Ace Attorney Investigations (probably eventual spoilers)

[Nerd-o-rama]

Also known as Miles Edgeworth - Perfect Prosecutor, this NDS title just came out in the states, and it's pretty phenomenal. Features include!

Great new adventure game interface to make looking around and interacting with things not a chore!
Miles Edgeworth actually doing his job! Successfully!
Policemen (other than Gumshoe) who are actually helpful and don't force you to steal evidence in order to do your job!
Deductive reasoning in place of lol magical powers!
No courtroom case in the first mission - as expected of the Ace Attorney world, the criminal is more or less nailed on the spot. As unexpected of the Ace Attorney world, it's actually the real culprit.
Returning characters! Unlike Apollo Justice, there are actually recurring characters in this game! First mission includes three recurring characters including Edgeworth himself. Oh, and that one prosecutor
A new chivalrous super-thief! Mask*DeMask wants his shtick back, and Raidou Kuzunoha wants his mythological emblem back.


And as I'm only through the first case, that's all I have to say for now. Anyone else playing this great and surprisingly innovative new addition to the AA franchise?

[Tengu_temp]

"Logic? What is logic?"
I missed Gumshoe.

[Terraoblivion]

I will just let both of you know that i hate you and the US. Why couldn't this game have been released a week ago so i could have gotten it before going to China? Why?

[Attilargh]

European release is on Friday. What's more, stores over here seem to neglect new DS releases, forcing one to shop online to find pretty much anything. And for ginormous prices, too.

So obviously I can just walz into a random game store in search of a used copy of the first Phoenix Wright game and find this on the shelf instead, with a relatively reasonable price tag. What the hell, Finland? :smalltongue:

Also, thanks for reminding me that I need to get back to solving this here third case. I love Kay, she's the best sidekick ever.


Ædit: Also, recurring characters? More like out right Continuity Headbanging (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ContinuityNod). :smalltongue: For example, aside from all the familiar faces, you can briefly spot the Gavinners logo on a stage in Episode 3, and behind that stage is a sign advertising Troupe Gramarye. It's awesome how much stuff they've packed into the backgrounds.

ÆditII: Also, the music's awesome. Especially the bit that plays when you get a really good Objection! in.

[Terraoblivion]

Gamestop is decent about DS games here, but in general you need to shop online. Thankfully that is also generally cheaper than the prices we have to deal with. It doesn't help me though. I am leaving the entire continent tomorrow.

[Player_Zero]

Damnit. Damnit.

Damnit.

Damn.

I can't play it. My DS is a hundred miles away.

[Dihan]

Must buy! Will buy! *Drools*

Only a few more days... Only a few more days... *Eye twitch*

[tonberrian]

Which reminds me - I need to pick up Justice for All. I saw both that and Trials and Tribulations at Gamestop, but since they were both in generic Gamestop boxes, I picked up the wrong one by mistake.

[Comet]

Fuuuun. Though I kinda miss the courtroom drama a little bit. Still, at least they've managed to move that same drama pretty smoothly to the crime scenes. I love how Edgeworth solves all the crimes by shouting and pointing at the people around him.
Working with Franziska was especially golden. They really should've named this game "Angry Attourney: Aggressive Investigation".

[Cubey]

You have to love it how reactions of people you just successfully proved as murderers get more and more over the top with each game.

(First episode spoiler. And I didn't reach much further yet, just so you know.)
Holy crap! Did this guy just EAT his own gold medal? That's awesome!

[Drascin]

Yep, trying it as well. For some reason, it's gripping me a lot more than the previous Ace Attorney titles. I finished the first one but never got the drive to actually finish the second - and from there none of the following ones - but somehow, Investigations is keeping my interest extremely well. I'm in the third case and counting, and I just got it this morning.

Also, I love how Edgeworth's superpower, equivalent to Phoenix's telepathic locks, is... Logic. Apparently common sense is a very special power in this world :smalltongue: (which, somehow, doesn't exactly surprise me :smallamused:).

[Cubey]

I won't rest until I've inspected every suspicious-looking nook and cranny.



Also, I love how Edgeworth's superpower, equivalent to Phoenix's telepathic locks, is... Logic. Apparently common sense is a very special power in this world :smalltongue: (which, somehow, doesn't exactly surprise me :smallamused:).

Yes. It also works (as in, producing important results) much better than the Magatama and the bracelet. Additionally, the logic tab helps you recall stuff you might have otherwise forgotten about - it's the "huh, what was I doing here again?" button.

I am in the third case now, and the game didn't stop being awesome fun.

EDIT:
Episode 3 spoiler/Easter Egg.
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/7569/phoenixs.png

[Attilargh]

Yes. It also works (as in, producing important results) much better than the Magatama and the bracelet. Additionally, the logic tab helps you recall stuff you might have otherwise forgotten about - it's the "huh, what was I doing here again?" button.
While this is true, I would've appreciated if they had made the Logic sequences actual puzzles than essentially "use Key on Lock" -level speedbumps.


Episode 3 spoiler/Easter Egg.
Motherloving... :smalleek: I can't believe I missed that. I fail as an investigator.

Oh well, at least I figured out who the guy in the Proto Badger costume was. Yay.

Seriously, how could I have missed that thing...

[SephlidJam]

Just finished the first case a few minutes ago. My favorite part was examining the Steel Samurai figure in Edgeworth's office.

Gumshoe's comment after Edgeworth's rant was priceless.

"Are you sure you're not some kind of rabid fanboy or something?"

[Fawkes]

EDIT:
Episode 3 spoiler/Easter Egg.
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/7569/phoenixs.png

:smalleek:

How in the Blue Badger's name did I miss that?!?

[Dihan]

I missed it too!

I also missed how Miles' old uniform is basically a clone of Manfred's.. Then five minutes later it was pointed out by one of the NPCs. :smallsigh:

[Lord Seth]

Good game, definitely better than Apollo Justice. The anticlimax ending of that game left a bitter taste in my mouth; this game's ending was more of what I felt that game's ending should've been.And while I really did like the "team effort" idea of it, where everyone helped out at the end, I think they did overdo it a little.Overall though, really good game, I hope they make another in this series.

[Fawkes]

Haven't seen the ending yet (I'm still on the last case), but I'm looking forward to seeing how everything ties together. It's been a while since I've played the first four; is this the first game where all of the cases are intertwined?

They didn't really start having an overarching story for each game until Trials and Tribulations, but it and Apollo Justice each had a couple standalone cases.

[DarknessLord]

This game granted me with something wonderful, (minor spoiler for case 4, I suppose)
13 year old Franny with a riding crop.

Quite cute, and very fun, she hasn't matured much since then has she, and most of what she has, has been since she showed up in Justice for All.

[Tengu_temp]

Oh well, at least I figured out who the guy in the Proto Badger costume was. Yay.


Who? I know it was a familiar character, but who exactly I have no idea - I didn't pay enough attention to tiny details until it was too late.

[Fawkes]

Who? I know it was a familiar character, but who exactly I have no idea - I didn't pay enough attention to tiny details until it was too late.

Wait, the Proto Badger?
Wasn't it Lance?

[hanzo66]

Oh and I found this:
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f278/katietiedrich/comic142.png

[Tengu_temp]

Wait, the Proto Badger?
Wasn't it Lance?

I meant the one that gives you evidence, whose identity never becomes obvious in the game.

[Attilargh]

I'll give you a hint: Think about the company that owns the park for a moment. :smallwink:

[Dihan]

I'll give you a hint: Think about the company that owns the park for a moment. :smallwink:

According to AAWiki it's the Bellboy from the Gatewater Hotel. Apparently Max Galactica, Gavinners and Troupe Gramarye performed at the stadium and Jake Marshall's cacti for the Wild Wild West part of the park were "donated" by the police department.

[Fawkes]

According to AAWiki it's the Bellboy from the Gatewater Hotel. Apparently Max Galactica, Gavinners and Troupe Gramarye performed at the stadium and Jake Marshall's cacti for the Wild Wild West part of the park were "donated" by the police department.

I saw the Gavinners logo. Where were the clues for Galactica and Gramarye?

[Dihan]

I saw the Gavinners logo. Where were the clues for Galactica and Gramarye?

There's a sign near the Stadium announcing a final showdown between Max Galactica and Troupe Gramarye.

I also find the stepladder vs ladder war amusing as always. :smallbiggrin:

[Attilargh]

There's a sign near the Stadium announcing a final showdown between Max Galactica and Troupe Gramarye.
Huh. I missed the part about the former. Oh well, I didn't like him anyhow. :smalltongue:

Finally finished the game, by the way. There was this one piece of evidence that managed to stump me for days. Then I resorted to GameFAQs and felt really stupid. Sigh. Still, fun game.
What do you mean the one piece of evidence you haven't thoroughly checked yet is the damn murder weapon?! What is wrong with you? And, for that matter, why was the damn murder weapon the one piece of evidence I didn't try presenting? :smallannoyed:

Shame I didn't get to shout "Objection!" at the end. :smallfrown:

[Fawkes]

Man, playing this game has got me all excited about the series again. I may have to go back and play the old ones.

I ended up making a Sporcle quiz for Ace Attorney characters, because I am terrible at managing my spare time. Do me a favor and let me feel validated by trying it out (http://www.sporcle.com/games/Fawkes/aceattorney).

[Ikialev]

Too easy. And not enough characters. (The sporcle quiz, that is)

And as for the game, it's also too easy. And the cases lack this something from previous games... MAybe it's the court? F:

[Dihan]

I felt that it could have done with some actualy hands-on forensic investigating in the same vein as Apollo Justic and 1-5.

[Cubey]

Ace Attorney Investigations is a pretty easy game compared to previous titles, but I think it's mostly because it wants you to present evidence logically, rather than in ways that are either too specific (present the murder weapon when the witness says sentence X, not Y, even if it'd make sense to present it in sentence Y!) or make sense only in hindsight. There are still such situations, but I found only two so that's a definite improvement.

Also, both of these situations happened during talking with Agent Lang, which made me hate him a little. Which is a pity, because he's a pretty cool character.
Dammit, why do I lose the health bar for arguing with you when you KNOW your accusation is false and use it only to lay a trap on the bad guy?

Speaking of Lang, the new characters are fun. For example, Kay is perfect in her role of a space case jailbait sidekick - she is funny and amusing without being a ripoff of Maya. I can't decide whether agent Lang or detective Badd is more badass.
I mean, both thwarted an attempt of Franziska whipping them. And Badd actually survives until his retirement!

[Drascin]

Personally, until now (I'm starting the final act of case 5), I've found Investigations to be one of the best AA games. Yes, it's easier - but that's mostly because it makes sense except for a couple places, so basic logic actually works here, instead of demanding systematically trying your whole inventory - or GameFAQs.

The characters and narrative also make the game. I love Kay so much, Edgeworth makes for such a great main character, and the whole Yatagarasu narrative line is fairly engaging, and with, for the first time in the series, something that I actually didn't see coming from a mile away:


No, seriously, megaspoiler here. If you haven't beaten the game yet, don't open this!

Badd being the third Yatagarasu. I was actually surprised - in hindsight, it made sense, but I never expected it for a second.


And since AA is usually so predictable, the surprise was really magnified.

[Attilargh]

Speaking of reveals in case five...

I saw the "Shih-Na is Yew!" reveal coming a mile away. I really did, honest. But then I looked at the photos, said "Naw, they wouldn't do that. 'Sides, the jaw is different shape" and then had to laugh and facepalm at myself when she finally cracked up.

[Cubey]

Same topic as Attilargh above:

Saw that coming too. I realized that at the very start of case 5, when Shin-ha made the exact same "smugly looking down on you" pose as Yew did earlier.

[Fawkes]

Following that same train: I was genuinely shocked. I thought Shih-na was in cahoots with the ring, but I never thought she'd be Yew. And the way they did the reveal - with the laughing - was just perfect.

Also, the Badd reveal was absolutely epic.

[tyckspoon]

Speaking of Lang, the new characters are fun. For example, Kay is perfect in her role of a space case jailbait sidekick - she is funny and amusing without being a ripoff of Maya. I can't decide whether agent Lang or detective Badd is more badass.


I'm picking Badd. Mostly because I can imagine something like the following exchange:
"Detective Badd! He just tried to shoot you five times! Are you ok??"
".... just more holes for my coat."
"..... .... WHAT?!? He was two feet away from you! How did you do that?"
*Detective Badd stares at his questioner intently, then dramatically pulls out his mirror*
"... Dodge Charms."

[Cubey]

Ghh... too awesome...

Also, thanks for reminding me to check Keychain of Creation.

[Weimann]

I got this a bit late, and I just finished the first case.

It's... okay. I thought it would be better. I guess there are 2 primary reasons I am not entirely satisfied.

1) Our relationship to the main character. Phoenix was kept intentionally vague, kind of slow and not expounded upon to the extent some other characters are. This made us perceive ourselves as Phoenix (at least I did). Edgeworth is already created in our heads, and I think that makes him not as accessible as Wright was. I feel like I'm watching him work, rather than working as him. This leads me to...

2) The new stances during investigation. Okay, it might be a nitpick, but it matters to me. You always get the courtroom stances during talks. Always. Even people you are cross-examining get the stance of a prosecutor or attorney (seen from the side), and not one of a witness (seen from the front). It messes up the feeling of them. Suddenly the witness is portrayed as an antagonist? Because earlier, it's always been "we: good guys, prosecution: bad guys, witnesses: our tools of battle". Now, with messing up the established stances, it feels like we suddenly have a lot more bad guys around. I like their new "walk-around-the-crime-scene" approach, but they should seriously have kept the old stances during talk sessions.

Otherwise, the game is pretty good. It's lovely to see Gumshoe back, and so far, I like the characters.

I must say, though, that the game has struck me as the most risque one so far. Right from the start. Gumshoe/Edgeworth has almost become a viable pairing for me, only from the first case. My first thought upon seeing the criminal in the first case was "so you are here for the yaoi fans, I take it?" Also, that second waitress in the second case... she's downright creepy. That blouse and a teddy-bear? Were they going for lolita there? O.o

[Cubey]

2) The new stances during investigation. Okay, it might be a nitpick, but it matters to me. You always get the courtroom stances during talks. Always. Even people you are cross-examining get the stance of a prosecutor or attorney (seen from the side), and not one of a witness (seen from the front). It messes up the feeling of them. Suddenly the witness is portrayed as an antagonist? I like their new "walk-around-the-crime-scene" approach, but they should seriously have kept the old stances during talk sessions.


I figure that's because the protagonist is Edgeworth, and Edgey:
1. Likes to talk to people in a very direct, so as not to say aggressive, manner.
2. Is an experienced prosecutor who is so used to his job, he treats everything as a court case. Imagine his daily life:
"I'm sorry sir, we're out of breadrolls."
"HOLD IT! That's a lie and I can prove it." *presents evidence*
*over-the-top reaction* "Nooooooooo!"

As for the game being risque... well, Ace Attorney was overflowing with yaoi (and yuri - Lana/Mia, anyone? Or Franziska/Andrew?) to start with. As for the air attendant, I counter with April May from the first game.

[Weimann]

I figure that's because the protagonist is Edgeworth, and Edgey:
1. Likes to talk to people in a very direct, so as not to say aggressive, manner.
2. Is an experienced prosecutor who is so used to his job, he treats everything as a court case. Imagine his daily life:
"I'm sorry sir, we're out of breadrolls."
"HOLD IT! That's a lie and I can prove it." *presents evidence*
*over-the-top reaction* "Nooooooooo!"As hilarious as that sounds, I don't really picture him like that, I must say. To me, he's actually one to keep a level head unless called upon to act decisively. But YMMV, of course.
As for the game being risque... well, Ace Attorney was overflowing with yaoi (and yuri - Lana/Mia, anyone? Or Franziska/Andrew?) to start with. As for the air attendant, I counter with April May from the first game.People always said that, but I never saw it (okay, Franziska/Andews I admit, that had some serious undertones... codependency + chick with a whip O.O). The other stuff felt more like friendship and/or professional admiration to me. The Phoenix/Edgeworth shipping I seriously could never understand. There are no implications to anything of the sort!

This game though... ho, boy. Gumshoe is the archetype of a nervous mid-schooler chick from any anime you'd care to mention. "I did this because I thought you'd like it... *insecure shyness*"

Also, April May was a full-blooded woman. She knew how she looked and used it. I get a different vibe off the second air attendant. That bloody teddy-bear! It makes her feel like jail bait (get it, because the game is about... eh, nevermind). She's quite clearly of age, but... gah.

[Cubey]

Lana admitted herself, that she was attracted to Mia Fey. Intellectually, of course.

Although I admit that the most popular ships: Phoenix/Edgeworth and Edgeworth/Gumshoe (well, this one until Investigations...) were mostly creations of yaoi fangirls, without enough base in reality to fully support them. But there was also enough subtext not to fully throw them out as a possibility, and since the creators both like to encourage AND tease their fans...

I think the teddy bear was there because she's always asleep.

[Fawkes]

I've always seen Gumshoe's fawning over Edgey as a bizarre form of hero worship. I've never seen anything sexual in it.

Come to think of it, I've never seen anything sexual between Edgey and Nick, either.

Besides, Gummy's clearly got the hots for Maggey.


Also, April May was a full-blooded woman. She knew how she looked and used it. I get a different vibe off the second air attendant. That bloody teddy-bear! It makes her feel like jail bait (get it, because the game is about... eh, nevermind). She's quite clearly of age, but... gah.

Case 2 spoilers
Cammy's using it, too. It's all an act, remember?

[UglyPanda]

Following that same train: I was genuinely shocked. I thought Shih-na was in cahoots with the ring, but I never thought she'd be Yew. And the way they did the reveal - with the laughing - was just perfect.

Also, the Badd reveal was absolutely epic.I kinda knew once the fifth case began and I still couldn't see Shin-na's age. I kept wondering, "Why wouldn't they tell me her age?". Three seconds later, I realized it had to be because she had the same age as another character.

They honestly could have worked around it, by giving a bunch of characters the same age or simply not saying how old some of the characters are.By the way, anyone else think Manny Coachen looks like he's fifty? He's only 31 in the last case.

They're kinda obsessed with young girls in this series. Franziska is still 19 and Ema Skye shows up for almost no reason in the third case. It might have been to more firmly establish the timeline for those who don't use the internet, but you can still see Gumshoe and Franziska's ages.

[Fawkes]

I kinda knew once the fifth case began and I still couldn't see Shin-na's age. I kept wondering, "Why wouldn't they tell me her age?". Three seconds later, I realized it had to be because she had the same age as another character.

They honestly could have worked around it, by giving a bunch of characters the same age or simply not saying how old some of the characters are.By the way, anyone else think Manny Coachen looks like he's fifty? He's only 31 in the last case.

Regarding the spoiler'd paragraph:
That didn't really occur to me, since you couldn't see her age in case three, either.

Yeah, I though Manny looked way too old too, especially considering we know he had ll those wrinkles even when he was only 23.