GwB Presents: Professor Layton and the Curious Village

(Looks like the dry spell may be over. I haven't received a game to review, DS, Wii, or otherwise, since Mario Party DS way back in November. Oh, thank you Nintendo. You like me. You really, really like me.)

I'll say it once again, the Nintendo DS is my favorite video game system. The size, the games, the ability to sit on the potty and play a game portability, it's a perfect system. So, I'm excited whenever I lay hands on a new title.

Professor Layton and the Curious Village for the Nintendo DS is one of those titles that hearkens back to a simpler time. It's seems that a mystery has presented itself in the village of St. Mystere and it's up to you, as Professor Layton and his apprentice Luke, to solves puzzles to try and figure out what is going on with the town and the people in it.

The title itself is pretty straight forward, talk to characters, gather clues, solve puzzles. That's pretty much the game. The more than 130 puzzles in the game present themselves as the quite well done storyline evolves, and they vary in difficulty from very easy to profanity inducing madness.

What's really exciting about the title is the inclusion of Nintendo Wi-Fi. Via the service, each week for the first half of the year after the game is released, players will be able to download a new puzzle.

This game is fun, there's no better way of saying it. That statement shouldn't come as much of a surprise considering the game came out in Japan almost a year ago and to date has sold more than 12 million copies there. A sequel, Professor Layton and the Devil's Box, is already available there and a third installment is in the works. It will cause nothing but frustration for your little ones, but your tweens and teens should enjoy it. (As should you.)

Professor Layton and the Curious Village for the Nintendo DS will launch February 10th. The game supports one player and it is rated "E" for everyone by the ESRB.