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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.
Tour the 'Another World' of Ni no Kuni in a new trailer
Not to be outdone by another series it previously worked on, Level-5 released a new trailer for the PS3 Ni no Kuni game, showing off a variety of locations in the Studio Ghibli-designed world. There's an old-world castle town, a dark graveyard, a ... volcano, an open sea, and some kind of sea creature village in a forest. Even if most of the locations sound like RPG standards, the trailer is worth watching. It's our best look at the game since it was announced, and the Ghibli-ized takes on those common locales are predictably lovely. Ni no Kuni comes out November 17 in Japan, and still hasn't been announced for release elsewhere.
Here's the 'Magical Gold' Ni no Kuni PS3
We expected the Japan-exclusive Ni no Kuni PS3 to be white with some gold art on it. But it turns out that it is gold with gold art, featuring the lamp-nosed sidekick character Shizuku. If that fits your idea of "magical", you'll be able to import the 160GB system starting November 17.
Ni no Kuni bundled with 'magical' PS3 in Japan
Level-5/Studio Ghibli tie-up RPG Ni no Kuni ("The Another World") comes with a deluxe spellbook on DS. Its PS3 counterpart one-ups the DS version when it hits Japan on November 17, by optionally bundling a whole PS3. The Ni no Kuni "Magical Edition" bundle will include the game and a special white and gold PS3, according to leaks from this week's Famitsu. It'll sell for ¥33,780 ($440). PS3 games are region free, so if you decide to import this from The Another World of Japan, you'll at least be able to play your local PS3 games on it. There's still no word on a localization for either Ni no Kuni game. [Image: Andriasang]
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.
Ni No Kuni PS3 finally dated in Japan, still not announced anywhere else
Ni no Kuni, the RPG made through a collaboration between Level-5 and Studio Ghibli, came out on DS in Japan late last year. The PS3 version was shown at TGS, but still has yet to be released. Andriasang reports that the latest issue of Famitsu features a date for the Japanese PS3 release: November 17. Even if you've imported the DS game and its giant book, this one will be of interest. In addition to fancy HD graphics, the PS3 game has a new story about young boy Oliver in the magical "Another World," and a completely different battle system that is closer to real-time than turn-based. If you're just waiting on details of a western release ... well, there's still no word from Level-5.
White Knight Chronicles 2 preview: Round two start
Last year's White Knight Chronicles, developed by Level-5 and published by SCEA, was a "surprisingly mediocre" RPG with some interesting skill-up mechanics. That's probably why Sony passed on publishing the sequel in America this time around, but D3 Publisher has picked up the reins, and will be putting out White Knight Chronicles 2 (which will also contain the first game's International Edition on the very same disc) on September 13. Fortunately for series fans, improvements have been made. While the last game's battle system was occasionally slow and tedious, the sequel's attacks have been sped up a little bit -- not only do individual abilities charge and execute faster, but there are more ranged options and "charge" attacks, designed to get players in and out of battle quickly. That's not to say that the game necessarily plays significantly differently from the first title -- it really doesn't. But it is smoother, and the addition of some major customization features for the game's mech-like Incorruptus armor means that those who found something fun in the first game will probably be back for another round.%Gallery-131267%
Level-5 files US trademark for 'Little Battlers eXperience'
We still don't know exactly what Level-5's American branch is doing, but a US trademark filed by the company could provide a clue. Siliconera found a trademark (serial number 85377402) for "Little Battlers eXperience," a title that references the "LBX" toy robots in Danbol Senki, a PSP action RPG about collecting and battling toys. After our TGS demo with the game, we'd be happy to see a localization. In Japan, the PSP game is accompanied by a manga, an anime series, and even a toy line (one of the toys is bundled with the game), but Level-5 has made no announcements regarding a localized version of any of those things. The US trademark explicitly covers all those media.
Level-5 CEO introduces the new American office
Level-5's "International America" office is now up and running in Santa Monica, California, ready to begin doing ... whatever that office will be doing. In a video posted on the official website, Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino outlined the operations of Level-5 IA. The office will "not only release games developed in Japan," he said, "but we are also planning to create original content for the US." Neither he nor the website mentions any specific projects undertaken at IA. Hino acknowledged the differences between the Japanese and American markets -- effectively ruling out the 3DS hostess RPG -- "but we hope to make innovative games that our fans in the US will enjoy." The company also posted a photo tour of its new offices. We're sure you'll be shocked to hear that they're beautiful.
Polyphony Digital shipping a third of its employees out of Tokyo
Gran Turismo 5 developer Polyphony Digital is transferring 50 of it's 150 employees to a new location in Fukuoka, over 500 miles away from their main HQ in Tokyo. According to EDGE, the partial relocation has been prompted by mounting concerns over another devastating earthquake in the Tokyo region, as well as the Fukushima nuclear crisis that followed last March's tsunami. Fukuoka, while no stranger to earthquakes itself, is Japan's second-youngest and second-fastest-growing city, according to 2000 census information. The city is positioning itself as a developer-friendly environment, counting Professor Layton developers Level-5 among its denizens. Polyphony Digital's arrival bodes well for the district, as it may encourage other developers to reduce operational risk by spreading their teams across the nation.
Level-5's 3DS hostess club game becomes Girls' RPG Cinderellife
Last year, Level-5 announced a 3DS version of its mobile game Kyaba Joppi, in which you play an employee of a hostess club, and interact with guests including famous anime characters. The developer announced a name change in the latest issue of Famitsu, which provides evidence of the (heavy-handed) intention to expand this version: it's called "Girls' RPG Cinderellife" now. CEO Akihiro Hino told Famitsu that the original version is the most popular game on Level-5's mobile service ROID, "so I wanted to make it into a full RPG experience. If all the individual components work together, I think there's a chance it could become a big hit." Cinderellife stars a country girl who comes to "Neo-Ginza" to hit it big. The game follows her career at a hostess club called The Castle; gameplay involves talking to the guests, having them order overpriced food from the club's menu, and leveling up based on your performance. The fact that you're probably thinking about how creepy hostess clubs sound right now (and not without justification) is why we don't expect to see this particular Level-5 creation outside of Japn.
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.
146 exhibitors sign on for post-earthquake TGS 2011, up from 138 in 2010
CESA revealed today that 146 companies (including 34 from outside of Japan) have agreed to exhibit at the 2011 edition of the Tokyo Game Show "despite the Great East Japan Earthquake," a show of force that proves "that games are loved by people all over the world." That's more than the 138 companies that came to the Makuhari Messe venue last year, pre-earthquake. They'll all be operating their booths with reduced power usage, as the show seeks to drop electricity consumption by 25% versus 2010. The list of exhibitors includes perennial attendees like Capcom, Square Enix, and Sega -- but, startlingly, TGS show floor superstars Level-5 are listed only in the "Business Meeting Area." No Level-5 booth? What line are we going to stand in for the entire first day?
Professor Layton solving social scene in 'Professor Layton Royale'
Professor Layton developer Level-5 is teaming up with social gaming's DeNA on Professor Layton Royale. Andriasang reports the new social game has players selecting from three different classes and is a crossover of Layton and Kaito Royale. The game will initially launch in Japan, with the potential of "localized versions to international users on the highly anticipated global Mobage service." With DeNA's acquisition of ngmoco last year -- and Layton's international appeal -- the company would be leaving money on the table if it didn't take advantage of the global opportunity. Crossovers are something Professor Layton is getting comfortable with, as the puzzle master also has an upcoming collaboration with Capcom's ace attorney in Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright for 3DS.
The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: True Fantasy Live Online
As an extremely amateur historian -- and an extremely attractive archaeologist -- I've always been fascinated with the "what ifs" of gaming's timeline. What if Blizzard had pulled the plug on World of Warcraft during development as it did for Warcraft Adventures? What if Hellgate: London had a lot more time and resources before it launched? What if North America had embraced the free-to-play model much earlier instead of the subscription model? What if Shawn came to his senses before he hired me? Life would've been a lot better. Or worse. That's the problem with counterfactual history: We can make educated guesses, but we'll never really know. While it's sad to see MMOs shut down due to underperformance, it's especially maddening to contemplate MMOs canceled before they even made it to the starting gate. In a new periodic series here at The Game Archaeologist, I'm going to look at a few of the "what ifs" of prematurely terminated MMORPGs. And to kick us off, I'm tackling probably one of the most frustrating, painful subjects that still linger amongst potential fans. I'm talking, of course, of True Fantasy Live Online, the game that could've shown the true potential of console MMOs. Or, y'know, not.
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.
White Knight Chronicles franchise ships 1 million units
A member of the Sony PR team recently noted on Twitter that the White Knight Chronicles series has shipped a million units globally. Siliconera points out that the figure covers White Knight Chronicles, White Knight Chronicles EX Edition, White Knight Chronicles: International Edition (US/EU), White Knight Chronicles for PSP and White Knight Chronicles 2. White Knight Chronicles 2 was recently announced for North America, and both it and the PSP game were announced for Europe. The franchise may not be doing Pokemon numbers, but it's not fading into the night either.
D3 Publisher picks up White Knight Chronicles 2 for North America
Sony announced last month that it was publishing Level-5's White Knight Chronicles 2 in Europe. The PS3 role-playing sequel is being released in North America as well, but by a somewhat lower-profile publisher: D3. The Namco Bandai subsidiary will release White Knight Chronicles 2 in North America this summer, containing both the new game and a "remastered" version of the first White Knight Chronicles. Siliconera notes that, while the Japanese version forced you to start from the very beginning if you didn't already have a clear save file (really!), the Western version allows you to start at WKC2.%Gallery-120644%
Level-5's US office to make games for American audience
Speaking with Nikkei Trendy, Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino offered the first indication as to the activities of the developer/publisher's Santa Monica office. Rather than being merely for localization or American publishing efforts as we supposed, this operation is actually going to make games. "We have five staff members at present," Hino said. "Titles that are being planned in the North American office are being developed in that region. The office staff is mostly Japanese, but we're using a style of development where we collaborate with local staff, so I believe we'll be able to make something that matches the North American market well." The first information about the US office's efforts will be unveiled at the annual Level-5 Vision event, which Hino said would probably take place in August this year. He also said that downloadable titles are increasingly popular in America, suggesting a possible focus for Level-5's efforts. Last year's Level-5 Vision brought news of Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney and three other 3DS games.
