Miles Edgeworth: Ace Attorney - Investigations

[toblix]

http://kotaku.com/5232387/ace-attorney-investgations-trailer. I couldn't wait before, but now I really can't!

[OssK]

My god I'm so blown away...

[Wurtsi]

For some reason I just can't stop smiling.

[Roderick]

P-p-p-p-point 'n click! This will be fantastic. I'm still miffed they didn't go with Perfect Prosecutor though, because that name just summed it up so well. And it totally fit the tone of the Ace Attorney series.

Guess they chickened out.

[Jake]

P-p-p-p-point 'n click! This will be fantastic. I'm still miffed they didn't go with Perfect Prosecutor though, because that name just summed it up so well. And it totally fit the tone of the Ace Attorney series.

Guess they chickened out.

Was that ever an actual name? I (maybe incorrectly) thought it was born out of a gaming forum.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Yeah, it kind of limits the role to... prosecution

[thorn]

With the Ace Attorney series, do I need to have played the earlier ones to 'get' the latter ones? I occassionally see the second or third ones in game stores but I always hesitate because I haven't played the first one.

[toblix]

You're asking the wrong question. You should be asking yourself what the fastest way is for you to get a hold of all of the Phoenix Wright (including Apollo Justice) games and play them in chronological order. Not because there's a mythology or shit like that, but because they're all so awesome you have to have played them all to justify your existence, and it's the best order to play them in.

[SiN]

toblix is right.

The stories are connected, but the beginning of each game gives you a quick recap of the story. To really appreciate the whole thing though, it's best to play them chronologically.

Mo

[Jake]

Also the subsequent ones, especially the second Phoenix Wright game, are weaker than the first, in my opinion. Start from the beginning, get the first game online somewhere -- it's probably the cheapest one at this point anyway.

[miffy495]

Oh good, it's not just me who feels that way about the second one. I honestly gave up on it due to the drastic reduction in quality. If the later ones get better, I may actually finish it and play the rest.

[Roderick]

It's an old discussion, but combined with the new DS case in the end, Phoenix Wright 1 was absolutely terrific. However, it is topped ever so slightly by the fantastic third game, in no small part because of prosecutor Godot, who is a brilliant character. The final case is also absolutely delightful and there's massive amounts of backstory on all characters.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Doh!

Based on comments in this thread I picked up what I thought was the first game in the series, Ace Attorney: Justice For All, for my girlfriend... Only to discover that it's actually the horrendous sub-par sequel that everyone is talking about... Now she's cursing how illogical it all is.

Doh.

Edited May 4, 2009 by ThunderPeel2001

[toblix]

What? There's a horrendous sequel I never heard about that has the same name as the awesome sequel with the same name?

[Roderick]

"Horrendous" being quite the wrong word, here.

[toblix]

Aaaanyway, there's a flash demo up here. I haven't tried it, and hope I won't, but this game won't be out till February.

[Sombre]

You all owe it to yourselves to play through these games, 100%

From the top of my head:

1-3 (Steel Samurai)

and the FINAL CASE FROM TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OH GOD THIS IS SO AWESOME AHHHHHH

To clarify: Play the games

[toblix]

Listen to this person. He/she is clearly right.

[Kolzig]

Surely one of the games of 2010 to check when it's released.

I really want to avoid trying the flash demo, I'll want to wait for the release.

[Fuzzy Lobster]

I've only played the first one, but I really enjoyed it. I've been a bit iffy on trying the sequels. Maybe I'll reconsider.

[miffy495]

I got a bit into the second, but felt really let down after how great the first one was. I may try picking it up again sometime, if only because Toblix will likely kill me otherwise.

[toblix]

I will find a way into your home.

[Jake]

I got a bit into the second, but felt really let down after how great the first one was. I may try picking it up again sometime, if only because Toblix will likely kill me otherwise.

The sequels aren't as good or as fresh as the first one by any means, but they have some good bits if you really want to play. The sequels both get better as they go, too. The latter two cases are far better than the earlier ones in both games. I didn't check out the fourth one (Apollo Justice) because it looked like it amplified my least favorite parts of the games.

I like Phoenix Wright the best when it's almost a straight detective story, with just a little oddness or goofiness thrown in (and a billion gotchyas and plot twists, etc, of course). The further it gets into magic, and characters who are completely batshit insane wacky design city from the moment you meet them, the less interested I am. Both sequels steered in that direction, but in the later cases I felt balanced the convoluted stuff with the fun I had in the first game of the pure investigation, barely pulling it off and obliterating people in court.

All the stuff with locks and magic stones and stuff, man I didn't care for that at all. The distinction between hidden object clue hunting, and the inventory- and dialog tree-driven courtroom stuff was really clean and distinct in the first game, and they got muddier with it as it went. I...

Maybe I'm old.

Edit: re-reading this thread, Rodi's post reminded me of Godot, the prosecutor in the third game, who is in fact great, and does elevate that game quite a lot. I remembered thinking "the third one's far better than the frustrating second one," and that's definitely why. As the third game starts to close out with its final two cases, if you've invested anything in the characters/world of the game and want to see events happen on the more marco level, it almost feels justified playing through both sequels to get to that point. ... Not to a "slag through a game you hate just to see the end that makes it worthwhile" level, but if you're getting something out of it in general that compels you to keep playing, the end of the third game is rewarding.

For posterity, here's Godot's extremely anime-detective theme as performed by some sort of jazz combo that Capcom commissioned for an album.

Edited November 16, 2009 by Jake

[Sombre]

What Jake said rings true for me too. The first game is absolutely sublime from start to end. Every case is superb, all having such unique and colorful characters, they really make the game come alive.

With the second and third games, some of the magic is lost. Like Jake said again, the whole introduction of the "Magic stones" stuff (Basically a way to probe peoples inner thoughts and find any inconsistencies in their statements. Not to say that the franchise diminishes within each sequel. Imagine they're all chests filled with gold. Each franchise is just a smaller chest.

The writing, as aforementioned is absolutely tremendous, and the music is just right. I really can't recommend these games enough, and if you're an Idle thumbs listener, you probably already have a mild affinity to the kind of vibe that the PW games try to give off.

And the final case in Trials and Tribulations...wow.

[miffy495]

Figured as we already have a Phoenix Wright thread going, I shouldn't start a new one. Looks like I'll have a chance to get the other two games for pretty cheap not too long from now.