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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.
Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver reaches 8.4m sold; other Nintendo million-sellers revealed from last fiscal year
As an addition to its overall earnings report, Nintendo has released a list of first-party million-sellers from its last fiscal year (ending March 31). Many of these games, including Wii Sports and Wii Fit, have been out for years, but still managed to sell more than a million units over the last four quarters! On DS, Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver have sold an astonishing 8.4 million copies -- 3.78 million in Japan, where the game's been out since September, and 4.62 million outside of Japan in just a few short weeks of availability before the close of the fiscal year. Nintendo's Japan-only Tomodachi Collection sold 3.2 million copies, and Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box moved a respectable 2.43 million copies outside of Japan. Even Style Savvy, which has a somewhat low profile in North America and Europe, sold 1.21 million copies in those territories. As for two perennial bestsellers, Mario Kart DS and New Super Mario Bros. each sold over three million copies outside of Japan in the last fiscal year. Nintendo's marquee 2009 Wii titles, Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit Plus and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, sold more than 10 million units each in North America and Europe alone; and worldwide, those titles sold 16.14 million, 12.65 million, and 14.7 million copies, respectively, through the fiscal year. But if you think those are big numbers, think again. Thanks to Wii Sports being bundled with the Wii system outside of Japan, the game now totals 63.46 million units sold. Heck, even Link's Crossbow Training (bundled with the Wii Zapper) broke a million sold in the last fiscal year. Head past the break for the complete list of million-sellers from Nintendo's fiscal year ending March 31, 2010. Source [PDF] - Supplementary information about earnings release [Nintendo]
Professor Layton and the Figurine of Want
Gamers certainly aren't strangers to memorabilia, doubly so for figurines, but this Professor Layton statue from NCSX has one thing going for it those others don't: you can actually afford it. We're used to seeing those high-dollar Samus statues and Capcom's ridiculously-priced (and ridiculously nice!) Street Fighter series, so when we caught wind of this $30 Professor Layton companion, we knew we had to post it up. So ... yeah, that's what this is. What? You were expecting more? OK, here's a riddle: What's 120 words, loves you and thinks you're the sexiest person on the planet? Head past the break for the answer! [Via Go Nintendo]
Nintendo Mall Experience tour heads cross-country next week
Nintendo must've had some luck with its Great Lakes and Wii Sports Resort tours recently, as the company has announced the Nintendo Mall Experience tour. Starting next week through December 20, The Big N will be stopping at shopping centers across the country to get some of its Wii and DS titles in the faces of holiday shoppers. On the Wii side, Nintendo will show off its top three games for the holiday season: Wii Sports Resort, New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Wii Fit Plus. For the handheld crowd, Nintendo will be pushing the new Style Savvy, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. Head past the break for the full list of stops on Nintendo's Mall Experience tour.
Professor Layton and the Million-Selling Sequel
It would appear that Nintendo made the right decision in finally getting around to releasing Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box worldwide, as the company was able to trade that box for one filled with cash money. The company released a supplement to its earnings report, listing the million-selling first-party Wii and DS games of its Q3 (April-September), and Diabolical Box made the list with 1.26 million units sold. The entirety of that 1.26 million comes from outside of Japan, since it wasn't a first-party game in Japan, and it was released in 2007. The other new additions to the million-seller club on DS: Tomodachi Collection, the Mii communication game, and Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver, which mysteriously managed to rack up 10,000 overseas sales despite not having been released outside of Japan. Is Nintendo tracking import retailers differently somehow? On Wii, Wii Sports Resort has reached 6.97 million units worldwide, and Wii Fit Plus has already sold 2.13 million, a nice complement to the 4.28 million that the first Wii Fit sold in the last quarter. %Gallery-64964% Source (PDF)
FIFA 10 debuts with record UK sales lead, Layton maintains second
FIFA 10 -- the Madden of Europa -- had the most successful "all formats" launch since Grand Theft Auto IV in the UK, according to Chart Track. First week sales of the footie fiesta grew by nearly 48 percent over its predecessor's opening week a year ago. This was the highest-selling launch of a FIFA game ever, with the Xbox 360 generating 48 percent of sales, PS3 46 percent, and the remaining formats making up six percent.Professor Layton and Pandora's Box (the Diabolical Box in the States) held onto the number two spot from the week prior, while Halo 3: ODST sales dropped 75 percent to the third spot, after holding last week's crown. Source -- FIFA 10 scores BIG (Chart Track) Source -- All formats chart (Chart Track)
Professor Layton is in Boston today ... somewhere
It appears that Professor Layton is in Boston today, working the streets to promote his latest adventure, The Diabolical Box. Those who track down the professor will receive a "fun Nintendo gift," as well as entry into a draw for five Nintendo DSi systems. Check out the official rules for all the details.The latest clue at 11AM EST states: "Professor Layton is wandering on a cobblestone promenade similar to the one in Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box and watching a street performer." That means the professor is very likely right outside of Quincy Market. If you get a lock on Layton, holla back. Also, send us pics! The professor will hop on a flight and be in Seattle tomorrow.
Professor Layton and the Decent US Sales Debut
Despite being absent from the August NPD figures, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box managed to be somewhat of a success in the US. Gamasutra obtained some data from NPD that shows the game sold 65,700 copies in the month of August, which isn't all that bad considering the game went on sale August 24. On the flip side, the figure can also be seen as a failure for Nintendo, based on how much money the company sank into the marketing machine trying to get ladies interested. Regardless, we're hoping the game fares better in September, because we'd like to actually play the other Layton games.
Joyswag: Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (and a real Diabolical Box) [update]
Update: The giveaway has come to a close. Keep an eye on your email to see if you won!Now that we've finished reviewing Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, it's high time we sent the game to one of you -- and that's where Joyswag comes in. If you want to get your hands on the game and an actual diabolical box, follow the directions below. Good luck! Leave a comment telling us what you plan to store within the Diabolical Box You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) Limit 1 entry per person per day This entry period ends at 1:00PM ET on Monday, September 7 At that time, we'll randomly select one winner to receive Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box on DS ($35 ARV) For a list of complete rules, click here %Gallery-64964%
Level-5's CEO on lessons learned from Professor Layton's first adventure
In Level-5's homeland of Japan, the top-hat wearing sleuth Professor Layton is well past his originally planned trilogy, but North American gamers have only recently caught up to the second game in the franchise. According to Level-5 president and CEO Akihiro Hino, a combination of localizing the game's puzzles and images and giving each title enough room to breathe at retail are contributing factors to Layton's slow release schedule Stateside. "We want to let each title have time to perform on the market before releasing the next game," Hino told Wired.As for the recently released sequel Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, Hino estimates the game features "roughly double" the amount of data than the first. Not only is Layton's new tea-sipping adventure bigger, but it makes more sense contextually. "One lesson we learned from the first title is that some puzzles seemed irrelevant to the storyline," Hino said, noting the Professor's second outing actually works the puzzles into the game's story to give them a purpose. "For instance, you may have to solve a puzzle about a key in order to enter a locked chamber."If Layton's adventure piques your interest, make sure to check out our review of Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box.
This Week on the Nintendo Channel: Real people play Professor Layton
Nintendo has made a bold move with Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box. Instead of having plastic or cardboard (see: fake) people promote the game, Nintendo has put it into the hands of real flesh-and-blood individuals. Will it pay off for the company to promote the game via the everyman, or should it have stuck with its usual people who have too much money to play games?Hit the jump for this week's content on the Nintendo Channel.
Review: Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
After more than a year, Nintendo has deigned to grant the second Professor Layton game to a DS audience clamoring for gentlemanly puzzle adventure. Is Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box worth the wait? Unless, for some reason, you were expecting a dramatic reinvention of the gameplay, yes. To be clear, this is not the Zelda II of the Professor Layton franchise. It features the same combination of woodgrained old-world feel and Osamu Tezuka-style character designs, a similarly puzzle-minded citizenry, and a storyline intriguing enough that, somehow, the player manages to be drawn into a world that ostensibly exists only as a puzzle delivery system. There was absolutely no reason to change the formula after the magical Curious Village, and developer Level-5 knew it. The Layton series is proof that almost any activity can be grafted into a video game to make an engaging experience. These games do for brain teasers what RPGs have done for menus. %Gallery-64964%
Professor Layton and the REAL Diabolical Box
Click image to help us solve the mystery Nintendo has been on a roll with its games shipments lately, as Joystiq HQ just received the package you see above containing Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box and ... a real Diabolical Box. We quickly threw the small, wooden thing into a corner and made for the Professor Layton, but, in a move most cruel, Nintendo shipped us an empty game case. It was then we realized that the game was located in a wooden prison, so we were forced to solve a puzzle before we could play this game about solving puzzles. %Gallery-69781%
E3 2009 highlights: The Nintendo roundup
Nintendo E3 2009 checklist: Mario? *check* Zelda? *check* Metroid? *check* Are we missing something? Head past the break to find out!
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box: new trailer for the short wait
After years of literally hearing nothing from Nintendo about the release of any of the Professor Layton sequels, it's got a release date: August 24. A two-month wait for the North American release of Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box doesn't seem so bad after all that agony. Not that Nintendo actually said anything about releasing the game. It was a bullet point on a list of games on the press site, and nothing more.Like the last one, Diabolical Box will feature downloadable puzzles every week for 33 weeks. Thanks, Level-5, for the steady drip of Layton puzzles -- let's hope it doesn't run out before at least an announcement for the next one.%Gallery-64964%
Amazon lists Professor Layton 2 for August
If you're the type that's inclined to believe retailer release dates, then take a look at what Amazon says about Professor Layton's second outing, The Diabolical Box. The online retailer has the game pegged down for August 24, which is just three months away. This is a good thing, considering that, for the longest time, we've been feeling like young Luke there, glazed over and stunned, staring into that half-opened glowing box of doom. Just what new adventures lay ahead? It looks like we'll find out soon enough.[Via GoNintendo]
