The World Ends With You

Developer: Jupiter
Publisher: Square Enix
Release Date: April 22, 2008
System: Nintendo DS
ESRB Rating: T
Official Web site

In a nutshell: The what ends with who?

0:00 Amidst all the GTA4 launch craziness, the unexpected praise for this game somehow broke through to my consciousness. I had to at least give it a try.

0:01 A bunch of urban-looking kids stand around an urban-looking environment over a title screen with piano-infused beats. Catchy.

0:02 Since this is a rental copy, I have to delete the old saved game to start anew. The game asks me three times if I'm sure. "Once you DELETE your data, it's gone and it ain't ever coming back." Fine by me. It's not my data.

0:03 Comic book panels of a hand-drawn city scene fly in from off screen. "Outta my face, you're blocking my view. Shut up. Stop talking. Just go the hell away. All the world needs is me. I've got my values, so you can keep yours, all right? I don't get people, never have, never will." Each line's delivered with real conviction and accompanied with bold text. Good stuff.

0:04 Our loner collapses on a busy Tokyo street. He has a skull amulet thing in his hand. "What the... I can hear voices in my head." The amulet thing is actually a pin, but the guy has no idea where it came from.

0:06 I'm in control. Tapping the pin on the bottom screen scans the crowd so I can read their thoughts. A lot of guys are thinking about girls, it seems. The one girl on the street is thinking about her grandfather. Aww.

Read the full review at Crispy Gamer