AU Shippin' Out April 7-April 11: Professor Layton and the Curious Village

This week sees the release of another puzzle game on the Nintendo DS: Professor Layton and the Curious Village. The game has a strong pedigree, as it was developed by Level 5, the studio behind Dark Cloud, Rogue Galaxy, and Jeanne d'Arc. Professor Layton, a man known for his puzzle-solving abilities, and his assistant, Luke, are called out to the village of St. Mystere to decipher a confusingly written will and search for something called the "Golden Apple."

To progress through the game, players need to enlist the assistance of the villagers. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as just asking people for help, as they insist that you solve puzzles for them before they'll render assistance to the duo. Professor Layton and the Curious Village comes out in Australia on April 10.

Assassin's Creed was released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 to much acclaim last year; however ,the PC version was notably absent due to development delays. Those who are planning to pick up the PC version this week can expect to find four extra missions that aren't in the console versions, along with system requirements that rival Crysis. If you're still hankering for some crusade action and are looking to expand the game's universe, Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles for the Nintendo DS could be the game for you. Set before the original, Altair's Chronicles goes about telling the story behind Altair's past and completely removes the sci-fi element found in the other games. Expect to see both games out this Thursday.

This week's new releases are listed below (list taken from retailer and publisher information--actual dates may vary).

April 10, 2008
History Channel: Battle for the Pacific (PS3, Wii)
Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2008 (Wii)

April 10, 2008
Professor Layton and the Curious Village (DS)
Coded Arms: Contagion (PSP)
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (Wii)
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Wii)
Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party (Wii)
Assassin's Creed (PC)
Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles (DS)
Downstream Panic! (PSP)
MetropolisMania 2 (PS2)
Chessmaster: The Art of Learning (PSP)

April 11, 2008
Imperium Romanum (PC)
Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus (PSP)
Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2008 (DS)
Jumper: Griffin's Story (PC)
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles (PSP)