Please sign in or sign up!
Login:
Pass:  
  • Forget your password?
  • Want to sign up?
  •       ...blogs for gamers

    Find a GameLog
    ... by game ... by platform
     
    advanced search  advanced search ]
    HOME GAMES LOGS MEMBERS     ABOUT HELP
     
    GameLog Entries

    jp's Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (DS)

    [January 7, 2011 09:34:45 AM]
    So, I finished it. Yes, it's fun, but it's not one of those adrenalin-fueled kinds of fun. Neither is it an emotional-fun. Curiously, I also found it wasn't a intellectually engaging kind of fun either. It's not the kind of game I'd go to sleep at night thinking about how to solve this or that, or how to improve in this or that. I feel a bit strange about the whole thing to be honest because the story, while as contrived and "bland" as the last game was more intriguing in the beginning, but ultimately more disappointing in the end. Especially because the main villain essentially appears, leaves, and is never heard of again. Pretty lame for a mastermind uber-villain.

    I still think it's worth playing though...
    add a comment Add comment
    [December 14, 2010 11:24:30 AM]
    I guess there are games for which I want to play a sequel yet want it to be the same game. Or at least largely unchanged. Layton is one such example. I like the setting and the mood, but mostly it's the puzzles I enjoy and how they've smoothly integrated the hints, with the hint coins, and so on.

    In that sense, Layton and the box (or whatever it's called) fits like a glove. I think some things are "smoother". Perhaps the interactions in some of the puzzles are more streamlined and easier. In all, it's still a joy. Curiously, it's the extras that bug me a little. There's no real "puzzle" in the tea game (just random messing around) and the hamster game seemed kind of pointless. I'm glad I did the hamster one, thanks to the help you get finding hint coints (that I don't really need, I'm quite well-stocked at the moment). Perhaps the only exception is the photo game (available after you've assembled the camera), because it's basically another set of puzzles (spot the difference) that work and fit in nicely.

    I reckon I'm almost near the end based on the number of puzzles I've solved (104) and the total amount in the game (150+ according to the box). I have a hard time NOT trying to solve the puzzles which is unusual. What I mean is that many puzzles are "side-quests" of sorts. However, they're still irresistible in a way that most "side-quests" aren't. For me at least. So far I've only skipped two puzzles and the ones I've missed haven't been by choice...I just didn't see them.... I wonder however, since some of the puzzles unlock game "items" (diary entries, tea components, etc.) what happens if you miss one of those and then solve it later. Do you get the item?

    Oh, I was a bit annoyed by one puzzle though...I'm sure it's wrong (in the game), but I wasn't able to find anyone complaining about it online. It's puzzle no. 111 (How Many Turns?). The directions are:

    --
    Chelmey sent his squad out to investigate an incident. Before leaving, he said this:
    "I want you to search the entire area shown on this map. Take any route you want, but report how many times you turned in the process. You're free to turn left or right, but U-turns are strictly forbidden!"

    The bobbies completed their shift and returned to report their turns. Judging by their reports, though, it seems at least one man wasn't telling the truth. Mark the liars with an X.
    --

    There is a map that basically shows a grid, and the starting point. The answer is to call out the bobbies that reported an odd number, because there's no way they could get back to the starting point due to it being on a horizontal line (and an odd number of turns puts you on a vertical line).

    However, there's something else, the number of turns reported needs to be a multiple of 4 since otherwise there's no way to get back to the start! One of the "correct" options wasn't a multiple of four, which doesn't work.

    So, either I screwed up (possible!) or the game's puzzle is wrong! Hmph!


    Another slightly annoying thing is that I solved a puzzle yet got it wrong because I had solved it upside down! You have to collect bits of a photograph and then put them together, I ended up with a not-obviously upside down picture...and got slammed upon submission. I then realized that it was upside down.. Sigh.
    add a comment Add comment
     
    Status

    jp's Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (DS)

    Current Status: Finished playing

    GameLog started on: Tuesday 7 December, 2010

    GameLog closed on: Friday 7 January, 2011

    Opinion
    jp's opinion and rating for this game

    Dependable fun? Not sure how to describe it, but if you like braintwisters and puzzles this is a no-brainer.

    Rating (out of 5):starstarstarstarstar

    Related Links

    See jp's page

    See info on Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box

    More GameLogs
    other GameLogs for this Game

    This is the only GameLog for Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box.

     home

    games - logs - members - about - help - recent updates

    Copyright 2004-2014