Gaming The World Ends With You

[Ellerby]

[FONT="Tahoma"][COLOR="DimGray"][quote=Wikipedia]The World Ends with You, known in Japan as It's a Wonderful World (すばらしきこのせかい, Subarashiki Kono Sekai?, literally "This Wonderful World"), is an action RPG for the Nintendo DS handheld video game console. It was developed by the Kingdom Hearts team, Square Enix, and Jupiter. Character designs are by Tetsuya Nomura and Gen Kobayashi. The distinctive art style is inspired by the aesthetics of Shibuya youth culture.

The game was released in Spring 2008 outside Japan.[/quote]

[center][img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fb/The_World_Ends_With_You.jpg[/img][/center]

So this is a new franchise from the masterminds behind the FF series and Kingdom Hearts and what a franchise it will be. This game is so incredibly unique (a lot of that is thanks to the DS stylus and dual screen) and the story is so refreshing that I can't seem to put it down.

You start off in downtown Shibuya (present time) wondering what the hell happened. One fight leads to another and all of the sudden you and your new partner are part of a big game made by the "Reapers" to see who is worthy of life.

So basically you do different missions made by the Reapers (mostly collecting clues and fighting Noise, the enemy of the game) and advance through the plot. What's so unique about the game is the combat system.

Over the course of the game you get more and more [i]pins[/i]. Each pin has its own ability and way to use it (one might involve sliding the sylus across an enemy while another involves dragging the stylus on empty space to create fire). All of this is done on bottom screen with the main character. On the top, you use the directional pad to control your partner.

[center][img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8b/Gameplay_screen.PNG[/img][/center]

I could go on for a while about all the different fun things about this game but I'll stop here. If you're a fan of RPGs or a fan of DS games in general then rent this game because it's well worth it (I actually rented it but am planning on buying it soon).[/COLOR][/FONT]

[INDENT][B]Reviews[/B]
[B]Publication Score[/B]
1UP.com A-
Edge 8/10
Electronic Gaming Monthly A-, A-, B
Famitsu 35/40
Game Informer 8.25/10
GamePro 9/10
GameSpot 9.0/10
IGN 9/10
Nintendo Power 9.0/10
X-Play 5/5[/INDENT]

[Meggido]

I'm playing this now and absolutely loving it. The battle system is the most intuitive thing in a long while. I also have to say that I think this is the best square game in a long time. A lot of their recent releases have had me feeling like they were going downhill but this completely takes the cake. I'm about 50% through the game (I think) and already hoping they make a sequel.

[r2vq]

[color=#007520]I'm only on Day 6, but it's fun so far.

The thing I find most interesting about the game is how it makes use of DS functions that you never would imagine.

Here are a few that stand out:
[b]Dual Screens[/b] - Control one character on the top screen, and one on the bottom. Use the touch screen for the bottom character, and the d-pad for the top character. This battle system is very unique, and works its way into the story as well, and like Meggido said, it's pretty intuitive once you get the hang of it, though at first it can be pretty intimidating.
[b]Wi Fi[/b] - The "Mingle" mode is similar to many other games on the DS, your DS searches for other DSs in the area that have the same games in the same mode. The twist is that TWEWY's Mingle mode also searches for DS Wi-Fi connectivity for other DS games. So I can turn on Mingle mode while Pokemon trainers are battling near me and receive PP. It also works for some non-DS signals, but I'm not sure what causes them yet...
[b]Non-Play Time[/b] - This is the first game I've played that rewards you for time you don't play. If you turn off your DS, the amount of time that has passed since you last saved will give you PP. This only goes up to 7 days, and I can see how it can be abused, but it's still pretty good. The DS clock also works it's way into the story and gameplay by means of food consumption; you can only eat a certain amount of food per 24 hours real time. Guess they get full after eating so much.

-r2[/color]

[Meggido]

I finished it yesterday. I must say that the final boss is one of the most fun and intense boss fights I've ever had. While there are a few plot holes and one character I really want to know more about the ending was closed enough that Square could get away with not making a sequel. However I hope they do.