Lrbever

Dear Seasons,

What happened? You used to be cool...

Sincerely, Person who hates heat

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submitted by meditonsin [link] [18 comments]

Another one of those limited time shirts has appeared, with a Harry Potter crossover as the focus this time.  You can find it over here for 11 bucks.

Thanks to Phillip,  SS, and everyone else for sending it!

Review: Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney ⊟

Professor Layton and Ace Attorney games take place in the same universe now. As soon as I started playing Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney, I started pondering the implications of this crossover, and my delight in that fact continued throughout the whole game. 

Here’s what it means: there is a version of Earth much like ours, except… England is a collection of old-timey, cobblestone-laden villages where swordfights are common, people look like Tintin characters by way of Muppets, and absolutely everyone is obsessed with puzzles.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, the USA is Japan, kind of, but also kind of not – a land of yokai villages, mystics, and ramen carts, all rendered in oversaturated color; it’s a land where everyone is shocked at every piece of new information, and everyone screams at all times. There is one judge.

The merging of these two universes into one is not really explored in Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright – what do those people look like to each other? Does Phoenix Wright notice that Layton’s head is a cylinder? However, I was delighted to find a great deal of meaningful interaction between the characters, as they pair up, split up, and reform in teams to solve an overarching mystery.

The story is distinctly Laytonesque in tone: the Professor and his apprentice Luke find themselves in a quaint town with a huge, and seemingly supernatural, mystery: witches exist and can cast spells, and everyone’s lives are dictated by a Story written by an enigmatic figure who lives in a creepy tower. As always, Layton’s strategy for unraveling the mystery involves solving a bunch of logic puzzles, which works… somehow.

At the same time, Phoenix Wright and Maya Fey are drawn into the town, where they set to work defending alleged witches in court. In a way, this takes Wright out of its comfort zone – talking about magic spells is important testimony, and sketches replace crime scene photos – but it’s not too far afield for him either, as he’s in a legal system where prosecutors are rock stars and defense attorneys are a joke.

While the gameplay remains almost entirely segregated between courtroom chapters and investigation/puzzle chapters, the characters cross-pollinate in fascinating, fan-pleasing ways. Maya Fey solves puzzles with Luke – and yes, there’s a pointing animation when she solves one. Everybody crowds next to Phoenix in court. Professor Layton and Phoenix point dramatically at contradictions, in unison. Layton even gets his own courtroom exclamations (“Have a look!”) Slowly, the gameplay styles begin to coalesce just a bit; a puzzle in a courtroom battle, for example. But only a bit.

The crossing-over is made all the more pleasant by the fact that, right from the beginning, the characters like each other. Perhaps it’s due to the genteel nature of the Layton characters. I expected a game with “vs.” in the title to be full of unnecessary conflict between heroes, but they trust one another and recognize each other’s talents. This allows the story to get on with its business without a bunch of agonizing getting-to-know-you between people we already know.

While, narratively, the game is in the Layton camp (but darker! Pretty dang dark!), I think the most interesting innovations to the mechanics are found in the Ace Attorney segments. Rather than interview each witness one at a time, you’re presented with a whole group of them at once, which both speeds up the trial process and allows you to watch each witness’s reaction to the others’ statements! The witnesses tend to come from the Layton crowd of muppety weirdos, too, and watching them flip out on the witness stand is a treat. You can also use Hint Coins gathered from the map to help narrow down your choices and guide you to statements you should press. Though the cases are on the easier side, there were still times when I wasn’t sure exactly when the game expected me to present what I knew I had to, and the hints drove me along.

I can hardly think of two franchises that would work as well in combination as these two. Both series feel like reading a good book… with a series of logic puzzles throughout. 

BUY AProfessor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney, upcoming releases

Monkeying around with brush pens and poetry.

Arya Stark and other teens react to the NES ⊟

Oh, these sweet summer children, with their 1080p consoles and their backwards hats and their confusing Link with Sonic the Hedgehog. As if the “Kids React to Game Boy” video wasn’t mortifying enough.

TEENAGERS. But, hey, it’s the actress who plays Arya Stark in the Game of Thrones TV series, playing Super Mario Bros. That’s pretty neat.

SUPPORT TINY CARTRIDGE Join Club Tiny!

Rarity can't always rely on Spike to help her get gems. Sometimes you need an expert to get at them! For you fans of puzzle games we've got a new one for you all today. Help Maud crunch some crystals and help out Rarity in Crystal Crunch Story!

Thanks for the heads up Brendan!

Crystal Crunch Story

My Neighbor Totoro 3DS XL pouch ⊟

Ahhhh that lining with the soot sprites! Too cute! This is a custom-made case from Sableye (the Tumblr, not the Pokémon), who will make you a pouch for the right price!

BUY Studio Ghibli films, upcoming games