You’d be hard pressed to argue that the Nintendo 3DS has met with the reception Ninety was hoping for. Even with a large price cut, the auto-stereoscopic gaming handheld has struggled to capture the imagination of gamers who’ve now come to expect the same standard of title available for a pittance on their smartphone. And now, another blow: yet another franchise synonymous with the DS family has just announced it’s heading to iPhone.
Japanese publisher Level-5 has revealed that it is bringing the popular Professor Layton series of mystery puzzle games to iPhone. The first title, Layton Brothers: Mystery Room, is currently in development. Previously, games in the series had been exclusive to Nintendo’s handhelds.
The announcement comes just a week after the critically acclaimed Nintendo DS game Scribblenauts was released for iPhone and iPad as Scribblenauts Remix. The original still costs around £11-12 first-hand online, but this new version for Apple devices costs just £2.99. Earlier year, another Japanese gaming giant, Square-Enix, released its remake of Final Fantasy III for Nintendo DS on the iPhone.
Nintendo itself has publicly shut down suggestions of porting its games to hardware from rivals, but with big names all around it getting with the times and the audience, it’s beginning to appear isolated.
What do you think? Should Nintendo “do a Sega”? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments.
(via MCV)
