Let us reflect upon DS adventure games.

[Ivo]

Trace Memory was good.

Hotel Dusk was very good, logically built, great flow. I played them many years ago. Haven't played Layton.

Ace Attorney games are somewhat different. As I recall, there are a couple of instances where there are some strange jumps of logic. I enjoyed them, but I also like shouting "Objection" on occasion (my family didn't enjoy that).

[alienjesus]

I've played these ones:

999: Nine hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
Another Code: Two Memories (aka Trace Memory)
Ghost Trick
Hotel Dusk: Room 215
Last Window: The Secret of Cape West
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Phoenix Wright: Justice For All
Phoenix Wright: Trials & Tribulations
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Professor Layton and Pandora's Box
Professor Layton and the Lost Future
Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call

I also own Flower, Sun and Rain, but haven't started it just yet.

Of the bunch, Ghost Trick is the one I'd most recommend. I adored that game. That said, all the games I finished are great, and there's not one on the list I disliked.

If I was to nominate one as the weakest game, it's probably the 4th Layton game, Spectre's Call. Again though, I still enjoyed that one quite a bit

[PartridgeSenpai]

If I was to nominate one as the weakest game, it's probably the 4th Layton game, Spectre's Call. Again though, I still enjoyed that one quite a bit

5000% agree on the 4th Layton game being total wank. The story was really starting to show Level 5 has no idea how to write a good plot (or at least ones that aren't just deus ex machina to deus ex machina to move the story along), and the puzzles were way to frequently fucking trash. I think I got to the one that counting the cats in that abstract painting before I just threw it down and never picked it back up. Not trying to say you can't enjoy it (my sister in law enjoyed that game a lot as well), but especially after Layton Vs Ace Attorney confirmed my suspicions on Level 5's writing ability, that game turned me off of Layton for good.

Hmmm, Adventure games I own and have beaten:

Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice
Ace Attorney: Miles Edgeworth Investigations
Ace Attorney: Justice for All
Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations
Ace Attorney: Phoenix Wright
Ghost Trick
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Professor Layton and the Dibolical Box
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
Touch Detective

I will note that I have never finished an adventure game I have not enjoyed, so all of these are an automatic recommendation (however I totally get someone not enjoying Touch Detective. If you aren't into the zany sense of humor, you aren't gonna get a lot of enjoyment out of it).

Ones I own but have not tried yet:

Flower, Sun, and Rain: Murder and Mystery in Paradise
Lux Pain
Unsolved Crimes (on Exhumy Senpai's recommendation)

Ones I have tried but abandoned:

Hotel Dusk : I just got really fed up with getting stuck on puzzles in such a small space, and the story really wasn't drawing me in. Still might give the sequel a try someday, if I can hunt it down.
Touch Detective 2 1/2 : Played the first case a looooong time ago, and just gotta get into the mood for more Touch Detective (beat the first one too recently, you see, and the second game is literally more of the exact same).
Iroduki No Tingle No Koi No Balloon Trip (Colorful Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love) : I was really enjoying it, but I got to a point where my reading ability just wasn't sufficient enough to even get close to managing the puzzles, so decided it was probably best to give up until I learned to read better ;p

Ones wot I might get like:

999 : The younger sibling has this, so I might give it a go someday. Opinion is a bit divided on it, so I don't think it'll be my next project
Trace Memory : The local resale store has this for cheap, so I've been tempted to pick it up before, but given that it's from the same guys who did Hotel Dusk, I've been hesitant to bite the bullet on it.

[ElkinFencer10]

I think I'm in a minority here, but I really am not digging Hotel Dusk. I'm going to try to make myself finish it because I hate giving up on games, but it's not jiving with me. It's not that I'm getting stuck on the puzzles; there are a few that have stumped me for a bit, but I figured them out after a little critical thinking and exploration. I'm just bored. Hopefully the story will get more engaging, but as it is right now, I'm just not that interested in the narrative. =/

[Exhuminator]

That sounds pretty strange, but maybe not as strange as healing yourself with cigarettes in Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode.

I'd forgotten about that! I guess the most logical use of cigarettes in a game is still in Metal Gear, using them to see laser tripwires.

Hotel Dusk was very good, logically built, great flow.

I love seeing all the Hotel Dusk adoration in this thread.

If I was to nominate one as the weakest game, it's probably the 4th Layton game, Spectre's Call. Again though, I still enjoyed that one quite a bit

Something that's interesting about the Professor Layton games, is that the original director (Tatsuya Shinkai) only directed the first two. After that, for the third, Usuke Kumagai and Jun Suzuki directed. Many people say the third is the best game on DS, and I think it's because of the fresh start with the two new directors. But then, for the 4th game, many say it's the weakest. The difference there being that Jun Suzuki wasn't involved, and only Usuke Kumagai solo-directed it. I wonder how much of a difference that really made?

but especially after Layton Vs Ace Attorney confirmed my suspicions on Level 5's writing ability

I tried to explained to you before in an earlier thread, that Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney was NOT written by Level 5. It was in fact written by Shu Takumi, the man who invented and directed the first three Ace Attorney games. A quote:

"At the time, though, I thought I was going to just present my idea and go home – I thought I would be leaving the rest to LEVEL-5. While we were talking, though, it was somehow decided that I would write the story for this title. I did think it was a little strange, but I kind of got caught up in the moment and ended up agreeing to it." -Shu Takumi
( source )

(however I totally get someone not enjoying Touch Detective. If you aren't into the zany sense of humor, you aren't gonna get a lot of enjoyment out of it).

For the two hours I spent with it, I enjoyed its zaniness and art design. It was the pixel hunt item puzzles and their illogical solutions that drove me away.

Trace Memory : The local resale store has this for cheap, so I've been tempted to pick it up before, but given that it's from the same guys who did Hotel Dusk, I've been hesitant to bite the bullet on it.

First let me say that "guys" didn't create Hotel Dusk and Trace Memory, both game's plots, scenarios, and general design were created by a lady; Rika Suzuki.

Secondly, I believe you should give Trace Memory a try. It's a very different game than Hotel Dusk. For one thing, it takes place on an island with different buildings and areas, you're not confined into one hotel. Also, Ashley Mizuki Robbins is a very different protagonist than Kyle Hyde.

I think I'm in a minority here, but I really am not digging Hotel Dusk. I'm just bored. Hopefully the story will get more engaging, but as it is right now, I'm just not that interested in the narrative. =/

It's understandable. If you don't enjoy the noir detective theme, and the fact the game is very grounded in realism (vs typical Japanese adventure games) it might be off putting. Actually the first time I played Hotel Dusk (back in summer 2007), I got bored with it and put it away. I picked it back up during the following autumn and absolutely fell in love with it. Maybe playing it during the fall is the right time. I was totally sucked into its little sepia world as the world outside turned brown and yellow in tandem.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Hotel Dusk was very good, logically built, great flow.

I love seeing all the Hotel Dusk adoration in this thread.

Uh oh...you aren't going to like this then...

I thought that Hotel Dusk was a silly game that took itself entirely too seriously. The art direction was great, but the "puzzles" were very dull. Moreover, the story wasn't that great (and, if you think about it even a little bit, completely ridiculous). The developer showed some potential with that game, but I do not consider it a great adventure game by any means.

The Professor Layton games, on the other hand, are simply fantastic. (The truth is more wondrous than the mystery when Professor Layton's on the case!) Although some are better than others, I love every single one of them, and the third game has the honor of being one of the few video games to bring a tear to my eye. (Moreover, a bonus feature in the fourth game is a 50+ hour Sim/RPG!)

[Exhuminator]

Hotel Dusk is poop!

(Moreover, a bonus feature in the fourth game is a 50+ hour Sim/RPG!)

It seems like everyone I know who's tried London Life said it was boring and pointless. Now, I'm not saying that's true, just what I heard. Did you finish London Life? Is it really an RPG with its own plot, can you beat it? What did you enjoy most about it?

[alienjesus]

(Moreover, a bonus feature in the fourth game is a 50+ hour Sim/RPG!)

If you get the NTSC version.

Despite the 50 hour RPG being set in London, if, like me, you actually live in London, you don't get to play it

Unless you import the US version and put up with the god-awful accent Luke has in that region.

[ExedExes]

As a DS fan and current collector (remember I created the Nintendo Portable catch-all thread), I knew of the existence of this genre here, but I didn't know all the games that were available, to be honest, these aren't the type of games you see for sale at the retro game stores, you pretty much see everything else BUT these.

What I'm saying is that I appreciate a thread like this and all the in-depth conversation. I had no idea one of the Broken Sword games or even Syberia were on the DS. Good show.

[Stark]

(Moreover, a bonus feature in the fourth game is a 50+ hour Sim/RPG!)

If you get the NTSC version.

Despite the 50 hour RPG being set in London, if, like me, you actually live in London, you don't get to play it

Unless you import the US version and put up with the god-awful accent Luke has in that region.

Professor Layton has a different English-speaking voice actor depending on region? What the what?