 Video games can be looked at in
two ways. On one hand, you could look at video games as an art form. From this
point of view, you would probably credit video games with a lot of notability
in modern culture. On the other, you could look at video games as playthings that
entertain like any other form of entertainment. From this point of view, you
may enjoy video games, but you probably do not take them seriously.
LOL is just the game for a casual
audience just trying to get a use out of their Nintendo DS. Although this wire
frame of a game is actually not much of a game, it offers a fun little
distraction that will definitely gather together a group of friends, similar to
any board game. LOL is all about using your creativity and imagination with the
stylus and a canvas to draw whatever it is that the game leader wants you to.
There really isn’t much to LOL.
In fact, it is so simple, retailers do not even carry the game – Agetec only sells
LOL off of its official website, agetec.com. So sit back and have a laugh with
one of the DS’s simplest titles, LOL.
GTG to the next page after the
jump.
LOL has no story, no missions, no
weapons, and no real features. It is essentially a plastic shell (the
cartridge) containing a virtual pen and paper with bright colored outlines and
quirky little critters. Technically, the only “game” here is the game you
create. That game could be anything, from finishing a sentence to seeing who
can draw the best reproductive organs. At least, that’s what the games always
seemed to turn into between my friends and me.
The fun thing about LOL is that
there are no rules, so essentially, you make them all up. Gathering a group of
friends should be easy, since LOL uses only a single cartridge. Once together,
the creativity and laughs really do start coming. I will give LOL credit for its
mantra on the back of the box: if this game is boring, you are boring. The reason
for this is it is a virtual pen and pad of paper. Like in real life, if you
cannot entertain yourself with a pen and pad of paper, you may have some sort
of problem.
The game starts by choosing a topic and time limit.
When all players draw what it is
that the game leader wants and the set timer expires, it is time to vote for
the winning drawing. The leader gets a chance to look over all four possible
entries and can choose which ones to vote upon and which order they are voted
on. Then each person has three votes that can be divvied up between the
choices. Of course, players can vote for themselves, so there can (and will) be
draws.
Overall, there aren’t really
graphics or music to talk about. LOL has some bright, colorful visual stuff
slapped on it just to give it something to look at, but mainly it is a blank
white canvas with black ink scribbled on it. It would have been cool to have
different drawing tools or text tools, but unfortunately, this isn’t DS
Photoshop.
The winner is selected by voting between the drawings.
LOL is worth checking out for
anyone who can be entertained easily with a group of friends. At $20, it may seem
like an expensive pad of paper, but it definitely works at what it sets out to
accomplish: it is a fun way to gather together a small group, draw little
pictures, and laugh at the terrible sketches we are all capable of producing.
Final Score: D-
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