LOL
Developer(s)Route24
Publisher(s)
Designer(s)Kenichi Nishi
Composer(s)Hirofumi Taniguchi
Platform(s)Nintendo DS
Release
  • JP: July 19, 2007
  • NA: May 30, 2008
  • EU: July 4, 2008
Genre(s)Party
Mode(s)Multiplayer

LOL, known in Europe as Bakushow and in Japan as Archime DS (アルキメＤＳ, Arukime DS), is a Nintendo DS video game. The game was published by Skip Ltd. in Japan, Agetec in North America, and Rising Star Games in Europe. Developed by a group of five people headed by Kenichi Nishi, LOL is a multiplayer game implemented with a PictoChat-like interface in which a host player asks a question, requiring others to write or draw their answers on the DS touchscreen.

The developers refer to LOL as a "comedy-training" game with the tagline of the game being "If you think this game is boring, you are boring." LOL received largely mixed reviews by critics upon its release.

Gameplay

After players present their answers, each one votes on their favorite answer(s)

The gameplay of LOL is centered around being as "imaginative, clever and amusing with your friends as possible".[1] The game is multiplayer only, requiring between two and four players to participate. Although each player must have their own Nintendo DS, only one copy of the game is needed. In the game the host asks a question or tell the others to draw something and all the players have to write or draw that which is asked within a time limit. For example, the host may ask the players "What does M.B.E. stand for?" or "Why the heck are we playing this game?"[1]

A copy tool can then be used by the host to begin drawing or writing something, allowing the other players to finish the partially drawn image or written word as their answers. After all players have answered, each player votes on which answer or image is the funniest.[2] Each player has three votes and can also vote once for themselves. There is no penalty for voting for oneself.[3]

Development

LOL was developed by a group of five people at Route24. The game was designed by former Skip vice president Kenichi Nishi, best known for directing Giftpia and Chibi-Robo!. LOL was programmed by Fumihiro Kanaya, who worked on two of Skip's bit Generations titles. The game's artwork was done by hikarin and its music was composed by Hirofumi Taniguchi.[4] The game was made by the project staff members under a very low budget, without them being paid for it, apart from their regular jobs.[5] Their goal was to make the game as simple as possible.

Nishi announced in 2004 that he and Skip were working on a game for the Nintendo DS, but shortly thereafter retracted the statement.[6] It is unknown if LOL is the same project. In April 2006, Nishi announced the game under the working title "LOL DS", which was officially titled Archime DS in Japan one year later.[6][7] The Japanese title of the game comes from Archimedes, a Greek mathematician.[8] The localized versions of the game are almost identical to the original Japanese version, with only the menu text and voices of the game's onscreen characters being changed.[3] In North America, the game was initially made available for sale exclusively through Agetec's website.[9]

Reception

Critics were polarized by LOL in their reviews. It has a rating of 48.57% on GameRankings based on 21 reviews and a 56 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 20 reviews.[10][11] LOL positively noted, "What LOL offers is very simple, but it has the potential to be very entertaining."[9] It was a nominee for "Best Local Multiplayer Game" by IGN in its 2008 video game awards.[16] GamePro also found the game enjoyable, but admitted that it became somewhat monotonous after a certain amount of time.[14] Official Nintendo Magazine called it "the very definition of a cheap and cheerful game—perfect for those whose wit is as sharp as their stylus."[15]

Other publications were very critical of the game, many of which agreed that the game offered very little despite its budget price. Eurogamer questioned why players would spend money on it when PictoChat exists for free. Game Informer exclaimed, "Congratulations, you just spent $20 on 10 minutes of gameplay!"[13] They also claimed "This game is already available for free on any DS. It's called PictoChat." The Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet was so disappointed with the game that they gave it the lowest score available and threw the game cartridge into a microwave oven, destroying it.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 Game Press (October 4, 2008). "Bakushow // Press Release". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
  2. ↑ "Archime-DS: How to Play". Skip Ltd. Archived from the original on 2007-09-14. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  3. 1 2 Spencer (April 10, 2008). "Let's look at LOL with Agetec". Siliconera. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
  4. ↑ Alexander, Patrick (March 14, 2008). "Feature: Kenichi Nishi and Archime-DS Interview (Part One)". Eegra. Archived from the original on September 14, 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
  5. ↑ Snyders, Oliver (July 21, 2008). "Q's Hidden Genius: Reo Yonaga Speaks". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
  6. 1 2 Kevin (April 26, 2006). "Kenishi Nishi Leaves Skip - DS Says LOL". 4ColorRebellion. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
  7. ↑ Kohler, Chris (April 10, 2007). "Archime-DS: New DS Game From Chibi-Robo Makers". Wired. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
  8. ↑ Riley, Adam (May 3, 2007). "Kenichi Nishi on Archime-DS". Cubed3. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  9. 1 2 3 Hatfield, Daemon (July 9, 2008). "LOL Review: A little bit of game goes a long way". IGN. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  10. 1 2 "LOL for DS - GameRankings". GameRankings. Retrieved 2018-02-10.
  11. 1 2 "LOL (ds: 2008)". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
  12. ↑ Lyon, James (October 28, 2008). "DS Roundup Review - Page 3 | DS | Eurogamer". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
  13. 1 2 "LOL (review)". Game Informer. No. 184. August 2008. p. 91.
  14. 1 2 Oxford, Nadia (June 23, 2008). "Review: LOL [DS]". GamePro. Archived from the original on 2008-12-21. Retrieved 2009-09-26.
  15. 1 2 "Bakushow (review)". Official Nintendo Magazine (35): 96. August 2008.
  16. ↑ "IGN DS: Best Local Multiplayer Game 2008". IGN. December 15, 2008. Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
  17. ↑ Fossum, Erik (September 19, 2008). "Hva skjer når du putter et spill i mikroen? - Spill - Dagbladet.no". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2008-09-19.
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