Wow, as a fan of both Professor Layton and Ace Attorney, I was always excited about this but also more than a fair bit skeptical. I really thought it won't turn out right and will just devolve into simple fanservice rather than a fleshed out game; I am glad to hear that's not the case at all.
30+ HOURS?! That's insane, and I am definitely getting this game on the 29th. I did play most Professor Layton games, but I don't think I'll get any of that fatigue the review describes, hehe! Really excited, thanks for the great review, I wouldn't have considered purchasing this game for another few months otherwise.
@Monsta1217 @GermanBomber I really thought that some people knew more about the game than me, because I thought it looked awesome in the trailers but nobody seemed to like it.
I seriously thought there was something I didn't know about, something that made people believe that it is in any way a bad game.
That will definitely be the first game I'll get for the Playstation 4.
I have to disagree with some points and put more emphasis on others. I thought the difficulty curve was well, but I think the game was overall much too easy and lacked any sort of tension excluding two particular boss fights ( I would guess that those are the same you referred to throughout this review ). I would have wanted the ghosts to be more aggressive, but I suppose that would not work well with how the game is set up.
Much worse for me was the fact that the game's mansions were divided into levels. This really broke the game for me, as exploration often felt unrewarding but forced, and backtracking was the name of the game. After the second or third level of a mansion, I was already bored of it and wanted to move on to the next because I felt like I had seen everything. If these levels were connected into one big one, this game would have a similar appeal as the Metroidvania games, where you slowly progress through the area and have every room checked by the end of it.
Getting every hidden Boo in the game is a terrible challenge if you decide not to play with a guide. It is frustrating to revisit every single room again just to find the Boo in that particular level. I love exploration in games, but this game did not work for me.
I am surprised that 'us hardcore gamers' pre-order consoles.
I guess its all part of the hype, but I just think that the most enthusiastic gamers are the ones that wait for the games before they buy the newest consoles. Why is having the newest console from the start so important? Why not save the money to buy some of the games for your current consoles that you might have missed or that are still coming out?
I am still interested in this game and think I will download it in the future even after reading about your complaints, because it still seems like a well-designed game that is just sticking to old-school standards.
I like this kind of 'cheap difficulty' and the fact that I have to restart levels if I die. It just feels so great when I finally finish a level and am one step closer to completing the game! I am sure there is also trophy support, so that gives me another incentive to play through the game, no matter how hard it is.
The only point that makes me a little unsure is your complaint about the level design... Good level design is crucial in a game like this. Oh, and the controls, of course. Judging by how you played the game in the video review, though, you managed them pretty well, so I am not too worried.
I didn't grow up with the original game or the NES in general, but I loved watching the show when I was little, so that's just another reason why I am interested!
"Respect the Gaming Community, we are not mindless and violent idiots"
I cannot believe there are people here that discuss BFs superiority over CoD instead of discussing how absolutely stupid our community seems to be for sending death threats to developers of a video game. My God, this is terrible.
Some people here seem to have misunderstood (if they did read the article) the purpose of Iwata's statement. He didn't say that their games in essence aren't art, he is just saying that, when they develop games, Nintendo does not focus as much on what they want but more on what they believe the consumers want. I would attribute that misunderstanding to the headline of the article, which might be a tad misleading.
That said, I like the way Nintendo seems to approach game development. I love reading the interviews between Iwata and the development staff of a particular game, and I always notice the extreme dedication that they put into every game that I play... I just wish there was more I could play on my TV.
Most of my gaming happens on the 3DS nowadays, since there are only the Hollywood-style, dumbed-down games or the multiplayer rant-fest games on the Playstation 3/Xbox 360 and the lack of any new games that I am interested in for the Wii U. If art means 6-8 hour linear unexciting campaigns, I would rather want everyone to focus on making games instead... Except Indies, because when they make it art, its actually still fun to play.
@Grenadeh @GladChimer You upgraded to 'UltiMetaMega' at the beginning of last year (or was it mid 2011?) for 15 dollars. Now they offer you another update to get more characters and balance changes, which is not at all mandatory.
Since the last paid update of Street Fighter IV there have been two new full-priced Call of Duty games, for example, and two Assassin's Creed games (I believe).
I have been playing video games since the SNES era, in case that still concerns you.
I am not necessarily arguing that Capcom ISN'T trying to make more money than they are worth, but I am trying to say that they are by far not the worst offender.
@Grenadeh Why should anybody be pissed? Capcom isn't deactivating the game you bought, they just give you optional upgrades.
Again, its like a map pack for Battlefield or Call of Duty. Just because you don't have it doesn't mean you cannot play the game you bought.
Whether or not it is a crap game is not up for debate at all. You can be sure that most, if not all, Street Fighter IV players at EVO were very excited about this announcement. It is a cheap update bringing new areas and characters and balance changes.
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