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

Picross DS

Developer: Jupiter
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: July 30, 2007
System: Nintendo DS
ESRB Rating: E (for Everyone)
Official Web site

In a nutshell: Nonograms DS

0:01 Tutorials are for wimps. I remember having to figure all this out for myself back on Mario's Picross. Still, the dual screens allow for nice big tutorial text and play area.
0:02 I fill in my first five boxes and ... it freezes? What is this, and Xbox 360 game or something? What's going on?
0:03 Back again, no freeze this time. Weird.
0:05 There's no way to skip the tutorial, or even make it faster. I know this stuff! Let me at the game!
0:07 The tutorial finally comes to a conclusion. My little 5x5 doggy picture gets colorized and runs around. SO CUTE!
0:08 Whoops, the tutorial isn't over. There's yet another example puzzle. ARGH!
0:09 OK, now it's really over. They had to explain the hint roulette? Really? That's like a help section for the help section. What kind of idiots do they think are playing? (Don't answer that.)
0:11 I choose the Free mode for "intermediate to advanced players" because I'm cool like that. Another tutorial? LORD GIVE ME STRENGTH!
0:12 OK, this tutorial explained the "Try it Out" mode ... like a scratch pad overlay to work out thorny problems. Neat idea.
0:13 Not a bad selection of puzzles. I count 60 in this mode alone.
0:17 Four minutes in and the drum-heavy rock music is already getting on my nerves. Let's try "House."
0:18 This is like a lounge singer version of house music. Less mind-numbingly irritating than the rock music though.
0:20 Interesting. If I use the d-pad, I can switch between X's and marks without having to move the stylus. Not sure if I like this or not yet.
0:21 My first puzzle is done in six minutes. It looks like a jumping purse monster. Oh, it's a hamburger? If you say so. The game keeps marking the wrong boxes. In the "Normal" mode this would mean time penalties. Bad news.
0:27 I'm beginning to realize that writing about the actual gameplay of a puzzle game like this would be extremely boring. But I'll try to keep you updated. Um... I just filled in a row of five marks then made a couple of Xs. Whoo!
0:28 OK if I can't comment on the gameplay, I can comment on the interface. I like how the numbers get lighter when you've completed them, but then when you come back it looks like you've made a mistake. Maybe they're too hard to see?
0:30 6:27 completion time for this level. That's the ugliest turkey I've ever seen. Let's try a real tough one... level 4, 15x15 puzzle. BRING IT ON!
0:32 ANOTHER tutorial. This one on zooming in and out for puzzles, which seems really annoying. Wait a minute... the original didn't need zooming for 15x15 puzzles... and that was on the tiny little original Game Boy screen. Apparently the touch screen is not precise enough for these big puzzles. I'll switch to the button control mode and squint, I guess.
0:39 Wow... I've made three huge mistakes on this puzzle and had to backtrack each time. I'd hate to see this in the less forgiving Normal mode.
0:43 Again I run into a logical contradiction. Nice to see they included some puzzles that are tough for regular players. I decide to quit out and try something else.
0:47 The Easy Creation mode is an interesting addition ... you draw a picture with the stylus and it makes a puzzle for you. Neat idea, but why can't I make one bigger than 10x10?
0:50 I get stuck plying a puzzle I created. If I didn't know what it was supposed to be I think it might well be impossible. Doesn't the game check for this?
0:52 Apparently it does. All the 20x20 puzzles I make in the regular Create mode get rejected. Luckily there's a "correct" button that makes the puzzle possible -- and much uglier.
0:56 This time they rate my puzzle at 2 stars of difficulty (out of 4), but I can't make hide nor hair of it when I try it. Bah, I know what it's supposed to be anyway. Can't wait to try some player-created puzzles downloaded off Wi-Fi.
0:59 Daily Play mode has a speed round that goes through five simple puzzles quickly. I finish in two minutes. A nice test of mental acuity, but why are the other Daily Play modes still locked?

Would I play this game for more than an hour? Yes
Why? I freaking love nonograms, and this version sports a nice interface and plenty of brain-benders. Too bad the stylus doesn't add much.

This review based on a retail copy provided by Nintendo.