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[Hours Left]

Last Window: Midnight Promise/Last Window: The Secret of Cape West
Developer: CiNG
Publisher: Nintendo of Japan/Nintendo of Europe
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Adventure
Release Date: January 14, 2010 [Japan]/September 17, 2010 [Europe]
Official Web Sites: Japan/Europe

Media
Japanese Trailer
PAL Trailer #1
PAL Trailer #2
Behind the Scenes: Animation (Japanese)
Behind the Scenes: Animation (English)

What is Last Window: The Secret of Cape West?
Last Window is the sequel to the critically acclaimed Hotel Dusk: Room 215, an adventure game for the DS. Hotel Dusk centered around a former detective and now "salesman" Kyle Hyde, who stumbled upon a hot bed of secrets and deceit on a fateful trip to Hotel Dusk on the last Friday of the year 1979.

Last Window stars the beloved Mr. Hyde once more as he is again plunged into a new web of lies surrounding the mysterious Scarlet Star and the Cape West apartment complex, which is soon due for demolition...

The Hotel Dusk series is known for it's unique art style and film noir style storytelling. Players control Kyle Hyde as he delves into the secret lives of a group of people that all seem to have been brought together under unknown circumstances.

What is CiNG?
CiNG is a glorious company responsible for the aforementioned Hotel Dusk: Room 215 as well as the wondrous Trace Memory/Another Code sister series. The are also the creators of the delightful Little King's Story.

Sadly, they recently had to file for bankruptcy and are currently in limbo. No official statement on their present standing have been made, so whether or not they are restructuring or are being absorbed into another company is unknown. If you are currently a billionaire, or know anyone who is, please save CiNG. The world will be a better place for it.

What is Nintendo of America?
Nintendo of America is a lazy and apathetic company that wouldn't know a good adventure game if it kicked them in the face. They have decided in their infinite wisdom to (currently) pass on releasing Last Window in North America, just as they did with Another Code R and many other games despite the fact they already have an official, Nintendo funded translation.

Why do they do this? Who knows. But, if you would like to let Nintendo of America know how you feel about their lack of support for a quality series and their general poor foresight, please feel free to use their online comment form. (Civilly, of course.) Please put in a good word for Another Code R and CiNG as a whole too, if you are so inclined.

Kyle Hyde
Our intrepid hero. Once a detective for the NYPD, he know works for the traveling sales company "Red Crown". When he's not cracking wise or selling what ever it is he sells, he does a little private detective work on the behest of his boss, Ed. These side jobs tend to have a knack of getting Mr. Hyde caught up in a variety of sticky situations.

Rachel
Kyle's girl Friday... er, Rachel. She's the secretary for Red Crown and Kyle's liaison. She gives Kyle advise and backs him up whenever needed. She is one of the few people that knows Kyle on a more personal level, something that is very difficult to do.

Ed Vincent
Kyle's mysterious bossman. He's the one that sends Kyle on these "side jobs", but it seems he's not too happy with Kyle right now. Ed knew Kyle's father back in the day.

The Tenants of Cape West
A seemingly unrelated and unassuming group of people living in the Cape West apartment building. What secrets do they hide? And how will they aid or deter Kyle in his mission?

Those About Town
Some of the current or soon-to-be acquaintances in Kyle's life. What part do they play in the ordeal that is about to take place?

Chris & Jeanie Hyde
Kyle's parents. Kyle's father died when he was a child and his mother is currently residing in New Jersey. Do the reclusive Mr. Hyde's family have a role in the coming events?

Conversation & Interrogation

Kyle will need to put his police training and vast linguistic "skills" to use if he wants to learn the truth about the mysteries surrounding Cape West. Listen carefully to the people that you come across and wait until just the right time to press them for more information.

Be careful though, push too hard and you'll encounter the RED WAVE OF DEATH and your game will end.

Investigation

Make sure you've got some spare change for lipstick and and healthy tolerance for chalk dust because you'll be ransacking that apartment building every free second you get. No filing cabinet/book case/painting of a boat is safe.

Problem Solving

Part of being a good traveling salesman is cracking safes and untwisting paperclips, so get your stylus ready for some unbridled real life situation based puzzle solving action!

Control The Narrative

You're no Martin Summer *cough*, but you call the shots when it comes to this gripping saga. Your actions & choices in the game contribute to the novel that is being written about your adventure as you live it! It's your personal biography come to life! What A...!

So what else should you know about the game before you play it? Well, like the previous Hotel Dusk game, Last Window has an awesome jazztastic soundtrack that will send you into symphonic bliss while you dive deeper and deeper into the games twists and turns.

Also, in case you didn't already know, the DS is REGION FREE, so importing Last Window has never been easier or more satisfying! So call/surf to/hit up your favorite import shoppe and order your copy today! Don't forget to tell Nintendo of America how disappointed you are in them, it's good for the soul. (Remember to be polite!)

Oh, what are the reviews like you say? Well look no further.

Reviews
Game People
Cubed³ - 9/10
Famitsu - 32/40 (9/8/8/7)
Nintendo Life - 8/10
Girl Gamers UK - 8/10
Official Nintendo Magazine UK - 78%
IGN UK - 7.5/10
Eurogamer.net - 7/10
Itchy Thumbs - 7/10
Gamerzines - 70%
Metro UK - 6/10

More to come...?

Closing
Thanks for reading my first OT, I hope this brings some more attention to the game. I know the Prologue banner doesn't really make sense but I wanted the look to be consistent. If some skilled graphic artist wants to contribute a top banner or a Misc. banner to replace the Prologue banner, feel free to.

I'll add more reviews as I see them, and if by some miracle this game gets a US release I'll include that also.

GO BUY THIS GAME. THANK YOU.

 

[Gravijah]

That guy seems sad. I wonder if he needs a hug.

 

[duckroll]

Since CING is dead, there's no real immediate urgency for me to support this. Gonna be too busy with other games. Still playing Valkyria 2, going to get Layton 3 this week, not sure if I'll be getting EO3 this month, and there's Solatorobo next month. Oh well.

 

[kiryogi]

You should post links of where to import for US folk.

 

[jay]

Since CING is dead, there's no real immediate urgency for me to support this.

Maybe if the game sells well enough NoA will feel stupid.

Victory!

 

[JustAnotherOtaku]

Preordered and waiting I loved Hotel Dusk and can't wait to get stuck into this.

 

[duckroll]

Maybe if the game sells well enough NoA will feel stupid.

Victory!

I don't really care. Sorry. Releasing this in the same month as Layton is really dumb anyway. If it was any other month I would buy this in a heartbeat.

 

[Hours Left]

You should post links of where to import for US folk.

I didn't want to single out any particular sites, I think most people know all the usual spots.

If there are enough questions/requests though, I'll add it to the OP.

 

[Augemitbutter]

nice thread.

will be a few months until i got time to play this.

 

[Ushojax]

I'll be buying it for sure. I just hope NoE turns in a good script, when they have to do one from scratch instead of just tweaking the NoA one, it can often turn out pretty drab (eg Advance Wars Dark Conflict, Another Code DS + Wii, Minish Cap, etc).

 

[Hours Left]

I don't really care. Sorry. Releasing this in the same month as Layton is really dumb anyway. If it was any other month I would buy this in a heartbeat.

Just pretend September has been separated into two smaller mini months, each with it's own awesome adventure game.

@_@ BUY IT.

 

[duckroll]

I'll be buying it for sure. I just hope NoE turns in a good script, when they have to do one from scratch instead of just tweaking the NoA one, it can often turn out pretty drab (eg Advance Wars Dark Conflict, Another Code DS + Wii, Minish Cap, etc).

Oh, that's disappointing to hear. Makes me want to buy it even less now. I really enjoyed Hotel Dusk because of Treehouse's localization. Not sure if I want to bother with an inferior effort...

 

[kiryogi]

I didn't want to single out any particular sites, I think most people know all the usual spots.

If there are enough questions/requests though, I'll add it to the OP.

I want links to good europe sites that ship overseas at a reasonable price. NCSX was asking at least 50-60 before shipping. Only site I know of was thehut and that was from that Another Code R sale.

 

[Dash Kappei]

You should post links of where to import for US folk.

UK/Jersey based GOOD e-sellers shipping to the US:


www.zavvi.com
www.play.com
www.gamestation.co.uk
www.thehut.com
www.game.co.uk
www.sendit.com

 

[Hours Left]

I want links to good europe sites that ship overseas at a reasonable price. NCSX was asking at least 50-60 before shipping. Only site I know of was thehut and that was from that Another Code R sale.

Play-Asia is also selling the game for $50, and their cheapest shipping is like 3 bucks.

 

[Ushojax]

Oh, that's disappointing to hear. Makes me want to buy it even less now. I really enjoyed Hotel Dusk because of Treehouse's localization. Not sure if I want to bother with an inferior effort...

Wait and see, I guess. The scripts they do are never bad, just lacking in wit and often hyper literal with respect to the JP text. They tend to produce more of a direct translation than the often superior localisations that Treehouse does.

 

[duckroll]

Wait and see, I guess. The scripts they do are never bad, just lacking in wit and often hyper literal with respect to the JP text. They tend to produce more of a direct translation than the often superior localisations that Treehouse does.

This is getting really depressing. :/

...........

I see what you mean. ;_;

 

[WillyFive]

TREEHOUSE COME HOME

 

[toythatkills]

I can buy this for someone in the US/Canada if they want to buy Layton 3 pour moi.

 

[Ushojax]

This is getting really depressing. :/

...........

I see what you mean. ;_;

Yeah, they can get a bit Star Wars prequel-ish at times. Still, they could always surprise us with a decent effort.

 

[Hours Left]

Yeah, they can get a bit Star Wars prequel-ish at times. Still, they could always surprise us with a decent effort.

The videos on the PAL web site seem fine to me. I don't see anything overly stilted or stiff.

 

[Dash Kappei]

Yeah, they can get a bit Star Wars prequel-ish at times. Still, they could always surprise us with a decent effort.

It depends on the game.
Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland was awesome.

 

[Mockingbird]

This is getting really depressing. :/

...........

I see what you mean. ;_;

Urge to buy falling...

Did noa really say they don't plan to release it here? Or is that just conjecture by the OP?

 

[Ushojax]

It depends on the game.
Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland was awesome.

Yeah, that was pretty good, but the game was so camp there was no way NoE could make it feel drab.

The videos on the PAL web site seem fine to me. I don't see anything overly stilted or stiff.

Let's hope the game script keeps that up.

EDIT: Oh Christ there's a bit of bad English in the screen quoted above. 'Arrived to the docks'? Should be 'at' not 'to'. Typical example of the kind of thing they can fart out when left to their own devices.

 

[Hours Left]

Urge to buy falling...

Did noa really say they don't plan to release it here? Or is that just conjecture by the OP?

They haven't made any official statement, but they almost never do.

The fact that it's been announced for Europe and not North America is really all the sign we need. Obviously it still could happen, but the odds are very slim.

 

[Mockingbird]

They haven't made any official statement, but they almost never do.

The fact that it's been announced for Europe and not North America is really all the sign we need. Obviously it still could happen, but the odds are very slim.

Meh. art academy (retail) wasn't announced for North america at first -- just EU and JP. So there's still a chance!

 

[duckroll]

Urge to buy falling...

Did noa really say they don't plan to release it here? Or is that just conjecture by the OP?

No idea honestly. NoA doesn't really say much. Sometimes stuff just pop up. It's quite frustrating trying to get info on Nintendo's upcoming releases. The timing for the release of this is just really bad. I really don't understand why NoE would want to release a Hotel Dusk sequel head to head with a brand new Layton game. Similar genre, same publisher, same platform. Seriously weird decision here.

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

I'll be buying it for sure. I just hope NoE turns in a good script, when they have to do one from scratch instead of just tweaking the NoA one, it can often turn out pretty drab (eg Advance Wars Dark Conflict, Another Code DS + Wii, Minish Cap, etc).

It depends really of the european country and the tranlators they use for the game.
The Other M spanish script is better than the treehouse one.
Confession time? what the fuck was that, treehouse?

The spanish Wario Wares translations are one of the best they do, with smooth moves being just incredible.

 

[Ushojax]

No idea honestly. NoA doesn't really say much. Sometimes stuff just pop up. It's quite frustrating trying to get info on Nintendo's upcoming releases. The timing for the release of this is just really bad. I really don't understand why NoE would want to release a Hotel Dusk sequel head to head with a brand new Layton game. Similar genre, same publisher, same platform. Seriously weird decision here.

:lol Business as usual, trust me.

 

[Hours Left]

Meh. art academy (retail) wasn't announced for North america at first -- just EU and JP. So there's still a chance!

I would be overjoyed if the game did get a US release and I would definitely support it, but I know waiting on NoA to release a niche game can be a full time occupation.

 

[Stumpokapow]

No idea honestly. NoA doesn't really say much. Sometimes stuff just pop up. It's quite frustrating trying to get info on Nintendo's upcoming releases. The timing for the release of this is just really bad. I really don't understand why NoE would want to release a Hotel Dusk sequel head to head with a brand new Layton game. Similar genre, same publisher, same platform. Seriously weird decision here.

they want to punt out all the ds games they're going to publish ASAP before the 3DS launch, even if that means compromising the sales of any one game.

 

[duckroll]

they want to punt out all the ds games they're going to publish ASAP before the 3DS launch, even if that means compromising the sales of any one game.

That doesn't explain why it isn't an October release instead.

 

[Mockingbird]

No idea honestly. NoA doesn't really say much. Sometimes stuff just pop up. It's quite frustrating trying to get info on Nintendo's upcoming releases. The timing for the release of this is just really bad. I really don't understand why NoE would want to release a Hotel Dusk sequel head to head with a brand new Layton game. Similar genre, same publisher, same platform. Seriously weird decision here.

Wait. The new Layton doesn't hit EU until Oct. 22 -- over a month later. That's not head to head.

 

[duckroll]

Wait. The new Layton doesn't hit EU until Oct. 22 -- over a month later. That's not head to head.

Oh. That's interesting. I didn't know that.

 

[Mockingbird]

I don't really care. Sorry. Releasing this in the same month as Layton is really dumb anyway. If it was any other month I would buy this in a heartbeat.

Well, I guess you're pre-ordering!:lol

 

[rainking187]

UK/Jersey based GOOD e-sellers shipping to the US:


www.zavvi.com
www.play.com
www.gamestation.co.uk
www.thehut.com
www.game.co.uk
www.sendit.com

FWIW I'd recommend http://www.gameplay.co.uk/ over Game or GameStation. I know they're all part of the same company, but I tried to order a game from them in the past, and neither Game or Gamestation would take my credit card for some reason, and didn't respond to any emails. Gameplay took my order without any problems though.

 

[Hours Left]

Oh. That's interesting. I didn't know that.

Time to get your wallet out.

 

[I NEED SCISSORS]

Looking forward to it. I enjoyed the first game, but I feel that they should improve some of the tedium of not knowing what you are doing at times. It's similar to Other M in some ways.

 

[duckroll]

Time to get your wallet out.

For what? It doesn't change the fact that I'm getting Layton this week. It just makes more sense for NoE.

 

[Hours Left]

For what? It doesn't change the fact that I'm getting Layton this week. It just makes more sense for NoE.

You make Kyle Hyde cry.

 

[Sloane]

Wait. The new Layton doesn't hit EU until Oct. 22 -- over a month later. That's not head to head.

Yeah, I should have thought of that before importing the new Layton. Then again, two great games in a week, I can't really complain.

 

[duckroll]

You make Kyle Hyde cry.

Doesn't really matter. It's not like we'll ever see him again.

 

[Hours Left]

Doesn't really matter. It's not like we'll ever see him again.

;_;

.....

CiNG will be saved, I'm cold calling random tycoons right now.

 

[duckroll]

;_;

.....

CiNG will be saved, I'm cold calling random tycoons right now.

You might wanna call the guys who own Liverpool first. They seem to love sitting on bad investments. :lol

 

[Mejilan]

I will most definitely be importing this one very, very soon.
On a semi-related note, does anyone know any import shops that carry this and Maestro Jumpin' Music? Also for the DS.

 

[Shiggy]

Thanks for the OT!

Should be cheap pretty quickly, judging from Jam with the Band and WarioWare DIY.

 

[Boney]

duckroll :*(

you can always get it later..

 

[TheFLYINGManga_Ka]

NoA...WHY!!!!???? WHY!!!??? *cry*

I hope it still makes it over. This game looks great!

The problem is that I have a DSi and I don't know if that's region-free. I know the Phat and Lite is but I don't remember if Nintendo said the DSi isn't region-free or if it only applies to DSi-exclusive games. Can anyone clear me up on this?

 

[Boney]

NoA...WHY!!!!???? WHY!!!??? *cry*

I hope it still makes it over. This game looks great!

The problem is that I have a DSi and I don't know if that's region-free. I know the Phat and Lite is but I don't remember if Nintendo said the DSi isn't region-free or if it only applies to DSi-exclusive games. Can anyone clear me up on this?

It only applies to DSi games. This should work.

 

[Shiggy]

NoA...WHY!!!!???? WHY!!!??? *cry*

I hope it still makes it over. This game looks great!

The problem is that I have a DSi and I don't know if that's region-free. I know the Phat and Lite is but I don't remember if Nintendo said the DSi isn't region-free or if it only applies to DSi-exclusive games. Can anyone clear me up on this?

Its product code is NTR-YLUJ-EUR
Games starting with a NTR are region-free