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LOL (video game)
Encyclopedia
LOL, known in Europe as Bakushow and in Japan as , is a Nintendo DS
video game. The game was published by Skip
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.
The gameplay of LOL is centered around being as "imaginative, clever and amusing with your friends as possible". 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 the 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?"
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. Each player has three votes and can also vote once for themselves. There is no penalty for voting for oneself.
, 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. 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. 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. It is unknown if LOL is the same project. In April of 2006, Nishi announced the game under the working title "LOL DS", which was officially titled Archime DS in Japan one year later. The Japanese title of the game comes from Archimedes
, a Greek
mathematician. 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. In North America, the game was initially made available for sale exclusively through Agetec's website.
based on 21 reviews and a 56 out of 100 on Metacritic
based on 20 reviews. LOL positively noted, "What LOL offers is very simple, but it has the potential to be very entertaining." It was a nominee for "Best Local Multiplayer Game" by IGN in its 2008 video game awards. GamePro
also found the game enjoyable, but admitted that it became somewhat monotonous after a certain amount of time. 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."
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!" 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.
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
video game. The game was published by Skip
Skip Ltd.
Skip is a Japanese video game developer that has a close relationship with Nintendo of Japan. Nintendo has published all of their Japanese releases; with the only notable exception being LOL , which Skip Ltd. published independently. The company's staff includes prominent developers from Square...
in Japan, Agetec
Agetec
Agetec is a US based video game publishing company that is best known for bringing Japanese titles to the US, including their flagship series Armored Core, and the King's Field RPG series, as well as their "designer series" of RPG Maker and Fighter Maker...
in North America, and Rising Star Games
Rising Star Games
Rising Star Games is a video games publisher formed as a joint business venture between Scandinavian distributor Bergsala and Japanese video game publisher and content developer Intergrow....
in Europe.
Developed by a group of five people headed by Kenichi Nishi
Kenichi Nishi
is a Japanese video game designer. He was born June 20, 1967 in Tokyo, Japan. Over the years, he has helped found a number of notable video game companies and currently develops games at Route24, his own private limited company...
, LOL is a multiplayer game implemented with a PictoChat
PictoChat
PictoChat is a communication utility that comes pre-installed on the Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite and Nintendo DSi consoles. Up to sixteen people can paint chat with each other using it, connected wirelessly through a system-to-system wireless connection. It allows for simple input of keyboard...
like interface in which a host player asks a question, requiring others to write or draw their answers on the DS touchscreen
Touchscreen
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area. The term generally refers to touching the display of the device with a finger or hand. Touchscreens can also sense other passive objects, such as a stylus...
.
The developers refer to LOL as a "comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
-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
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
Voting
Voting is a method for a group such as a meeting or an electorate to make a decision or express an opinion—often following discussions, debates, or election campaigns. It is often found in democracies and republics.- Reasons for voting :...
on which answer or image is the funniest. Each player has three votes and can also vote once for themselves. There is no penalty for voting for oneself.
Development
LOL was developed by a group of five people at Route24. The game was designed by former Skip vice president Kenichi NishiKenichi Nishi
is a Japanese video game designer. He was born June 20, 1967 in Tokyo, Japan. Over the years, he has helped found a number of notable video game companies and currently develops games at Route24, his own private limited company...
, best known for directing GiFTPiA
GiFTPiA
is a video game that was developed by Skip Ltd. for the Nintendo GameCube. It was released in Japan on April 25, 2003. Despite that its last showing at Electronic Entertainment Expo was in English, Nintendo cancelled the North American localization of GiFTPiA...
and Chibi-Robo!
Chibi-Robo!
, fully titled Chibi-Robo! Plug Into Adventure!, is a platform-adventure video game for the Nintendo GameCube console. It was developed by Skip Ltd. with collaboration from Nintendo. The game was first released in Japan on June 23, 2005, in North America on February 6, 2006, and in Europe on May...
. LOL was programmed by Fumihiro Kanaya, who worked on two of Skip's bit Generations
Bit Generations
bit Generations is a video game franchise for the Game Boy Advance, published by Nintendo. It was first announced under the name Digitylish at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2005. Each of the games in the series feature simple controls, gameplay and graphics...
titles. The game's artwork was done by hikarin and its music was composed by Hirofumi Taniguchi. 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. 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. It is unknown if LOL is the same project. In April of 2006, Nishi announced the game under the working title "LOL DS", which was officially titled Archime DS in Japan one year later. The Japanese title of the game comes from Archimedes
Archimedes
Archimedes of Syracuse was a Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor, and astronomer. Although few details of his life are known, he is regarded as one of the leading scientists in classical antiquity. Among his advances in physics are the foundations of hydrostatics, statics and an...
, a Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
mathematician. 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. In North America, the game was initially made available for sale exclusively through Agetec's website.
Reception
Critics polarized LOL in their reviews. It currently has a rating of 46% on Game RankingsGame Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
based on 21 reviews and a 56 out of 100 on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
based on 20 reviews. LOL positively noted, "What LOL offers is very simple, but it has the potential to be very entertaining." It was a nominee for "Best Local Multiplayer Game" by IGN in its 2008 video game awards. GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
also found the game enjoyable, but admitted that it became somewhat monotonous after a certain amount of time. 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."
Other publications were very critical of the game, many of which agreed that the game offered very little despite its budget price. Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
questioned why players would spend money on it when Pictochat exists for free. Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
exclaimed, "Congratulations, you just spent $20 on 10 minutes of gameplay!" They also claimed "This game is already available for free on any DS. It's called PictoChat
PictoChat
PictoChat is a communication utility that comes pre-installed on the Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite and Nintendo DSi consoles. Up to sixteen people can paint chat with each other using it, connected wirelessly through a system-to-system wireless connection. It allows for simple input of keyboard...
." The Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
newspaper Dagbladet
Dagbladet
Dagbladet is Norway's second largest tabloid newspaper, and the third largest newspaper overall with a circulation of 105,255 copies in 2009, 18,128 papers less than in 2008. The editor in chief is Lars Helle....
was so disappointed with the game that they gave it the lowest score available, and threw the game cartridge into a microwave oven
Microwave oven
A microwave oven is a kitchen appliance that heats food by dielectric heating, using microwave radiation to heat polarized molecules within the food...
, destroying it.