So I've been really obsessed with this game recently called Shining Soul 2, for the Gameboy Advance. I've been emulating it so far, but for the longest time it wouldn't save properly (you'd have to quasi-save it using save states) and that really bothered me. I know it shouldn't have, since I COULD save and everything (better than the normal save function), but it just didn't feel...right. Like playing Sonic the Hedgehog on a TV with messed-up colors. Sure, it's the same game, but every time you see that green Sonic, it nags at you.
Well, I managed to force the emulator into saving the game properly (SS2 has some kind of crazy incredible Flash memory save for some silly reason). But it still bothered me... I wanted to play the game on a real GBA. It'd work great, right? No more emulation because the thing's made to work in this, right? In theory.
I searched high and low for this thing but as it turns out, Shining Soul 2 is incredibly rare. Because it came out in 2003. And the Advance is on the way out. But come on, on the way out doesn't mean gone. Someone's gotta have this bastard. I've seen old games stacked high in my local stores. They can't get rid of them. Surely this'll be in ONE of those piles, right?
Turns out... sometime over the weekend, all of those piles disappeared. I distinctly remember walking into Wal-Mart and Target and seeing aisles of Advance games. Today, suddenly, they're all gone. Every last one. Well, with the exception of Lizzie McGuire 3 Homecoming Whatever and the rest of the Disney crap and quick board game hash they shoveled out the last year the Advance meant anything. Come on, Wal-Mart. How old is that copy of Perfect Dark for the Gameboy Color you've been trying to sell for thirty dollars for the past three years?
Fine, whatever. Maybe I just waited too long. I understand the DS is all new and you gotta focus on it. Fine. Gamestop still has some old GBA games somewhere, don't they? Yeah, they have some right here, cartridges only. Well, okay, if I don't get a box and instructions I might as well just keep emulating it, but... ten dollars, you say? That is a pretty good deal. And I'm surprised you have it. You're my last hope. I've been looking everywhere for this, and look, Shining Soul 2, it's the right one and everything. I know that if I delay, someone else will snatch it up. I'll take it.
I get it home and pop it into my DS with a feeling of victory all over. I won. Man, this is a long intro. I just want to save. All right, let's try this. Saving.
FAILED TO SAVE. PLEASE TRY AGAIN.
You've got to be kidding me. I understand the thing not working on an emulator but this is REAL HARDWARE. My first clue was that there were no save files already made, but I figured maybe the previous owner just wiped it clean since he was selling it. But no, apparently he was some douche who decided it didn't work anymore so let's sell it to Gamestop so they'll sell it to some sucker for full price. This wasn't going to fly, so I marched (drove) right back and returned it. I figured they'd give me some song and dance about no returns for preowned things but they accepted it was defective and gave me a full refund. So I'm no worse nor better off than I was before - and if I had known this'd happen, I wouldn't have bothered.
I guess I'll just stick to emulation from now on.
Too Long Didn't Read Version: emulation of a game didn't work for a long time, tried buying the real thing, had the exact same problem as ROM, returned it, why are GBA games so damn rare
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