I'm probably going to spring for Professor Layton this week as well!

For anyone who is on the fence about Professor Layton, the Japanese site has a playable (web-based) demo here:

http://www.layton.jp/fushigi/taiken/index.html

It's obviously in Japanese, but it will give you a good look at the animation and it also gives you a sample puzzle to solve (the goal is to get all six animals across the river, with the following rules: 1) Only 2 animals can fit on the raft; 2) The raft can't move without any animals on it; and 3) You can't have more wolves than chicks on the same side of the river or the wolves will eat the chicks).

Note that the load times can be a bit long sometimes. The DS game is not like this.

The US site has the same, actually.

http://professorlaytonds.com/

I still buy issues of Games magazine and use the puzzles in my classes sometimes. I love that mag.

Professor Layton has been a ton of fun even though i am still missing some of the puzzles. Puzzle #2 i missed the first time :lol: and puzzle #3 i made 2 mistakes. The thing is, i'm still really enjoying the game.

The visual style is what is really hooking me. It is so quirky and neat. Also, i thought i had read that in Japan there are already 3 of these games and that this is just the first one. I hope that is the case and we can expect more to come across the ocean. :drool:

Earlier, I went to the US site and the demo was shown as coming soon.

Now, the whole U.S. site seems to have gone missing -- there's a nice front page graphic, but the official site is listed as coming soon.

Hopefully, they'll have the US demo up soon.

Professor Layton and Pandora's Box came out in Japan in late November (the original was released in Japan about a year ago). The third game (wikipedia says it's called Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel) is in development.

I'm hoping all 3 (and many more) make it to our shores!

Not sure if you're seeing an old version of the page or a cached version on your computer, but the site is up.

I was playing the demo last night at home, and just checked again at work. It most certainly works!

This makes sequels in the US sound good.

http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/02/...sor-layto.html

Also, the first two games were huge hits in Japan so they will make all their money there. They do 100K in the US and they will be happy and I'm sure it will cover the cost of localizing it. No doubt the second one comes here.

It's working for me now. I don't know what I was doing wrong, but I obviously stopped doing it wrong. :shrug:

I am really interested in the game, but am worried that I already know the solutions to too many of the puzzles. What percentage are as common as the one in the demo? That puzzle is dinosaur-like old.

I've completed 45 puzzles so far and many are familiar or at least a familiar style (match sticks, one line drawings, tricky wording to questions, etc), but most still made me think for a minute or so to solve them. A couple were downright diabolical and had me using a couple of hint coins and scratching my head. Of course in most cases when I finally hit on the solution I was kicking myself for not solving it sooner.

I had convinced myself the first matchstick one that is downloadable this week was impossible and then when my eyes finally saw the solution I couldn't believe I didn't see it immediately.

I personally think the puzzles in the game are very good and I love that it is also a murder mystery. There is also a ton of polish on a game that is basically just a collection of brain teasers. They really make finding and solving the puzzles fun and give you enough other stuff to tinker with and think about to keep you really addicted to the game.

Thanks. Normally that would make me wait for a cheaper price to get this, but this seems like the kind of game that will be hard to find in the future. I guess I need to decide whether to risk it becoming scarce or not.

This is great game, I ended up playing for 4 hrs last night. I got most all the puzzles, but the digital clock puzzle about 3 numbers in a row I'll have to make alist of those I think. I thouhgt it was in high 40's but keep getting it wrong.

Also, I can't download the weekley puzzle? I connect and all start downloading and when the fill bar gets 3/4 the way full it stops. I've reset my setting on the DS tried last night an this morning it's the same thing.

I know that many people on here dislike PA while i'm a fan, but i found that comic absolutely hilarious when i read it. I like that it is done in an art style color scheme similar to the game.

I thought it was pretty good too. I don't like PA, but they have a good comic every once in awhile.

:lol: Good to know even some of the haters enjoyed that one. I'm one of those people who actually owns all 4 Penny Arcade books... including the first hardback they lost the rights to. :lol:

The phrase 'the sun shines on a dog's ass every once in a while' comes to mind. I can't stand PA, but that one is decent. Not lol, more like 'cute,' I see what you did there.

DS back in stock at amazon. Hopefully it will still be so when I get home and find my borders gift card.

Sorry, my girl had it for a few days. Pics...
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/7541/p1020393ec3.jpg
http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/5830/p1020395cp8.jpg
http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/4529/p1020396nl4.jpg

Man, that would look so good with my phone. I had the phat blue DS before I traded it in for the white. That blue/black is far more my style. I'm jealous.

I picked up one of the cobalt/black ones the other day. I haven't opened it yet. I'm gonna try and sell my lite before I do otherwise it goes back.

I used to think the crimson/black one was hot... damn, I want me one of those.

I really dig it but i'm not picky enough to "trade" my old white one just for a different color.

I've seen plenty of these at Target though. Oddly enough, none of the other colors though.