Before I get into a review, I read some more news about a supposed Megaman Online game coming out. Joystiq reported on their site some new gameplay footages and it looks pretty good so far.
Source: Youtube Channel xayaxxo
I am a bit concerned about the game slowing down a little as an online game since enemies in Megaman games generally blow up fairly quickly. I would not like playing a Megaman game that felt like Maple Story, but so far it looks good. Here's one of the trailers for the game:
Source: Youtube Channel Pmang
I think all these collaborations (such as Capcom teaming up with Korean company Pmang to make Megaman Online) is really great towards the game industry. We've been presented with more and more collaborations between companies before, but I think the industry will benefit even more with companies of different regions of the world working together. Sure, not all the game will be great. But at the very least, we have different ideas and talents working together to make something new. It was sad to hear Keiji Inafune leave Capcom, but like him I hope that Japan find ways to re-innovate games in the industry in general, not just within Japan itself. In any case, I hope Megaman Online gets an international release so everyone else can enjoy it too.
[Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth - Capcom - Nintendo DS]
Source: Youtube Channel Games
The Ace Attorney (Gyakuten Saiban in Japan) Series from Capcom is hands-down, one of the best game series I've played in the longest time. If you have never played, tried, or even heard of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, you are missing out my friend. If you are under the impression that it's all about lawyers and the judicial system, then let me reassure you that it's much more than that. The incredible writing within each of the installments of the series has the player constantly thinking "whodunit?" and "what happens next?" The Ace Attorney series is in a form of a Visual Novel with a lot of detective skills involved. Generally, the series has two part: information gathering and the court scene. In the new "Investigations" installment, the court is ruled out and the testimonies and rebuttal are done on the spot. Rather than a first-person view, the player takes control of Miles Edgeworth in a 3rd-Person perspective in order to explore the entire area around the character. Despite being significantly easier than the original 3-4 installments, the game was entertaining in every way the originals were.
Graphics:
This time around, moving 3D videos weren't added into the story telling that Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney had. What drastically changed was that characters had a full body sprite versions of themselves walking around in the environment. Before this installment, the characters were always presented in first-person or in a picture format. The animated sprites and ability to freely move around was new and a welcome aspect to the game. There are times where it feels like there should be more graphics drawn for characters that want to depict a certain expression or mood, but there is still a plentiful amount of sprite animating the characters within the game. Crazy reactions and eccentric characters still exist, which stays consistent with the theme of the series. The 3D view of certain items in the evidence section is brought back. Many animations used for past characters such as Edgeworth is brought back as well. I felt as if more could be added into the animations and story, but it wasn't very necessary thus it was sufficient for the game. Graphics: 8/10
Audio:
The sound effects are pretty much the same from the last 4 games, so no discussion on that. The music, in my opinion, didn't seem as memorable or distinguished as the first 4 releases; however, it still stays true to its style. It was definitely not bad, because the music was still appropriate and enjoyable to listen to. There isn't much to say since one of the greatest aspects of the Ace Attorney series is its music, and this one was no exception. Audio: 8/10
Gameplay:
Like I said before, this one was much easier than the first. Thankfully, it was still fun pointing out all the contradictions and investigating all the scenes. The change in the way the player gathered information was much more linear and got to the point much faster than previous installments where walking back and forth from area to area was a given. In "investigations", the player is secluded to a room to find all the evidence that they needed rather than moving from one room to another. The story moved much more smoothly. In terms of Replay Value, I would have to give it a N/A since it really depends on the player. All the plot twists and surprises are known already, so the only reason to play it again would be to revisit the story. Gameplay: 8/10
Overall:
Although it felt like something was missing from this game that the previous ones had, it's still considered a "must play" in my book. I was very serious when I said the Ace Attorney series is the best game series I've played in the longest time, it's really fulfilling to get through it and experience the gameplay (especially the parts where you get to shout "OBJECTION!"). A sequel to the investigations spin-off is already in the making and another spin-off that has Level-5's Professor Layton and Capcom's Phoenix Wright solving a case of a accused witch. The popularity and involvement of the community has built an interesting culture within the Ace Attorney world with music remixes, parody videos, comics, and fan-fictions. Overall: 8/10
This is one of my favorite parody videos:
Source: Youtube Video CMSPyrowolf
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