To all Layton fans : give the zero escape series a go !
This topic is now read-only on GameSpot.
To post new messages, please visit GameFAQs and log in using the same email and password that you use on GameSpot.
Nov 23, 2012 4:43 pm GMT
So I've noticed that many Layton fans around here are often wondering what similar game they could try next between each Layton fix. Guys, if you're looking for games with a great length, mind blowing stories and plenty of puzzles, look no further !
To put it simply, the first game depicts nine persons being abducted and trapped in some abandonned ship, with numbered watches attached to their wrists : the abductor tells you that you have only a few hours to get out by crossing a series of puzzle filled rooms, while following a couple of strict rules. If you don't get out in time you will die, and if you don't follow the rules, well, suffice to say it won't be a pleasant sight.
Both games are roughly 2 thirds reading and 1 third solving puzzles. Sounds like a lot of story, but trust me, it's worth it : the game draws you in as soon as you start playing, and the pacing never slows down. With tons of choices and different shocking endings, you'll be sure to end up just like each of us that already beat the game, ie playing until 4 in the morning just because you're so engrossed in the story and definitely wants to know what happens next. It's THAT awesome.
Right now the first game, 9 hours, 9 persons, 9 doors is dirt cheap (like 15 or 20 bucks), and hasn't aged one bit, so you should definitely start with it !
Nov 24, 2012 12:05 am GMT
Imported 999 last year and buying VLR on monday since it thankfully came out in Europe.
---
Had a Street Fighter signature for four years, but Crapcom doesn't deserve such recognition anymore.
Nov 24, 2012 4:25 am GMT
BeanBeanKingdom posted...Imported 999 last year and buying VLR on monday since it thankfully came out in Europe.
Same here
I made sure to preorder VLR weeks ago since pretty much all of Europe is gonna buy it from amazon.uk. We gotta support rising star games if we want the inevitable third episode to eventually reach us !
Nov 25, 2012 11:58 am GMT
I agree whole-heartedly! Although, I did it in reverse. I got sucked into 999 and VLR, then moved on to play Miracle Mask.
I highly recommend 999 and VLR to anyone with a 3/DS. They are fantastic puzzle games with an incredible story! Just keep an open mind and think through everything, since the story can be a lot to digest. Every little detail in 999 counts in the end!
---
http://i46.tinypic.com/28lvyvc.jpg Bum, bum, buh-da-dum, Ba-dah-dah-dada
Iroh man.
3DS Friend Code: 0903-3152-6750
Nov 25, 2012 3:53 pm GMT
Bought both 999 and VLR. Waiting for 999 to still come though... :p
---
"[Soccer] is like chess, only without the dice." -Lukas Podolski
Nov 27, 2012 1:00 pm GMT
I wasn't a fan of 999. I hear good things about the new game, but I don't know if it'll appeal to me being that I didn't like the first.
Nov 27, 2012 1:30 pm GMT
kanto_wanderer posted...I wasn't a fan of 999. I hear good things about the new game, but I don't know if it'll appeal to me being that I didn't like the first.
It depends on what exactly you didn't like about 999... If it was the craziness of the story, I'd say VLR is just as crazy, although, it's still a good story. I'd still give it a rent, maybe.
If it was the whole issue of having to replay the game and redo puzzles to get every ending, VLR fixes that and has a flowchart that allows you to jump to any event and path. What's even better is that on every single path, you don't repeat a puzzle room once, which is really great.
If it was something else, then please tell me. Those are really the only two reasons why someone would not like 999 that I can think of right now. (There are probably one or two more, but I can't really remember too well right now. >.>
---
http://i46.tinypic.com/28lvyvc.jpg Bum, bum, buh-da-dum, Ba-dah-dah-dada
Iroh man.
3DS Friend Code: 0903-3152-6750
Nov 28, 2012 6:36 pm GMT
It was mainly that I didn't find the gameplay very involving, and thought there was too little of it for as long as the story would go on. I liked a lot of the core ideas of the game, and I found myself getting caught up in the mystery up to the end, when the game basically just left me at a complete cliffhanger without anything slightly resolved or explained. I got that I was supposed to play it through more than once to really discover what was going on, but I just didn't have any motivation at that point. It sounds like the new game corrects a lot of these issues though, along with making the longer narrative passages a little easier to cope with due to the added voice overs and cinematics. At least, I hope that's the case.
Nov 28, 2012 6:55 pm GMT
That much is true, but the gameplay is mainly the same... If you haven't already, I HIGHLY recommend you finish the True Ending for 999 (Use this flowchart:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/ds/961351-nine-hours-nine-persons-nine-doors/faqs/62430)
It's incredibly worth it. I must warn you though, VLR is very story heavy, being a visual novel and all. The puzzle sections are much shorter than the novel sections, but they are very challenging, and if you try to finish them all on Hard with no help at all, I wish you the best of luck. Some of the puzzle rooms have incredibly weird solutions.
---
http://i46.tinypic.com/28lvyvc.jpg Bum, bum, buh-da-dum, Ba-dah-dah-dada
Iroh man.
3DS Friend Code: 0903-3152-6750
Dec 4, 2012 1:18 am GMT
Patiently waiting for ZE3, Layton 6, Ace Attorney 5, and the hyped up Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney.
It's gonna be a lovely few years for Aksys and NoA/L5IA/Capcom to be translating a ton.
---
3DS FC: 5284-1428-8156; Nintendo ID: YearOfTheWooster
Ask & play me in Kid Icarus Uprising! All 9.0 Chapters beaten! Treasure Hunt 99.44%: 2 panels left!
Dec 4, 2012 4:57 am GMT
Got it!
Ha ha, that puzzle at the end of the AB room where you tilt the 3DS to make Sigma's icon slide across the grid with the other sliding squares was closely reminiscent of that one Akbadain puzzle in this game.---
Had a Street Fighter signature for four years, but Crapcom doesn't deserve such recognition anymore.
Dec 4, 2012 1:41 pm GMT
Oh my, there's actually a shout-out to Professor Layton in VLR, I can't believe my eyes! A joke secret file talks about an organization in the UK that measures how much of a gentleman you are by giving you "gentlepoints" calculated as = (old ladies escorted across the street) x (top hats owned) x (puzzles solved) x (money given to gentleman-tracking organization)
---
Had a Street Fighter signature for four years, but Crapcom doesn't deserve such recognition anymore.
Dec 4, 2012 6:02 pm GMT
^ It's best that you
not read all of the secret files until you beat the game, there's some spoiler-ish information in some of them.---
http://i46.tinypic.com/28lvyvc.jpg Bum, bum, buh-da-dum, Ba-dah-dah-dada
Iroh man.
3DS Friend Code: 0903-3152-6750
Dec 5, 2012 3:57 am GMT
I know man, but I shouldn't be penalized for being awesome and managing to snag every gold file on my first trip through a room.
I'm being careful by looking at the names of the files, if they sound any spoilerish at all I abstain from reading them.
---
Had a Street Fighter signature for four years, but Crapcom doesn't deserve such recognition anymore.
Dec 5, 2012 9:34 am GMT
^ Haha, yeah, I got the gold files on my first go too, but I forced myself to not even look at them. Not even the names. They have spoilers too, unfortunately. So if you want to keep as much of the game's story a surprise as possible, hold off on the files.
---
http://i46.tinypic.com/28lvyvc.jpg Bum, bum, buh-da-dum, Ba-dah-dah-dada
Iroh man.
3DS Friend Code: 0903-3152-6750
Dec 5, 2012 2:45 pm GMT
I still have to start the game, but thanks guys for the advice, I had heard about the hidden files in the game, but I didn't know they could be spoilerish !
Dec 11, 2012 11:22 am GMT
I didn't find the gold files to be that bad, I actually read them as soon as I got them, and it didn't really spoil anything. It may poke and prod at a few things you haven't considered yet, but that's about it.
Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)
Cave Story 3D (3DS)
Bit.Trip Saga (3DS)
Shinobi (3DS)
Theatrhythm (3DS)
