Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney coming to 3DS

Japanese developer Level 5 has announced the pairing of two of the DS's most popular crime-solving characters at its Vision event in Japan. According to reports from Japan-focused gaming news site Andria Sang, Level 5's Professor Layton will be teaming up with Capcom's Ace Attorney in Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney, which is being developed for Nintendo's upcoming 3DS handheld. The game is being penned by Ace Attorney director Shu Takumi and is set to be a mystery crime thriller. No further details or a release date were announced.

Capcom's collaboration with Level 5 was first revealed in September, shortly after Capcom's research and development chief Keiji Inafune praised Level 5's CEO Akihiro Hino saying, "In the future, they're going to top us." On the collaboration he said, "Right now, the two of us, with our staff, are working together on some truly interesting things. Even though Hino is younger, he's someone I respect. I wanted to try working with him, so I contacted him."

Level 5 also revealed more about the upcoming Time Travellers, which is also due for release on 3DS. The game was previously announced in Japanese magazine Famitsu back in April, when Hino said the game was being developed for "unreleased hardware."

A trailer shown at the event--which is currently available on YouTube--shows a redheaded girl riding a train, interspersed with a countdown and a shots of a mysterious figure with a suitably evil-sounding voice. The trailer ends with the girl standing on top of a clock tower and appearing to leap from the top. A release date was not given, but Hino mentioned that he expects the game to sell between 500,000 to 1 million units.

Finally, a few more details were given about Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, which is also a 3DS title. The game will take place a year after Layton and his companion Luke first meet and will feature two timelines: the present Layton and a younger Layton. It will also feature a new online service, which will allow players to download a new puzzle every day for a year.