This Yokai Watch Busters trailer almost makes up for Fantasy Life 2 being a (barf) mobile title

In case you haven't already heard, during the Level-5 Vision 2015 event held in Japan a couple of days ago, the company that brought the world the Professor Layton series and a bunch of other intriguing games announced that the sequel to one of my favorite 3DS titles so far, Fantasy Life, is going to be released for ... Android and iOS.

Cue the "sad trombone" sound effect, right?

Thankfully, Level-5 also showed off a couple of games that actually will see the light of day on the 3DS. One of them is a spin-off of the company's super-popular Yokai Watch series that'll be called Yokai Watch Busters.



When Yokai Watch Busters was first revealed about a month ago, I responded to the news with a yawn. That was far from how I reacted to the game's initial trailer, though, which can be viewed above.

Since we now know that at least one of the three mainline Yokai Watch titles currently available in Japan will making its way across the pond to Europe and North America (with Nintendo's assistance, it seems) next year, I hope Yokai Watch Busters also will make the trek to our shores at some point.

What do all of you think about the news regarding Fantasy Life 2, Yokai Watch's Western release, Yokai Watch Busters, or even Snack World and Layton 7? As always, share your thoughts in the comments section below.

(Via tinycartridge.com)

Hot for Professor

I came across the photo below--of a rather steamy Professor Layton--while perusing the Boy Culture blog's coverage of New York Comic Con 2012 the other day.

You're far from alone if a feeling of déjà vu washes over you while taking in said photo, by the way. Apparently the guy posing (literally) as the esteemed Hershel Layton has appeared as a shirtless, muscled version of every gamer's favorite professor at numerous conventions and related events over the last few years.

In related news, did you know that someone actually created "an aggregate tumblr for general Hawt Proffy [as in, Professor Layton] stuff"? Well, you do now--and you can find it at hotforprof.tumblr.com.

I just perused the first few pages of said tumblr (for research purposes only, I assure you) and I'm sad, er, I mean happy to report that none of the drawings, illustrations and other images that I came across were of the not-safe-for-work variety.

Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney's Japanese cover art is all kinds of awesome

The art that will grace the cover of every copy of Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney when this collaboration between Capcom and Level-5 hits store shelves in Japan late next month was unveiled last week and, as you probably can guess from the headline above, I think it's pretty awesome.



Japanese 3DS owners will be able to get their grubby hands on copies of Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney on Nov. 29. Unfortunately, both Capcom and Level-5 are being tight-lipped about their plans (or lack thereof) to release the game in other regions.

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask edition)

Seeing as how Level-5's first 3DS-based Professor Layton title is due to hit the streets throughout both Europe and North America in a few short weeks, I thought I should prepare and publish another "Which Box Art is Better?" post in its honor.

Before we get to its European and North American cover art, though, let's take a look at the art, below, that can be found on Japanese copies of the game (which was released all the way back in February 2011).

The box art produced for the European version of Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, which will find its way onto store shelves on Oct. 26 (the North American version follows just two days later), eschews its predecessor's minimalism in favor of a busy style that calls to mind the series' DS-based efforts. (View them here, here and here.)

At first glance, the title's North American cover art, below, looks pretty similar to that of its European counterpart, at least in terms of color and theme, but on closer inspection it manages to set itself apart thanks to a more elegant and less constricted design.

As for which one I like best: I'm sure this will shock some of you more excitable folks, but this time around I'm going with the European box art. Yes, it's busier than a mosquito at a nudist colony, and I'd like it a lot more if it included even 50 percent less text, but I still prefer it to its two "competitors."

For me, both the Japanese and North American cover designs are just a bit too ... sterile. (OK, so the Japanese design is way too sterile.) I consider the European design, on the other hand, to be dramatic and moody, plus it features the most appealing logo of the bunch.

That's just my opinion of this box-art trio, though; what's yours?

See also: Previous 'Which Box Art is Better?' posts

The Great Gaymathon Review #61: Rhythm Thief & The Emperor's Treasure (3DS)

Game: Rhythm Thief & The Emperor's Treasure

Genre: Music/Rhythm

Developer: Sega/Xeen

Publisher: Sega

System: 3DS

Release date: 2012

A few of the words I'd use to describe Sega's Rhythm Thief & The Emperor's Treasure: Ambitious, disappointing, dramatic (sometimes overly so), ridiculous and sweet. Oh, and tedious. Yes, tedious. As much as I hate to admit it, and as much as I enjoyed the Rhythm Thief demo, I found playing through the "real deal," so to speak, to be a chore.

That's not to say this Xeen-developed 3DS title failed to bring a smile to my face. On the contrary, I found certain aspects of it to be both charming and fun. The art style, for instance, is appealingly colorful and pleasant (although it appears a bit "cheap" at times). Rhythm Thief's funky, jazzy soundtrack--which harkens back to that of another Sega property, Space Channel 5--could be described in similarly positive terms. Also, it features the most unique array of control schemes I think I've ever encountered in a portable game.

So, why did I suggest in the first paragraph of this review that Rhythm Thief was disappointing and a "chore"? For starters, although the game is admirably ambitious, its many "pieces" never quite came together for me. You know how various folks have described this release as being "Professor Layton meets Space Channel 5"? Well, that's exactly what it is, at its core. Unfortunately, the mash-up just doesn't come together as well as I'd hoped it would.

Chiefly responsible for this, in my mind, is its story--or, rather, its ratio of story to rhythm games. If I were to guess what said ratio was, I'd say it's about 75-25 in favor of the game's story, and in the end it was just too much for me. I have to say, though, that I think I would have found Rhythm Thief to be a bit trying even if the ratio were closer to 50-50, as the story here--which is set in Paris and involves, among other things, a young guy who's leading a double life as an art thief and an older one who claims to be Napoleon--isn't all that engaging. Or at least it wasn't to me.

Another aspect that failed to engage me: The game's Layton-esque exploration element, or lack thereof. You're rarely at a loss for where to go or what to do next while playing Rhythm Thief, as the next plot point's quite literally pointed out to you (often by a big magenta exclamation point, no less). This game steals ideas from the aforementioned Level-5 series in other ways, too, although I think it would've been better off if its developers had refrained from doing so. In particular, the random tapping of background images--required to find medals (which allow players to buy items than can make difficult mini-games a bit easier), pieces of music and hidden scores--injects an additional layer of annoyance into a title that was annoying enough already.

Finally, it has to be said that although most of Rhythm Thief's mini-games are amusing, "have their heart in the right place" and all that jazz, a good number of them are downright broken due to awkward controls. (In fact, one particular mini-game nearly prompted me to give up on my playthrough altogether.) And even when they don't feel broken, they're often unforgiving to an unbelievable degree. All of which is too bad, as Rhythm Thief's best mini-games easily call to mind those found in such classics as Samba de Amigo and Space Channel 5.

Are those brief, shining moments--along with the others mentioned earlier--enough for me to recommend this quirky mutt of a release to anyone but the most diehard of Sega fans? (Do such people even exist anymore?) To be frank, no, they aren't. I guess if you can find a copy that's cheap enough, it may be worth picking up if you're really into rhythm and/or Professor Layton-ish games, but even then I have a feeling it's more than likely to disappoint.

See also: Previous 'Great Gaymathon' posts

Acquisition #138: Rhythm Thief & The Emperor's Treasure (3DS)

Considering my enthusiastic reaction to its eShop demo, you'd think I would have ripped the Rhythm Thief & The Emperor's Treasure cart from its packaging and slammed it into my trusty 3DS system as soon it arrived on my doorstep late last week.

That's exactly how I would have reacted, actually--had Theatrhythm Final Fantasy not beaten Rhythm Thief & The Emperor's Treasure to the punch (not to mention to my mailbox) by a few days.

You see, I've quite literally become entranced by Square Enix's Final Fantasy-themed rhythm title. In fact, I've played little else since I obtained my copy of the game nearly two weeks ago.

I didn't want to leave you guys and gals hanging with yet another "yeah, I added another game to my collection, but I haven't had a chance to play it yet" post, though, so yesterday I forced myself to replace Theatrhythm Final Fantasy with Rhythm Thief & The Emperor's Treasure for a while.

As for what I thought of my rather cursory experience with this Sega-developed release: Well, for starters, all of the folks who have described Rhythm Thief as "a mash-up of Professor Layton and Space Channel 5" deserve some sort of prize, because that's pretty much how this peculiar title plays out.

Which means, of course, that I'm loving it. That said, it's far from perfect. For instance, the game's currently a bit too skewed toward the Professor Layton side of things for my liking. (I'd prefer it to be more evenly divided between the adventure/puzzle/story segments and the rhythm ones.)

Not only that, but the rhythm segments, while enjoyable, aren't as deep as I'd hoped they'd be. Granted, I've only played five of them thus far, so it's altogether possible that they'll gradually increase in complexity.

Given all of the above, I think it's fair to say that I'm currently on the fence about Rhythm Thief. I'm enjoying it, but I'm also feeling a bit disappointed by it. I'll keep plugging away at it, though, and I promise to share my final thoughts on the matter (in an upcoming "Great Gaymathon" review) as soon as possible.

See also: 'Deep thoughts (or not) on a quintet of recent 3DS demos'

Acquisition #135: Professor Layton and the Last Specter (DS)

Can you believe I recently picked up the North American, rather than the European, version of Professor Layton and the Last Specter?

I ask that because, as some of you may remember, I bought the Euro releases of the professor's previous puzzling adventures. (Photos of these purchases can be seen here, here and here.)

This time around, though, I went with the North American iteration because it contains the "Professor Layton's London Life" side attraction that, sadly, is nowhere to be found in its foreign counterpart.

Speaking of "London Life," that's the only part of Last Specter I've spent time with thus far.

Why? Well, because its graphics look a lot like those of Mother 3 (a very good thing, obviously) and because I've heard that its gameplay calls to mind Animal Crossing. How could I resist, right?



Despite the fact that, on paper, it sounds like something that would suck up all of my time, "London Life" has me feeling a bit conflicted at the moment.

Oh, I absolutely adore its aesthetics, and the soundtrack is, quite literally, music to my ears, but I can already sense--after spending just a few hours with it--that "London Life" is going to transition from "charming time-waster" to "tedious fetch-quest-athon" sooner rather than later.

Still, I'm enjoying it right now. And it's not like I only bought the Last Specter for this retro-tinged piece of bonus content.

So, I'll keep at it until it's squeezed me dry and then switch over to the main mode, which I'm sure will both entice and confound me much like its predecessors did.

See also: Previous 'Acquisition #123' posts

Reason #402 I could be considered an 'eccentric' (aka bat-sh*t crazy) gamer

I have a bit of a "thing" for European DS game cases.

Oh, get your minds out of the gutter. I don't mean that I, uh, do things with them; I mean that I have an odd attraction to them.

It all started when I bought a copy of Freshly-Pickled Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland from the UK. For some unknown reason, that game's clear, thicker-than-the-ones-we-get-in-North-America case (see it in this photo) appealed to me so much that I wanted a few more.

I got my wish a few months later when I picked up a copy of the Euro version of Professor Layton and the Curious Village. (Here's a photo of it, in case you're, er, curious.)



There was, it seems, no turning back after that, as I quickly added Euro copies of Professor Layton and Pandora's Box, Professor Layton and the Lost Future, Last Window (the sequel to Hotel Dusk: Room 215) and Jam with the Band to my collection of DS games. (Photos of the aforementioned games can be seen here, here, here and here, respectively.)

Sadly--for my bank account, especially--I'm not through purchasing such games. I plan on picking up a copy of the Euro release of Inazuma Eleven at some point this year, for instance, and I also hope to buy a copy of Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call (the fourth in the series--it was called Professor Layton and the Last Specter in the States).

After that, though, I probably put a cork in this particular obsession--or at least that's what I'm hoping to do.

See also: Other reasons I could be considered an 'eccentric' (aka bat-sh*t crazy) gamer

I know what my first 3DS game is going to be

Most of you are expecting me to say Super Mario 3D Land or Mario Kart 7, right? Although I'm definitely planning to acquire both of those games shortly after I buy (or, hopefully, receive as a gift) a 3DS, neither of them will be my first pick-up for the system. No, that honor, at least as of now, will be the downloadable curiosity known as Freakyforms, which hit the North American eShop on Thursday.

The fact that this game has leapt to the top of my 3DS to-buy list is as surprising to me as it likely is to some of you, by the way--especially since my first reaction to it was something along the lines of, "eh, a lame-looking kiddie game."

After scrolling through the game's official thread over at NeoGAF, though, I decided it had to be mine, $6.99 asking price be damned. I mean, just look at some of the "Formees" owners of the Japanese version of the game have concocted:

This may be the cutest Link I've seen since Wind Waker.

Yep, that's Poo from EarthBound/Mother 2!

That's not to suggest North American owners of Freakyforms are a bunch of talentless slouches. All you need to do is look at the following creations to see that's far from the case:

Inspector Chelmey, courtesy of NeoGAF user artwalknoon.

Prinny, courtesy of NeoGAF user BooJoh.

To see more Japanese-made Formees, check out this site. For more North American-made ones, check out the NeoGAF thread mentioned earlier.

For more information on this wonderfully odd-looking game, check out its official site: freakyforms.nintendo.com. Also, check out this "Iwata Asks" video, which sheds a light on Freakyforms' history (for instance, that it began life as a DS title) and how Nintendo's president, Satoru Iwata, pushed producer Kensuke Tanabe and director Hiroshi Moriyama (creator of Chibi-Robo!) to "make it so people won't get bored of it."

Have any of you picked up this game, or are any of you planning to pick it up? If so, let me know--and share some of your creations in the comment section (if you can).

Professor Layton's London Life is going to look great, at the very least

I don't know about you, but the main reason I'm looking forward to Professor Layton and the Last Specter's North American release on Oct. 17 is that it will include a "100-hour RPG" called London Life.

Actually, the word on the street is that London Life isn't really an RPG. A much more accurate way to describe this unlocked-right-from-the-start bonus content, it seems, would be to call it a two-dimensional Animal Crossing clone that looks like Mother 3 and stars characters from the Professor Layton series.



Thankfully, those assertions seem to be at least partially supported by the trailer above, which hit YouTube yesterday thanks to the folks at GameXplain.com.

How many of you are planning to pick up a copy of this, the fourth installment in Level-5's Professor Layton series? Also, to those of you who answered in the positive: Are you doing so because of London Life, or is that just the icing on this pixelated, puzzling cake?

See also: 'Let's Play: Which Box Art is Better? (Professor Layton and the Last Specter edition)'

Let's Play: 'Which Box Art is Better?' (Professor Layton and the Last Specter edition)

On Oct. 17, the fourth installment in the Professor Layton series will be released in North America. Thirty-nine days later, on Nov. 25, it will be released throughout Europe.

A lot of changes have been made to this Level-5-developed title since it hit the streets in Japan two years ago. For starters, there's its name. In Japan, it was called Reiton Kyōju to Majin no Fue, or Professor Layton and the Specter's Flute, when it hit the streets in 2009. When it arrives in North America next month, however, its box art will bear a new title: Professor Layton and the Last Specter. Finally, European fans will have to search for an altogether different name--Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call--while scanning store shelves for the game.

The fourth Professor Layton title's name isn't the only thing that has been tweaked in the last two years. Its cover art has been changed, too.

For the sake of comparison, here is the Japanese version's box art:

This, on the other hand, is the art that will grace the cover of the North American release:

Finally, there's the European version's box art:

Which piece of box art to you like best? Also, which title--Professor Layton and the Last Specter, Professor Layton and the Specter's Flute or Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call--do you prefer?

My response to the second question: Professor Layton and the Specter's Flute. My response to the first question: The North American box art. I like that the logo is more prominent than it is on the Japanese cover, and I also like that the orange band along the bottom is much smaller on the North American cover than it is on its Japanese counterpart.

See also: Previous 'Which Box Art is Better?' posts

Set aside two copies of Professor Layton and the Last Specter for me, will you?

Actually, make that one copy of Professor Layton and the Last Specter and one copy of Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call, if you don't mind.

The first game is the North American version of the fourth entry in Level-5's vaunted Professor Layton series, by the way, while the second game is the European version.

Professor Layton and the Last Specter's Japanese cover art. 

Why am I buying both? Well, I'm buying Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call, which will be released on Nov. 25, because I (strangely) prefer the alternate art that graces the covers of the Euro versions of the Professor Layton games to the art that graces the covers of the North American and Japanese versions and I'm buying Professor Layton and the Last Specter, which will be released on Oct. 17, because apparently it's going to be the only English version of the game that will contain Professor Layton’s London Life, a 100-hour RPG (developed by Mother 3-makers Brownie Brown) that I believe unlocks after you finish the main adventure.

I'd prefer to buy just one copy of the game (that being Spectre's Call), to tell you the truth, but, alas, I absolutely must experience the much-talked-about London Life. So, two copies it is.

A trio of not-so-recent acquisitions

I bought the three European DS games pictured below a while ago, although I can't remember when. It may have been before Christmas, or it may have been just after the start of the year. It doesn't really matter, though, does it?

It should be obvious why I bought Last Window (see a close-up shot of this game's cover here), the sequel to 2007's Hotel Dusk: Room 215 that was released in Europe and Japan but has yet to see the light of day in the US, but why did I buy the other two?

Well, I bought the Euro version of Electroplankton simply because it was cheaper than the US version. I bought the Euro version of Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, on the other hand, because I prefer the series' Euro covers to their North American counterparts.



Also, I have a peculiar fondness for the clear plastic cases that accompany Euro DS titles. Does that make me odd? Yeah, I suppose it does.

Anyway, I've only played Electroplankton thus far. It's one of those games I've wanted to play for some time but never got around to for various reasons. I'm planning to review it--as part of "The Great Gaymathon," naturally--soon, so be on the lookout for that if you're at all interested.

After I'm done toying with Electroplankton, I'll probably move on to Last Window, as I have to finish the first Professor Layton sequel (Pandora's Box) before moving on to the second.

I'd definitely buy one of these if I were a button-wearing kind of guy

If you're a fan of The World Ends With You (and who isn't?), you've got to check out the BokuButtons Etsy shop.

I can't decide which $1 pin I like more--the Joshua one below (buy it here) or this Neku one.

The BokuButtons folks also have pins featuring characters from the Pokemon and Zelda series. (They had a sickeningly cute Professor Layton pin on display yesterday, but it seems to be gone now. Drat!)

(Via tinycartridge.com)

'Think you can solve the puzzling puzzles?'

The marketing folks at Nintendo of America have been hitting it out of the proverbial park as of late when it comes to producing TV ads.

Case(s) in point: This recent Metroid: Other M ad and this Dragon Quest IX ad. Oh, and this Professor Layton and the Unwound Future ad:



Speaking of the latest entry in the Professor Layton series, I'm starting to regret my decision to pass on the just-released North American version of the game in favor of the European version. Oh, well, October 22 isn't that far away, right?

Buy: Professor Layton and the Unwound Future

Let's play: 'Which box art is better?' (Professor Layton 3 edition)

Although European and North American gamers are still waiting for the third Professor Layton title to hit the streets in their respective territories--it'll be released on Oct. 22 in the former and on Sept. 12 in the latter--their Japanese counterparts have had access to the game since late 2008.

Have the folks in Nintendo's European and North American offices spent the ensuing years on anything other than the game's translation? If the following images are any indication, they've at least tweaked the title's cover art.

Nintendo of Europe's makeover (below) is the most extreme--especially as it accompanies a rather confounding name change.

Nintendo of America's design (below), on the other hand, is a lot less dramatic.

So, which one do I prefer? I'd go with the North American design, hands down, if screenshots didn't obscure a third of it. Of course, I'd like the European cover a lot more if it sported the logo that appears on its North American counterpart.

I guess what I'm saying, then, is "neither." Not that it matters--I'd buy the game day one even if it were sold in a plain paper sleeve.

Pre-order: Professor and the Lost Future (for European gamers) or Professor and the Unwound Future (for North Americans)

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, eh?

Is the third Professor Layton title finally leaving Japan? It sure seems like it.

According to siliconera.com, series developer Level-5 recently registered a trademark for Professor Layton and the Unwound Future.

Sure, that's not a literal translation of the game's Japanese title (which would be something like Professor Layton and The Last Time Travel), but it's similar enough to suggest it will, indeed, be making its way westward in the near future.

In the meantime, enjoy the title's melancholy theme song.

More proof that I'm a pathetic geek

Late last year, I purchased (via eBay) the UK versions of the first two Professor Layton titles.

Why, you ask? Honestly, I prefer the artwork used on the European versions of the games to the artwork used on the American/Japanese versions of the games.

Also, I prefer the clear plastic boxes used to house European DS games to the black boxes used elsewhere in the world.

Thankfully, I picked up both for about the same amount of money I would have spent on their American counterparts.

By the way, if you consider yourself a Layton fan, be sure to check out this awesome piece of fan art from Shitekudasai.

See also: 'Raise your hand if you own games you've yet to play' and 'To open or not to open, that is the question ...' and 'It's show-and-tell time!'