late to the party: Professor Layton and the Curious Village

[Tiplodocus]

No, not the new Pandora's Box one but the original (or is it actually the third in Japan but the first over here?).

Anyway, it's cracking stuff and ideally suited to a DS. Charming characterisation, design and animation get you engaged in the mystery and the "pub level" puzzles are a nice mix of simple logic, maths or pattern recognition.

The whole family have been joining in; Tiny Tips particularly likes trying out the puzzles on his Granny and Grandpa.

I also managed to figure out about two thirds (the big bits)of "the mystery" plot that acted as an excuse for the individual puzzle solving.  Can't help thinking that more games should have that sort of crime solving element in them - I wonder what the CSI point and click adventures are like? (Apart from the obvious temptation of having a weapons grade hot Marge Helgenberger at the mercy of my mouse).


My favourite puzzle:  Torn between the 8 queens on a chess board (because I worked it out really quickly) or the TWO BARBERS - because, stupidly, I got it wrong and had a real "Doh!" slap forehead laugh about it.


I'm not going to rush out and buy the sequel straight away though because it does get a bit samey and I could do with a break.



It's also adds to the very small list of games I have *actually* finished.  I normally get bored half-way through just about everything even if it's a great game.

[Proudhuff]

Intrigued by the 8 queens... explain?

is the two barbers about which to go to?

[Tiplodocus]

8 Queens
========

You have Freddie Mercury, Dale Winton, Alan Cumming, John Inman, Nathan Lane...

You have to put 8 queens on a chess board so that they aren't lining up with each other.


2 BARBERS
=========
Yes, which one should you go to.

[TordelBack]

Sounds good.  Bought it for my Mum for her birthday back in Feb, having not heard reports I assumed it had not gone down well.  Have to 'borrow' it back.  I'm itching to play Warlock of Firetop Mountain and  the SW Battleground thing  (or whatever it's called), and Game are offering 'guaranteed' 2nd hand original DS's for €60, so I'm becoming tempted to ask for one for Crimbo myself.  Anything else you've particularly  on it, Tips?  (Note:  no platformers, endless Link-style games or anime-styled beat-'em-ups need apply).

[Tiplodocus]

I'm a sucker for ADVANCE WARS.  Turn based tactical war games - basically a hyper violent version of paper-scissors-rock (tank beats infantry, bazookas beat tanks, infantry beat bazookas) only more so (weather, terrain, movement, capturing cities etc. all count).

There were two Gameboy Advance games (ADVANCE WARS and ADVANCE WARS: BLACK HOLE RISING)

And two DS games: DUAL STRIKE and DARK CONFLICT.

I think Dark Conflict or Black Hole Rising are the best; Dual Strike has a terrible two commanders gimmick that doesn't quite work

Be warned though, if you like them, you'll find they eat every living minute of your day. 


I also really liked another turn based war game called REBEL STAR COMMAND that Satanist alerted me too.  It's a squad based game and has a fun story line where you liberate earth from evil aliens. Great fun levelling up your characters and turning them into stone killers.

[TordelBack]

Cool, sound like my thing.  No chance they could be usefully played in the 17 blissful minutes between my daughter finally going to sleep at 06.14 and my son waking up at 06.31? 

Not to put Tiplodocus in the position of DS guru, but is there any disadvantage/advantage to getting an original DS as opposed to a DSi?  Tordelback cares not for size or aesthetics issues. 

[Proudhuff]

John Inman was gay? jeeez

[TordelBack]

John Inman was gay? jeeez

Nah, people just thought that because he was scared of Mrs. Slocum's pussy.

[Roger Godpleton]

You said no anime-styled beat em ups, but you might want to try Bangai-O Spirits which is an anime-styled shoot em up.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmoihqEMKCM

A good puzzle/adventure, along similar lines to Prof L is Another Code.

[radiator]

Bangai O Spirits is so wilfully complex its actually completely abstract - I couldn't be arsed with it. I've never understood the appeal of treasure's output, tbh.

Love the Layton series, the only fault with them is, as with many Japanese games, that there's too many talky bits for my liking - I find myself repeatedly jabbing the A button so I can just get to the next puzzle. I love the whole art direction of them - it's a bit like manga meets Belleville Rendezvous.

Tips - your son may be interested in this - Professor Layton the Movie (coming out next year): http://kotaku.com/5166466/first-professor-layton-anime-trailers

[TordelBack]

Belleville Rendezvous

Ooo, you said the magic words.  I'e be prepared to try almost anything, up to and possibly even including Godpleton's advice, if it was favourably compared to Belleville Rendezvous.  Even now I'm happily humming the frog catching routine... ooo-oooo.

[radiator]

Tordelback - get a DS Lite - the DSi is £50 more and isn't worht it - the only tangible advantages area are slightly bigger screens and a built in camera.

Get a DS Lite and Professor Layton and the Curious Village, Picross, Peggle: Dual Shot and New Super Mario Bros and you will never again be bored on the tube/train/plane/waiting room/toilet.

[Tiplodocus]

And if I recall, the DSi has a slot for a memory card (it'll play music and you can download stuff to it) where the DS Lite has a Gameboy Advance slot.

Being able to play GBA games is a bigger draw for me so I don't think I'll be upgrading anytime soon.

Plus my DS Lite has been customised by Frank Quitely.  And it rocks.

[TordelBack]

Wise words folks.  I hope it's the DS Lite they're offering for €60 secondhand...

[I, Cosh]

Bangai O Spirits is so wilfully complex its actually completely abstract - I couldn't be arsed with it. I've never understood the appeal of treasure's output, tbh.

The appeal is that absurdly hard shoot-em-ups are the best kind of game.