The World Ends With You

You're probably thinking: "Whoa! Slow down there, the best game of the year? Are you crazy?" - to which I would simply cuff you politely and say "ever so slightly." However... let me embellish my potential hyperbole.

You see, The World Ends With You (which I shall continue to refer to as TWEWY for the sake of my typing) is one of the most striking games I have ever played in that it constantly has me coming back for more. The only reason I had to STOP playing it was because the battery on my DS had ran out. And it was 3am.

You start off as sullen, anti-social grumpy git Neku Sakuraba who initially comes across as a horrific emo-child. As it turns out, he is in fact the very antithesis of emo and much of the game's characterisation is meant to be a parody on emo culture. Thank goodness for that thinks this reviewer! I can't play emo games! I might want to cut myself afterwards!

That was a joke. I apologise.

Anyhow, as it turns out, Neku has been killed somehow and now has to survive the next seven days without being deleted (wow, dying twice in the space of a week? That's gotta be harsh...) and he does so by completing missions set about for him and the other dead folk, or players as they're referred to, which must be done in a set time or else the entirety of the player population gets erased! However, in order to get by, you'll have to have a partner! And Neku, being the jackass that he is, is hardly the most exciting of accomplices when all he wants to do is channel out the entire world and never speak to a living soul again. But he is forced into doing so by some chirpier characters (the effervescent Shiki, the irritatingly snotty Joshua and the over-the-top muscle-head Beat) who eventually start to bring Neku out of his shell and to start being less of a grumpy git and more of a NORMAL HUMAN BEING WITH FRIENDS.

Amazingly, the game manages to draw you in despite having such an annoying lead character. On some level, every person who plays this will be able to understand him and be ableto empathise with him although initially it is hard to empathise with someone who basically... erm... is a jackass (I'm struggling for other words here!) and never really looks to change his persona much. Ahhhh... but give him time and etc, etc... I don't want to spoil it too much.

Twists and turns in the plot abound making it exceptionally intriguing from day one and the characters are hugely impressive and some of the NPCs are even likeable!

The crux of the game is easily the comabt. Neku and partner are separated on the top and bottom screens. Neku can attack by scratching, slashing and tapping the touch screen and even blowing into the microphone while partner is controlled via the direction pad (or by the computer if you get a little too confused, which you will initially) - it's a tricky system to get to grips with but immensely rewarding nonetheless and one that will yield great rewards over time. The attacks are designated by pins you collect during your adventure and certain pins will let you unleash different attacks, allowing for huge combos and huge rewards... it's fantastic fun.

Look, all of this should tell you that TWEWY is a fantastic RPG and a fantastic game in general and if you haven't clicked BUY NOW yet then what the 'eckers are you waiting for? I mean, it's the best game of the year! I said that already and you didn't believe me? What are you, crazy?

*cuffs you politely*

Told you so!

This game is perfect for any japan fanatics, since its based in a contemporary japanese city. From the mass zebra crossings, to ramen shops, to funky trends. Based on a week of events that span out more than what the 7 day seems, it has an engaging storyline that compells you to find out the next part of the story in a fantastic comic book style story telling.
The graphics itself is simple 2d kind of look, but with a somehwat contemporary comic book style to it. You may think that it may sound pretty uncool, but it actually works extremely well, and the only thing i can fault it, it that your character doesnt change his image as you get new equipment.
The gameplay is extremely solid, very simple controls and it slowly eases you in on the dual battle screen. Now you may think controlling 2 people at the same time is a bit daunting, but worry not, its alot easier than it seems. as you use the stylus for neku the main character and you use either the d pad or the B,A,X,Y buttons. the sylus is simple touches such as slash tap or even point and hold, and the other char is simple direction input with a simple guide on the moves.
Overall i would give it 4 and half star but theres no half, easily one of the best ds titles out. has great story good grpahics, and the gameplay is new and intuitive. An excellent brand new style of game that would soon be on par with kingdom hearts.

The World Ends With You is influenced by Japanese youth culture and introduces dual-screen combat to the DS. The experience is unlike anything I have ever played on the DS. This RPG boasts fast paced combat, item collecting, innovative gameplay, stylish design, great narrative and audiovisual presentation that hardly cannot impress you.

The fresh setting presents Neku who is forced into an alternative Tokyo's fashionable Shibuya district controlled by players known as Reapers. These set you on missions with time limits. Fail to meet the requirements and you are dead. As you overcome missions you can continue to advance in the story. Its real-time combat system at first is difficult but is fresh and engaging and there are even some minor multiplayer options to boot. The depth in this RPG can be seen from luxury goods that enhance character abilities to food that can be digested for power-ups. You can enter boutiques and buy from there. Additional help can be gathered from shop assistants who can advice you on what you should upgrade or on key mission objectives.

You can achieve special powers by collecting pin badges. These let you read minds, fire bullets, move objects and throw flames. It's up to you to choose how you assign these pins to which characters to get the best results. Both screens can be used for this game. When you get into a fight you can tap, drag and point on the lower screen with the stylus to fight enemies and move your character. While on the top screen, you input quick commands using the d-pad to do your moves.

Once the single player story is completed, you can play any day of any chapter again and this adds extra good replay value. This allows the player to achieve pins and items they missed the first time around. The World Ends With You may get repetitive but it is truly rewarding. The dual screen combat further shows what the DS has been created for. This RPG is not only engaging, but actually brings something fresh to the genre. Note that it is Japanese style, so if you are into this genre this is a must buy. I am not a fan so that is why I did not give it a 5 star rating.

Upon reading the numerous five star reviews for this game, i searched and searched until i found a copy and rushed home to play it. However, after playing it for several hours over several days, i finally decided this game wasnt going anywhere.
The graphics are brilliant, and the two screen system is utilized brilliantly, making this game a visual gem.
This is the only thing that makes the cut scenes tolerable for me, they go on for too long, and are comprised of 2 - 4 characters having a very boring conversation. This happens quite often.
The fighting system is a let down, it just isnt satisfying to win a fight, and it feels unnecessarily over complicated.
The game play seemed exciting at first, and completing the first couple of tasks was fairly enjoyable, but after several 'days' task i just felt the only thing i was playing for was the storyline.
Storyline-wise i was enjoying this game, but in the end it just didnt keep me entertained long enough for me to care what happens next.
I wouldn't say don't try this game, i would just say tread carefully, as i thought this was going to be the best game i would play this year, and i was disappointed.

I got this based on several recommendations from friends. Initially it looked as though it would be perfect for my tastes, but I really didn't like it at first. The control system is not your usual DS set up, and the dual screen action is a bit daunting at first.
A week later and I think this is one of the best DS games in the last year. If you like your RPG/role play titles then the levelling setup will be no surprise and the way you can modify the character with fashions will be no great shock to the system. The real delight in the game is the way the Pins (button badges with attitude) are implemented. They each require a different method of using the stylus, and this allows for a almost limitless combination of attacks.

Without giving anything away, the story line is typical Japanese teen agst, but done rather well considering the type of gameplay it sits around. Even the non controllable characters have their own personalities, which boosts the immersion in the game a lot.

Overall, a great game, but do persevere withit if you seem unsure initially. It doesn't take too long before you advance from "E" ranked single battles, to scoring "Star" rankings in chained battles. And that feeling it gives is all too often missing from some of today's titles.