Layton is a series that has been pretty popular around here, with the first game winning our DS GOTY in 2008 and most of the subsequent ones making our runner-ups for the years that they released.

However, Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy just released and no one is talking about it. Are we just burnt out on it? In my case, I'm still working through Miracle Mask and to be honest although it is fun, it's not gripping me the same way the first three did. It feels like the series is running out of steam a bit, and with so many games coming at such a fast pace, it's tough to keep my excitement up.

How about you? Where are you at with the series?

Bonus question: Should Layton take a bit of a break and come back fresh? I'm thinking "yes".

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I'm don't have much interest, lol. I need to sleep more.

Anyway, I never thought I'd say this about Layton, but I really don't have much interest in this new game. I might get around to it someday, but it probably won't be awhile.

The Layton / Ace Attorney crossover, on the other hand, still pumped for.

i'm playing the miracle mask one now.... I plan on completing the Saga on Professor Layton so I may get this in a few months time.

I'm somewhere between somewhat interested and very interested. I am playing it though. I'm interested because this is going to be the culmination of 2 other games and a movie setting up the mystery of the Azran. And I like the idea of exploring many small and varied areas as opposed to a big, dull town that has become the default setting for the series. It's been pretty good so far.

I'm not interested because I think I've figured out one of the game's big twists early on and I happened upon a differen colossal twist relating to Descole on the Professr Layton wiki. I thought I was safe because Azran Legacy hadn't been released outside of Japan. I was wrong. So I've been robbed of half of the game's best part, and I think I've figured the other half out. I've also grown a bit tired of the Layton games too.

I play Layton games for the story mostly and I find myself less invested in the story as I get older and find out I have less patience for these types of games. It is not point and click adventures that I have a problem with per se, but rather the spacing at which or rather the segmented nature of the exposition. I realized that in the last game I played where more than half of the stories mysteries or major plot points were revealed near the end. Perhaps that was my fault since I sped through the game and probably did not paid as much attention as a game like Layton demands. Nevertheless, I find myself increasingly disinterested in reading most of the game's text. That is a shame too since usually they have good stories, but I feel that the way in which the story is told could be a tad better.

I think I went on a tangent. To answer the question I don't think I care to be honest. I still have to catch up with the movie, and the 4th and 5th games.

Can't have too much Layton. Very very interested. Just can't keep buying full priced games. Have to wait a little. Also need to watch the movie again.

Amy asked for the game for her birthday, so, we already have it!! I can't wait to play it. We just have to finish up ChibiRobo first.

Having just finished up with Miracle Mask and was quite disappointed in it, I AM interested in the Azran Legacy from a story perspective. For the game... I do want it but I have no qualms about when I get around to playing it. By the end of the year I'd be fine with.

Slot me into the somewhat/very interested spot where @Hero_Of_Hyrule is hanging out.
I love the Professor and his friends, but I am growing tired of the formula.

Myeh.

I'm currently playing through it, so yeah. It's more of the same, more or less, but it's still good. I think this is (supposedly) the last game in the series featuring Layton himself as the main protagonist.

@ploot

The formula is kinda bothering me too. So I need a long break and to get it when I will actually read everything.

I want it badly, but I have a few games to finish up first (Zelda, Phoenix Wright and Dream Team). Who knows, I might cave and snag it anyways. I am a pretty darned big Layton fan, after all.

Layton has always been one of my favorite game series ever.

Then it went to 3D and ruined the experience almost entirely for me. Now I have practically no interest at all in the new ones, which makes me very sad inside.

Alas, I'll always have the memories (and they'll be 2D where they belong).

I'm hoping I get it for my birthday, but if not I'm definitely going to buy it soon.

Yeah, I skipped the last two and I've wanted to play a Layton game again for the past few weeks. I'll probably get it once I finish Bravely Default (though at the pace I'm playing BD, that could take a while).

I'd probably get one of the two titles I skipped if I could find them cheaper, to be honest, but the prices for used copies on amazon.ca are dumb.

I thought Miracle Mask was better than Last Specter to be honest. The story was more touching on the whole. It also got me really excited for the next game. Yeah, there's the chapter where you're underground, but the only REALLY annoying part of that is when you have to do that puzzle that relies on the 3DS motion sensing, which I could only do on my XL. Tried to do it on the original 3DS and couldn't do it at ALL.

I can see why people fatigue on these games, but I feel like if you space it out enough, it's not a problem. I love solving logic puzzles.

@PogueSquadron

I'm in the same camp. I guess it's because I played Last Specter on my 3DS, or maybe because Luke was more whiney that he usually is in that game (granted, he was younger and less traveled at that point), but it was by no means a bad game.

@-JKR-

Navigating and investigating was so much more intuitive on the 3DS, and the worlds felt alive (more characters in the background, and more movement in general). To each their own, but the environments felt more alive in Miracle Mask than they ever did in the DS games.

With that said, Unwound Future still had the best story. This one has promise, but I'm only on Chapter 4 right now.

It's not bad at all, but I just enjoy any time I can explore Layton's past. I also didn't really buy the resolution to Last Specter. I mean, of course the resolutions to these games are all crazy, but this one just wasn't very satisfying. No one could really tell that the specter was just made from some machine or whatever it was?

I like the 3D elements (at least, in regards to navigation) but I kind of wish they'd just go back to the 2D talking heads, or at least make them look as good as they do in Ace Attorney 5 (from what I've seen).

The only other thing that bothered me about Miracle Mask was that in the older games, the puzzle description was ALWAYS right there for you to refer to, whereas in this game, you had to toggle it on and off because you might need both screens. I also don't think they had a "thin" pencil option when taking notes, so all of my notes looked almost illegible. They introduced it in one of the other games...not sure why they got rid of it.

Never played a single title in the franchise.

I have never played any, but I have the first game on the DS sitting around unopened. I'll get to it someday...