- Name: Terry Harjanto
- Location: Mississauga, Ontario
- Favorite Game(s): The Legend of Zelda, Metroid: Prime, Half-Life, Call of Duty
- Favorite Developer(s): Nintendo
Blog
Apr 1st, 2008Everyone's a pony. And they all eat rainbows. And...
Professor Layton and the Curious Village is an amazing game. Not just an amazing game, but an amazing DS game specifically.
Puzzle games for the DS have become all the rave to the point that they take up nearly all of the shelf space at EB Games. But even with the strength of some really great puzzle games from Tetris DS to Planet Puzzle League, I can't help but feel that it's all starting to feel a little... monotonous. Professor Layton actually deserves its shelf space however because it's a puzzle game that stops the DS puzzle game library from becoming stagnant and just plain boring.
One of the greatest things about Professor Layton is its amazing art direction which, I think, is one of the greatest draws of the game. Professor Layton overcomes one of the DS' greatest weakness by its use of a quaint, charming art direction which has its roots in European illustration and art. The full motion videos strewn throughout the game does an amazing job of showing you that great video game visual design doesn't have to be a) anime or b) super hero comic book art.
Another thing I greatly enjoyed about Professor Layton is how it incorporates a story. Because of this, the game doesn't feel bare like the Brain Age games. Sure, there are moments where it's very apparent that at the heart, Professor Layton is a puzzle game: "Look Professor! There's a hidden puzzle here!" But the characters are still amusing and the story still interesting and the game, overall, still compelling.
Now for something completely different. If you're a fan of animated movies and/or Doctor Seuss, I definitely recommend you go out and see Horton Hears A Who! Kids will definitely love it. If you're an adult with even the slightest bit of a child left in you, you'll love it, too.
Puzzle games for the DS have become all the rave to the point that they take up nearly all of the shelf space at EB Games. But even with the strength of some really great puzzle games from Tetris DS to Planet Puzzle League, I can't help but feel that it's all starting to feel a little... monotonous. Professor Layton actually deserves its shelf space however because it's a puzzle game that stops the DS puzzle game library from becoming stagnant and just plain boring.
One of the greatest things about Professor Layton is its amazing art direction which, I think, is one of the greatest draws of the game. Professor Layton overcomes one of the DS' greatest weakness by its use of a quaint, charming art direction which has its roots in European illustration and art. The full motion videos strewn throughout the game does an amazing job of showing you that great video game visual design doesn't have to be a) anime or b) super hero comic book art.
Another thing I greatly enjoyed about Professor Layton is how it incorporates a story. Because of this, the game doesn't feel bare like the Brain Age games. Sure, there are moments where it's very apparent that at the heart, Professor Layton is a puzzle game: "Look Professor! There's a hidden puzzle here!" But the characters are still amusing and the story still interesting and the game, overall, still compelling.
Now for something completely different. If you're a fan of animated movies and/or Doctor Seuss, I definitely recommend you go out and see Horton Hears A Who! Kids will definitely love it. If you're an adult with even the slightest bit of a child left in you, you'll love it, too.




