I know the localized release for both North America and Europe is still a good six months away, but it's never too soon to hype for a new AA title. (Saw what I did there?)    Following in the same spirit as its predecessors (Phoenix Wright, Justice For All, Trials and Tribulations, and Apollo Justice)..... EUREKA!  I do declare this to be the official thread for our crimson-clad prince.

---

Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth takes the Ace Attorney series from the courtroom to the crime scene, leaving the legal battle behind while bringing the action to various crime scenes.

This time around, the player takes on the role of famed prosecutor Miles Edgeworth, a memorable rival of charismatic legal eagle Phoenix Wright. Edgeworth actively investigates crime scenes in order to pursue the truth behind each case. By solving the challenging puzzles presented to him, Edgeworth will work with the police to bring criminals to justice.

Since becoming the youngest prosecutor in the country at the tender age of 20, Miles Edgeworth built quite a reputation for himself by putting away bad guys in short order. However, after several confrontations against Phoenix Wright, he has changed his approach to seeking the truth. Unfortunately, Wright was only the beginning of his troubles.

In Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, the flashy prosecutor in the wine red suit is plagued by a series of deaths that seem to follow him wherever he goes. To obtain the truth, Miles Edgeworth will take center stage in an exciting suspense-filled drama that requires him to dive into the mysterious world of crime scene investigation.

Ace Attorney Investigations sheds light on the other side of the judicial system with a whole new gameplay dynamic to the world of Ace Attorney. As Miles Edgeworth, users will investigate various locations, work directly with characters on the scene, find contradictions, and get to the truth by presenting decisive evidence. Miles Edgeworth can also make use of the all-new Logic system, in which he chooses two pieces of information out of the various pieces he has collected and combines them to discover new information.

* Starring Miles Edgeworth, the popular rival of attorney Phoenix Wright
* Gameplay moves out of the courtroom and onto the crime scene
* New investigative style using the Nintendo DS stylus to uncover evidence
* Several unique cases to solve with over 15 hours of game play
* New technique, such as “logic” mode assists you in uncovering the crime
* Unique dialog trees and interrogation techniques let you question witnesses to discover the truth

Release Date: NA: February 16, 2010 / EU: February 19, 2010
Official Site: http://ace-attorney.com/
Discussion on the Original Soundtrack: http://www.soundtrackcentral.com/forums … hp?id=4869

English Videos:
Captivate 09 Trailer
SDCC 09: Investigation Trailer

---

The wait for this one is gonna be tough.  Has anyone already played the Japanese release?

I played the demo at Comic Con. Picked up a nice Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth tin and a Blue Badger towel, too. I couldn't hear any of the music, though, because the Capcom booth was so noisy. The funny thing was I was playing it while a Gumshoe cosplayer watched.

The logic mode and interrogation scenes (more or less the same as the court scenes in the previous games) fit perfectly within the PW gameplay framework. It'll take me a while to get used to hearing Edgeworth yelling EUREKA!, though.

I remember reading somewhere (Siliconera?) that this game takes place after Trials and Tribulation, for those that are curious. Hopefully it'll tie up some of the loose ends (What happened to Maya and Pearl? Does Gumshoe ever hook up with Maggie?!) that Apollo Justice didn't cover.

I'm definitely looking forward to the inevitable online demo, but judging from the website's order of icons, it's probably going to be the last thing they have placed up. 

*crosses fingers that Alexander Smith is onboard for the localization*

It's to my understanding that the majority of the story takes place after Trials and Tribulations, but that it jumps between timelines from previous games.  I believe one case takes place just after the events of Justice For All.

Croik of Court Records has her spoiler-free review up:

http://croik.livejournal.com/89053.html

From what one can gather from the review, the story's pacing and gameplay is more brisk as a result of the new on-the-scene Confrontations.  There's also (and this one's for Schala) no more backtracking from area to area to progress the plot -- but at the same time, this can make the game feel more restrictive and linear.  Fan service is liberal, with plenty of character cameo appearances from prior games.  Much like Apollo Justice (and to a lesser extent, T&T), there's an overarching story interwoven in all five cases.

That'd be nice. I wouldn't mind if they explained why he left the country apparently yielding his position to Godot between JFA & T&T. Oh, and I know a bit of content from the demo. Even in the first case, fan service is confirmed.

I thought Edgeworth left the country because of the whole shakeup in his beliefs. Wouldn't be surprised if he became like PW in a way and needed to find "a better way" of doing justice, quite possibly by studying other countries' justice systems. 'Course that's just speculation; it would be nice to find out what actually happened.

Angela: Whoo-hoo, no more backtracking! I dunno about what I assume is the new style of movement, though. From what I saw in the trailer, it looks like now you run around like an adventuring RPG party. I'm not sure I particularly relish the thought of that.

But ohhh dear lord, a "Logic System." Combining items for new clues? I just hope it'll be more logical than the system in The Adventure Company's games that it made based on Agatha Christie's novels. Or maybe I just suck at logic. ^_~

Nekobo: Same here about Edgeworth's voice. I just didn't care for his English voice in general. Well, I didn't care for Payne's voice either, but at least he was SUPPOSED to be whiny, heh.

There's a new gameplay video up from TGS 2009, which actually showcases more of the localized English version.  If you want to stay a complete virgin on the game, you probably shouldn't view:

http://www.capcom-unity.com/jgonzo/blog … _edgeworth

Damn, I so love Shiryu Rou..... sorry, Shi-Long Lang's theme.

Hmm, the music sure seems to fit much better in-game than it did standing alone on the OST.

Looks like the trial version is available for play.  Interesting that not even the official site hasn't yet been updated with the demo: 

Investigations Trial Version:
http://www.gamespot.com/ds/adventure/gy … ws;title;2

Eurogamer's review is up: 8/10.  There are minor spoilers involving the basic plot, as well as a few cameo reveals, so if you're looking to go in completely fresh, don't read.  For your protection, some spoiler-free choice quotes:

---

Things might be different as Edgeworth takes the helm, but this is unmistakably an Ace Attorney game. It bubbles with joy, a simmering pot of gleeful happiness. The ridiculous world of outlandish characters, crazed enthusiasm and peculiar passion continues, despite this latest game being even more heavily focused on the topic of murder.

Edgeworth also marks a departure from the more ludicrous psychic themes. This is about as down-to-Earth as the series has been, its own particular brand of unrealistic magic appearing in the form of some very silly technology that allows holographic presentations of crime scenes to surround the cast.

Sadly the same damned idiotic mistake that has held every one of these adorable games back from receiving a higher score is present once again. It's head-bangingly frustrating. Yet again perfectly acceptable solutions, interjections and presentations of evidence are rejected because of poor scripting.  Edgeworth has so many ways of losing blocks of green from his "health" bar now - incorrect rebuttal interruptions, wrongly chosen Deduce evidence, and combining Logic in a perfectly reasonable way they didn't think of, all knocks points from the meter.

Once again the translation team have done the most incredible job. There's a few typos, and the rather strange repeated mistake of saying, "You're going to have to make due." But otherwise it's a tour-de-force of near-impenetrable puns, awesome one-liners, and incredibly inventive made-up agony noises.

It's so gorgeously loveable. Edgeworth was an inspired choice to take the lead role. It's bursting with happiness. And so am I when I play it.

---

I find the comment about the game being "as down-to-earth as the series has been" interesting.  I found Apollo Justice to be the most realistically practical of all the games so far, and I quote: "It's the characters; they're more grounded in reality. (At least, as far as 'reality' can readily be defined in the Phoenix Wright universe.)  Grounded in the sense that even spirit-channeling sounds like some absurd piece of far-out fiction that never belonged in this game's world to begin with."

But unlike AJ's no-nonsense cast, Investigations looks to feature characters far more colorful and better equipped for the trademark humor found in the titles from the pre-Apollo era.  The fact that there will be so many throwbacks and characters to the early series probably helps, too.

Finished up the first episode, now starting on the second.  I must admit I wasn't quite taken with Case One.  As an introduction, it works, but comparatively, it lack the panache, twists, and intrigue of Trials and Tribulations' and Apollo Justice's Case Ones.  It's problematic when they reveal who the killer is from the get-go, and follow that logic to its obvious conclusion.  As a setup for the overarching plot, it's serviceable, but doesn't come anywhere close to reaching the wham-bam firecracker that started off the two aforementioned games.

What I find most interesting about these new Confrontation/Argument sequences is that they keep the flavor of the cross examinations of prior games -- but seeing as how we're now out of a court setting, there's a lot more smack-talk going on.   The sessions are frequent, too, which is a great thing for fans of the examination portions of the series.

Alex Smith isn't on board for localization duties this time, and it shows.  Which isn't to say the dialogue is bad, but it seems to me if any character is deserving of the classy, witty stylings of Smith, it would be Edgeworth.

I likely mentioned this before, but I'll say it again: "Tell The Truth 2009" is surely one of the best Truth themes in the series.  A very close second to Justice For All's 2002.

We all know Edgey is a pretty cool customer -- but I had no idea how cool he was until I saw these two frames of in-game animation.  It's a potentially minor spoiler at the very beginning of Case Two, but you've gotta admit: even in his current situation, that cocky, defiant smirk in the second shot exudes supreme confidence. ^_^

No Alex Smith? That's a little discouraging. I've always been fond of his work (especially Ace Attorney and the Twelve Kingdoms). Interesting thoughts on the game thus far. I'll be picking it up this weekend when I get paid. Knowing me, I'll probably go on a marathon and finish it before the weekend is up. XD

So very excited about this! I've been desperately in need of a new Ace Attorney game.

I disagree on two levels - firstly, I think the script is pretty darned good, personally, as the personalities come through fine, I'm digging LeBlanc's malaprops in Case 2, and there's thus far a refreshing lack of the kind of pop-culture references which were all over the T&T script. Secondly, I think that if Edgeworth's coming off flat at all, that's because of Edgeworth.
Putting my pro-Ema agenda aside, the OTHER reason I think putting him in the lead was a bad idea was because he doesn't fit as a lead for the series. The protagonists of the series should always start the game at a disadvantage, surrounded by doubters and a general lack of authority, but Edgey enters the room with a briefcase full of respect and blind trust. Moreover, the very act of running around playing cop in this fashion robs him a bit of his mystique, the aloof genius that was always two steps ahead of Phoenix now seems like he's sleepwalking through his deductions. Call it the Raiden principle: building a neophyte up to become a badass is more entertaining than helping a legend keep pace with his reputation.

OK, now that that's off my chest, some passing positives and negatives so far.

+ Hot damn, this game is gorgeous. As with Apollo, the extra kick of the DS adds loads of personality to the animations, and while nothing tops Klavier's air-guitar, LeBlanc's hand-gestures are right up there.
- On the other hand, the soundtrack thus far isn't making as deep an impression - an hour removed from a three-hour jam and the only tracks I remember liking right away were the Truth piece Angela mentioned (even as it seems to crib elements from the 2001 version) and the Victory theme. Part of the problem seems to be the instrumentation - Edgeworth does seem like a piano-and-sax kind of guy to me personally.
+ Even at this early stage the game seems trickier than Apollo was, and thankfully more time is being spent on cross-examining than investigating so far. Also, god bless Gumshoe. I fear Case 2 is going to be a drag without him around. Certainly the new partner doesn't seem like she'll be much for a laugh.
- I'm thoroughly irritated that the lower screen features characters in silhouette and NONE OF THEM ARE EMA. I mean hell, it was only supposed to be her game, right? (No, I'm never going to let this drop. In fact, I'm seriously considering mailing Capcom Japan a stack of pictures with Edgeworth Xed out and her circled...OK, not seriously considering, but idly, and with increasing frequency. Every time I look at that lower screen.)

Oh, and as a random aside, I seem to be thinking of Ninja Gaiden at times while playing this. The bit at the start with Edgeworth and the thief had me thinking, "Just a gunman. Get out of here!"
And in the shot Angela provided, Edgey looks a lot like Clancy from NG3. Anyone else think so?

Looking forward to sinking more time into it tomorrow. Gripes aside, it has been too long.

I noticed the similarity to "Telling the Truth 2001" as well. Although I don't have any proof, I think the similarity is intentional. That was the first Ace Attorney game and it featured Phoenix VS Edgeworth. It seems fitting to reference it on Edgeworth's first solo outing. Personally, I thought the victory theme from Investigations was also a little reminiscent of the first victory theme as well. I admit that one's kind of a stretch though.

I thought the soundtrack for Investigations did a pretty good job capturing Edgeworth's essence in music form. Not a lot of sax, but there was a heavy focus on piano along with some light Classical music vibes. The whole thing just seems very organized and stately as opposed to Phoenix Wright's lighter, more energetic scores.

Finished Case Two, and I LOVED it.  Much, much better than Case One.   It's great to see the game hitting its stride, and it's a definite return to form to the usually-excellent Case Twos of the series.  (Recall my less-than-satisfactory mark against Apollo Justice's Case Two.)

It's become increasingly apparent that they really are aiming to paint an overall picture with this one.  Exact motives and resolutions are still unclear even at the end of cases, with the promise of further reveals down the road.  Guess we'll see how it all fits together by game's end.

---

END OF CASE TWO SPOILERS:
I really ended up liking..... Rhoda.  That iFly suitcase design of her's was pretty sharp. (I want to see the one she gives Edgeworth as a gift become a staple in his office in future games.)  Cammy has some of the most entertaining, sleaziest animations I've seen in the series so far.  Even when she doesn't mean to be, she looks sleazy.  It's gotta be the mouth.  Sleepy = sleazy.  Her defiant/on-the-ropes set of animations and her final breakdown.... are to die for.

My favorite moment of Case Two?  When..... Lablanc was free-falling from the stairwell, and Edgeworth was putting the pieces together in rapid succession as to the exact method of Hicks' murder.  All to the contextually-perfect Tell The Truth 2009.

---

The game's graphics and animation really are slick.  There's also something to be said for the excellent replication of the in-game character models through sprites.  I get a kick every time Gumshoe does that frightful girly pose when Franny gives him a crack of the whip.  Classic.

The game does seem trickier from the offset, what with Logic and Deduction thrown into the mix of proper Pressing and Presenting -- but they've been pretty good at showing (or at least strongly alluding) exactly when you need to use Logic and Deduction.  There were a few brain-tickling moments, along with a few failed attempts, but nothing that's drained my life bar to a dangerous level.  That said, it's always harrowing when performing Logic, and waiting to see if those balls of white light fuse together in success, or split apart in failure. 

Do keep in mind that Smith didn't have a hand in Trials and Tribulations.  That one was headed up by Capcom's localization team, and the pop culture references were actually significantly less in Smith's Apollo Justice than they were in T&T.  I am noticing Investigations being practically devoid of 'em, though, which is refreshing.  As I stated in the AJ thread, much as I enjoyed some of the clever citations featured in T&T, I did feel that they were, at times, a substituted crutch for good, original writing.

Polished off Cases 2 and 3 in practically one sitting, which should speak to how well I'm enjoying myself. Case 2 might be my favorite in the series since The Stolen Turnabout back in T&T, and (a spoiler for three different series entries, in a way) Cammy Meele, the conceptual lovechild of Mimi Miney and Yanni Yogi, is probably the best character they've thrown out there since Luke Atmey of that same case. The bubble gag was just awesome. My favorite point in the case, though, was probably where Edgey and Gumshoe walk by von Karma interrogating the captain only to hear a sharp CRACK moments later, and then keep walking.
Case 3 wasn't quite as good, at least early on, and it's the first that really feels like it was made for Ema and then modified for Edgeworth later.
My main issue is with Kay's Little Thief MacGuffin, which isn't as bad as MASON and the story actually justifies having in the eleventh hour but seems a cumbersome way of doing business instead of - yup, again - Scientific Investigations (As an aside, it was good to see Oldbag, Meekins and especially Ema finally appear, even if their parts were ridiculously marginal and Ema's "I've got a long way to go" line seemed like an unecessary dig at the character on the part of the writers...Capcom Japan must really want me to harass them about this). I was also able to guess one of the twists early on because I saw an episode of Law & Order many years ago with a similar plot.
But it was still a good, dense, and LONG case. I barely made it through the next-to-last chapter with two strikes left on my meter only to find it doesn't refill between chapters, so the last part was played very slowly and cautiously, under a blanket of panic and sweat. Perfect.
Now that the 'other' characters on the game cover have apeared, I can say that I like Lang (and his badass theme) quite a bit, but Kay is actually kind of irritatingly one-note. Nearly everything out of her mouth connects to her wannabe-thief shtick and it gets old fast. Clearly Edgey's wingman should always be Gumshoe. Cute theme music, though.

Off to bed I go.

There seems to be some kind of delay in Canada getting this up here... hasn't shown up at all at Future Shop/Best Buy or GameStop/EB Games even tho the game was supposed to be out Tuesday...

I've heard elsewhere that Canada has a policy about French translations required of videogame manuals. If I remember correctly, FF9 was held up a few MONTHS by that, so you may just want to see if you can get it sent in from the States.

A bit into Case 4 now, and two relatively non-spoilery (but spoil-texted) thoughts:

1. Kalisto's full belly-laugh is my new favorite animation from this game, and
2. Badd's theme is my new favorite piece of music from this game.

I'll save my thoughts on the case proper for when I finish it.

Finished case 1 and started case 2. Really, really loving this game so far. As many of the reviews have pointed out, it has that Ace Attorney feel while still being new at the same time. Although it will eventually be nice to be back in court in AA5, this is a wonderful spin-off and it should help fill my AA cravings for now.

One thing that surprised me was the length of the first case. It seemed longer than normal and I kind of liked that. It made the case feel less like a tutorial and more like a full fledged part of the game. The detailed backgrounds and smooth animations are also a treat since I just finished replaying AA1 on WiiWare. I'll suspect I'll fire up AA2 for another play-through after I finish with Investigations.

Can't wait to press on with case 2! If I didn't have to work tomorrow (er, today) then I'd still be playing. ^.^;

Have you not played Apollo Justice?  Its first case measures twice as long as Investigations'. 

In terms of Case One lengths, I'd say AJ's is the longest, followed by Trials and Tribulations, then Investigations, Justice For All, and the original Phoenix Wright.

D'oh, you're right! I had forgotten about that. I guess replaying Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney has skewed my memory a little bit. I do remember AJ and T&T having long, involved opening cases. At least the trend is continuing. :3

And Case 4 is now done. Of all the 'long-ago flashback' type of cases in the series, this is clearly the best. Going full spoiler-vision from here onward because otherwise it'll just look ridiculous.

First of all, the flashback does a good job of making Kay a much more likable character than Case 3 did, where she was more like what my sister described pretty well as "Cody Hackins' older sister". I wonder what it is about aging characters in this franchise by 7 years that makes them more abrasive? At any rate, I like her well enough now, pending her behavior in Case 5.

As for the case itself? Awesome. Preteen Franziska is adorable and as vicious to the protagonist as an AA game demands, cross-examining the Judge about his potty break is something I never expected, the circumstances of the crime were really quite clever, and the culprit turned out to be a real piece of work, as they should be. And then the coda introduces the possibility that we had it all wrong. Case 5's intro alone makes it clear things are going to get even more confusing before they get clearer. To which I say, after AJ's wet plop of a climax, bring it on.

If there's a downside to the investigation, it's that it shows the flaws of the Logic gameplay system. Because salient points need to be highlighted with metaphorical dots-to-connect, every time one of them comes up you know there's an  important detail about something you mightn't have otherwise given much thought until pressed. Case 4 tries to cheat on this point by not having the dots show up until a late-case montage where Edgey suddenly recalls and 'dots' the important details for you to immediately connect, which just comes out seeming sloppy. In other games in the series, these keys-to-the-puzzle would likely instead come through objection-duels between the attorneys, leaving the player to figure out and feel smart about it. But this little part of Case 4 makes it clear that under the Logic system, Edgeworth's having all the fun and we're only going through the motions as he does so. I hope when an Investigations sequel comes around (and yes, there'll be a sequel - Eshiro all but confirmed it), they come up with a refined system so it doesn't lead you by the nose quite so much.

On a non-spoilery side note, I'm starting to notice some typoes, regrettably. "How did you managed" isn't too bad, but how do you not catch "II'll" in the proofreading stage?

Case 5 is going to be a behemoth, I can tell already.

P.S. I'd like to amend the statement I made in my last post. Now that I'm very familiar with it, this is now my favorite theme in the series.

P.P.S. Because that's a youtube link, beware the possibility of spoilers in the comments, yeah?

Just finished Case Three myself, and I agree on most counts.  It was definitely long.  And pretty damned convoluted -- seriously, it had more twists than Chubby Checker.  Really had to think this one out in a lot of places, and I myself was down to just a few precious health slithers by the final chapter.  The case itself concludes a little more satisfactory than the prior two, while piling on even more intrigue to the overarching plot.  The game's been doing a great job at keeping the progressing story at the forefront; one can only hope its resolve is as well-executed as the build-up.

END OF CASE THREE SPOILERS:
What a sordid affair involving a beloved series character.  (That is, ..... The Blue Badger.)  The costume-heavy roulette of this case really requires one to be keen on the minute details, and I probably made more mistakes here than any other Ace Attorney case in recent memory.  Proto Badger is FREAKY looking, but I wonder...... who was in the costume when Edgeworth and Kay were investigating on their second trip to the Isolation Room? (The one who pops out of the underground passageway, and discovers the other costume to be missing.)  Lance was found at that point, so it couldn't have been him.  We're to assume that he was simply a park employee, but Edgeworth states that he had the distinct feeling that he knew him from somewhere.  Hmm.

I was never a big Ema fan, so Sonic's rants usually slide off me.  It was neat to see her again, though, and it's great that she hasn't yet lost her loveable, bubbly-nerdy persona.  (A shame what seven years abroad can do -- she should've taken breaks back home more often.)  One thing I wished they'd done while they had her here, though: offer a nod as to how she was truly the originator of the Blue Badger design, especially when Gumshoe brings up how HE had created it.

General observations: Oh no!  Rhoda's iFly case!  Amano gives it back, but I hope it won't forever remain as a piece of evidence, destined to collect dust in some room in a police station.  I still want to see that badboy sitting in a distinctive corner of Edgey's office in the future.

I think this is actually the first Ace Attorney where we have three cases and THREE female murder suspects in a row: Maggey, Rhoda, and Lauren.  Do I hear four?  Or, dare I say it, FIVE? 

Speaking of Lauren..... I *so* want to see her and Edgey get together.  The sentimental slob in me wished she threw her arms around him in a fit of pent-up passion as a way of saying thanks at the end of the case.  And..... RING POPS!  I miss that candy.  Do they still make 'em, I wonder?

Always dug Shi-Long Lang's theme.  Kay's as well -- two of my personal favorites, followed closely by the character theme you just linked from Case Four, SonicPanda.

Speaking of Lang, it seems I made a bit of a blunder on my SEMO review of the Original Soundtrack.  I quote: "Shiryu Rou ~ Speak up, Pup!", a theme designated for one of the new PROSECUTOR rivals in the game."  Oops.  Don't know if I want to trouble Chris to make that correction or not.

I admit that Kay's thief shtick gets old fast, but I'm reserving judgment until the game's final outcome.  Case Three's ending leaves some juicy potential as to who she really is in association to Edgeworth.  And.... Gummy.

EDIT: Ho ho, I haven't seen whiteout posts on this scale since the days of MGS4.

Finished case 3 and started work on case 4. I don't want to bother hiding individual spoilers so I'll just share my thoughts in white.

Case 2:

Gotta agree with many of the general thoughts shared by both SonicPanda and Angela. Case 2 was a blast to play. The airplane setting was a great idea and allowed for some new twists and turns. I admit that most of the time the case kept me guessing. I knew Cammy seemed suspicious, but they still managed to cast some reasonable doubt on Rhoda early on as well. Really loved all the animations in this case. Cammy's in particular were all fantastic (great character design) and it was fun seeing Franziska with updated visuals as well. I gotta admit I didn't care for Franziska much when she was first introduced back in Justice For All, but every time I encounter her she grows on me just a little bit more.

Favorite character from case 2: Rhoda Teneiro. She was cute, helpful, and apparently "interested" in Edgeworth until he dissed her artistic design. Gotta agree with Angela: the luggage design didn't seem that bad to me. It was definitely bright, but that's not necessarily a bad thing: it would be hard to lose such a suitcase (and honestly, I've seen worse designs). I was kind of surprised that Edgeworth didn't secretly give the suitcase to Gumshoe as he was rather taken with the design. I thought that would have been a rather thoughtful gesture. Oh well, here's to hoping that the suitcase pops up again in the future.

Overall an excellent case and one that I definitely want to play through again!

Case 3:

Holy crap! The suitcase is back! I suppose even though Edgeworth feels obligated to accept gifts from lovely ladies, he doesn't necessarily treasure them. XD I suspect that he was desperately hoping the suitcase would be forever lost (or maybe that it would blind the kidnappers). Anyway, it was fun to see Meekins, Ema (<3), Oldbag and the Blue Badger again. It's like a great, big reunion! I must admit that this case did have a distinctive Ema feel to it. I think speculation is difficult though as we don't know how far along production was when the switch was made. Regardless, it's nice to see Ema and to get to analyze footprints and blood (even though very little analysis is actually done).

For some reason, the storyline in this case didn't feel as compelling. I liked the setting, the reunion was great, and the new characters were decent enough, but it still felt like something was missing. Perhaps I'll just need a second playthrough to let some things sink in. Personally, I was pretty taken with Kay. I had my doubts about her, but she seems pretty interesting and likable. Granted, in some ways she kind of feels like a Maya knockoff, but Edgeworth is such a straight-man that he really needs a lighthearted, simpleton sidekick like Gumshoe or Kay. I think Kay's value as a character will really be explored in the next two cases. This is just her introduction and she does seem rather naive and inexperienced (both expected given her age and circumstances).

All that said, I wasn't a big fan of Little Thief. When I read (briefly skimmed) the instruction book, I got the sense that at times we would get to go inside Edgeworth's mind and recreate and interact with the crime scene. That sounded kind of cool! When I realized that it was just an improbable, electronic device carried by Kay... I was a little discouraged. I think there were better, more clever ways they could have gone about those sequences. It didn't ruin the experience though. Hopefully it will continue to be a minor part of the overall gameplay.

In summary, case 3 was fun and it had its moments, but it just wasn't as good as case 2. Honestly though, I tend to feel this way about most case 3's.

So far, I have only one major complaint with Investigations:

Why does Edgeworth continuously end up under scrutiny? I mean, sure it makes sense each time. And yes, it does force him to get involved with each case. But it's getting a little stale. I thought investigations would be exactly that: Edgeworth shows up at a crime scene, puts the pieces together, and leads the police to the correct suspect. Instead, it's more like Edgeworth stumbles into a mess, gets accused, clears himself, then decides he has to set things right. It's kind of like my frustration with Maya in the Phoenix Wright arc: we're constantly having to save her. Why can't she just be Phoenix's helpful sidekick? There are other people that Phoenix cares about (PW:AA case 4 was a great example).

This isn't a huge complaint, but I hope that the last two cases take a different direction. It would be nice (for once) to have Edgeworth actually be given a real case and allowed to solve it as an investigator; not as a suspect or victim.

And those are my thoughts! As has been said, "happiness writes white."

Starting up case 3 now. Very much enjoying the game. Will be highlighting everyone's spoiler quotes once I'm done with the game. Glad everyone's digging the game so far! I know I am too!

TRAITO-nah, it's OK. And really, I understand why the substitution was necessary - (AJ general spoiler) AJ had done such a thorough job of pissing off the Japanese fans with its treatment of the returning characters and the notable abscence of stalwarts like Edgeworth that the quickest way to bring the franchise back from the brink was to bury the audience the exact flavor of fanservice they wanted. And after only an hour or so with Case 5, rest assured it is a fanservice buffet. But if you don't really care one way or the other I can see where my ranting would just be white noise.
In a more pro-active form of bitching, I went and made a formal entry into the Capcom-Unity suggestion box on the matter, so if any like-minded Fans O'Science felt like giving the suggestion a boost I'd appreciate it. That said, one of the highest-ranked suggestions in the Ace Attorney filter right now is "Add more unnecessary items" so I'm not expecting the skies to part, here.

Also, I'd completely forgotten about the factoid you mentioned in white. Though if you were trying to get me to not dwell on the character's mistreatment, you're going about it the wrong way.

Now this guy gets it. Come on Boco, you can sit at the Cool Table with me.

Makes him seem more gallant in his truthing pursuits, don't you think? That said, I fully expect that when I'm done with the game and I start skimming the 'net for a wide spectrum of impressions, that somebody out there is going to paint him as a pimp.

I wouldn't bother; it can be read in a way that makes it accurate - he is an antagonist to prosecutors.

Case 4 certainly does, and what I've played of Case 5 has also done so. But the really crazy thing is the first three cases all take place in a two-day span. TWO DAYS! The mind reels.

As an aside, I'd like to say that one of the most pleasant surprises the game has offered so far is its pacing. By doing away with both the wandering-between-locations and the strict seperation of investigating and cross- erm, rebutting, the focus is so sharp and the tempo so brisk that it feels (for me at least) the freshest in the series since Justice For All. I'll probably expand on this a bit more later, but I felt it was worth mentioning now.

Case 4: COMPLETE! Hoping to tackle case 5 today, but we'll see how I fare. As before, I'm just going to white out my entire case 4 commentary. What can I say? I'm a lazy bastard.

Concerning case 4:
I suppose it really isn't unexpected, but I'm glad they've continued offering five cases per game. I was a little worried that they might go back to four seeing as how this was a new spin-off entry. Seems that I had nothing to worry about after all. :3 Overall, I really enjoyed case 4. It added a lot to the story and helped to tighten up the cast a bit. The courtroom setting was fantastic and I think it's one of my favorite locations to date (right up there with the airplane). Perhaps it's just the Ace Attorney nostalgia or maybe something else entirely. All I know is that it worked for me. I was especially fond of the courtroom music. Very reminiscent of past courtrooms pieces (specifically the one from T&T) and it added a lot to the setting.

Moving on, let's talk about characters. Young Kay is adorable! Although I took to her in case 3, I agree with SonicPanda that case 4 was a stronger introduction. That whole seven-year aging thing is rather mysterious, isn't it? I guess there must be quite a few cynics writing for the series. XD Anyway, Kay got a good chance to shine here and we also get to meet up with a couple of new and returning characters: there's Calisto Yew who rubbed me the wrong way right from the get go, Detective Badd who has a rather fitting name and theme, the always dis-likable Manfred von Karma, poor ol' Gumshoe, and a rather young (and dare I say it... cute?) Franziska. Remember how I said that she seems to grow on me each time we meet? Well, I dare say I'm smitten. I've never thought that "cute" and "Franziska" could go in the same sentence... but there you have it! Still a very feisty one though.

This brings me to my next point: this case felt really story heavy. I know that was the point and I loved it, but there were several sequences where I found myself thinking, "Ok, when do I get to play again?" It was kind of surprising! I think SonicPanda's comments about the logic system are a big factor here. There were times where I knew what happened and I wanted to prove it, but the game just wouldn't let me. I had to wait for everyone else to connect the dots and catch up to me. I'll touch on this again later. For now, let's just say that in case 4 the story and characters were great, but the new gameplay hit its first major bump in the road. Not a bad experience mind you; just not what I was expecting after the superior gameplay in cases 1 through 3.

Lastly, case 4 creates almost as many questions as it does answers. This is exactly what I was hoping for and it's done a great job setting up the big finale in case 5. Really looking forward to seeing what became of Badd and Yew. Not to mention the real identity of the Yatagarasu, what Kay is really up to, and how everything ties together with the smuggling ring, Cohdopia, and these two Interpol agents. Some obvious highlights from case 4: interviewing the judge, Gumshoe's first bonus, exploring the courthouse. All the little details were great. Did anyone else examine the fire extinguisher? The not-so-subtle dig at Phoenix from JFA was quite amusing.

And those are my thoughts on case 4! I feel there's a lot more I could say, but it's already long-winded enough. I'm more interested in hearing what other people have to think.

Now, continuing with a topic I brought up in my white text block:

I was thinking about this as well. I really like the logic system and it has its moments, but it does feel a little primitive at the moment. Your comment about Edgeworth having all the fun really struck a chord with me. I don't know what they have planned for the sequel, but expanding the logic system would be great. Maybe some way of integrating it more with the evidence (a la Deduction) would help. Instead of giving us a small handful of logic items that we are forced to combine, players could enter logic mode and experiment with evidence itself; attempting to fuse different items to see if a connection is found. Or, if that's too much work, maybe allow us to combine more than two logic bubbles. That would make it a little more complicated and allow us to feel like we're actually playing Edgeworth (instead of just watching).

On another side note (Ema lust incoming), an idea I'd like to see in future Investigation games would be more than one playable character. We've already got the Attorney games for a monogamous playing experience. Why not give us two characters that we can freely switch between in Investigations? Example: Edgeworth and Ema are at the crime scene. The player takes control of Ema and begins investigating. They collect and analyze evidence using her and her forensic science with Edgeworth offering commentary. Then, after evidence has been collected, they switch to Edgeworth and use Logic / Deduce to fit the pieces together and then question the witness with Ema giving the commentary.

And of course that's just one example. There are many other ways to get a similar effect. They could use different characters (Ema with a new detective character for instance), they could break the gameplay up into stages (Ema and a sidekick collect, then Edgeworth and Gumshoe do their stuff), etc. I just think it's a neat idea that could really help give Investigations its own unique place. It's already off to a great start, so let's keep it rolling!

Just want to agree on both counts! I was pretty discouraged that Edgeworth kept getting accused, but your point that everything happens in two days is a big issue too. It's a little more subtle, but definitely hard to believe. As I said before, I understand why they do it that way, but it would be nice if they cut us a break. That feels more like a Phoenix Wright element (constantly flying through everything at a break-neck speed by the seat of his pants). It's fun, but this is Edgeworth! I'd just like it if they kept that to one or two cases instead of three or four, you know?

Anyway, you were right. Cases 4 and 5 do help with the problem, but they don't completely get rid of it. Now we're up to, what? Three days and four cases? I'm losing count. And even in the flashback, the murder took place while Edgeworth was at the court and he was supposed to be replacing the victim. Granted, this time it really was Edgeworth's official case, but it's still similar to what happened in cases 1 through 3. Not a huge complaint, but I just didn't want to let it go. :3

And yes, the pacing in this game with the exception of my comments on case 4 is fantastic! It's surprising how the gameplay really hasn't changed all that much, but everything feels so much more smooth. I think the addition of sprites is one of the contributing factors. It makes the movement and interactions feel so much more natural.

Put the lid on Case Four myself.  This is certainly the best flashback-style case in the series.  For a case of its stature, yeah, it was unexpectedly longer and story-driven than others that had come before it.  But definitely satisfying.  The big reveal and drama-filled finale was one heck of a way to end it, while the denouement is making a lofty promise that the upcoming Case Five will bring everything to a head.

END OF CASE FOUR SPOILERS:
Shit, just having..... both Von Karmas together within the same timeline is made up of instant win.  Not only are we given a rare glimpse at the mentor/student relationship that makes up Miles and Manfred, but we also get to see family ties between daddy/daughter and the symbolic brother/sister with Franziska.  All that, plus we get to experience the camaraderie origin between Edgeworth and Gumshoe, and, at long last, get to take on a defense lawyer in a (loosely-based) court battle.  If there's an argument to be made for the game's concept-switching from Ema to Edgeworth, this particular case's rich, in-depth look at the world of prosecuting makes for one hell of a good one.

So, what was it that I said about.... all the murder suspects being female?  Except in this case, she really was the murderer.  Go fig.  I like how they've painted Calisto as being one of the potentially central villains to the ever-expanding plot.  And I also like how they've given Kay a crucial purpose for being around now; that is, to help Edgeworth bring justice against the woman who killed her father.  (Anyone else thought Calisto had a freakishly husky voice on her "Objection!", by the way?)  The Yatagarasu, the connections to the smuggling ring surrounding Jacques, Cammy, and Ernest Amano, Oliver/Colin's circumstances in taking the forced fall, who the mystery thief was in the very first case, why Lang possesses such inherent ambivalence toward prosecutors. ...... As you've said, Boco, there's a lot of resolutions in the pipeline.  And as you've said, Sonic, I'm praying to god that they don't drop the ball on the climax this time around.

Two-thirds of the way through Case 5. So, so worth it so far. I'm almost giddy.

You are not alone. Every time I heard it I kept thinking, "Huh? Who's that?"

Also, case 5 is complete! Holy crap. My mind is thoroughly blown. It's going to take me a while to sort out my thoughts on this case. I will say this much though: it was a long ordeal, it ties a lot of things together, and it was great.

I think now... I need sleep. Staying up until 4 AM was not in my plans. XD

I want to say that I'm halfway through Case Five, but it's honestly hard to tell at this point.  After the first big reveal, though, I share both of your sentiments: it's all mindblowingly giddy.  Even if the game were to end right here, I would say that it's miles (ooh, pun) ahead of Apollo Justice's limp dick climax. 

(MID-WAY?) CASE FIVE SPOILERS:
The amount of fan service in this case is off the charts.  At this point, the game practically goes out of its way to proclaim itself to be the rightful sequel to Trials and Tribulations.  ....... References to Mask DeMasque, Laurice Deauxnim (heh, Dounim), Psyche Locks, and Larry's and Oldbag's stint with KB Security.  (Interesting tidbit: they refer to Larry's book about Franzy as "Whippity Whip Trip", which was the name that was featured in the English localization of the Japanese Gyakuten Saiban 3 DS version.  Minor changes and dialogue refinements were made for the actual North American release of Trials and Tribulations, and among those changes, the book was retitled "Whip Lash Splash."  I found it funny that they went with the JP GS3 English name instead.)  We also have a hearty helping of references from the first two Phoenix Wright titles, including Global Studios, Missile, the entirety of the Samurai family (Steel and Nickel, the Pink Princess, Jammin' Ninja), the two cases that involved "flying" characters (JFA's Case Three and T&T's Case Five), and Franziska getting shot in JFA's Case Four.  Hah, they even managed to sneak in the good ol' step-ladder/ladder comparison joke.  Excessive?  Perhaps.  But in the scheme of the greater plot, it's never a detriment.  More like delectable condiments on an already delicious Samurai Dog.

The two most amusing bits of the case so far?.... Discovering that Edgeworth has a secret fanboy infatuation with The Steel Samurai, and Lang's innate ability at remembering details of all his subordinates.  The birthday bit .... had me in stitches.

It's easy for me to say I should've seen it coming, but the way the big reveal was pulled off still caught me by surprise.  The sound of the..... ominous heartbeat predating Shih-na's identity was both off-putting and extremely effective.  Lang taking Badd's bullet for Calisto was ridiculously cool, while the idea of the Yatagarasu being a three-member group instead of a single entity is a meaty twist.  With a good number of questions being answered so far.... (Jacques' role, the mystery thief in Case One revealed, the whereabouts of Yew, and who the Yatagarasu really are), I am indeed giddy as a gazelle in wanting to finish this up and see how the rest plays out.

I'm also on case five right now. I assume this is the final case?

Presently the point I'm at is:

Just finished proving that Butz is innocent in the Mask DeMasque II murder, saved game and heading back to Kay & the Ahlebast side now
I cannot, cannot, absolutely cannot believe how much I like this game. All initial screens of the third-person thing turned me off to this game last year. But the plot is great, and working outside of the courtroom setting is awesome, and having one continuous plot arc is fantastic.

So glad other people are enjoying the game as much as I am.

Ramza

Yes, that's correct. It's a pretty lengthy case though. Looking forward to hearing what you think of the big finale.

Game's done, and I'm taking some time to arranging my thoughts of not just this entry but the franchise in general. But my eyes are rolling back on me as I type so typing the rest of the mega-post will have to wait until tomorrow.

Sneak preview: I liked it a lot.

Just finished case five (and thus the game) about two hours ago.

Loved it.

I'm not going to try to jump in and out of spoiler zone. The entire post from here will be in white.

My least favorite game in the Ace Attorney series was the 2nd game. Why? There are plenty of reasons. It was the least valuable to the Fey plot arc among the original trilogy. But perhaps the reason I disliked it most was because I seriously disliked whip-happy Franziska von Karma.

My dislike of von Karma came to a swift end with this game. Her motives as a human being were plain since the 2nd game: outdo Edgeworth. But I had no sympathy for her and her psychopathic obsession. Not until case 4 of this game, anyway. When you see her at age 13, where she's just trying to get daddy's attention and approval, and he's investing all his effort into grooming Edgeworth ... THERE, you see it.

Also, she has developed as a character by this point, because of what she's been through when up against Phoenix Wright. So she generally acts more "noble," even if she is still whipping people like crazy.

Let's see, what else...

Shih-na. When I first met her in case 3, I just thought she looked like Lady Gaga with that crazy wig. After finishing case 4, it was obvious to me that Yew = Shih-na.

What WASN'T obvious to me was that Yatagarasu was a 3-person team. I suspected that perhaps it was a 2-person team, but I didn't know which two. That it was all three, and that Yew was (quote) "destined to betray everyone from the beginning" -- awesome. Totally awesome.

I loved that this entire game takes place outside the formal courtroom. I loved Gumshoe. I thought Kay was great.

I was happy when cameos remained sparse. Ema Skye and Meekins are good examples. I was a little tired of Oldbag by the end of the case.

I suspected from the start that they would not use Wright himself nor any of the Fays as cameos, and I was right. Couldn't have them stealing the spotlight from the Edgeworth game. Nonetheless, I wouldn't have minded a one-scene-within-one-case cameo from Maya or Pearl.

WHAT ELSE...

Lang was a fantastic rival. As those of us who play these games know, every game gives you a *rival* who butts heads with the protagonist and approaches everything from a different angle, but who ultimately is also good and becomes your ally. For four games, that rival would be another prosecutor.

But in this game, your rival is a kick-ass interpol detective. At the end when he accuses von Karma, I knew that he was just using this as a bait tactic so they could dig up more evidence and pin Alba. It's very similar to a point in the original trilogy where Wright and Edgeworth work together from both angles to take down a suspect/witness (can't remember if that was first or second game).

So yeah, I enjoyed every case, I was pleased with the level of difficulty (only got two game overs), thought the character development was strong ... basically, it blew away my expectations. I really was worried that this game would suck, and it didn't.

I was also 100% okay with the gimmick/novelty stuff from Yomigaeru Gyakuten / Apollo Justice being cut from the game. I don't need to dust for prints or analyze multiple layers of a piece of paper.

Spoiler-free thoughts will go on Gameosaurus.com where I will post my review.

Ramza

Just finished Case Five as well.  Goodness, was it long.  Long, but sumptuous.  I too need some time to arrange my thoughts, but I can say that Investigations easily deserves to be in the upper tier of the series; a close third, after Trials and Tribulations and the first Phoenix Wright.  It's leagues ahead Justice For All and Apollo Justice, that's for sure. 

I share your general sentiments about Justice For All being the weakest in the series, but I am genuinely perplexed by this comment.  JFA's Case Two is the most crucial part of the Fey story arc, the starting foundation for everything that concludes in Trials and Tribulations.  The introduction to..... Kurain Village, Pearl, and Morgan, the feud between the main and branch families, the current whereabouts of Misty Fey, the power of the magatama and Psyche Locks.   ..... I don't dare recommend anyone jumping into Trials and Tribulations without at least playing JFA's Case Two first.

I find it amusing that while he was alluded to quite a few times, they never once mentioned him by name.  It was usually "he", "him", "that man", or "the one in blue." 

In any case, eagle-eyed Neogaffers caught this little Easter egg.  Featured in Case Three, even I failed to noticed it myself.  POTENTIAL CASE THREE SPOILERS:

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137 … 010320.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137 … 010319.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m137 … 010322.jpg