professor-layton-vs-phoenix-wright
Latest
New Nintendo eShop releases: Layton vs Phoenix Wright, Mega Man X3
There's a good helping of eShop eStuff to tuck into this week, both on Wii U and 3DS. On the portable side, Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright features two characters who were born to point together - check out our review for a more nuanced analysis. Also, Azure Striker Gunvolt pumps Mega Man-inspired side-scrolling action onto the 3DS, complete with Mighty No. 9 crossover mini-game. Talking of the (original) blue bomber, Mega Man X3 coming to Wii U completes the Nintendo set of X games on the system. If you prefer your platforming a bit more vertical and underground, Steamworld Dig may be the Wii U game for you. As ever, the full list of new releases is below the break. On the sales side, Capcom has a decent-sized one this week across Wii U and 3DS, and Splinter Cell Blacklist will be permanently reduced from $40 to $20 starting September 1.
Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright review: Hold it, this reminds me of a puzzle
Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright is less a crossover of gameplay styles than it is two of them sat side by side, occasionally exchanging a polite smile. Imagine an Ace Attorney game, but instead of wandering around interrogating and finding clues, you were doing the Professor Layton thing of solving puzzles to move along the narrative. Congratulations, you have just imagined Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright. Oddly, the game exposes the weaknesses of both series. By routinely switching between the two styles, the 3DS crossover avoids the monotonous repetition that hurt later Layton games while simultaneously focusing on the most fun part of Ace Attorney: the courtroom battles. That makes it a breeze to play through, even if it all feels a little dumbed down. In contrast, the story sours the fun by being a bloated mess that twists and turns so much that it needs a killer conclusion. In the end, the finale is more an assault on your patience, though not a fatal one thanks to the Ace Attorney's inimitable brand of courtroom chaos.
Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright meet August 29 on 3DS
Nintendo and Capcom's adventure game franchises clash in the upcoming Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, hitting the Nintendo 3DS in North America on August 29.
Infamous: Second Son tops UK charts for second week, Reaper of Souls debuts 6th
After a month that saw more new releases than a bunny park, the last UK charts of March are an altogether quieter affair. The top three are unchanged, with Infamous: Second Son on top for a second week ahead of Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes and Titanfall. That's not to say there aren't any new releases this week, but only one of them makes it to the top ten. The "Reaper of Souls" expansion for Diablo 3 leveled all the way up to 6th, but Level-5/Capcom crossover Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright and motorbike racer MXGP are a bit behind in 15th and 19th respectively. [Image: Sony Computer Entertainment]
Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright presents its box art to the court
While North America's gearing up for Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy on February 28, Europe's looking ahead to March 28 and the Prof's court date with the Ace Attorney. No news yet beyond 2014 for when the 3DS sleuthing crossover will hit American shelves.
Professor Layton x Ace Attorney announced for west, due in 2014 [Now with trailer!]
Nintendo announced Professor Layton x Ace Attorney will make its way to the west in 2014. Today's Nintendo Direct confirmed the 3DS game, released in Japan last year, hits North America next year. Nintendo of Europe went one better in its broadcast, dating it "early 2014." The crossover game, which combines Professor Layton's puzzle-solving with Phoneix Wright's cross-examinations, is not the only Layton game coming to North America next year. Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy, the sixth and (currently) final main entry in the Layton series, will join it on 3DS sometime next year. However, Europe can chalk another early arrival over North America; the game is now dated to hits retail shelves and eShops over there on November 8.
Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney trailer heralds Japanese launch
3DS crossover Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney is out today in Japan, but a Western release is yet to be announced. While every Layton game has made its way here, the same can't be said for the Ace Attorney series.
Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney gameplay trailer is puzzling
This trailer for Level-5's crossover game Professor Layton Vs. Ace Attorney shows off some of the courtroom drama and puzzle-solving players can look forward to. Well, that's the action most players can only hope for, since the game has yet to be announced for North America.Professor Layton Vs. Ace Attorney is set to release November 29 in Japan for 3DS.
Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney, and more Layton trailers than you can handle
Level-5 showed off its wide variety of Professor Layton material at TGS, releasing trailers for Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney (above) along with Professor Layton and the Legacy of Super Civilization A, Layton Brothers Mystery Room, and Professor Layton and the Century of the Seven Phantom Thieves.
Report: Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney out November 29 in Japan
According to early info out of Famitsu magazine (reported by Siliconera), Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney will be out in Japan on November 29, allowing Japanese gamers – and those outside of Japan with sufficient language skills and Japanese 3DS systems – to spend the holiday season solving puzzles and finding contradictions, while the rest of us seethe in jealousy.There has still been no announcement of a localized version for the West. Every Professor Layton game to be released on DS and 3DS has made it to the West so far (or is on the way), but the same has not been true for Ace Attorney.
Level-5's TGS lineup includes playable Layton vs. Ace Attorney and two unannounced games
Level-5 has two mystery games in its Tokyo Game Show lineup this year. Two "coming soon" blanks show up in the list of ten games on display at this September's event, alongside news that Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney will be playable! It exists!Also playable: Layton Brothers Mystery Room, Inazuma Eleven Go 2, Fantasy Life, Danbooru Senki W, and Professor Layton and the Legacy of Advanced Civilization A. The updated 3DS versions of the first three Inazuma Eleven games, and the mobile Inazuma Eleven Atsumeyoze! will be video only.
Level-5's 'Vision' event, in trailers
We'll forgive you if you weren't up late this past Friday evening watching the livestream of Level-5's "Vision" event with us -- it was kind of in the middle of the night. The Japanese publisher showed off several of its upcoming titles, and revealed a few neat surprises (Ghost Watch, anyone?). Luckily for you, Level-5 has now released all the trailers from Vision and we've compiled them below the break for your viewing pleasure.
We don't object to this Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright trailer one bit
Sure, it's all in Japanese. And sure, we're not really sure what's going on as a result, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy the latest trailer for Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright on Nintendo 3DS. No plans exist for a US release yet, but Level 5 gives us hope with its recent news about Ni no Kuni. Layton next, please!
Take that! First Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright screens released
Professor Layton Vs. Phoenix Wright is 3D, new screens reveal. And not just in the "stereoscopic visuals" meaning of the term -- of course, it is that kind of 3D, being a 3DS game. The character art is composed not of flat drawings, but of 3D models, much like Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle. Famitsu details the premise of the game: both characters find themselves in "Labyrinth City," home of an unfortunate series of "witch trials" that Phoenix Wright works to put an end to. Naturally, this city has an unorthodox legal system, with "mob juries" overriding the rules of court. It's due in Japan next year, but there's some faint hope for a western release -- GameStop UK has a placeholder pre-order page for the game. [Thanks, Jeff.]
Inafune: Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright a full collaboration
If you were surprised by the announcement of a Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright crossover game (WHAT), you're not the only one. Even Capcom's global head of production, Keiji Inafune, exhibited some disbelief over the adventurous collaboration in a recent interview with Japanese mag Famitsu (translated by Eurogamer). "I thought it would be impossible," he said, citing the careful handling of the Phoenix Wright character within Capcom, as well as creator Shu Takumi's insistence on trying new things (see: the upcoming Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective). "Nobody but Hino could have thought of it." Akihiro Hino, CEO of Level-5, was apparently instrumental in conceptualizing and then realizing this 3D battle of the brains. And there will be a bumping of heads between the two logic-minded protagonists, Inafune said, "before they join hands and take on a really big challenge." Whether you're rooting for the spiky hair or the fabulous top hat, you'll be happy to know that neither Capcom nor Level-5 seem satisfied with a meet-and-greet cash-in between their cherished properties. "It wasn't a case of licensing out the Phoenix Wright characters and demanding our licence money. That isn't a collaboration, and users would see that," Inafune said. "For this standalone game, we wanted to create a great history, which would have been impossible if both parties were not fully involved."
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 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%
