TofGF - Jap Digivice

My Digivice arrived Saturday, November 13, 1999 from Japan (thanks Fawn [ topbid@hotmail.com]) . It is bigger than the DigiMon or DigiMon Pendulum (there is a reason why) , and it costs more too (1980/2200 yen versus 2980 yen) . Being that the whole thing was in Japanese, I didn't have much choice but to start it up and fumble may way around until I could figure out just exactly which buttons controlled what function.

I pulled the tab and was greeted with the BANDAI box. I pressed a button (thinking I would get the "Time Set" prompt) , and there was AguMon. I pressed the button again (thinking I would get the "Time Set" prompt) and this time I was looking at GabuMon. I kept pressing, and in turn saw GomaMon, PalMon, TentoMon, PataMon, BiyoMon,
and then back to AguMon. All 7 are here in one device! So I selected AguMon and went to press other buttons.

Finally, the "Time Set" screen. So I press a button to advance the time, but instead, I start the game. Music plays, KoroMon digivolves into AguMon, and then AguMon promptly goes to sleep. DOH! So with some fiddling around, I get the time set (I wasn't prepared to have to toggle AM/PM, and there doesn't appear to be a 24 hour clock option like there was on the prior DigiMon) .

But now AguMon is awake and he is just standing there. I start poking around trying to see what I need to do to take care of him. When these things start up, they're always hungrey - so I'll look for food. I press buttons until the "Speedometer" appears on screen. If I continue pressing that button, I see AguMon with arrows on his left and right. If I press the button again, I get a screen with 4 items on it (luckily, in English) . They are DP, WIN, HP, and ATTACK. At this time in my discovery, I had no idea what they did.

So I continue pressing buttons, and I come to a screen that looks like a flag waving in the wind, with 3 somewhat circular blobs on it. If I drill down further, I get an image that looks like an island with 7 dots on it - this must be a map. And the Digivice must have some sort of adventure associated with it - cool! I return to pressing buttons, and come to a screen that looks like a treasure chest with a plus sign (+) on it - I'm going to guess that this is the medical icon, but I cannot drill down any further, so that'll have to remain a guess for now. Again, I press buttons - this time encountering a screen with 2 clenched fists flying at each other - cool, here is the battle portion. Luckily, I have some DigiMon already started up and ready to fight - so I set it up to fight, but wait --- do I shake it before hand to make if fight (like I do the DigiMon Pendulums) or does it require something different? I shake it, it makes noise like a Pendulum (and through the see-thru case I can see a pendulum-like device) so I attach them and let them fight.

My pendulum stomps the AguMon - probably because I haven't fed it or trained it. So I continue to try to find out how to feed and train it. But this time, the button pressing returns me to the "Speedometer". I'm puzzled. This is not quite like the DigiMon I'm used to. So I press the bottom right button. Some Kanji text pops up and then a number - 0013. I press the button again. More text and another number - 9987. Wait a minute - I think I know what this is. I have this Japanese v-pet called "Virtual Slime" that makes you navigate a map by counting the steps you take while wearing it in real life, and it encounters things during it's quest and grows accordingly. Sort of like the Pocket Pikachu pedometer, but with a mission. So I'm guessing I'll find food along the way. I have to put my Digivice aside as I promised to take my sister to go see "Princess Mononoke" at the local artsy-fartsy theatre - and I choose to leave the Digivice in the truck because I'd hate for it to make any noises in the theatre. (Great movie, by the way) . After the movie, I drop my sister at her house and focus on the Digivice again.

    It is dinner time and I'm off to BK for PokeMon toys. I haven't been doing much walking - so I'll just shake while I'm in the truck. On the way there, it beeps. There is a creature on the screen. I press a button, and a bunch of Kanji appears - and then I'm attacked! AguMon is hit! I'm attacked again! AguMon takes another shot! Again, another attack! AguMon takes another shot! Mercifully, it is over - but AguMon's energy is depleted, and the skull icon is floating above his head. I find the medical kit, and press a button to heal AguMon, and everything is OK. I'm puzzled as to what I need to do to combat another attack (DARN, this BK is out of toys, on to another BK) . So I continue shaking as my quest for dinner continues. Again, another beep, again another creature, again I'm handily defeated. I heal AguMon again and put the Digivice down and concentrate on driving - plus the next BK had PokeMon, so I'll be using that hand to chow down on french fries.
    I get home and start shaking the Digivice again. Another creature approaches. This time, I'm going to see if I can navigate that Kanji - yes - it is a menu. I scroll to the bottom selection and press - DOH! AguMon has a skull floating above him. THat must have been the "Chicken, run away from the fight" option. So I start shaking again until another creature approaches. This time, I just continually press the top right button - and lo and behold - AguMon attacks! And he attacks again! and then again! The villian is defeated. And what's this! A reward! AguMon is given a bone with meat on it! So that is how he eats. I later get AguMon rewards of Vitamins and a Power Up - now he can become GreyMon. And as the quest continues, I occasionally bump into the DigiMon of the other 6 Digi-destined. If I can successfully defeat their attacker - they'll join my quest. What is neat about these encounters is that there is a different screen AND a flashing LED to signal that one of the "GOOD" DigiMon needs your help.
        So far, PalMon and GabuMon have joined my quest - and AguMon is able to Digivolve to GreyMon and Metal GreyMon - so I am campaigning PalMon as my primary creature now so that I can Digivolve to her higher versions. I've encountered many GaziMon and SukaMon, as well as seeing quite a few BakeMon. I've also encountered KawagaMon and DeviMon (lost once when I wasn't paying attention and fought him with PalMon. PalMon won all three attacks, but her HP 3 was lower than his HP 4 (HP 7 - 3 = HP 4) - the next time, I switched to AguMon, digivolved to GreyMon
for 1 attack, and then digivolved to Metal GreyMon to deliver the crushing blow) . I suspect I'll see EteMon and MyotisMon further along the quest. Overall, it is pretty cool. It is a nice addition to the family of Bandai v-pets -- but it'll drive the school masters crazy because it it not as unobtrusive as the Pocket Pikachu was - mainly because you need to hear when you encounter a bad guy (if you turn off the sound and miss the bad guy - you'll find your DigiMon took damage anyway) .