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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.
3DS Japanese launch lineup announced, along with BlazBlue for later in 2011
As expected, Nintendo revealed the Japanese launch lineup for the 3DS at Nintendo World 2011, and -- as expected -- it's about 10 games. Eight, to be specific. The games that will be available on the Japanese launch date of February 26 include: Winning Eleven 3DSoccer (5,800 yen/$70) Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition (4,800 yen/$58) Samurai Warriors Chronicle (6,090 yen/$73) Tobidasu! Puzzle Bobble 3D (4,980 yen/$60) Nintendogs + Cats (Toy Poodle & New Friends, French Bulldog & New Friends, Shiba & New Friends, 4,800 yen each) Ridge Racer 3D (6,090 yen/$73) Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D (5,040 yen/$61) Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle (5,980 yen/$72)In addition, Nintendo's list of 2011 games reveals some new titles, including BlazBlue Continuum Shift 2, ports of Tales of the Abyss and Raving Rabbids Travel in Time, and a third game in the DS's Tank Beat series.[Update: Famitsu posted pictures from the stage, showing box arts and prices for many of these games. We've updated the list with prices; check Famitsu for box arts. Keep in mind that Japanese game prices are usually higher than American prices; DS games typically retail for about 4,800 yen/$58.]
Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright ... in sales
Though Phoenix Wright and Professor Layton's first in-game face-off was just announced for 3DS, Layton has already triumphed over the plucky defense attorney in another arena: game sales. Capcom and Level-5 noted life-to-date sales for both series in the announcement of the title, and Professor Layton trounces the Ace Attorney series with 9.5 million units sold worldwide, versus Ace Attorney's 3.9 million. That 3.9 million includes a lot of versions of the same games. Since the first Phoenix Wright's release in Japan in 2001, the five games have been released on Game Boy Advance, PC, DS, mobile phones, iPhone, and WiiWare. The four Professor Layton games have only been released once each on DS, with a couple of original games on Japanese cell phones. However, Layton has Nintendo marketing behind it in the west, with Nintendo pushing the puzzle games to audiences beyond the core gamer set. Even though this game announcement was beyond effective with fanboys (we know from, um, reading comments and not personal experience at all!), the two companies still have audience expansion in mind. "We feel that by drawing upon the strengths of both series, this collaboration will bring new, casual game players to the adventure game genre and into the world of gaming in general while strengthening the value of the two brands overall."
Investigate the Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright trailer
We saw a bit of off-screen footage of the spectacularly improbable Professor Layton vs. Gyakuten Saiban this morning, but now we can see the whole thing in luscious direct feed, thanks to the now-open website. In the trailer, it appears that Professor Layton accuses a girl of being a witch, to which her lawyer characteristically objects. After that, Hershel and Phoenix (and Maya and Luke) team up and explore Labyrinth City. The website also features concept art, screens, and introduction trailers for both series. What it doesn't feature is a release date. Check out the trailer after the break.
Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle to offer daily downloadable puzzles
Level-5 is expanding the Professor Layton franchise into 3D with the new Mask of Miracle, but that added dimension isn't the only expansion taking place in this game. During the Level-5 Vision conference, CEO Akihiro Hino announced that the new 3DS puzzle title will have daily downloadable puzzles for a year. Previous Layton games have had weekly puzzles available through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. (And if you didn't know that, you suddenly have a bunch of bonus puzzles waiting in your Layton games!)Hino also noted that Mask of Miracle was originally developed -- and announced -- as a DS game, but added, "We redid it from scratch midway through." He also revealed that the story takes place across two timelines, with a younger Professor Layton and the present-day (in the game's world) version both solving puzzles.
Professor Layton meets Phoenix Wright in crossover 3DS game
Professor Layton VS Gyakuten saiban -- the Japanese name for a new crossover 3DS game that features both Phoenix Wright and Professor Layton -- was revealed last night by Level-5 during a press conference in Tokyo. The game is being developed in collaboration with Capcom, though Ace Attorney creator Shu Takumi will be heading up writing. It appears that this marks the beginning of Level-5 and Capcom's much teased collaboration, and one of the four surprise titles Level-5 said it would reveal during its Vision 2010 event currently taking place in Japan. 1UP's liveblog details the gameplay of Professor Layton VS Gyakuten saiban as a "combination of puzzles and crime mystery," while Level-5 president Akihiro Hino characterizes the collaboration by comparing it to "two TV shows getting together and making a movie." The game's official website is scheduled to open officially on October 20, but we've embedded a shaky cam video of the reveal trailer after the break, courtesy of 8-4's Mark MacDonald.%Gallery-105411%
Level-5 president on making a better Professor Layton for America
With millions of copies sold, Level-5's Professor Layton franchise is an unquestionable hit. Already, the property has spawned one feature-length film, and is expanding to its fifth game in Japan. (The Unwound Future, which was released two weeks ago in America, is the third game in the series.) Who could have predicted the runaway success of the series? Not even Level-5's president, Akihiro Hino, could have seen it coming.In an exclusive interview, Hino told us that "I obviously didn't imagine the series would achieve the success it has." But, he attributes the franchise's achievements to Level-5's goal to "make an adventure game that anyone could play." Given the popularity of the games, Hino finds it unsurprising that a number of copycats have since followed, such as Puzzle Agent and Blue Toad Murder Files. "Doesn't it follow that if a game gets popular enough, similar games will start to appear?," he asked us.Nintendo eventually picked up the publishing rights for a North American release, which posed a number of challenges for the localization team. Hino admits that the first game was developed "without much consideration" for international audiences. As such, "we have had to alter and even remove certain puzzles," Hino explained to us. "The reason is usually due to their use of Japanese, or because a puzzle or joke would work in some regions but not in others. Ways of thinking, language, culture, and even religion differ from region to region, so we remove puzzles we feel wouldn't work, and try to replace them with puzzles that players from that market will enjoy."%Gallery-95768%
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future review: A slow crawl through time
The Professor Layton series suffers from a curse shared by all franchises which create and define their own genres. While games cut from a less original cloth can change wildly between iterations, a logic-puzzle-adventure-mystery series like Layton doesn't really have much room to mix things up without defying the tropes that made everyone fall in love with it in the first place. In short, don't expect the Good Professor to engage in any first-person deathmatches any time soon. The way franchises like Layton introduce change between entries is by expanding the game's universe and deepening the player's connections with its characters. Professor Layton and the Unwound Future does so swimmingly -- but wow, does it take its sweet, gentlemanly time in doing so. %Gallery-95768%
Solve Layton's puzzles or die in a Bay area phone booth
If you're in the San Francisco area on September 7, you may want to stop by the Union Square shopping center, where characters from the Professor Layton series will let visitors step into a British phone booth and sample the upcoming Professor Layton and the Unwound Future. Combined total puzzle scores for guys will be pitted against ladies' scores as similar events are held in Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia. ... Hey, wait a minute! A puzzle-obsessed genius is trapping people in phone booths until they complete a battle of wits? Hell, toss in a couple of rotating blades and Cary Elwes and we've got a Saw movie on our hands.
Find Professor Layton and the Lost Future in Europe on October 22
Nintendo announced the European release date for Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, the third game in the Professor Layton series today: October 22 (with the slightly altered title Professor Layton and the Lost Future). If you're in Europe and want to play it sooner, you can either follow in the Professor's footsteps and use a time machine ... or just order a copy from the US, where it'll be available September 12. Of course, European Layton fans have the advantage of being able to watch the Professor Layton movie to help pass the time, so maybe the wait won't be so awful.
Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva travel to the UK in style
It's confusing enough to have two upcoming Professor Layton games -- Unwound Future on DS and Mask of Miracle on 3DS. But there's actually a third Professor Layton title on the way! In the UK, on October 4, Manga Entertainment is releasing the Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva movie on DVD and Blu-Ray. The film will be released in disc-only DVD and Blu-Ray editions, as well as a DVD collector's edition. If you really want to drop some money on the Layton movie, the DVD + Blu-Ray Combi Pack includes both the DVD and Blu-Ray discs, as well as the gorgeous collector's edition packaging and a book of storyboards. If you're in the US, ordering from Amazon UK is as simple as signing in with your American account. That leaves only the issue of region-coding -- at the moment, there's no information about the coding on either version of the movie.
Professor Layton's future unwinds on September 12
Professor Layton has figured out the secrets of time travel! Though his new game, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, was originally set to be released in North America on September 20, the clever adventurer has figured out a way to move the release date back in time one week, to September 12. Unwound Future begins with Professor Layton receiving a letter from his apprentice, Luke -- from ten years in the future. Layton and Luke must travel to the London of the future for urgent puzzle-related business. Apparently, sending someone through time is easier than some of the puzzles. %Gallery-95768%
Level 5 trademarks 'Professor Layton and the Unwound Future'
According to Siliconera, Level 5 recently trademarked "Professor Layton and the Unwound Future," which seems to correspond with the Japanese name of the third puzzle-rich Professor Layton game, Professor Layton and the Final Time Travel. This is just ... this is so frustrating. We've told Layton over and over again: When you're tying up the future, you've got to use a square knot. These types of problems are best solved with prevention, sir. Even if this particular title doesn't match up exactly with the Japanese original, the time travel theme seems to feature in both titles. Perhaps Layton will explore his own past, and we'll finally get to learn why he wears such a ridiculously tall hat. That's really the greatest puzzle of all, isn't it?
Professor Layton movie licensed for UK distribution
Manga UK, the British arm of anime distributor Manga Entertainment, has announced that it's picked up the rights to Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva, the animated Professor Layton feature film released in Japan last December. We're currently checking with the US company to determine its plans, but at the very least we now know that there will be an officially translated (dubbed, in fact) version of the film on Blu-ray and DVD this September. Consider getting around the region coding ... a puzzle. The movie features an original story by Level-5 CEO and Professor Layton creator Akihiro Hino, about mysterious kidnappings and a creepy opera house that apparently holds the secret to immortality. And puzzles.
Level-5 considers opening US office
During the same event in which Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino teased new Wii and PS3 games, he also suggested that the company may be setting up operations in the US. According to our own imperfect translation of 4Gamer's summary of statements, "Mr. Hino, in order to release software overseas, spoke about a plan to establish a new company in America," describing his intention to expand the company's activities from its current home of Fukuoka to the world. This new enterprise would be the second new office opened by the company for this purpose -- it recently established an overseas-focused office in Tokyo. Perhaps we'll see self-published Level-5 games soon. Perhaps that way we can get timely Professor Layton releases! [Via Siliconera]
Video: Professor Layton takes a break, goes skating
It's hard being Professor Layton. Always solving puzzles, talking with strange people and, of course, dealing with that snot-nosed kid, Luke. Even a gentleman like Professor Layton needs to relax now and again, and what better way to relax than a soothing session of figure skating? That's exactly what this Professor Layton does, though, admittedly, it's actually just some guy in a Layton costume. Still, it's oddly mesmerizing to watch. Check it out after the break and we're sure you'll agree. One bit of advice for the Professor: Be careful out there or you might just end up in an unintentional sequel, Professor Layton and the Exorbitant Hospital Bill. [Via Kotaku]
Level-5 opens new Tokyo office for 'overseas business'
Professor Layton, White Knight Chronicles, and Dragon Quest IX developer Level-5 is expanding from its Fukuoka, Japan base, founding a new office in Tokyo focused on its ROID mobile gaming platform, overseas business, and "new enterprises." The move could portend worldwide release of the developer's mobile games, or even expansion of its publishing business. In Japan, Level-5 publishes the Layton series, Inazuma Eleven, and other titles independently. If a localized Inazuma Eleven is indeed on the way, Level-5 could be looking to start up its publishing business outside of Japan with that title. Or, less spectacularly, we suppose the new office could be tasked with localization of games and dealing with Western publishers. [Via Siliconera]
Professor Layton looking smart in figurine form
If there's one enigma we can't wrap our heads around, it's the one involving the rather curious naming of Japanese figure manufacturer Revoltech Yamaguchi. Revoltech? It sounds like they should be making soggy clumps of hair -- not these rather dashing and highly positionable approximations of Professor Layton. As noted by GundamLunatics.info, the quick-witted puzzle buff features 14 points of articulation, a jacket made of a soft material and loads of apt accessories, including a puny pen and a tiny teacup. Of course, every piece of merchandise has a price, and you'll look to spend 2,400 Yen (roughly $26) when he arrives on March 15. For more info and images, hit the source link. [Via Examiner, Kotaku]
Professor Layton and the Devil's Flute plays successfully in Japan
[GAME Watch] Japan's infatuation with quaint, puzzle-filled villages has yet to wane. The second Professor Layton trilogy has started off on a positive note, with Professor Layton and the Devil's Flute topping the Media Create sales charts. The latest in Level-5's adventure series sold 306,000 copies in its first week at retail. The rest of the weekly bestsellers list is almost entirely dominated by Wii and DS games, like Tomodachi Collection, Wii Fit Plus and another debut, Momotaro Dentetsu 2010!, the latest Wii release of Hudson's Japan-only, train-themed board game series. The sole exception: Winning Eleven 2010, charting at number 7 with 20,000 copies sold. (The soccer sim's life-to-date sales of 312,000 isn't that far off from Layton's first week!) Additionally, Cave's region-free Xbox 360 shmup Mushihime-sama Futari just missed the top ten. [Via Kotaku]
