The World Ends With You - iOS Game Review

The World Ends With You: Solo Remix is an iOS remake of the cult hit Japanese RPG on the DS. The original achieved very high review scores from critics and players alike, but didn't achieve the sales it probably deserved, and the phone remake has not of yet sold as many as some think it deserves.

The player controls Neku, a teenage introvert who appears to have a hatred of everyone around him. Stuck inside a game where the only options are winning or death, Neku is forced to team up to take on the 'Noise' that run rampant through the streets of Shibuya. 

In order to fight the Noise, the player uses a series of swipes and taps to activate 'Psychs'. As you go further on through the game, you'll notice yourself create your own fluid, rhythmic style, and will select your psychs accordingly. What starts off simple quickly becomes complex, but the learning curve is smooth enough to not put off newcomers. The only slight issue is that once you get into a rhythm, it can become repetitive if you don't change around, so the game throws new psychs at you to try and keep the game fresh. 

Graphically, The World Ends With You is fantastic. It uses a unique art-style, that looks stunning and suits the smaller screen perfectly. Despite the colourful cel-shaded style, it retains a serious tone. 

The World Ends With You has a very abstract but interesting plot that grips the player, and the dialogue is at times very funny. It's not a laugh out loud type of game, but there are some funny lines in there. 

As positive as this review has been so far, obviously the game will not appeal to everyone, and at a very steep (for iOS at least) price of £12.99, it's expensive to find out. The price is the biggest negative, especially with no real way of trying before you buy. This is also due to the fact that the game is unique and will not appeal to the normal casual market for the iOS systems. 

The World Ends With You is a gripping, fun and innovative game that captures the charm of the streets of Japan in it's own unique style. The gameplay is fluid and fits around the player, but most importantly is fun and simple to use. Whilst the price seems steep, £12.99 for 30 hours of entertainment is a great deal in the end, and far better than many console games.

Graphics: 94%

Gameplay: 89%

Lifespan: 90% 

Innovation: 85%

Accessibility: 81%

My Overall Score: 91%

League of Legends - Game Review

            There are hundreds and thousands of Free-to-Play games for PC, ranging from the simple games, like Farmville, to MMORPG’s, such as Runescape. Riot Games seem to have done the impossible and created something unique, which is entirely free, but is a very good game in its own right. That game is League of Legends.

            League of Legends is classed as a MOBA, or Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, which is a fairly accurate representation of the game. Games are usually 5v5, lasting around 30-45 minutes, which allows for teamwork and strategy. Each player picks a ‘champion’, each having unique stat balances and abilities, and they fight for territory and eventually to destroy the enemy ‘nexus’. It is very complex and takes a while to get used to, so newcomers may be put off.

            The main thing that makes League of Legends so good is that every game feels different and fresh. There is a huge collection of champions, which rotate every week (though you can buy characters with in game currency and use them in every game), which means you will have to face different threats and playstyles, and adapt accordingly.

            Each character is extremely well designed aesthetically, especially considering the amount of characters and the extra ‘skins’ you can buy for each character. The game as a whole is very bright, colourful and detailed, even running on a low-end computer. There is very little frame-rate drop and very rarely lag, especially considering there are 10 people in each game.

            The game does have a steep learning curve, as many PC games do, due to the strategy and skill of players involved. This may turn people away, but in my experience, the community are usually nice with ‘noobs’. However, Riot Games did fail to account for ‘rage-quitters’ – you know who you are – so if someone quits the team is a man down. They have tried to stop people with the threat of temporary bans, but I feel this is not enough. Maybe they could implement a system where the AI takes over, as this could balance the game a bit more. They can be the most frustrating thing about the game.

            League of Legends is not a simple pick-up-and-play game. The shortest games are around half an hour, and they are intense. It is difficult to just play really casually; it makes you think, but every kill feels rewarding, like you earned it. The games can drag on however, and can become boring if they last longer than 50 minutes.

            If you enjoy the game, it will last for ages. As each game feels fresh and different, there is a lot of lifespan, especially as new content will be added fairly soon, such as new maps. At the current moment, though, there are only 2 maps, one for the main game mode, and the other for a sort of spin-off game mode. Riot Games also tweak and add to their game constantly, which is nice to see, especially as it is essentially a free game.

            Overall, I feel that for the small price of absolutely nothing, League of Legends is a fantastic, tactical and engaging game, which has more depth than meets the eye. It can be difficult for newcomers, but it is very fun and definitely worth a download.

Graphics: 80%

Gameplay: 89%

Lifespan: 94%

Innovation: 81%

Accessibility: 73%

My Overall Rating – 88%

"I used to love that game!" #1

As you may be able to tell from the blog name, I am a huge fan of Pokemon. When I was 5, my parents bought me a Nintendo Game Boy, for which I am eternally grateful to them. I spent hours on that thing, on Pokemon Blue, and later Pokemon Yellow, and I am glad my parents introduced me to gaming and let me play often. Although video games get a very bad press in the news, I actually learnt to read playing video games. I needed to know what Professor Oak was telling me. I needed to know why my Thundershock wasn't doing anything to that damn Diglett. But I digress - I decided that because I loved Pokemon and all things connected, that I wanted a certain N64 game.

Pokemon Snap.

Those two words are enough to send a rush of nostalgia and happiness to my brain. And any Pokemon fan who played it probably gets the same feeling - it may not have been the best game, or even the best Pokemon spin-off, but it was unique and different.. You play as Todd Snap, a young boy who is assisting good old Professor Oak in his research. What made this game different however was the twist on the original premise. Todd Snap was so called because what he lacked in catching ability, he more than made up for in his photography. That's right - you didn't catch Pokemon you ... took pictures of them?

Yep.

 I realize that I haven't made this sound like a great game. It wasn't. But it was fun. 

You used your bait, PokeFlute and 'pester balls' to goad the Pokemon out and get some quality snaps of the 61 Pokemon on the game. The main gripe for many people, me included, with the game was that there were too few levels and Pokemon. Only 61 out of 151 (at the time) was a pretty poor showing from Nintendo, but the game more than made up for it in my opinion. Once you'd gathered your PokePics, Oak would rate your pics and award you score for the quality.

Highly unorthodox yet bizarrely fun, Pokemon Snap holds huge nostalgic value for me and many others. If you'd forgotten about this game then I'm glad that I've reminded you of it - conversely, if you're a Pokemon fan who's never played it, why not? You can always go back and play it now; it's never too late.

Thanks for reading :)