Generally, the worst disappointments in gaming start with the phrase, �We were THIS close.�
We were THIS close to getting a US release of Mother, to the point where it was completely
translated but just sat unreleased. We were THIS close to getting the Pocketstation, and
being able to take our hamsters with us wherever we went, just for the purpose of sending them
mail or listening to their deepest, darkest secrets. Erm, I mean... Chocobos! Did I say
hamsters? I meant Chocobos! Obviously. But, for reasons known only to Sony, and possibly
to Felicity in Worcestershire who was awesome enough to donate a pair of these to the show,
everyone outside of Japan was SOL, despite explicit PocketStation support appearing in
one of the biggest titles on the system. So what�s the deal?
The Pocketstation boasts an LCD screen at an impressive 32x32 resolution - that�s
right, an entire KILOPIXEL - with a five-button interface that kinda resembles a D-pad and
a single action button. But by flipping up the interface panel, you reveal a memory card
connection, thus allowing you to plug your PocketStation directly into your PS1 or PS2�s
memory card slots. It�ll function as a plain ol� 15-block memory card if you absolutely
need it to, albeit a 15-block memory card that includes an alarm clock for whatever
reason, but the primary innovation is to allow for microgames to be downloaded and played
apart from their host game, usually resulting in some improvement when the two are reunited.
Final Fantasy VIII is the classic (and actually localized) example, as the Chocobo World minigame
that gets loaded onto the Pocketstation functions as an RPG unto itself, where Boko (which kinda
freaks me out having recently replayed Final Fantasy V) traverses maps, travels according
to your commands, gets into fights (complete with its own active-time-battle system), and
occasionally gets stopped by his good friends Moomba and Cactuar, who deliver new weapons
(read: new damage outputs to scan to what is effectively a D4 roll) and items that can
be taken back to Squall�s quest for the most PERFECT ellipsis.
And, of course, levelling up Boko as he chases after his abducted girlfriend Koko (okay,
now this is REALLY getting creepy) improves the damage output of the in-game Chocobo GF
summon... which, unless you managed to import this particular peripheral, is otherwise useless.
But the PocketStation is a durable little device, and this one sprung right back to
life after plugging in a new 3V lithium watch battery (which Felicity was awesome enough
to provide). It�s obvious that the goal was for folks to carry these things around
with �em wherever they went, hence the port for accommodating a wrist strap or lanyard,
located (kinda inconveniently) next to the infrared communications port. That�s right,
you can even point these things at each other and - in the case of the majority of games
- confrontational as they are - try to beat up your friends and family. Or, at least,
their chocobos. Or hamsters. That said, it is an infrared connection rather than the
direct physical connection Sega used for their VMU�s connectivity, so get your tabletops
or other flat surfaces ready if you want to throw down in head-to-head chocobo action.
In the hierarchy of �Awesome gaming devices that the hardcore should obtain,� the Pocketstation
is certainly up there. Especially if you do a lot of PS1 import gaming, as there�s a
pile of games out there that support the device, including the first two Spyro the Dragon titles,
the entire Rockman Complete Works, The Misadventures of Tron Bonne, I.Q. Final, Dance Dance Revolution
3rd through 5th Mixes, Super Robot Wars Alpha, and of course, Love Hina 2. Even here in the
states, there�s support in the aforementioned Final Fantasy VIII, as well as Ridge Racer
Type 4, SaGa Frontier 2 (man, Square really liked this thing), and Street Fighter Alpha
3, though you�ll need a GameShark to hack it out of the wall of silence. Maybe it�s
because there were just too many hamsters behind that wall for the west to handle. That
must be it.