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Super Mario 3D Land breaks 5 million sold, Skyward Sword at 3.4 million
Nintendo elaborated on the "strong sales" for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and Super Mario 3D Land today, in its list of million-selling titles for the last nine months. The Wii adventure sold 3.42 million units worldwide, of which 3.04 million took place outside of Japan.That makes it the best selling Wii game for the period, right? Nope! That's Mario Kart Wii, which sold 4.91 million copies between April and December, for a life-to-date total of 31.91 million copies. New releases Kirby's Return to Dreamland and Wii Play Motion squeaked into the million-seller club with 1.21 million and 1.12 million respectively.On 3DS, Super Mario 3D Land sold 5.03 million in total -- 3.68 million "overseas" and 1.36 million in Japan. Mario Kart 7 sold almost as many, at 4.54 million. Even the good old DS managed to have some million-selling new releases: Professor Layton and the Last Specter (1.19 million, all outside of Japan) and Kirby Mass Attack (1.01 million).
Best of the Rest: JC's picks of 2011
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective If you were interested in this game, but didn't buy it on DS because of faith that an iOS version would follow, I'm holding you personally responsible for the foundering sales of my favorite game of 2011. Live with that. This came out in January, and I still have yet to experience anything so fresh, so unique, as Shu Takumi's side-scrolling adventure/puzzle game. Its comically unpredictable (but predictably comical) storyline cascades toward a twist that shouldn't work, its gameplay turns everyday objects like ceiling fans and globes into methods of both traversal and interaction, as you observe and influence the lives of a cast of bizarre characters from within their phone lines, headphones and wrecking balls. I can't mention this game without mentioning its beyond perfect animation, which gave a jazzy flourish to every movement of every character. The act of serving chicken never seemed so stylish.
Professor Layton 3DS to arrive in Europe next year
The Professor Layton titles traditionally take their sweet time heading across the continent from Japan to the EU, and the series' first 3DS entry, called Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle in Japan, is no exception. It arrived in the land of the Rising Sun last February, and hasn't been released in Europe or North America yet. But it looks like one of those releases is planned: The end of a trailer for Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call in Europe teases that players should "get ready for an all-new Layton next year."Presumably, that's the 3DS title (though the name usually changes on the trip over), and that tease means we'll see it out sometime in 2012. We haven't seen quite as much confirmation on a North American release, but since the last title hit Europe this week and North America last month, 2012 is a good bet for us 'mericans as well. After all, it's not like Level-5 doesn't want to release it here, it's just that translation can take time.
The Joystiq Show - 010: Now Playing NY Comic Con
Now Playing is back with a double-dose of games this week. JC talks about the latest Professor Layton, but the real love in this episodes comes with Dungeon Defenders. The mobile game has arrived on consoles and PC, and it has more to offer than you might expect-- just listen to excitement in Alexander's voice. Comic Con isn't just for those on the west coast. Ben and Shacknews' Andrew Yoon were on-hand at Comic Con's east coast contingent, and they saw some cool things. Maybe you would like to hear some anecdotes about Ken Levine and how bosses are being handled in Bioshock Infinite? Part 1 (1:40) - Roundtable: Professor Layton and the Last Specter, Dungeon Defenders Part 2 (45:05) - Roundtable: New York City Comic Con Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Joystiq Podcast in iTunes [Zune] Subscribe to the Joystiq Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace [RSS] Add the Joystiq Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Host: Richard Mitchell (@SenseiRAM) Guest: Andrew Yoon (@scxzor) Producer: Jonathan Downin (@jonathandownin - Game Thing Daily) Production Coordinator: Richard Mitchell Music: Trash80 and Professor Layton and the Last Specter Stream the show after the break.
Professor Layton and the Last Specter review: Mystery in Misthallery
The Professor Layton series is consistent in the extreme; every game has a variation on the same plot, in a similar environment, acting as a vector for puzzles in the same style as previous games. There's definitely a formula. That formulaic nature almost forces me into reviewer cliches. "If you didn't like Professor Layton before," I might say, "there's nothing here to change your mind." "Fans of the puzzle-adventure genre will be well-served here." Even the previous Professor Layton review opened with a note about how similar these games are. But a true gentleman finds a solution to every puzzle put before him, whether it be a tangle of steel cogs or a review of a game that is almost identical to its predecessor. Luckily, I did feel that Professor Layton and the Last Specter improved on its forebears, in both perceptible and imperceptible ways. I like all the other Laytons, but I like this one just a little better. Try this puzzle and then head past the break to read more!%Gallery-136676%
A brief look into Professor Layton's London Life
If Nintendo released Professor Layton's London Life as a standalone DS game, we'd be totally into it. As this trailer shows, the Brownie Brown-developed RPG offers an alternate take on the Layton world, with sprite-based characters, a top-down, explorable London, and a purported 100 hours of gameplay. We're glad Nintendo didn't find out we felt that way, because London Life is totally thrown in as a bonus with Professor Layton and the Last Specter. We ... hope Nintendo's already printed the carts, now that we've said that.
Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call spooks Europe on Nov. 25
Professor Layton and the Last Specter, arriving October 17 in North America, will hit European shores on November 25 -- with a slight name alteration, as Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call. Less a tweak and more a reduction in the European version is the absence of Professor Layton's London Life RPG. It was developed by Brownie Brown, who you may know as the developers of Mother 3 (another game that you might not have gotten to play). So, who wants to start looking for the best import deals?
Catch up with Professor Layton before the Last Specter arrives
This trailer for the latest Professor Layton game, the Last Specter, gives us a refresher on the story so far -- including characteristically hilarious moments, like a super-serious cutscene transitioning into a puzzle about stacking hamburgers. Here's the confusing bit: since Last Specter is actually a prequel, set at the time of Layton and Luke's first meeting, none of the things being recapped have happened yet in the new game. This would probably be a lot harder to deal with if we actually tried to pay attention to the stories in Layton games.
Professor Layton and the Last Specter includes bonus RPG, dated this October (along with Tetris: Axis for 3DS)
While maybe not technically a 3DS game, the October 17 release date for Level 5's Professor Layton and the Last Specter is of more interest to those of us at Joystiq HQ than the latter half of this post. The fourth game in the popular series, Last Specter also includes, as a North American "exclusive," the bonus Professor Layton's London Life RPG developed by Brownie Brown. We say "exclusive" because the bonus game was included on the Japanese release of Last Specter as well; it appears the exclusive is that North American players don't need to beat the game to unlock the RPG. On to the 3DS: While some of you have 20 free 3DS games to keep you company, newcomers to the system – who, yes, got in at a much-lower $170 asking price – are stuck with a still nascent library of games to choose from. With price out of the way, Nintendo's hoping to remedy this other 3DS shortcoming with a series of major fall releases ... like Tetris: Axis, which brings the always popular block-dropper to the 3DS on October 7 with new features like 8-player wireless multiplayer, augmented reality features and, of course, threedee. It joins Pokémon Rumble Blast, Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 on the 3DS this fall.
Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva coming to a DVD player near you
Viz Media, the anime localization super-giant responsible for bringing both Bleach and Naruto to North America, will continue its cultural conquest of the western continent by releasing Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva in North American markets. The film takes place between the events of Professor Layton and the Last Specter (due out this fall) and Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, and should be available at your local otaku shelter "later this year." The 2009 animated film featuring everyone's favorite top-hat professor had previously undergone westernization for its 2010 release in the UK, however Viz Media's adaptation will be the first version available in the US and Canada for those weary of importing. The film has been such a success in Japan and abroad that Layton developer Level 5 has already commissioned a sequel, however there has been no mention of localization for that adventure so far.
Professor Layton and the Last Specter coming to North America
It didn't make it onto Nintendo's stage presentation, or really any kind of announcement, but many of you have probably already solved the puzzle of whether Nintendo is localizing Professor Layton and the Last Specter for DS. Imagine us pointing our finger dramatically when we say ... it is! Nintendo quietly released a trailer and screens for the localized fourth entry, the first of a new trilogy set before the three games that have already come out. The media does not include anything about the "London Life" RPG, a Brownie Brown-developed Layton RPG unlocked at the end of the Japanese release of this game. But let's be optimistic and assume Nintendo hasn't removed that great-looking bonus.
Level-5 trademarks 'Professor Layton and the Last Specter'
Last year at E3, Nintendo showed off Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle (the fifth Layton game) as part of its 3DS showcase -- without a word about Professor Layton and the Specter's Flute (Layton 4), leading fans (and, well, us) to fear that the company would pass over the last DS game in favor of getting that new 3D hotness into stores. A North American trademark (number 85325626, if you want to see it yourself) found by Siliconera suggests that won't be the case. Level-5 filed a trademark for "Professor Layton and the Last Specter." Last year around the same time, Level-5 trademarked Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, which was then announced at E3 and released in September. So it seems likely Nintendo has at least one more game in store for the regular old DS this year! Now, let's just hope London Life survives localization.
