When Japanese kids aren't watching the anime or reading the comic, they might be playing the DS games. Or they might be going to school, eating dinner or doing their homework. Japanese kids are busy!

The sequel, Inazuma Eleven 2, has shipped over a million copies since going on sale two months ago in Japan. It comes in two versions: Fire and Blizzard.

『イナズマイレブン2』累計出荷100万本を突破 - ファミ通.com [Famitsu]

The International Edition of White Knight Chronicles contains all of the action-RPG gameplay of the original Japanese release, along with a slew of updates and downloadable content, all packaged together in one attractive package. You've got the promised voice chat function; 50 disc-based online quests to complete solo or with a group of three other players; an online village called The Georama, where you can invite friends to quest and buy unique items; and Live Talk, which is added side conversations that give your characters a little more depth, similar to what Namco Bandai does with the Tales of series.

The White Knight Chronicles International Edition will be released on February 2nd, 2010. My big-headed character will begin her adventure soon after.

White Knight Chronicles International Edition Coming to PS3 February 2, 2010 [PlayStation Blog]

These are "FuruFuru" figures, which basically means "bobblehead", only more subtle, with everyone's proportions in order. There are two available - the good Professor and Luke - and you can import them for just under $30 each.

Steep, yeah, but on the bright side they're not asking you to solve any stupid match-stick puzzles in the checkout process.

Professor Layton FuruFuru Figure [NCSX, via Go Nintendo]

Hino said the current trilogy will close out with "Professor Layton and the Last Time Travel," and a new one will open with "Professor Layton and the Flute of Malevolent Destiny," to be released in Japan.

"The new trilogy will also be based around solving puzzles, but will also include greatly improved bonus modes so I think that players will be able to enjoy the games for even longer. We currently have no plans for a Wii release," Hino told ONM. So, there ya go.

Will Professor Layton Be Released On Wii? [Official Nintendo Magazine via Gamers Reports]

In case you haven't seen it, here it is, the opening cinematic for the Level-5 and Studio Ghibli Nintendo DS collaboration Ni no Kuni.

Previously, we posted game play clips from the title.

Otaku News : Ni No Kuni Opening Path Cinematic Online [Otaku News]

"At this moment we don't have a specific plan for a sequel in the Dark Cloud series," Level 5's Yoshiaki Kusuda told me at the Tokyo Game Show last week.

But there's always a glimmer of hope with these things, silver linings to, uh, dark clouds. Here you go: "There are many staff members, including myself at Level 5, who have worked on the Dark Cloud series," he told me through a translator. "There are some who decided to join Level 5 because they love the Dark Cloud series. So, if requests from users should increase in the future, we would seriously consider making it."

So if you liked the Sony-platform Dark Cloud RPG series and want more, then keep asking.

The movie will be produced by Japanese studio TOHO and will get an entirely new story drafted by Level 5 president Akihiro Hino. Hino is the brains behind all the previous Layton games as well as directing the forthcoming Dragon Quest IX. The game's voice actors will reprise their roles for the feature animated films.

The Layton movie is an original story from series creator Akihiro Hino and will feature game characters Professor Layton and his apprentice Luke. Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva will be produced by Masakazu Kubo, producer of the Pokémon films.

Ni no Kuni: The Another World [GameVideos]

Expectations for the title are running high. At this year's Tokyo Game Show, I was able to get hands on with the title.

What Is It?
It is Ni no Kuni, a role-playing game for the Nintendo DS and "another platform". The story follows Oliver, a young boy whose mother dies. One of his dolls turns into a fairy named Shizuku. Oliver is able to go into another parallel universe called "Ni no kuni" via a book Shizuku gives him. The boy sets out to save his mother.

What We Saw
We saw the first ten or so minutes of the game, which is mostly cutscenes, dialogue scenes and tutorial. The presentation is slick — very slick. That sound not come as a surprise since Level-5 is also responsible for the Professor Layton games. The cutscenes sparkle on the DS, and many of the dialogue scenes even have voice acting as well (not all though!).

The actual small bit of game play we saw looked beautiful as well. Oliver ran through a field-type forrest. His movement is touch pen controlled as the recent Zelda DS titles have been.

How Far Along Is It?
The game is nearing completion and due out next Spring.

What Needs Improvement?
Hard to say as we didn't get to check out the actual combat. Level-5 only allowed short periods of play during the TGS show floor demo, and I ended up spending most of the time watching cutscenes and reading through dialogue boxes. I am interested in checking out the title's combat.

What Should Stay The Same?
This game is gorgeous and will appeal to anyone who likes Ghibli's films. Likewise, the score from renowned composer Joe Hisaishi and the top flight voice acting gives the title a sweeping, epic quality.

Final Thoughts
Since the time Level-5 allotted, our hands-on unfortunately did not shed much light on to extended gameplay, but it did provide a taste of the game. We're interested to see more of this title.

Studio Ghibli is, of course, known for animated features like My Neighbor Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service.

While screens of the animated cutscenes have been released before, the in-game screens are new. Check out the character art as well.

That explains the massive crowds sitting through presentations just to get a chance to get a chance to check out early copies of their upcoming releases.

The feature was confirmed during a PS3 press conference at the Tokyo Game Show earlier today, along with word that the international release of White Knight will include all of the updates released for the game so far in Japan.

Kudos to localisation that goes the extra mile!

But that's not all! Up-and-up publishers Level 5, of White Knight, Professor Layton and Ninokuni fame, will be holding a press conference at the exact same time.

We'll be live-blogging both! Do join us.

This second full-length movie trailer (with some handy English fan subtitles) again skips out on the puzzles the teaser trailers had. But it adds an exploding boat. Also, you get to see the Japanese actors behind the voices of the Professor, Luke and other characters from the movie.

Also, there's more Layton sword fighting – which means a lot to you, if you've beaten Diabolical Box. Gressenheller University must have a hell of a fencing team.

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva is out in Japan December 19.

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva - movie trailer 2 (with subs) [GoNintendo]

Like the other games, the plot of Diabolical Box is driven by the Professor's need to solve an overarching mystery – this time around, it's the death of his friend and mentor. Accompanied by his protégé, Luke, the Professor sets off on a train ride that takes them to a charming countryside village and later to a strange and sinister town with a vampire problem.

Loved
The Puzzles In General: The characters in the Layton series may be colorful and well-drawn, but the puzzles are the star of the game. They range in variety from basic mazes to complex math and logic problems, but are always presented in a charming context that's not nearly as irritating to me as the Brain Age puzzles. Though several types of puzzle will repeat themselves with more difficult variations, the sheer number of puzzles in the game is impressive and it's always fun to discover a new variant on an old favorite.

The Puzzles On The Critical Path: Some of the puzzles in Diabolical Box are crazy-tough, even if you are a whiz at mathematics, chess and geometry. The good news, though, is that you won't encounter any insanely frustrating puzzles on the main story path. Think of how sad it would be if you couldn't reach the boss because that last logic puzzle was a Graduate Records Examination-class challenge and you're only in the second grade.

The Puzzles In The Bonus Sections: Completion is usually its own reward, but in the Layton games, it's also a ticket to even more fun stuff. While playing through the game, each puzzle solved rewards the player with picarats. The more picarats you earn throughout the game, the more bonus content you unlock when you beat the game. This plus the weekly puzzle downloads equals hours of extra fun beyond the main story path.

The Quality Of Everything Else: The puzzles dominate Diabolical Box, but the fully animated cut scenes, the voice acting and the setting are all high quality. It gives the game a layer of style and charm that blends all of the puzzles together into a great game instead of just an average DS brain-teaser pack.

Hated
The Hint System: It's always been a gripe of mine in the Latyon games that you can't choose which hint you want to unlock first. The way the system works only allows you to access the more valuable info after you've already shelled out hint coins for the first two hints that are usually totally obvious. It's a frustrating waste of hint coins.

Tedious Tea Set: Ironically, the tea set mini-game is the only thing about Layton that isn't my cup of tea. Throughout the game, you find or earn herbs that can be brewed three at a time into special teas or into vile concoctions that make Layton and Luke ill. Later, you start meeting characters that suffer from various ailments that can be cured by a specific herbal tea. Brewing tea for them doesn't really feel like a game so much as a chore, since the whole process is about trial-and-error instead of logic and you don't get picarats for finding the right tea. Compared to the other puzzles in Professor Layton's special chest like the camera assembly challenge (that then becomes a spot-the-difference mini-game) and the hamster training course, the tea set is definitely outclassed.

There are lot of puzzle games and brain-teaser packs out there for the Nintendo DS, but there's nothing quite like Layton. The puzzles might get crazy frustrating, or maybe you can't stand the British accents – but the experience of Diabolical Box is pleasant and rewarding. Like a nice cup of tea on a cold, wet day.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box was developed by Level-5 and published by Nintendo for the DS. Released on August 24 for $34.99. Completed main story mode, trained the hamster to level 1, completed 7/9 camera challenges, brewed 7/12 teas, earned 3391 picarats.

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Let's say, for snots and giggles, that Professor Layton was a NES. What would it look like? Perhaps, just perhaps, it would look something like this.

8-bit Professor Layton theme by Nonsak. I feel... [Tiny Cartridge via Infendo]

That anime has aired its first season, and according to Level-5, it will continue for a second season. There is also a manga based on the title.

The DS game has players put together a team for tournaments. A sequel for the Nintendo DS has been announced along with a Wii version. Inazuma Eleven has not yet been localized into English.

Level 5's Inazuma Eleven Anime Confirmed for 2nd Year [Anime News Network]

Anyone who's played Mother 3 will look at these screenshots, look at Mother 3 and say "oh my, they do look similar". As well they might! Because Brownie Brown, a studio that helped HAL on Mother 3, are developing the game. Which is awesome. Know what else is awesome? Nobuo Uematsu is doing the music for the game.

Fantasy Life is a laid-back RPG that, from early descriptions (there's more details to come), sees you creating an avatar then just...walking around making friends and doing odd jobs. Sounds like an RPG made up of naught but side quests. Which sounds great!