Shock and Rock
6-Pak Care Case
Power Link Plus
Power Pak
Worm Light Plus
Shock and Rock
SRP: $24.99
Nyko brings us another excellent accessory, and one of the most
creative available for the GBA, the Shock and Rock. If you remember the Shock and Rock
from the Game Boy Color, then you pretty much know what’s in store. But if you
haven’t experienced the contentment of the Shock and Rock, then now is the perfect
time. Combining a rumble pack, rechargeable battery, enhanced grip, and better sound, this
is an all-around good idea to go with your GBA. Click
for more…
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6-Pak Care Case
SRP: $7.99
Eight
bucks isn’t an amount to sneeze at, but it’s worth it. The 6-Pak Care Case is a
great investment, and will keep your games playing, which is what you want, right?
Let’s face it: GBAs and GBA game carts are tiny. They are incredibly portable, and
you aren’t always going to have your special carrying case or GBA shoulder holster to
keep everything in order. Sometimes you’re going to want to throw a couple games and
your GBA in your pocket and take off. So when you do that, use the Care Cases. These handy
little plastic covers fit snugly onto GBA cartridges and protect them from getting fuzz,
dirt, water, or whatever inside them. They aren’t the most fun accessories, but they
are incredibly prudent.
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Power Link Plus
SRP: $7.99
It’s
a bit more expensive than the regular link cables, but if you’re into multiplayer,
then this is your best choice. The Power Link Plus is a four-pronged link cable.
That’s right – no need to daisy chain four different cables together with this
bad boy. We love the ease and clean gameplay we get from this cable. Plus, if you have one
of these, then you don’t have to worry about not having enough cables so everybody
can play. C’mon, you know you love being the sugar daddy in the game, and this will
put you in that position. Get one now!
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Power Pak
SRP: $14.99
Nyko’s
Power Pak is not a big, beefy monster to give you unlimited hours of gameplay on a
rechargeable battery. Rather, they have created a nice, tidy battery pack that offers
about seven hours of gameplay on a charge. That’s not tons of gameplay, but it is
quite a bit. If you have to commute more than that in a day you need to move. And seven
hours on the GBA is about all I can take at a time. However, if you’re a die-hard
enthusiast, or if you just can’t put down Castlevania until you’re finished,
have no fear: You can play this bad boy even while it’s charging. That’s right,
the Power Pak doubles as an AC adapter for your GBA. This is definitely the battery to use
if you’re travelling – the slim AC adapter and the battery compartment adapter
will fit nicely into almost any carrying case or pocket. Think of this less as a
rechargeable battery, and more as an AC adapter that includes a bonus battery charge of
about seven hours. Way cool.
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Worm Light Plus
SRP: $9.99
Lights are so difficult, and they’re also so necessary. The GBA is
notorious for its dim screen. Nyko has patented their "Super White Light" LED,
which is a phenomenal light source, and they have used it in the Worm Light Plus. The Worm
Light Plus has a lot going for it. The light source does enhance the colors on the screen,
and it is probably the brightest light we’ve seen so far for the GBA. It actually
competes with ambient light, which is something none of the others can do. The Worm Light
is entirely molded out of moveable plastic, so you should be able to get it to shine on
just the right spot of the screen. But here’s the rub – the light itself
doesn’t diffuse over the entire screen, so you end up with a really nice bright spot
while the rest of the screen is still too dim. It’s really frustrating, too, because
the part that is illuminated looks great. I can understand that Nyko probably wanted to
keep the Worm Light Plus very small, and they’ve succeeded at that. The Worm Light
will fit into most pockets and carrying cases with no problem. But I would gladly deal
with the bulk of some kind of mirror or extra diffuser in order to make better use of
their phenomenal light source. Also, the light is so bright that it causes more severe
reflection than other lights offered by competing manufacturers. All signs point to the
future release of a really excellent Worm Light type thing with a diffuser built into it.
Then we’ll have the perfect light source for our GBAs.
