, I snapped it up immediately. The game didn't disappoint, either -- for a GBC game it's amazingly colorful and well-animated, and the gameplay is like butter. While on the plane, I played through the first few areas, saved my game and picked up a magazine, resolving to play more once I got to the hotel.
As I lay back on the sofa in my suite, terror struck. I tried to enter Area 4, but the game crashed at the item select screen. Bemused, I turned the game off and on again only to have the same problem. Repeated retries were of no help. Just to check if there was a problem with the software, I played through the game again to the same point. This time I reached Area 4 just fine, so I turned off the game again and restarted. AGAIN the game crashed. The problem was clear: a corrupted battery.
Frustration ensued. What torture to have such an excellent game, and to not be able to play it! In over twenty years of playing console games, I don't think I've ever once come across a glitchy cartridge until this past weekend.
Why did it have to be you, Bionic Commando?
In the end, I exchanged the game for Cybernator and U.N. Squadron -- both good games, but small consolation for the loss of a great game that I'll probably never have the impetus to buy again.
