It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas: Christmas Wonderland 4 Preview [3DS]

Yes, it is that time of year again! Christmas is swiftly approaching, and the fourth edition of our favourite festive game has just appeared for download in the Nintendo 3DS eShop. For those of you who are not familiar with the Christmas Wonderland series on the Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS, it is a series of Hidden Object games, all with a Christmassy theme.

In Christmas Wonderland 4, we again join Bill and Mary as they attend the Christmas parade, whilst Mrs. Claus, Santa and the elves try and get all the toys ready in time for the big day!

The game is very easy to play, but hard to master. Players must try to spot all of the items on the Christmas list at the top of the screen. Points are accumulated by finding the listed items as quickly as possible. This sounds easy, but there are many items to find and each one is intricately hidden in a beautiful festive scene. There is a handy Hint function for anyone who feels a bit lost, but players must wait for the hint meter to refill before it can be used again.

As well as the hidden object lists, players will have to solve a number of puzzle mini games in order to progress to the next level. These include tasks such as arranging a set of Santa heads in the correct order or helping Mrs. Claus to finish decorating the Christmas cake.

The game has some beautiful graphics, including some in 3D, but it has to be said that the 3D function of the game is extremely limited as most of the graphics are displayed solely on the bottom screen, which is a tad frustrating.

Nevertheless, if you are looking for a fun festive game to play in the run up to Christmas, then this title is just perfect for you.  Furthermore, at only £4.49, it is a bargain to download from the Nintendo eShop and will keep most casual gamers interested for quite a long time. Overall Mini Gamers rating: 7/10.

Mini Gamers Big Christmas Gaming Quiz 2013

Welcome to the Mini Gamers: Big Christmas Gaming Quiz 2013! There are no prizes for winning, but it can be fun trying to prove who has the best gaming knowledge amongst your friends and family. So, here are 25 questions about the world of video gaming. Can you answer them all?

HOW TO PLAY:

• Select the correct answer from the list of potential answers in order to gain points.

• The maximum number of points that can be earned per question is 100 points.

• Questions are timed. Answer quickly to gain more points.

• Video Questions have been given extra time, but points will still count down. Answer as soon as you can.

Merry Christmas and Good Luck!!!

Unusual and Rare Novelty Christmas Gifts for Gamers 2013...

 

 

 

 

With only a small number of shopping days left until Christmas, it can sometimes be difficult to decide what that perfect present should be, especially when it comes to pleasing the gamer in your life.

 

If you have exhausted the usual ideas of  gift tokens and game bundles, and want to get your videogame fanatical loved-ones something a little bit special this year, then look no further. Mini Gamers has found a collection of unusual gaming paraphernalia that is sure to delight even the fussiest of gamers. 

PlayStation Cufflinks

 

There are actually a surprising number of PlayStation cufflink designs available, but we thought that these Harvey Makin silver gamepad cufflinks sold from Amazon.co.uk looked particularly nice. 

 

Costing from as little as £8.50, and shaped like the standard PlayStation controllers, these would make a delightful gift for many male gamers. Hurry though, gifts like these are unlikely to stay in stock for long at this time of year.

 

Gaming T-shirts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gaming T-shirts or Hoodies like the one pictured above are another great gift idea. They typically tend to cost between £11.99-£19.99 online, and look very stylish. There are various T-shirt slogans and designs available this year for both men and women. A few of our personal favourites are:

 

• Eat, Sleep, Game [Men's T-shirt]
•  Eat, Sleep, Game [Ladies T-shirt]
• Xbox Achievement 'Left The House' T-shirt [Unisex]
• Xbox Achievement 'Got Out Of Bed' T-shirt [Unisex]
• Sarcastic Comment Loading 'Geek' T-shirt [Unisex]
• Vectorbomb 'Gamer' Hoodie [Unisex]

 

'First Class Gamer' Gaming Mugs

 

 

 

These 'First Class Gamer' mugs made us smile when we saw them. Featuring a standard 1st class stamp design, and with a price tag of around £9.99, these mugs are both a simple and practical little gift which will brighten up the home of any avid gamer. Better still, the mugs come in a blue design for male gamers, or pink for female gamers.

 

If you like the idea of a gaming mug but find that the 'First Class Gamer' design doesn't really appeal, then you might want to check out this small collection of alternative gaming mugs instead. Prices vary, but all of the featured mugs range somewhere between £5.95-£13.50 to buy, depending on the size and design of the mug:

• Evolution of the Gamer  [The Victorian Printing Company]
• Keep Calm and Kill Zombies [Twisted Envy]
• Space Invaders Retro [Makaya]
• Large Coffee Cup LOADING PLEASE WAIT [Makaya] 
• GRAND THEFT AUTO 5 GTA LOS SANTOS V GTA5 game mug [MintPrintz]

 

Car Air-Fresheners

 

 

 

 Okay, so a car air freshener is hardly the most exciting gift that you could hope to give to someone this Christmas, but it is fair to say that this exclusive range of novelty gaming-themed car air-fresheners by AAF-Geek, do put a new spin on the traditional car accessory, and at around only £3.99 each, they will make unusual stocking-fillers.

 

Again, there are many designs to choose from (like the one shown above,) but there were a few designs that we here at Mini Gamers HQ thought were particularly good:

• HALO CAR AIR FRESHENER
• SUPER MARIO & FIREBALL CAR AIR FRESHENER
• ASSASSINS CREED 2 CAR AIR FRESHENER 
• GAMER COUPLE CAR AIR FRESHENER    
• GIRL GAMER CAR AIR FRESHENER
•  GAMER 4 LIFE CAR AIR FRESHENER     

    

   Teen and Child Gaming Gifts

 

Whilst on the hunt for some of the rarer and more unique gamer-related Christmas gift ideas, we did stumble across a few items which seemed tailored to the teenage and child end of the gaming market. 

 

It was difficult to separate these items into their own separate categories, but we did think that they were worth a mention, so here are is a shortlist of items that we think will suit teenagers and children:

• Gaming Cushions:

 

 

These amazing cushions come in two separate designs: ARMY GAMERS WARFARE 3 18"  and ARMY GAMERS WARFARE DESIGN 4 18". They have been specially created by L & S Prints and will most likely suit teenage fans of games like Killzone, Call of Duty, Battlefront etc. Each cushion is machine washable and costs around £16.99.

 

• Gaming Chairs and Beanbags:

Gaming can sometimes be an uncomfortable pastime. Sore thumbs, stiff necks and bad backs are some of the more common complaints suffered by many hardcore gamers, but comfortable and practical seating can solve a lot of the aches and pains when one is gaming for an extended length of time.

 

• The i-eX® Rookie Gaming Chair (pictured above) is a faux leather beanbag style chair aimed specifically at child and young teenage gamers. It is lightweight and easily movable and apparently gives great back and neck support. Nevertheless, like most gaming chairs on the market today, this chair comes with a rather hefty price tag of £44.50.

•  Faux Leather Metallic Gold Gaming Seat Chair This traditional golden beanbag chair is both hard-wearing and stylish. Whilst it cannot claim to offer the full-body support of an actual gaming chair, it will provide a comfortable and relaxing seat for child and teen gamers. Retailing at only £13.05 it is a real bargain and a good alternative for those of you whose budgets can not stretch to that of a 'high-end' gaming chair.

 

• Gaming 'Keep Out' Door Signs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 With most teenagers (and even some pre-teens) needing that little bit of extra privacy, these varied but apt gaming-themed door signs ought to make a great stocking-filler for any avid gamer.

 

With a price range of between £2.99-£7.99, the signs are easily within most household budgets and there is a range of colours and slogans to appeal to many different types of gamer. Here is a shortlist of our personal favourite door signs:

•  Gamer On Duty (Call of Duty Spoof door sign)
• Keep Out - Gamer at Work
• Gaming In Progress- Enter At Your Own Risk
•  Girl Gaming - Keep Out
•  Gamer On A Mission - Enter At Your Own Risk
•  Do Not Disturb- Gaming In Progress

 

 

That completes our Mini Gamers list of novelty Christmas gifts for this year. We really feel that there is something for everyone in this year's selection and we hope that this post has given you some fresh ideas for gifts and stocking fillers.

 

You may also find it useful to read some of our previous Christmas gift ideas articles by CLICKING HERE.

 

Don't forget to check in with us on Christmas Eve for our special 2013 Mini Gamers Big Christmas Gaming Quiz!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

And the Number One Video Game of 2011 is...

Yes, it's official, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the best-selling game of 2011. The open world RPG has sold over 10 million copies worldwide and has proven to be extremely popular this Christmas.

Skyrim also successfully beat the previous favourite to win, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which ended up in a respectable third place. The full Top 20 games chart is as follows:

	This Week	Title
	1	The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
	2	Just Dance 3
	3	Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
	4	FIFA 12
	5	Saints Row: The Third
	6	Battlefield 3
	7	Assassin's Creed: Revelations
	8	Mario & Sonic London 2012 Olympic Games
	9	Need For Speed: The Run
	10	Professor Layton And The Spectre's Call
	11	Batman: Arkham City
	12	Mario Kart 7
	13	Forza Motorsport 4
	14	Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
	15	Super Mario 3D Land
New entry	16	Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo
	17	Zumba Fitness
	18	LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5 -7
Re-Entry	19	Sonic Generations
	20	ABBA: You Can Dance

  It is very unusual for a game to knock an EA title off of the Christmas number one spot. In fact, Electronic Arts have successfully secured the number one spot for the last eight years, so Skyrim not only makes a refreshing change, but its victory could also mark an important change in the kinds of game we can expect to be successful in 2012.

Mini Gamers Big Christmas Gaming Quiz 2011

Welcome to our new look 'Big Christmas Gaming Quiz' 2011. Although their are no prizes for doing this quiz, we thought that all our blog readers would appreciate this just-for-fun pop quiz.

Unlike last year, this quiz is computerised, meaning that you will instantly know whether you have given a correct or incorrect answer.  This year's quiz questions deal with all-manner of gaming general knowledge.

HOW TO PLAY

Click on the Start button below to begin the quiz.

Each question features a 120 seconds time-limit. Answer quickly in order to gain the maximum amount of points.

At the end, you will be shown your individual score. Sign in and add yourself to the leaderboard to see whether you are the king or queen of gaming knowledge!

So, may we at Mini Gamers just take this chance to wish all of you who celebrate it a very Merry Christmas 2011! Good Luck!

Top 2011 Christmas Gifts for Handheld Gamers: Kids and Teens

Welcome to our third and final blog post about the Top 2011 Christmas Gifts for Handheld Gamers. With Christmas now only ten days away, finding that perfect gaming gift is even more important, thus Mini Gamers now looks at what is available for the younger gamers - Kids and Teens.

Top 2011 Christmas Gifts for Handheld Gamers:  Kids and Teens

KIDS ONLY (5-12yrs)

Cooking Mama 4 (3DS)

Yes, Mama is back, and this time she is cooking up a storm in an entirely new dimension! With over 100 brand new recipes to try out all displayed in full autostereoscopic 3D, this seems like the perfect game to turn kids into the next generation of super-cooks, what's more, this game also features a  multiplayer mode and it encourages kids to tidy away the plates and untensils after they have finished cooking with a special set of mini-games! 

This game is best suited to children aged between 6-10 years of age and will probably appeal to girls slightly more than boys. The game can be found at all good video game retailers, and is expected to cost around £30 to buy.

FLIPS: INTERACTIVE BOOKS (DS/DSi)

Produced by EA Games, the Flips videogame series turns the DS/DSi console into an E-reader. Each standard game cartridge contains between 6-8 unabridged novels from several popular children's authors.The books are aimed at both boys and girls aged between 6-12 years of age. Obviously, basic reading ability is necessary for this product. Each book is completely interactive. As well as using the stylus to turn each page, the stories contain sound effects and animations, hidden items to collect, (such as coins or codes,) simple explanations about various characters, and the chance to unlock bonus content such as interviews with the author or further short stories.

The Flips videogame series is available from most videogame retail outlets and usually retails at around £14.95.

FIREMAN SAM (DS/DSi)

Does your little one desire to be a Fireman when he gets older? If so, this could be the perfect game for his Christmas stocking. Join the  famous TV Character and all his friends as they explore the local town of Pontypandy and play lots of exciting mini-games which will encourage children to develop logic, memory and basic problem-solving skills.

The game can be found in all good videogame stores and usually retails for around £19.99.

KIDS & TEENS (10-16 yrs)

The following games and or/game bundles will appeal to both children and teenagers:

CORAL PINK 3DS/

NINTENDOGS + CATS BUNDLE

This sweet little bundle will appeal to most female gamers, including young teenagers (up to fifteen years of age.) The bundle includes the latest 3DS  Coral Pink console, and a copy of Nintendogs + Cats: Golden Retriever and friends. This game bundle will appeal most strongly to animal lovers.The bundle is available in all good video game stores and retails for around £164.99.

ICE WHITE 3DS/ SUPER MARIO 3D LAND BUNDLE

This Ice-white 3DS and Super Mario 3D Land Bundle could be just the thing if your man happens to be a retro Mario fan. The ice-white 3DS is the pefect colour for male gamers who found the Cosmic Black 3DS a bit boring and the Flare Red or Aqua Blue 3DS colours a little over-powering.

Meanwhile, the game itself contains many elements from the original Super Mario Bros franchise, but can now be viewed in full glasses-free (Autostereoscopic) 3D. To read a full review of the game itself, please click HERE.

The Ice White 3DS Bundle is available from all good videogame stockists, and retails for around £164.99.

LIMITED EDITION LEGEND OF ZELDA 25th ANNIVERSARY 3DS BUNDLE 

 This exclusive 3DS bundle includes a special version of the Black 3DS console which features the Zelda Gold Crest design, and a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS game. This bundle will definitely appeal to both male and female gamers, despite being marketed more at male audience.

However, parents who wish to buy this for their children should also be aware that the game carries a 12+ certificate, which means that it is unsuitable for gamers under twelve years of age. Once again, this bundle can be found in all the major videogame outlets, and retails for around £299 - a price which clearly reflects its Limited Edition status.

This marks the end of our exploration of the Top 2011 Christmas Gifts for Handheld Gamers. We hope you have found it useful.

If you are still unsure about what to buy, you could try checking out the following posts to see if they can provide you with a further spark of inspiration:

Top 2011 Christmas Gifts for Handheld Gamers: MEN

Top 2011 Christmas Gifts for Handheld Gamers: WOMEN

Unique Christmas Gifts for the Gamer in Your Life (2010 post)

Half-Term Boredom Busters For Kids (NINTENDO DS) (2010 post)

Good Luck and Merry Christmas to all!

Top 2011 Christmas Gifts For Handheld Gamers: Women

 

Welcome to our second Christmas 2011 post concerning the Top Christmas Gifts for Handheld Gamers. This time, we will look at our shortlist of the best games and accessories which would suit women gamers.

Top Christmas Gifts For Handheld Gamers: Women

 A CORAL PINK 3DS

Is your wife, girlfriend, sister or mum a fan of pink? Then this is the perfect time to introduce them to the latest Nintendo handheld, the 3DS. This nifty little gadget is now available in a Coral Pink colour, and comes packed with a whole host of preloaded software, including six AR cards.

Furthermore, if the woman in question loves cute little animals too, this game also comes bundled with Nintendogs + Cats for that extra 'awwwwww' factor.

The console is likely to cost around £149 on its own, or £164.99 for the bundle deal. Go on, start earning those brownie points!

A BMCDigital Carry Case for DS/DSi/3DS





 This storage carry case for the Nintendo Console range makes the perfect female-gamer accessory this Christmas. The bag has enough room to store the charger and the console plus a few games, and also comes complete with a shoulder strap so that gamers can have the option of using it like a shoulder-bag or simply carrying it using the top handle.

 

This carry case retails for around £8.99 and can be found in online stores such as Play.com or in most videogame outlets.

 

 

PROFESSOR LAYTON

AND THE

SPECTRE'S CALL

 

The latest game in the Professor Layton series  makes a brilliant gift for fans of puzzle-adventures. The game's detailed and heartfelt back-story is woven fantastically into the game, and the charming graphics and the simple-to-understand but difficult-to-solve logic puzzles should be enough to keep recipients interested in this game well into the New Year. 

 

Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call is exclusive to the Nintendo DS/DSi consoles and retails for around £30 and can be found in most videogame stores or online. Hurry though, as this is a very popular game and online stocks may run low in the coming weeks...

 

LEGO HARRY POTTER: YEARS 5-7 

(DS/DSi/3DS/PSP)

 

The brilliant sequel to Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 is here! This fantastic and very humorous game sees players take on the role of Harry Potter and other characters from the book and film series, in a zany Lego production which has been lovingly brought to life by the talented TT Games. 

 

Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 is available on ALL handheld consoles to date, including its debut on the Nintendo 3DS, and costs around £35 to buy.

 

DOCTOR LAUTREC

AND THE

FORGOTTEN KNIGHTS

(3DS)

 

Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights is a puzzle-adventure game which has been developed exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS.

 

The game follows a similar format to the Professor Layton series of games (see above), but features a lot more familiar logic puzzles such as Crosswords or Spot-the-difference, which might suit an older female gamer or someone who is new to puzzle-adventures.

 

The game also features an interesting back-story which is set in nineteenth-century France, and features several fun mini-games as well, which are woven into the game in the form of 'Quests'. 

For a detailed review of the game, please CLICK HERE.

 

Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights is available to buy from most videogame outlets, and usually costs around £35-£40 to buy.

 

 

 

That marks the end of our Top 2011 Christmas Gifts For Handheld Gamers: Women post. We hope you found it interesting, but you can also try the following posts if you are still searching for a bit more inspiration:

 

Unique Christmas Gifts For The Gamer In Your Life... (21/12/2010)

 

Top 2011 Christmas Gifts For Handheld Gamers: MEN (05/12/2011)

 

Good Luck!

 

 

 

 

 

Latest 3DS System Update Brings 'New Look' 3D Video Recording Features...

The latest system update for the Nintendo 3DS promises to bring with it some very interesting new features, including the ability to record video footage on the console and play it back in 3D!

The update which will become available after 6pm on the 7th of December 2011, will offer users the chance to take a set of 10-minute video recordings on their 3DS and also allow for some special 3D freeze-frame animation using the 'Frame-pick' video mode, which, incidentally, is just one of a few video recording modes on offer.

As well as the new Video Recording mode, 3DS users will also find additional game content in their Mii Plaza from today, including the ability to use Spotpass to download global content.

Furthermore, Nintendo has added a special Streetpass Map so that you can see where exactly in the country you have managed to obtain your current Streetpass Hits from, although unless you are a well-seasoned traveller, this probably won't matter too much.

 Finally, the 07/12/11 system update adds an all-new Streetpass Quest adventure, called - strangely enough - Streetpass Quest 2, although, we should point out that the new quest won't actually become available until you have successfully completed the original Streetpass Quest game twice through, thus collecting all the hats on offer... time to start collecting our coins again, methinks?

The latest 3DS system update has been long-awaited (having been delayed since early November), but the new features are very interactive and should help in attracting plenty of new 3DS fans in the run-up to  the 2011 Christmas season.

Top Christmas Gifts For Handheld Gamers 2011: MEN

It appears that Christmas is upon us once more, and once again it sends people scurrying up and down the highstreet in search of those perfect presents. If you have a gamer in your midsts, however, the whole thing does seem more complicated,  especially if you have no idea what is 'Hot' and what is 'Not' in the world of videogaming yourself, and this becomes even more restrictive if the person in question happens to be a handheld gamer, with many Christmas adverts choosing to target the larger consoles like Wii or PS3.

Never fear though - Mini Gamers has plenty of suggestions about what Gamers will want to unwrap on Christmas Day, so relax, put your feet up and have a quick read of this... Here is our guide to the Top Christmas Gaming Gifts of 2011.

 Each week in the run-up to Christmas, we will give our recommendations for the perfect gaming present for your loved-ones. This week, we look at the perfect (and sometimes unusual) games and gaming accessories for the Special MAN in your life:

Top Christmas Gifts For Handheld Gamers 2011: MEN

ICE-WHITE 3DS/

SUPER MARIO 3D LAND BUNDLE

This Ice-white 3DS and Super Mario 3D Land Bundle could be just the thing if your man happens to be a retro Mario fan. The ice-white 3DS is the pefect colour for male gamers who found the Cosmic Black 3DS a bit boring and the Flare Red or Aqua Blue 3DS colours a little over-powering.

Meanwhile, the game contains many elements from the original Super Mario Bros franchise, but can now be viewed in full glasses-free (Autostereoscopic) 3D. To read a full review of the game itself, please click HERE

However, this console bundle is definitely NOT cheap and can cost between £159.99-£164.99 even in local supermarkets like Tesco or Asda.

MARIO KART 7 (3DS)

If the person in question already owns a 3DS console, then a good game for them to have this Christmas is Mario Kart 7. This game incorporates some of the most beloved Mario Kart gameplay from yesteryear, but adds some paragliding and underwater races, and polishes it up with some stunning  glasses-free 3D visuals like you have never seen before. Mario Kart 7 is available from all good retailers, and costs between £34.99-£39.99 to buy. A definite winner for fans of Racing Games.

APPLE iPAD 2

Probably one of the hottest handheld gadgets right now is an iPad 2. Not only does this nifty little gadget allow users to watch films, play music, and of course, download and play top game titles such as Madden NFL 12 or Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD, amongst others, but it can also have access to thousands of downloadable Educational software and Business Apps (such as the fantastic OmniGraffle, which allows people to create simple presentation flowcharts and/or diagrams with a simple touch of the screen), direct  from the Apple Store.

Now for the bad news...Whilst this handheld device is great for both gaming and general entertainment and work needs, it does not come cheap. In fact, the various purchase options for the iPad 2 depends upon its downloading capacity and whether it uses Wireless 3G or not.

Thus the iPad 2 is available in most highstreet Electronics and Home Entertainment stores such as HMV, and is available either in Black or White, and comes in various downloading capacity sizes ranging from either 16GB, 32GB or 64GB  and can also be purchased with an additional 3G package.

 For this reason, the actual iPad 2 device can cost anywhere between £399-£599, with some of the downloadable 'Apple Store' applications costing an extra £40-50 to download. NOT an easy present to buy if you are feeling a little bit cash-strapped.

A GAMING CHAIR

Okay, so we admit it - a gaming chair is hardly a handheld device or accessory. However, a gaming chair comes with extra audio connectors, and can help gamers to relax whilst challenging their fingers, thumbs or styluses with various virtual delights, so we thought that we would include it...

There are a surprising number of gaming chairs on the market at the moment, depending on your price range and gaming mode of choice. Of course, the more sophisticated your gaming needs, the more expensive your chair will be.

 However, sticking with the overall theme of handheld gaming, the Senior X-Rocker Gamebag chair (available in a Football design, if desired) was one of Mini Gamers personal favourites, and was being sold relatively cheaply at just £29.99 in some cases.

The Gamebag chair is a type of bean bag seat, which features two surround-sound speakers for quality audio, and connectors that work with all types of home console and handheld devices such as the iPod, Nintendo DS consoles and PSPs.

To see examples of the different kinds of Gaming Chairs on offer at the moment, and their current price ranges, please click HERE.

A SONY ERICSSON XPERIA PLAY PHONE

Yes, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play is a highly-functional Smartphone, which also allows users to play their old Sony PSP games like Little Big Planet and God of War in an entirely new format.

The Xperia Play is available with tariffs from Orange, O2, Vodafone, T-mobile and the 3 network. However, the price of each individual tarrif and contract does vary. Nevertheless, the Xperia Play phone itself tends to retail at around £189.

We also should mention that the Xperia Play is not the only Gaming Smartphone on the market at the moment, even though it has been extremely popular. To read our side-by-side comparison article,
'Gaming Smartphones: Xperia Play VS. Windows Phone 7 ,' Please CLICK HERE.

STILL UNSURE OF WHAT TO BUY?

Have we failed to help you find your perfect gaming gift? You might find it helpful to check out Mini Gamers 2010 Christmas post entitled: Unique Christmas Gifts for the Gamer in Your Life, which is packed with even more brilliant gift ideas. Who knows, you might find just what you were looking for...

Professor Layton 4 VS. Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights: PART TWO

 VS.

Welcome to the second part of our 'Versus' battle between the latest Professor Layton game - Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call/Last Specter, which was released for the Nintendo DS/DSi console(s), and the brand new Puzzler, Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights, which was developed by Konami exclusively for the 3DS.

In Part One, we examined Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call/Last Specter. This time we take a look at Doctor Lautrec and his assistant, Sophie, as they embark on their first-ever puzzle adventure.

We have split the game down into sections and will examine Plot, Gameplay, Characters, and Graphics in order to see which of the two handheld games is also the best new puzzle game on the market to date...

DOCTOR LAUTREC

AND THE

FORGOTTEN KNIGHTS

PLOT

The game has a very strong back-story, involving "Living Treasure", or Treasure Animatus as it is commonly referred to in the game. Doctor Lautrec hunts this type of treasure and wants to tame the so-called Guardian Spirits which live within such treasure. Only the Doctor's trusty assistant, Sophie can sense and see Guardian Spirits, and therefore it is her job to tell the Doctor where to find the Treasure Animatus.

Unlike the games in the Professor Layton series, this game takes place in real 19th-Century France and therefore contains many real-life landmarks and historical events, which does add a charming touch of realism to the overall game.

 The main storyline also involves a hunt for some treasure from the House of Bourbon and often contains historical facts about 19th-century Paris etc, which adds a subtle yet interesting educational aspect to the game as well.

GAMEPLAY

Although this game has been somewhat criticised for 'copying' the characters and graphic-style of the Professor Layton series, the gameplay is remarkably different from its puzzle counterpart.

For example, whereas Professor Layton is more concerned with traditional logic puzzles such as shape, number or letter codes and riddles, etc, Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights contains more accessible, familiar logic puzzles such as Spot-the-Difference, Crosswords, Sudoku and Minesweeper types of puzzles, which are still difficult, but perhaps less demanding than those in Professor Layton, meaning that the game seems to move smoothly onwards without too much frustration over puzzles that one cannot solve.

MINI GAMES

The game also includes four distinct forms of mini-game, which are Hidden Entrances, Quests, Taming of the Treasure Animatus and Escaping the Catacombs. With the exception of finding the Hidden Entrances to various catacombs (by locating a hidden Fleur de-lis symbol on the building), three of these mini-games are often played together.

For example, in Quests, Doctor Lautrec and Sophie must search for various Treasure Animatus around Paris. They must also Escape the Catacombs of each location by avoiding detection by the various guards on duty, and, they must also 'tame' any Treasure Animatus that they find.

The taming of the Treasure Animatus is the most challenging of the three mini-games. The goal is to reduce the Life Points down to a score below 100, so that it transforms into a relic which can later be used to tame other Guardian Spirits in the game. 

In order to tame a Guardian Spirit, players must place gemstones (collected throughout the game) and other relics containing Treasure Animatus Guardians upon a stone plinth in such a way that their attack power outnumbers the Guardian Spirit that players are trying to tame.

However, it is important to not completely reduce the Guardian's Life Points to zero, otherwise the Spirit will die and cannot be used in the final battle against a very powerful Guardian Spirit.



CHARACTERS

This game has a lot of different, humorous and quirky characters, who all have important roles to play in the unfolding storyline.

        
GRAPHICS

Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights uses many different types of animation, including 2D cartoon-style graphics and 3D block animation amongst others. All of the graphics are presented in full 3D, which adds greater depth perception to the various locations included in the game map.

SUMMARY

Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights will certainly appeal to fans of the Professor Layton games, but is also very interesting and challenging in its own right. We are sure this will be very popular at Christmas. Overall rating: 9/10.

FINAL VERDICT: LAUTREC VS. LAYTON:

Whether you opt for Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call/Last Specter or Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights this Christmas will largely depend on what type of puzzle-adventure you are looking for.

Professor Layton has now got a well-established fan base, and the puzzles tend to stretch the brain in more varied ways than we have seen in Doctor Lautrec, nevertheless, it is sometimes impossible to get the answer to the various riddles contained in the game, which can sometimes lead to frustration as we search for a good Walkthrough that can help us solve our current conundrum. Thus, Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call/Last Specter is likely to appeal to die-hard puzzle fanatics more than the brand new Konami offering.

In addition, the bonuses and mini games contained within Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call/Last Specter increase the game's replay value by around 1000%, which we cannot say about Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights, whose mini-games are only structured around the main storyline.

Nevertheless, Doctor Lautrec and the Forgotten Knights has a slightly more complex storyline to it than that contained in Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call/Last Specter, which might appeal more to a slightly more adult audience than Professor Layton, but the game contains familiar 'newspaper' style puzzles which makes it the perfect starter game for gamers who wish to try their first puzzle-adventure game.

To tell you the truth though, we here at Mini Gamers found good and bad points within both games, but still thoroughly enjoyed both games. If you are still undecided as to which game to spend your money on,  maybe the truly logical thing is to save up your cash and purchase BOTH titles as soon as you can. See, every puzzle [really does] has an answer...