Apollo Justice Ace Attorney

To be honest, if I knew that the Ace Attorney series was going to take this direction, I would've told the guys at Capcom to stop them altogether. While Apollo and Trucy are cute characters, they've essentially made Phoenix Wright's character into a 7-year scapegoat for this game's plot. That means that if the Phoenix Wright games pick back up, he'll be middle-aged, seasoned, and expected to prevail... unlike the young, inexperienced, by the seat of his pants attorney that came with the first 3 games. My rant aside, the gameplay is noticeably upgraded due to this being an actual DS release rather than a GBA re-release. There are actual FMVs, 3D recreations of crime scenes, and even the courtroom got a once-over. Instead of the Megatama Phoenix Wright had, Justice gets a bracelet that allows him to "perceive". While this was something new, I didn't much care for how it was conveniently permissible in the same court that made Phoenix Wright prove everything with evidence. If y... Read more

It must be a funny thing being Capcom, a game developer well noted for doing quality games where the sequels have very little differences from one to the next. From Mega Man to Resident Evil and now the Phoenix Wright games, each successive installment usually brings with it the occasional improvement or gameplay mechanic not found in previous titles and Phoenix Wright is no different. I mean, it's still the same interface of the "Move/Talk/Examine/Present" screens, the same judge and same courtroom but with different stories and characters and yet they're still fun games. However, as any woman (or man on the defense) will tell you, it's not what you have it's how you use it so while we all know there's not a whole lot of radical changes from the last game "Trials and Tribulations" to this, this game still manages to be fun but something seems lacking and it doesn't have the punch that the previous game had but it's still worth a go. Story: The game centers on Apollo Justice, a new ... Read more

Apollo Justice Ace Attorney is the fourth game in the Ace Attorney Series. It starts with a brand new cast and plays similiarly to previous games. The game is broken up into two types of gameplay, investigation and trial. Investigation plays like a point and click adventure where you go along looking for clues and investigation is where you try to find contradictions in witnesses testimony and present evidence as well. This game is fun to play if you are into games such as Hotel Dusk Room 215 (which is a little more serious but good use of DS). Playing this game for the story and characters to me is crucial. I recommend playing the first 3 games to really get a good feel of the games and to also see how they improved as time went on. A good idea too is to check out video clips of the game on websites so you can see how it plays out. I'd say it's good for anyone 13 and older since it requires lots of reading and anyone younger I feel will get bored since they are not blowi... Read more

This is game full of drama and excitement. Eventhough we can no longer play as our favorite character, Phoenix Wright, but this new game still doesn't lack the excitement and the fun that was contained in the first 3 games. The cases, in my opinion, is a little harder than the first three games, and it requires a lot of investigation work, but it's all worth it in the end when you finish the cases. I was so disappointed when I finished the whole game, wanting some more of this fun.

Pros: -Graphics and sound truly are a step up for the series -Gameplay retains the same PW charm -Forensics add significantly to the fun factor of the game -Chapter 2 is the gameplay pinnacle of the series to date Cons: -Story has continuity issues -Still a very linear series -Solutions can be obscure and frustrating at times -Everything past Chapter 2 is disappointing by comparison -Not much to do with the PW story arc aside from a few returning characters -Very likely the last game in the Ace Attorney series Short synopsis: Still caters to a niche crowd---won't expand the Ace Attorney fanbase beyond what it already is. Retains all the flaws of the PW games without adding much beyond the semi-new (for US gamers) forensics system. Better introduction to the series for new people compared to the original PW games, but not by much. Fun for current fans of the series, although story will disappoint. Detailed review: Having played all of the Phoenix Wright games, I... Read more