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Oh, how we adore you, Professor Layton and the Curious Village. Not only are you one of the most distinguished DS games of the year so far, but you're also proving a rich source of inspiration for webcomic artists everywhere.Penny Arcade's take on the Professor's adventure set our ROFLcopter in motion the other day, and our giggling continued after seeing 2P Start's answer to the biggest puzzle of all. Hit the break for the full (totally-safe-for-work) comic!See also: 2008's Biggest Blips -- Professor Layton and the Curious Village%Gallery-12504%
Japan gets to rent rare Professor Layton freebie
Having recently wrapped up Professor Layton and the Curious Village, we've been left with nothing to do but curl up and gently rock ourselves in the corners of our bedrooms, pausing only to twitch or shake, and refusing to eat. We just can't hide it: we miss Professor Layton and its puzzley delights. In our less sane moments, we'd even tolerate more of Luke's inane simpering for just one more hit of puzzles about matchsticks, moving blocks, or sliding tiles.So imagine how envious we felt when we learned that Japan is getting MOAR PROFESSOR LAYTON! No, not the sequels -- we already know about those, silly. Instead, Japanese gamers will soon be able to rent a compilation known as Level 5 Premium Gold from music rental specialists Tsutaya. This desirable collection contains demos of two Level 5 games -- football soccer RPG Inazuma Eleven and Professor Layton and the Devil's Box -- and, most thrillingly of all, a totally original Layton side story. Professor Layton and the Holiday in London features the good Professor in his London office, reflecting on his worldwide adventures with Luke, and solving a dozen new puzzles in the process. More frustratingly still, this compendium was given away for free back at last September's Tokyo Game Show, under the name of Level 5 Premium Silver. This can only lead to one outcome: Professor Layton and the Ridiculously Pricey Ebay Auctions.
A spot of gentle persuasion for Professor Layton non-owners
If our incessant bleating about the greatness of Professor Layton and the Curious Village hasn't already caused you to crack and buy the game, then we're hoping these videos might be the final straw. Featuring the first four puzzles from the game (conundrums that range from easy to fairly testing), they do a pretty good job of representing how difficult the game is.* Needless to say, these contain spoilers.After the break: another two puzzles, and a direct-feed version of the intro to this marvelous game. You're weakening! Admit it! Give in to Professor Layton's puzzley pleasures!* So long as you don't count that accursed puzzle featuring the dog made from matchsticks which is then run over.See also: 2008's Biggest Blips -- Professor Layton and the Curious Village%Gallery-12504%
WRUP: Curious Villages and Nocturnal Swine edition
This week's releases had some high-profile games on offer for those of us in North America, most notably Professor Layton and the Curious Village and Barnyard Blast: Swine of the Night. Now, we don't have to tell you the appeal of these games (actually, we already have), so we'll just get down to the nitty-gritty: any of these games on your weekend agenda? If not, what will you be playing?%Gallery-5241%%Gallery-12504%
Level-5 working for a 2008 release of Dragon Quest IX
digg_url='http://digg.com/nintendo/Level_5_working_for_a_2008_release_of_Dragon_Quest_IX/'; Square Enix and Level-5 have both previously been reticent about Dragon Quest IX, showing little and saying even less. In fact, the last we heard anything about a possible release period was back in August when it was delayed until 2008, except for Yoichi Wada's assurance of the game's progress. A delay like that won't happen again, according to Level-5 president Akihiro Hino. Hino told Famitsu that he set a goal for 2008 of finishing not only Dragon Quest IX, but the soccer RPG Inazuma Eleven, the third Professor Layton game, and White Knight Chronicles on the Playstation 3. Hino also mentioned that Level-5 would announce a new RPG soon, also for release this year. It's the 10th anniversary of Level-5, and they're celebrating it with work.
Penny Arcade and the Hilarious Comic
For the four people who don't check Penny Arcade three times a week: today's installment of the webcomic is about Professor Layton. Specifically, the tendency of pretty much everyone in the game world to have a pressing puzzle need that you must address before they are willing to have basically anything to do with you.In the accompanying news post, Tycho refers to the game as a "logic opera," in that "every person you meet breaks into "puzzle" the way that viking ladies tend to break into song, out of nowhere, and now you're riddling out some jackhole's insane chicken scratches." It's a pretty astute way to describe the randomly puzzle-ful world of Layton. In case you're not familiar with Penny Arcade, we'll warn you: there is adult language to be found! We mean "adult language" as in cursing, not talking about taxes or politics.
Express your love for Professor Layton through Facebook
Whatever your opinion about social networking sites, one thing's for sure: they're hella popular. Somebody at Nintendo has clearly clocked onto this, because Professor Layton and the Curious Village now has its own Facebook page, along with screenshots, wallpapers, a trailer, and 220 friends at the time of writing (more than double the number acquired by this blogger in eight months). That's right: you can now have a game as a friend. And if we were going to cyberstalk befriend a game, we'd totally choose to be friends with a mysterious and clever one like Professor Layton.See also: 2008's Biggest Blips -- Professor Layton and the Curious Village%Gallery-12504%[Via Go Nintendo]
Metareview: Professor Layton and the Curious Village
We've been excited about Professor Layton and the Curious Village for some time now. With every new screenshot and video released, that excitement quickly grew into obsession, and then infatuation. Last Saturday night, we were barely able to sleep, scrunching our eyes tight shut whenever our mums would come and check on us, and bouncing on the bed in excitement when she left. But now -- joy! -- it's here! And it's really good! We know because these people told us so!1UP -- 85%: 1UP reviewer Jeremy Parish felt that the game was more than the sum of its parts: "Admittedly, the game's puzzle and story elements likely wouldn't stand well on their own -- the puzzles are excellent but often rely on certain tricks of language that, once spotted, become transparent in subsequent iterations; the adventure game is unrepentantly simple and linear. The genius of Layton is that they don't stand alone. Instead, the two game types work together harmoniously, resulting in something altogether more entertaining than its base components."GamePro -- 75%: GamePro's assessment, meanwhile, was slightly less glowing, criticizing the puzzles for being anywhere between laughably easy and horrendously hard. In the end though, they rather liked it: "For all its frustrations, Professor Layton does have its merits. The overall vibe of the game is charming and immensely likeable and the basic game mechanic is solid. There is also a ton of things to do: aside from the puzzles, there are other neat extras that I'll let you discover on your own. Even if the uneven difficulty robs the game of some of its fun and the slow, methodical pacing might lull some gamers to sleep, for puzzle lovers and brainy gamers, Professor Layton definitely has a lot to offer."GameSpy -- 90%: GameSpy simply adored Level 5's game, praising the developer for going the extra mile with the storyline and game world: "Professor Layton and the Curious Village is an incredibly original and thoroughly entertaining addition to the Nintendo DS library. Level-5 could have easily packaged the puzzles into a barebones daily format and have ended up with a game that's as entertaining as the Brain Training series. Instead, Level-5 went the extra mile and wrapped these puzzles into a beautifully presented world inhabited by endearing characters amid a compelling murder mystery. The effort paid off."%Gallery-12504%
Curious gamers enjoy Professor Layton's launch event
Click image to enlarge Those that attended the launch party at the Nintendo World Store celebrating the release of Professor Layton and the Curious Village will likely find nothing of interest here. Actually, we're fairly certain you're playing the game right now, ignoring our blog posts in order to conquer the many puzzles found within the game. We don't blame you.But, for those that enjoy seeing other people have fun playing DS, check out another snapshot taken from the event past the break. Looks like Nintendo had some extra swag laying around for the event ...Will someone mail us a hat?%Gallery-12504%
DS releases for the week of February 11th [update]
Of course the biggest news this week for the U.S. is Professor Layton and the Curious Village. Not only was it a hit in Japan, but it's a Nintendo-published game, and that always means news. Many of you are probably getting your Layt on right now. In case you aren't into Layton or are just curious about the rest of the North American releases, the list also contains, well, one other game: an interesting dungeon hack-and-slash that recalls Hudson's Turbografx-16 days. The release list is somewhat more populous in other regions. Europe in particular is getting treated to some worthy releases (found after the break). Dungeon Explorer: Warriors of Ancient Arts Professor Layton and the Curious Village Barnyard Blast: Swine of the Night [Update: Amazon says that Barnyard Blast is out this week as well!]
Downloadable Layton puzzle already available
Good news if you've already completed Professor Layton and the Curious Village: you're really good at puzzles. More good news for you: even though the game's been (officially) out for a day, new content is already waiting for you on Nintendo's servers. Nintendo is already making good on the downloadable puzzle feature. Between the early launch, the sequel news in the manual and the day-one DLC, it really seems like Nintendo has been accelerating the lifespan of this game. However, there was similar content available in the Japanese version on release day. Also, it took a year to get the game here in the first place. That's not terribly speedy.
Professor Layton sequel already 'confirmed' for U.S.
Game | Life is reporting that the last page of the instruction manual for Professor Layton and the Curious Village, a game we're sure will hit American shores with the force of a malnourished hummingbird, reveals that the sequel (which is already available in Japan) will eventually head to the states. A password entry feature in the first game requires a code from the second game to unlock -- the American instruction manual confirms this, saying that the password "will be revealed in the sequel."We're giddy like schoolgirls over Professor Layton, but if the first game doesn't sell in the U.S., can they really justify publishing a sequel for our unrefined store shelves? Well, other than the sequel we already have -- the Circuit City exclusive adventures of Professor Lipton, Professor Layton's long lost, yet incredibly refreshing second cousin.
Layton manual reveals answer to the sequel question
Even though Professor Layton and the Curious Village is only sort of out (as in it is just now officially coming out, but some people already shuffled on down to Wal-Mart and picked it up), a fairly official statement has already been made confirming the sequel. That's one major riddle solved!The back page of the manual gives information about a password entry screen that is unlocked by ... playing the sequel! Which means that there's probably going to be a sequel. This isn't too much of a surprise since Professor Layton and the Devil's Box is selling really well in Japan, but it's certainly nice to have some confirmation of a localized version.
Another Week In Japan: Hardware and software numbers 1/28-2/3
It's a sad day for the DS in Japan. As Media Create's hardware figures from last week were released, we found out that not only the Wii topped the DS (like the week before), but also the PSP managed to overtake the dual-screened handheld. Hardware: Wii: 94,473 PSP: 72,528 Nintendo DS: 67,472 PlayStation 3: 41,796 PlayStation 2: 12,115 Xbox 360: 6,060 According to Media Create, the DS only had one game in the top ten (Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games). That's not surprising, since there were many new releases on other systems, but it's far from the DS dominance that we're used to. Still, it was nice to see some low-key games like After-School Boy, Taiko Drum Master, and Doraemon Baseball getting love in Japan. Check after the break to see the full list of software rankings from last week.
Professor Layton and the Amazing Review Swag
Once the preserve of circus masters, Lord Snooty from The Beano, and Mandrake the Magician, the trusty top hat has now been adopted by another group: Nintendo DS game reviewers. This glitzy top hat, modeled after Professor Layton's own, was a freebie that came with Kombo's review copy of Professor Layton and the Curious Village.Needless to say, we are burning with envy. Our lives would be significantly improved with a plain top hat, never mind one emblazoned with the good Professor's name. Go past the break for a shot of this fine item being shown off by smug Kombo editor Phillip Levin.See also: 2008's Biggest Blips -- Professor Layton and the Curious Village%Gallery-12504%
Eight glorious minutes of Professor Layton
We're guessing that YouTuber wannabepunktony got lucky and grabbed himself an early copy of Professor Layton and the Curious Village from Wal-mart, three days before the game's official release.wannabepunktony is no real punk, however. In fact, he's evidently a jolly conscientious chap, because instead of keeping Level 5's adventure game to himself (which is what we would do), he's generously filmed the first eight minutes of the game and stuck it up on YouTube, where we can all gaze at that quite lovely introduction sequence, while snickering quietly to ourselves at the "British" accents. Sir, you are our hero. At least until, y'know, we get the game ourselves.See also: 2008's Biggest Blips -- Professor Layton and the Curious Village%Gallery-12504%[Via Go Nintendo]
Wal-mart potentially breaking date on Professor Layton?
Oh, Wal-Mart. Sure, we have to look out for falling prices and screaming children when we brave your fluorescent lights and giant parking lots, but we can almost always count on one of your stores, somewhere, breaking street date on a game. This time? It's the long-awaited, much-delayed Professor Layton and the Curious Village, so it seems somehow fitting that Wal-Mart may be releasing copies early. Yes, that's correct: they may be. Here at DS Fanboy, we tried a few of our local stores, and they reported the game is not yet out, but it's apparently showing up as available on the store's website (though expedited shipping will cost you), and a commenter at GoNintendo reported that their local store has them and is planning on stocking them today. So take a chance and call your store if you're so inclined -- maybe you'll get lucky.See also: 2008's Biggest Blips -- Professor Layton and the Curious Village%Gallery-12504%[Via GoNintendo]
Professor Layton and the Beautiful Backgrounds
Game|Life posted some new screens of the English version of Professor Layton, which look great. We're, of course, happy to see legible, sensible English text in the game, since dialogue is quite important to setting the tone of an adventure game (and also making it possible to tell what you're supposed to do in the puzzles). We've added the screenshots to our gallery, so if you can solve the puzzle of how to open the gallery, they're all yours! (Hint: click on the link with your mouse.)Another important component to Layton's overall feel is the gorgeous, hand-drawn art, in a very European style and color scheme. Game|Life's update includes drawings of some of the game's environments in a much-better-than-DS resolution. There's a reason that Professor Layton is a constant bestseller in Japan, and this art ... probably isn't it, but it doesn't hurt. It's really very nice to have something pretty to look at while you're dying of puzzle-solving failure.%Gallery-12504%See also: 2008's Biggest Blips: Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 1/21-1/27
We apologize for being late with Japan's sales figures from last week, but when we saw the Wii overtake the DS, we needed a minute to recover. Our beloved handheld was pushed out of the top spot in Japan? If you need to see it to believe it: Wii: 79,000 DS: 74,000 PSP: 61,000 PS3: 29,000 PS2: 11,000 Xbox 360: 4,200 That's right, folks. According to Famitsu's numbers, the DS was dethroned last week by Nintendo's other system, the Wii. We crosschecked the numbers with Media Create's figures just to be sure, which (to our relief) had the DS ahead by a smidge. Since both numbers are equally credible (we use Famitsu numbers because they come out first), we were glad to see that the Wii didn't triumph as a clear winner. Still, we came to realize something -- Super Smash Bros. Brawl just came out in Japan. Once the sales numbers for the game hit the charts (next week), the Wii will probably blow the DS (and every other system) out of the water. The DS also slacked slightly in software (compared to previous weeks). While games for the handheld still littered the charts, they didn't dominate over other titles as much as usual. Doraemon Baseball (which we haven't heard much of since its debut) did jump up into the number eight spot, though, while Final Fantasy IV fell out of the top twenty completely. Also, Exit DS came out in Japan last week, starting its run with only 5,500 sales. Check after the break to see the rest of the software sales for the week of 1/21.
2008's Biggest Blips: Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Developer: Level-5Publisher: NintendoRelease: February 10 If you weren't interested in Professor Layton from the get-go, there's a good chance that we've brainwashed you into thinking otherwise by now. With a beautiful art style, charming story, and challenging puzzles, how can you go wrong? This alluring adventure title has clearly won the hearts of many Japanese gamers, and there's a good chance that it will win yours over, too.Solving a mystery and finding hidden treasures aren't simple tasks, though. During the game, you'll have to navigate your way through countless (if you can't count past 130, that is) puzzles, many of which will make you flex your brain muscles. Perhaps you're not up to the challenge. We're trying to be nice here – what we really mean is, perhaps you're just too stupid to handle the puzzles that Layton will throw at you. Why waste your money on a game of crème brulee caliber when all you really deserve is a pixy stick? Of course, since you're reading DS Fanboy right now, we can bet that you're probably MENSA material. That means we think you're ready to take on Professor Layton. Just in case, though, we've created a guide of ten ways to know that you're too dumb for Level-5's acclaimed adventure game. If any of these idiocies apply to you, you probably shouldn't be playing what will probably be one of the best games of 2008.1. You live in a sideways houseThere are some poor decisions that you can make in life, but living in a sideways house is probably one of the worst. It's not funny – it's dangerous.2. You like to eat catsIt's no secret that those of us on the DS Fanboy staff love cats. We mostly enjoy the LOL kind, but members of the cute and regular variety are accepted around these parts as well. We don't love them enough to eat them, though. That's just wrong. And stupid. If you feel the need to feast on your feline, stay away from Professor Layton. Might we recommend Catz?3. You need a dog to help you solve crimesMan's best friend can be smart and helpful, but if a dog is smarter than you – that's when you know you're in trouble. Specifically, if a dog can trick you into accidentally hook-shotting a ham sandwich straight into its mouth, you shouldn't be solving crimes. There won't be a canine cop to help you out in Layton, so it's imperative that you haven't grown to depend on one.4. You don't run away from pedophile horsesIf there's one thing we've learned from our mothers, it's to stay away from horses wearing trench coats. They're just up to no good. Everyone knows what happens to girls and boys who aren't careful around such ponies ...5. You are Carl LewisThe bits with the old lady wearing the giant clown glasses in a hot tub say it all, don't you think?6. You hire robots to do your choresIt may seem like a smart idea, but if you haven't learned your lesson about trusting robots from the Terminator movies yet, we really can't help you. You're clearly just too stupid.7. You cut off your nipples, cast them in resin, and wear them in your earsWe're pretty sure evolution/God/other didn't put nipples in our ears for a reason. Why would you ever think that it'd be a good idea to do such a thing? Besides, how are you supposed to hear the voiced animated scenes in the game if you have nipples plugging up your ear canals?8. You wear (or have worn) a head massagerIf you can't solve the "what's the stupidest thing I could possible wear on my head" puzzle, how do you think you'll solve any of the puzzles in Professor Layton? Simple answer: you won't.9. You don't read DS FanboyLet's face it. Some of the staff members at DS Fanboy aren't the brightest bulbs on the tree, or the sharpest tools in the shed, or whatever euphemistic metaphor you feel like using for calling them stupid. None of that changes the fact that DS Fanboy is a haven for those of us with unprecedented wit and talent. Also, reading this right now proves that condition #9 doesn't apply to you, so fear not -- you just may be smart enough for this game.10. You don't love pugsIf your soul is so crusty and hardened that you can't find it in your heart to love pugs (or at least like them a little bit), Layton's cute visuals have no chance of charming you. Where do you stand?Did you manage to pass DS Fanboy's rigorous stupidity challenge? If so, then congratulations! Professor Layton is clearly the game for you. You're already well on your way to solving the mysteries left behind by Baron Augustus Reinhold (spoiler: no relation to Judge Reinhold). If not, we're sorry. Perhaps by the time Professor Layton's sequel is localized, you'll have wised up.%Gallery-12504% The World Ends With You Back REAL Ultimate page-turning power
