Last month, at the 2011 Tokyo Game Show, Level-5 shocked the world by announcing the PS3 version of Ni no Kuni would be released outside of Japan. No specific details were given, just that the console version of the Level-5 and Studio Ghibli collaboration was going to be translated into English and shared with the world. There wasn’t even an English trailer, release window or information on which company would be publishing it.

Now, we know. Namco Bandai, probably the unlikeliest option, is partially responsible for the good news…

Well iOS device owners, it seems like you’ll be in for a treat sometime in the future. Level-5′s Vision 2011 event has just passed, and one of the biggest announcements was for Layton Brothers Mystery Room. It’s a spin-off from the Professor Layton DS and 3DS games, starring the Professor’s son, Alphendi Layton.

Well, it isn’t just about Alphendi. It’s also about his partner, Lucy Creila. The two work for Scotland Yard with the Mystery Room division…

Think of Professor Layton and the Last Specter as an end of an era. With Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle and Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney both being confirmed as 3DS exclusives, The Last Specter will be the last time DS owners will be able to solve puzzles with Professor Layton. Level-5 and Brownie Brown have done everything possible to make this experience incredible for DS owners…

If solving puzzles isn’t your thing, Professor Layton and the Last Specter has you covered. In addition to the robust adventure filled with puzzles and intrigue provided by Level-5, there is also a full-fledged RPG called London Life by Brownie Brown.

Actually, RPG isn’t exactly the right word for it. Yes, there are plenty of RPG elements like a slew of quests, plenty of NPCs, a town to explore, happiness to maintain and money to earn, but it’s really more of a life sim. Players who jump in get to create their own avatar who lives in a miniature version of the London that Professor Layton and other famous characters from the series inhabit…

Good news people, you now know the correct way to refer to Ni no Kuni PS3 so you don’t have to try and pronounce a Japanese subtitle should you head to your local game store to pre-order it. Level-5 has just dubbed it Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. It sounds a bit more menacing and exciting than Ni no Kuni: Shiroki Seihai no Joou (Ni no Kuni: Queen of the Sacred White Ashes).

That isn’t the only recent nugget of information dropped by Level-5…

Good news from Japan today! Level-5 confirmed at the 2011 Tokyo Game Show that Ni no Kuni: Shiroki Seihai no Joou will be released in North America. I guess we should really start referring to it as Ni no Kuni: Queen of the Sacred White Ashes now, since that’s probably what it will be called here. Sometime in the beginning of 2012, we’ll be able to visit the Second Country!

Oliver is a normal 13 year old boy living in Hotroit with his mother, and eerything’s going fine. Well, until his mother dies suddenly….

Japan gets the prettiest PS3s. I’m serious. Just look at some of theirs compared to some of ours. There’s that nice Final Fantasy XIII one, the rather elegant Tales of Xillia system that was just announced and now the most striking of them all has been released. It’s a limited edition system that will only come bundled with the forthcoming Level-5 and Studio Ghibli RPG, Ni no Kuni: Shiroki Seihai no Joou (Ni no Kuni: Queen of White Sacred Ash).

This bundle has been dubbed the Ni no Kuni Magical Edition bundle, which is appropriate because it certainly looks magical….

The Professor Layton you’ve all been waiting for has just been announced by Nintendo. Yes, even though the focus is probably going to shifted to the 3DS next year, this year the DS is getting some love and if Professor Layton and the Last Specter doesn’t make you feel loved, then I don’t know what will. As is fitting with something that has the word “specter” in the title, it’ll be released October 17, 2011….

So you’re a company that makes quality video games and you want to know what video games your potential audience wants. What do you? Go to social networking sites, of course! Level-5 is currently debating which finished and in-development games it wants to release outside of Japan, and has decided the best way to gauge people’s interest is to put up a poll on Facebook with a few options people can choose from.

Here are the 10 games listed in Level-5′s Facebook poll…

Playing with Professor Layton has always been a solitary experience. Well, until now. It turns out Level-5 is going to be collaborating with DeNA to make it a more social experience. See, the Professor Layton adventure and puzzle series is going to merge with DeNA’s Kaito Royale a mission-based, social RPG. The result is an entirely new game called Professor Layton Royale that will be an adventure RPG people can play on their phones.

While details about how Professor Layton Royale will play are scant, due to it not being released on Japanese cell phones and smartphones until Fall 2011, it seems like it will be very similar to Kaito Royale…