Oh Yes...It comes with minor bragging rights.

I've come up with the theory that, continously playing a ROM file (a.k.a pirated version) of a game that you intend to purchase will affect your purchase decision, steering it to be that of a "non-purchase".

Anyways, having spent a better part of two days with Phantom Hourglass in its ROM form inside the R4DS, I bought the original copy, but with a slight twist from the usual. Instead of buying from Play-Asia and waiting a week for the game to arrive due to the free shipping option, I went and bought the game from Gamers Hideout (GH) Cineleisure, Mutiara Damansara.

I gave the shop a call and one of the owners, Djinn (guy has a very nice telephone voice), reserved a copy for me, which I collected and paid for some 30 minutes later. GH is selling the game for a low price of RM 140, about a couple of ringgit difference from that of the Play-Asia price.

So what are you waiting for? Have you gotten your copy of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass? Click here to purchase it at Play-Asia or go to your nearest brick-and-mortar video games store near you. I would actually recommend Gamers Hideout.

How Did I Spend My USD 10 Voucher at Play-Asia.

I don't usually like keychains, for they are bothersome and more often than not, difficult to put up for display, unlike figurines. But once in a while there would be an interesting trinket or two that would catch my eye and its not everyday that I get to spend a USD 10 voucher courtesy of my favourite online retailer on all things videogames and collectibles: Play-Asia.com.



Yesterday I ordered a Gameboy Advance SP keychain which has an accompanying cartridge (The Legend of Zelda). There are other GBA keychains as well, with different accompanying cartridges such as Ice Climber and Super Mario Bros. Click here for the entire list.


I've also ordered one of these Legend of Zelda Minish Cap Figure Gashapon keychains. I didn't order an entire set, the reason is already mentioned earlier in this post. Anyway, what would I do with an entire set of 7 keychains? One would suffice.. and besides, I only had USD 10 to spend.


And to top it off, I bought another Dot-S puzzle. This time it features that old Namco game, Mappy. It's gonna complement my existing Zelda and Bomberman Dot-s Puzzles. Click here for the entire list of Dot-S puzzles available on Play-Asia.

There you have it, my way of spending a 10 USD voucher and paying a little extra to cover up the difference. I didn't buy any video games this time, because I figure that I already have enough games to keep me occupied and I would certainly want to focus on other things... e.g. running.

Do note that each purchase from Play-Asia comes with a USD 5 discount voucher (well, most of the time), applicable for your next purchase over USD 50. Click on the links above if you are interested in any of the items I ordered, or head over to Play-Asia.com. I've also 3 USD 5 vouchers in hand, so do drop a line if you want one.

Time of the Season for Play-Asia's Sale!!!

Nothing gets me going better than a sale. If you are looking for video games and collectables, drop by Play-Asia as they are having their Summer Smoothie (wonder who thought this up) sale where its 20% off for everything in stock. Click here for further details.

Since PA has a wide variety of games for different platforms, I'm only listing my picks for the Nintendo DS (click on the titles for purchasing details):

• Jump Ultimate Stars USD 29.90
• Ouendan 2 USD 39.12
• Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords USD 27.92
• Yu-Gi-Oh: World Championship 2007 USD 27.92
• Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (Konami's Best) USD19.92
• New Super Mario Bros. USD 31.92
• Kanji Sonomama Rakubiki Jiten USD 39.12
  
• Marvel Trading Card Game USD 27.92
• The New York Times Crosswords USD 27.92

Some of these titles hit a sweet spot at around RM 100 each, pretty good bargains I would say, considering they are not bargain bin items in the first place. So, what should I get? Maybe Puzzle Quest or something else? I'm pretty much up to my neck with puzzle games.

Puzzled? Don't Be! Join the League!

If there's anything that screams Game of The Year material, it would be Planet Puzzle League for the Nintendo DS. A Touch! Generations title which is a combination of Bejewelled and Tetris, along with some interesting gameplay modes, PPL rocks and is really quite addictive.

Gameplay is divided into Single Player, Daily Play (think single player, in smaller doses), local WiFi and Nintendo WFC. Single Player features a variety of modes, with Endless being the choice for me (you should try it too, if you have plenty of time to kill).

Daily Play features game modes that require just 2 minutes of play; you'll be spending that amount of time trying to get a high score, or clearing lines of rubbish and even adding more rows (Tetris veterans go huh?)! I have not tried out the local WiFi and WFC modes, but this game has certainly proven its mettle in terms of the single player aspect.

I know I've said this before about another game, but it needs to be said here again: the soundtrack to PPL is of particular note. Electronica/dance combines well with the gameplay, and I can foresee a trend in this particular genre.

Like any other Touch! Generations title, Planet Puzzle League is very easy to pick up and play, with the stylus being the primary means of control. In fact I didn't even bother to read the manual when I received my copy of the game today. This must-have title is still available at Play-Asia (click here), and if you fancy the Japanese version known as Panel de Pon, click here.

Hunt for the Coupon!

Want to get a discount coupon on Play-Asia.com? I've got three of them, all of which expire in May. Now, Jon suggested something interesting so I'm offering you, dear reader, a chance to hunt for the coupon codes throughout this blog of mine.

Basically, I'll give out clues on where to look for parts of a particular coupon code but in the appropriate order so you won't give yourself an aneurysm putting them together. The coupon code is divided into three parts (see below) and you are supposed to hunt all three parts down. First one to get all three parts right better use it quick, as these are one-time-use coupons.

xx-xxx-xxx

First up is a USD 5 discount coupon for purchases worth USD 50 or more. The clues for the first part of the coupon are:

• Colour
• Most Popular Post
  

Easy enough? No registration, no contest forms necessary, although a nice shoutout on the chatterbox on the left, or comments over on this post or link exchanges would be nice :P.

Clues for part 2 of the coupon can be found here.