Let’s look at LOL with Agetec

Yesterday, we saw Agetec listed LOL for sale “online only.” LOL will be “hard to find.” When I asked Hiro Fukuoka, the Producer of LOL at Agetec, he candidly confirmed there is a limited supply of LOL for North America. I’m still surprised we’re getting any localized copies.

What is LOL? Let’s skip to the questions.

LOL is different from DS games that experiment with touch screen controls, even the ones that tack them on at the tail end. Can you give us an idea of how LOL works?

LOL is a game that lets players decided what kind of game they want to play, and it definitely doesn’t just have touch screen controls tacked on. In fact, I don’t think the game could exist without the touch screen.

How the game works is on player thinks up a challenge. This can be anything – draw something, fill in the blank, answer trivia…the only limit is what someone can think up. Then all the players submit their answer. Afterwards, everyone votes on who answered best. Keep in mind, it’s the other players that are voting, so being correct doesn’t mean you’ll get the votes. Often, it’s whoever has the funniest answer that wins.

Can you share a funny experience while playing LOL with other staff members from Agetec with us?

Here’s one from just the other day. We were playing and someone came up with the challenge to draw what the person to your left would look like if they were a reptile. We only had one minute to do the challenge, but most of us spent the first 20 seconds just laughing at the challenge itself. Then the answers came up and we had some of us with our heads on snake’s bodies, some of us with scales all over our faces, and one of us was breathing fire onto a pot to make soup. The last one on the list won, I think simply because it was so ridiculous.

What if all the players only vote for themselves? Are there any penalties? Will LOL be forced into a stalemate situation?

That’s fine if people vote for themselves, and there’s no penalty for doing it. If everyone always only votes for themselves, every challenge would end in a tie, but that’s pretty funny too. Really, that’s all LOL is about, having fun and laughing.

Which one of the Nutty Buddies is your favorite?

The one that lights the fuse on the timer bomb. He’s devious!

The characters in LOL have Japanese rooted names. What are the Gombeis being called in English?

Actually, they don’t have a name at all in the English version. Most people will probably call them ‘those little guys that run all over the screen.’

Was LOL a difficult game to localize?

Not at all. In fact, the game is staying almost identical to the Japanese version.

Is Agetec adding anything new or making any changes for the North American release?

We’re changing the voices that the characters make when you smack them while waiting for others to finish their turns, and localizing the menu screens, but that’s about it.

Will LOL be a hard game to find? Considering how the game only works with two players I wonder if retailers are limiting their stock.

To be honest, yes it’s going to be hard to find. We’re not even sure yet if it will be carried by any retailers. We’re going to make it available for purchase online no matter what, but regardless, there’s going to be a very limited supply of LOL.

Is LOL the beginning of a relationship between Skip and Agetec?

We hope so.

Images courtesy of Agetec.