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| Liz Maas |
Also: watch the Inazuma Eleven 4 and Professor Layton trailers!
01.12.11 - 3:18 PM
Last weekend, Nintendo staged its usual Nintendo World event in Japan, which hosted some 26,000 attendees. The main event of course was the playable 3DS handheld, so there was lots of talk about the hardware and titles, including launch titles and otherwise.
On the last day of the event, Level-5's CEO Akihiro Hino talked about a few of its 3DS titles. While he didn't have much to say about Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney, he did mention that this collaboration with Capcom wasn't a side story, but rather it was more like combining two popular anime into a single movie title. The storyline is still being worked on, but he hopes that it will become a 'banner title' for the 3DS.
Hino also confirmed that the previously-announced Inazuma Eleven 4 would indeed be a 3DS title, although he admitted that people likely figured this out already. Set ten years after the previous title, the soccer world is in a rather poor state. It is up to a cast of eleven, including new main character Tenma Matsukaze, to save their beloved sport. Hino promised gameplay improvements but didn't elaborate.
He talked the most about Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle. The title is close to going gold after a final bit of work, and he believes it to be the best of the Professor Layton series. It also has a much bigger staff than previous Layton titles - nearly three times larger, in fact. Lastly, the ending theme, performed by Yumi Matsutouya, is titled 'Mysterious Flower,' and is apparently going to make some fans cry (or maybe that's what he's hoping for...).
Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle will be a 3DS launch title, available in Japan on February 26th for 5980 yen ($71.92 US). Just a note to potential importers: The 3DS is in fact region-locked.
Lastly, we promised a couple of trailers that were shown at the event, so here you go.
Inazuma Eleven 4's trailer. Question, why are villains always petting super fluffy cats while discussing their grand scheme with an evil laugh?
Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle's trailer. The music is depressing (but still lovely) already:
