A Sense of Style

Hershal Laytons’ style is something I aspire to. I adore the Victorian era, the quaint buildings, the cobbled streets, the grand parties.

I recently bought a top hat which, with my waistcoat and tails I really look the part. Personally I wish I was born in this era, although enduring the barbaric medicines of the time and the stodgy food I would probably wish I were somewhere else.

Professor Layton’s games have a very romantic view of the Victorian world and this is the world I yearn to visit. When I'm really hooked into a game nothing else exists and I feel I’m there with Luke and the Professor on their quest to solve the riddles they encounter.

So I guess I have the best of both worlds, I can drop into this dream anytime I want without enduring the hardships of Victorian life.

Rinse and Repeat

“Okay Mr Layton, give it to me straight. Have I beaten my score? Yipee.”


After a few months of puzzle bewilderment I have finally beaten the game again. Second time around isn't as bad, but there are still times when I'm stumped, indeed I think I should be proud, particularly as I refuse to cheat. I can now relax whilst looking forward to Prof. Hershels next release later this year. There’s still no official release date yet for his next game; I have an email alert set to notify me when it’s released so I will surely announce it here when the release date is officially announced.

Details are still sketchy about the last adventure; Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel, but from what I’ve seen from the official Japanese trailer it looks like nothing we’ve seen before and is full of twists and turns to keep us all guessing.

So it’s back to Professor Layton and the Curious Village and the score attempts, not that I mind of course. My friend has thoroughly enjoyed her time with the Professor and I’ve bought her a copy for my DSlite so she can play to her hearts content.

“Now then. How do you do this puzzle again?”

Professor Layton’s Wonders

Professor Layton is a hard game, or perhaps it’s the lateral thinking that’s actually hard and that if one were used to such processing it wouldn’t be as taxing. In any case I personally find that sometimes the puzzles require a little more grey matter than I can muster at the time.

For this reason I recently took the game to my friend’s house that has never played a game in her life. She never expressed an interest in such activities but she was very good at puzzles in general. During a chat over a cup of tea we got onto the subject of Professor Layton and my blog. To my surprise she became somewhat interested to find out what all the fuss was about.


So I presented her with the game to show her the first few levels and see what she thought. What a revelation that was! The expression; Duck to water, comes to mind. She flew through the first five levels, a point in which I got stuck several times. She was so absorbed by the game that I am yet to get my DSlite back as she’s borrowed it indefinitely. I don’t mind though as I treated myself to a new DSi this x-mas.

I’m a bit dismayed now though because she keeps talking about Hershel Layton as if he’s a real person which is slightly weird. But it is nice to have a friend whom shares an interest as much as I, especially as she’s never done this sort of thing before and I feel that I’ve taught her something about games; that they are not all immature or violent rubbish.

I think if her interest is maintained I will have to buy her a copy of the game, I’ll probably let her have my DSlite because it had started to collect dust. I just hope she can complete both Professor Layton and the Curious Village, and Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box, before Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel are released later this year so she can help me with that too.

You go girl!

A New Year, A New Adventure

With the end of the year upon us it’s time to reflect. 2009 has been an interesting year for me, particularly as this Christmas period was much busier than expected. It seems that although the credit crunch continues some are feeling a little flush this year compared to last years doom n’ gloom resulting in the highest number of shoppers grabbing bargains during this years boxing day since records began.

Hopefully 2010 will be a much more optimistic year with many people and businesses recovering from a long winter. There are many things I am looking forward to this coming year including, but not exclusively; Professor Layton’s third and final adventure on the DS. Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel has already been released in Japan, but the European version is not due out until 2010. The exact date is not yet confirmed but you can be certain that when it is announced I will post a link to pre-order your very own brand spanking new copy for your own enjoyment or some-one else’s.

So as my last post this year I would like to wish you all a very happy new year, and keep scratching those skulls…

Dr Layton

Last week was a long and miserable period. Unfortunately I became one of the statistics for the swine flu epidemic. Although I was diagnosed with swine flu, I’m was sure it was just flu, but I’m happy that the period of illness was recorded as special leave at work and did not add to my leave of absence this year.

It wasn’t all bad though, I certainly had time to solve the odd puzzle. I managed to beat my previous score on Professor Layton and the Curious Village and, despite my piggy ness I had such a lovely time with my feet up.

It’s back to the grind again now though, but with my x-mas leave imminent I’m sure that the Professor and I will have a nice relaxing crimbo free of flu, but full of treats.

I’d like to wish you all a very merry x-mas and a happy new year.

Characterisation

The Professor Layton series of puzzle games are some of the best executed portable games of recent times. No-one, including the developer Level 5, expected such a warm reception from the gaming public. Indeed many of the games' players would not have before considered that they play games as a past time and there has been a wide demographic of new people.

I think partly the reason for the games popularity is the intricately detailed characters and their relationships with each other. There are other puzzle games on the market but none can claim to have had the success that Professor Layton has enjoyed over the last few years during his release. When playing the game a great sense of drama is conveyed which helps motivate the player to solve the puzzle. Granted at times the relevance of some circumstances are a little stretched but mainly the plot does a good job of putting each puzzle into context.

The Japanese art style, Anime has helped portray these characters with such aplomb that one forms a similar relationship with the on-screen authoritative figure and his trusty side-kick. Luke is there to give Hershel a human soul and this dynamic helps the player identify with the Professor through Luke.

I have touched on this before but I find it quite fascinating that such a simple game has taken the world by storm. Last year Professor Layton and the Curious Village was incredibly hard to get hold of due in no small part to the unexpected popularity of the game. I paid nearly £65.00 for my copy but many were left without during the holiday season.

I’m looking forward to the final game from Level 5; Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel. And I expect more of the same from the Professor and me as his side-kick. Well, I can dream can’t I?

Puzzled

My head hurts. I finally finished Professor Layton and Pandora’s’ Box. Although I enjoyed every puzzle I have lost a patch of hair on my head from endlessly scratching. Why do I enjoy being puzzled? It definitely strains the old grey matter but I can’t wait to get stuck into the game each and every time. I’m a sucker for punishment I guess.

For those of you who haven’t yet finished this marvellous game yet please keep at it, it isn’t a race, just enjoy being stuck. You may have noticed that I haven’t posted in a while simply because I’ve been so entertained by the Professor. I’m now eagerly working my way through the game again trying to beat my previous score.

The next game; Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel, hasn’t yet been officially announced for Europe yet but I’m considering learning Japanese so I can play it early. Perhaps that’s a little overdoing it as my mental abilities are not that advanced, yet. The game looks very good though, even more so than Hershel Layton’s’ previous incarnations which is hard to believe. You can be sure that when it is announced I will make that the order of my day.

Pandora’s Box of Tricks

Ahaaar! Now I see. My wife has been getting annoyed at my exclamations of revelation recently since I started playing Professor Layton’s latest adventure; Pandora’s Box. It’s very similar to The Curious Village in that the puzzles unfold in the same fashion but this game has been lavished upon with detail.

I’m only halfway through, preferring to take my time and use as little hints as possible. It really is enchanting and I’m enjoying every moment, even when I’m stuck scratching my head. I haven’t cheated at all, something I’m rather proud of. There is a real need however, to provide solutions for other Professor Layton players so I’m currently working on a new menu for the website providing solutions for all 130 puzzles for Professor Layton and the Curious Village firstly. Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box will follow but only when I have finished the game myself as I don’t want to spoil my enjoyment thus far.

If you haven’t yet played Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box and you enjoyed Professor Layton and the Curious Village I would highly recommend this new game, it’s just as good as or better than the original and is guaranteed to give you hours of brain crunching numbness.

Professor Layton Addiction

Glancing up from my adventure with Hershel I catch a glimpse of the time…00:11.

“Damn, is that the time?” I ask myself. I’d been playing Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box for the last three hours. My cup of tea had gone cold and it’s way past my bedtime. Oh dear, I’m an addict of Mr Layton.

I should know better. I know it’s important to take regular breaks from a game as recommended by the developers, a good 5 minute break every hour during any activity is good practice. Too much of anything is rarely good for you.

Regular exercise is good for you therefore I consider that playing Professor Laytons’ adventures is exercise for my brain. It helps me focus, think laterally and solve problems mentally such as arithmetic. That's just the sort of thing an addict in denial would say, no?

I must remember stop playing for long periods and limit playtime to an hour a day. In fact I sometimes find that when stuck on a puzzle (as I often do), if I sleep on it I usually have some sort of enlightenment and find a solution to the puzzle the following day. This is an interesting phenomenon that has happened several times.

So take a break regularly from your game(s). Also ‘sleep on it’ if you get stuck because you’ll feel so proud of yourself when cracking a particularly difficult puzzle without cheating.

Well then, back to it…

The Brain Train

As a regular player of Professor Layton and the Curious Village I have seen marked increase in my capacity for mental arithmetic. I work weekends at a club in my home town and during my last shift the tills went kaput.

All staff were required to work out the prices of drinks in their heads or on paper. Many of the staff found this hard going but I was surprised to find that I found this quite easy, so much so that it was actually quicker than inputting the prices into the till and allowing the machine to calculate the totals and change due.

To this end I have invented a new game; whenever I attend my weekly shop I will try to work out the exact amount of the bill to the nearest pound. I haven’t yet been shopping, it’s due this Friday but I am looking forward to it weirdly. If you have seen an increase in your mental abilities from playing this game I would very much like to hear from you as I’m sure that, in my case Professor Layton and the Curious Village had a part to play.

What are your thoughts on this matter? Have you seen any improvements in your own mantal abilities from playing this puzzle game?

Professor Layton Addict

What is it about professor Layton that has us so addicted? Personally it’s the mix of charming stylised visuals, fluid animation, unique music and the Victorian setting. Couple this with the brain exercise that Professor Layton gives using challenging puzzles and riddles and you have the perfect game to whittle away the hours.

Whilst playing Professor Layton and the Curious Village I rarely feel like I’m playing a video-game. Perhaps because the content is quite mature and intriguing that I feel more like I’m enjoying a game of Sudoku, or Mah-jongg. I’ve seen my nephew playing games such as Halo or Grand Theft Auto but those types of games seem to be all about action and violence which doesn’t appeal to me at all. I feel very calm when playing Professor Layton and it’s the perfect game to enjoy a lovely cup of tea and a biscuit (or two).

The relationships between the characters is also appealing, especially Hershel and Luke. All the characters are brimming with life and personality and some remind me of real people I have met at one time or another, which makes it a personal and a somewhat humorous experience. Although I’ve already completed the game I still like to try and complete the puzzles more efficiently, using no hints at all to try to beat my previous score. There are lots of hidden extras dotted about the game which I am yet to uncover.

I’ve also downloaded several new packs of puzzles from Nintendo’s excellent online service which, if you’ve finished Professor Layton and the Curious Village you should take a look at to help extend the available puzzles.

Professor Layton and the Curious Village is so different from any games before it that it’s unique approach to gaming has made it appeal to those who would never entertain a video game. I only hope that the success of the franchise paves the way for more games like this to be developed and that this new, more mature market can enjoy a much richer and diverse portfolio of games which appeal to it in the future.

With the new game; Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box just around the corner I’m brushing up on my skills again and limbering up the old grey matter ready for the onslaught. I’m sure to be hooked just as badly to Hershel Layton’s next adventure when it’s released on 25th September 2009.

Related Links
Pre-Order Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
Buy Professor Layton and the Curious Village

The Trouble with Puzzles

It is widely accepted that puzzle games are generally good for you. Like anything, in moderation videogames themselves pose little threat to your health. It’s when playtime exceeds an hour on a daily basis that problems begin to arise. A study by Eleni Kardaras on the effects of videogames on youngsters discusses the effects on their mental health and the ability to relate easily with society. The report looks at long term players who played videogames on average for more than 3 hours a day for several years.

But puzzle games are slightly different. They do not pander to the visceral desire of violence. I can accept that playing violent videogames daily would have a detrimental effect on your health. But Professor Layton and his games are not violent. In fact the puzzles encountered may indeed have a positive effect. It’s plain to see that skills learnt from some of the puzzles could be transferred into everyday life. Puzzles of note are mathematical, logical and picture puzzles. A report by Tabitha M. Powledge published in Scientific American discusses the effects of puzzle games on the brain and tends to favour these games as some tests indicate that the mental abilities of individuals can be enhanced after exposure to them.

Moderation is the key in all cases. Enjoy your games, take regular breaks and try to limit your play time accordingly. I prefer short quick blasts on Professor Layton and the Curious Village simply because it’s easier than reading a book or playing a game of Mah-jong. Who am I kidding? Sometimes I simply fancy a game on this gem.

Related Links
The Effect of Video Games on the Brain
Study Shows Brain Power Can Be Bolstered - Maybe