This fixes pretty much all of that. The levels are now more about creating the right items, rather than how or where you use them, and there is very little in the way of platforming. Since you now have adjectives to work with as well as nouns, there’s a lot more variety too, and I spent a good half an hour or more just on the title screen, creating “giant scary radioactive zombie dinosaur” and “tiny evil dead pink cat” and stuff like that.

It’s easier than the original (although I’ve completed it there are still a third or more levels left to do so it might get harder), but importantly it was more fun, and varied, and clever and funny. The fact you can choose to now control Maxwell directly with the d-pad rather than tap-to-move improves things exponentially too.

Professor Layton and the Lost Future (DS)

I actually completed this at the start of the year, but as I did with the previous two games once the story was done I left the remaining puzzles until near the release of the following game. So, with that due in November, I went back to Lost Future. I’ve already mopped up all the story puzzles, the sticker book, the parrot delivery puzzles, and the toy car, and have done most of the bonus extra puzzles too.

As usual, the puzzles I struggle with are the slide-a-block-through-other-blocks ones, one of which (having checked online afterwards to see how poorly I did) can be completed in just 9 moves. Took me almost 3500. Yes.

Urban Champion 3D (3DS)

It’s a weak title, sure. It’s certainly not a “NES classic”, but somehow, it’s addictive. I’ve made it up to (I think) Area Champion, but then died. You don’t seem to lose your rank when you die though – you just have to start from the first round again.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (3DS)

The only 2D Zelda game I’ve not completed. In fact, I’ve barely played it. But I put some time in and once you forget it’s a Zelda game and look at it as a Metroidvania game with an overworld and semi-random, realtime battles, it makes a lot more sense. It’s brutally hard though!

Metroid (3DS)

Another one of the NES games us 3DS “ambassadors” got for free. It’s hard. Like, really hard. And there’s no map. I sort of like it, but the difficulty is really putting me off.

Balloon Fight / Mario & Yoshi / NES Open / Wrecking Crew (3DS)

Other NES games that I’ve played for an hour or so each, but not really invested too much time in yet. Wrecking Crew is ace, and NES Open is still a pretty competent golf game.

Let’s Golf 3D (3DS)

Enjoying this. The 3D is pointless (as in, it barely has any effect at all), but it doesn’t really matter. I’m about 35% through Career Mode now, and am starting to get used to the courses. The arctic and aztec ones are particularly difficult! I like the different game modes too, like Closest To The Pin and such.

10 Second Run (3DS)

It’s actually DSiWare, but I don’t have a DSi so it falls under 3DS. So there. Loved it at first, with its super-quick runny-jumpiness, but sadly – just like other games of its ilk (N+, Super Meat Boy) – it became far too hard to be enjoyable. I’ve completed about 38 of the 50 levels, and although I know there are 5 or 6 more I could probably manage with perseverance, some just seem completely beyond me. Boo!

Bomberman Live! (360)

I was online this evening at the same time as some ugvm/BETEO people who were playing this, and I thought I’d join in hoping my useless “broadband” connection could take the pace. It held up for the first few rounds, but by the end of the first tournament the lag was causing me to blow myself up far too frequently, and by the end of the second tournament I was been told over the headset that I’d died before I actually noticed on-screen. Rubbish.

And I’d have beaten all-comers if it wasn’t for Sky! *shakes fist*

Kirby’s Fun Pak (Wii)

The SNES game on the Wii, to be more accurate. Mainly played because my daughter sometimes tells me to play Kirby games, and so this appeases her, but it is good anyway. Only one game mode left to complete, I think, though.

Is that everything I’ve played recently? Probably. Except for stuff I’ve played briefly. Like, but not limited to: Outrun Online Arcade (360), Sonic the Hedgehog (360), Super Mario All-Stars (Wii), Muscle March (Wii), and various iPad “room escape” games. And the usual Words With Friends, Hanging With Friends and Carcassonne matches too, of course.

Things started out well enough, with me rattling through the first time trial tracks in racing, off-road and rally cars (all of which handle differently), and although the camera could do with being a bit higher and there really needs to be a map of the track somewhere on the screens, it was certainly fun.

Then I got stuck on a platform track. And by stuck I don’t mean I don’t know how to do it – I do – I mean I can’t complete it. I can get to the final checkpoint, upon passing which… Nothing happens. I fall off the track, and don’t complete it. Rubbish.

Again and again, I tried, hoping it was a bug that randomly occurred, but no. Every single time, I reach the end, and it doesn’t trigger.

Now, since I can’t progress onto the next tracks until I’ve completed this one, I’m stuck. Forever. Because the game is broken.

The end of game boss is laughably easy these days. I remember him being nails back in the day, but Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 both have much harder final bosses so I suppose it’s all relative.

For a change, I’ll do Sonic 2 next, but as Knuckles.

And it’s the most faithful version of Sonic I’ve played on a handheld. OK, so it seems the screen resolution is slightly too low, so there are a few horizontal interlacing artifacts, but it has no slowdown or anything. In fact, since it’s the US version, it technically has a speed up. Woo!

It also has a (single) save slot for the original Sonic, so I don’t have to play it in one sitting. So far, I’ve reached Labyrinth Zone, and already have all 6 Chaos Emeralds. It’s really good, as ever, and shows Sonic 4 up as a pile of steaming droppings. But then, you knew that.

It’s getting harder too. I’ve lost a few lives now, but still have over 20 in reserve so I’m not worried yet. My save file says I’m 50% done, but I don’t know if that includes secrets and hidden exits and stuff.

Henry Hatsworth is a game I’ve had on my shelf, unplayed, for some time now. Much like many games I own. When it came out, many people bought it thinking it was going to be like Professor Layton, but I was not one of those because I’d actually seen at least one screenshot

It’s a platformer. And a pretty basic one at that. Except there’s a massive twist – every time you kill baddie, they don’t die. Instead, they move to the bottom screen and become blocks in a sort of Bejewelled type puzzle game. You can switch to this puzzle (and back) by pressing X, and then eradicate the baddies once and for all by matching them up in a row of three or more. If you don’t, they reach the top of the bottom screen and return to the platformy bit to kill you.

It’s pretty good, too, although the swapping does get a bit annoying – especially if you forget to keep an eye on the puzzle and the screen fills up with baddies almost ready to pounce back on you. It is very easy (so far) though. I’m half way through the second world (about 20% complete, according to the save file) and haven’t died yet. In fact, I’ve now got 20 or more lives, and the only time I even came close to pegging it was on the end of world boss.

Fun though, so I’ll stick with it.

If I were not the Manly Man, with a Beard, that I am, the ending would have made me cry. It is very sad. Even Layton himself had a little cry and removed his hat, a sure sign he was upset.

I was surprised at how easy the final few puzzles were. I’m sure on the last two games the ending puzzles were worth 80 and 99 each, but here they were all 40 and 60? Very odd. Mind you, it was probably just as well as there were a lot of them after the point of no return (after which you can’t save), so it saved annoyance if I’d messed them up.

I’ve not got 104 puzzles solved, and have spent just over 10 hours on the game. I’ve still got a lot to do though, obviously!

Well, I’ve not finished it, if that’s what you’re thinking. I thought I was getting close, having reached Eeeeviiiil Layton and unmasking him, but no – there’s more. How much more, I don’t know, but I can’t imagine there’s a great deal as I’m now solving puzzles in the 90s and am 7 annabit hours in.

One of the puzzles I did today was this one below, which although I solved, I’m pretty sure has another solution:

Now, the answer according to the game is 20, as the rabbit could jump 70cm, turn around then jump backwards 30cm (i.e. in the same direction), therefore covering 10m in 20 jumps.

However, what if it were only to jump backwards? Presumably, it could jump 70cm backwards, then not have to jump the 30cm as that’s only “after every jump forwards”. It would therefore cover 10m (actually, 10.5m) in just 15 70cm jumps. Problem, Level 5?

Story-wise, I’ve just reached Chinatown, but the guy I’m looking for has done a runner. Puzzle-wise, I’m just over 60 puzzles in. Time-wise, that’s about 6 hours. Chapter-wise, I’m on Chapter 8 (I think). No idea how far in that means I am, but from the previous two games I’m guessing just over half-way? Of course, I’ve loads of bonus puzzles left, and most of the car, parrot and sticker book minigames left to do too.

I’ve only done 8 very simple puzzles so far, and not really opened the story much (I’ve only just got to the clock shop), so there’s not much there to comment on yet. However, one massive improvement to the game is how the memo function works – in the first game, you could just write over the top of some puzzles, but not all. In the second, you could bring up a memo overlay on every puzzle, and write on that. In this game, you can do the same but now have pen size and colour options, as well as an eraser – very, very useful and I’ve used all these features already. The eraser in particular was frequently missed in Pandora’s Box so I’m impressed they’ve added it here.

I will point out this: I hate slidey shape block “escape” puzzles. Grr! And variations on Solitaire. They can sod off too. If the next game has lots of either I might get stabby.

I don’t know how many puzzles there are in total, but I’ve now done 129 of them, as well as a few more tea set requests. No idea where the other puzzles are though.

It’s been around for a while, but for several reasons I never picked it up. I saw it for under £12 this week though, so couldn’t resist.

And, like every other “Metroidvania” game ever, it’s excellent. So far at least – I’m only about an hour in.

It differs to most others by not being almost entirely set within Dracula’s Castle. I’ve not even been near it yet. This makes for more variety in the “levels” (yeah, they’re pretty much levels rather than one huge map now), which is a good thing.

It does feel like an amalgamation of the ideas behind earlier Castlevania titles – the levels are a bit like Portrait of Ruin’s paintings and the glyphs are akin to Soma’s soul-catching from Aria/Dawn of Sorrow. Which isn’t a complaint, as they’re some of the best bits of recent games.

Since this is the first entry in my diary for this game, I should probably say I’ve only been playing it for a week or so. I got it for Christmas with $hlmun other games, so I didn’t play it right away.

It’s very much the same as the first game. There seem to be fewer puzzles of certain types (eg chess based, “one of these is a liar” and matchstick ones) and more solitaire based ones, but it’s not a vast departure. There’s a big improvement in the UI, in that there is now a menu function where you can write over the puzzle – very handy for maze based and maths puzzles.

I’m not sure I liked the big reveal near the end, where the mystery of the town was explained, but then, the same silliness was in the first game.

I’ll be picking off the remaining puzzles and tasks soon!

It was probably easier than most previous games in the series, but that wasn’t a problem. It was just GTA in your hand, and that’s excellent.

It took me ages (a couple of months, I think) to finish, but it’s not through lack of interest – more lack of time. I played it for 20 to 30 minutes a night, most nights, for that time.

Anyway, the verdict on the game? Excellent. It’s Phoenix Wright only different only the same. Only different. That doesn’t make sense unless you’ve played it.

Most of the loose ends were tied up in the last bit of the game, although some new questions were opened up in the final section. There’d best be a sequel!

Now I’m onto the second case, and have done all the pre-trial investigations, and am cross-examining the witness, who is a stuck-up student. I think he did it. Maybe.

And, it’s more of the same. Only different. Sort of. The first trial is more tutorial than anything else, but it has some Phoenix Wright backstory, introduces Apollo, and implicates his mentor. So, quite a bit in such a short time.

And, of course, it is totally acebest.