Ask any game forum on the Internet for a list of the most overlooked DS games, and the Ace Attorney series would be right at the top. Capcom released the fourth iteration of the Ace Attorney series-the first created exclusively for the Nintendo DS-with a facelift, a new main character, and a few additions which attempt to keep the series fresh, with mixed results.

Apollo Justice has two separate modes of gameplay: the court phase and the investigation phase. While the first case focuses on strictly the court phase to ease you into the game, the rest of the game's cases switch between court and investigation phases. Oftentimes, you'll find yourself going to investigate a crime scene several times in one case and using your newfound discoveries as evidence in court later on.

Controls involve using either the face buttons or touch screen to control Apollo as he fights for his clients in court or investigates crime scenes and interviews people at the scene. The new investigative tools for this game exclusively use the touch screen, however, and include in-depth evidence examination, fingerprinting, using "luminol" to read messages that may have been wiped away by criminals, and crime scene recreation. In addition, Apollo's ability to "perceive" witnesses' nervous habits on the witness stand and use them to find the truth has replaced Phoenix's ability to view a witnesses' lies with "Psyche-locks" from the second and third games.

It should be noted that Apollo Justice, while featuring a mostly new cast of characters, does draw on story from the previous three games. The story is fun and the characters have neat personality quirks which make them stand out. The cases themselves are interesting and usually have a "reader's hook" via a cutscene at the beginning of every case which pulls the player in and makes them wonder what will happen next. The game also does a good job in making sure that you're not really left in the dust about the plot: the references to previous games are in passing, at best, and any major plot points are explained in detail. The game can be played well enough on its own, as the first case assumes you've never played the series before and acts as a tutorial before jumping into the rest of the game. Any first case in an Ace Attorney game is a good indicator for someone looking to start playing the series, and Apollo Justice is no exception.

There are a few shortcomings: spelling errors are present, but not invasive, in the game. While this would normally be a moot point for some games, it should be noted in text-heavy games like the Ace Attorney series. Other problems include jumps in logic that don't quite make sense in the court phase. In several places there may be multiple solutions to the same problem (i.e. multiple pieces of evidence which prove the same point), but only one piece of evidence will progress the story. In other cases, you may have already figured out a portion of the case, but Apollo hasn't, leaving you to jump him through a series of hoops to get to your realization.

All in all, Apollo Justice is a good addition to the Ace Attorney series which tries a few new things while still sticking to the same tried and true elements which made the first three such a great time to play.

Feb 28, 2008 | 0 comments
Jeff Craven