"He couldn't match Phoenix's legacy, but Apollo Justice has a lot of potential."

In October of 2005, the first installment of the Ace Attorney series hit he shores of the US for the first time. The series went under the title Gyakuten Saiban in Japan, and gained one of the most loyal fanbases in the world. America also found much love for the series, and gained a cult fanbase as large as that of Japan's. America saw the second and third games in the series in 2007, causing the fanbase to grow more attached to the series, and in turn the story that surrounded it. Imagine their surprise when they discovered the fourth game in the series, then "Gyakuten Saiban 4", would not only bring us an entirely new cast of characters, but our only familiar face, Phoenix Wright himself, would be demoted from Ace Attorney to piano player. Some people welcomed the new cast with open arms, others considered giving up on the series. One thing was for sure then, and definitely for sure now. This is not the same Ace Attorney.

Story: 7/10

Our protagonist is up and coming defense attorney Apollo Justice. Not much is known about Apollo's past. In fact, for all we know, he was born, raised, and taught law in the Gavin Law Office. One thing that's perfectly clear is he has a passion for his work, much like Phoenix Wright before him. Speaking of which, the attorney we all know and love is back, but in a form which could be described as a different character entirely. An attorney no more after a trial which had him stripped of his badge, he makes his living playing piano in a restaurant, second only to his new hobby, poke playing. We also have Apollo's "sidekick" Trucy, Phoenix's adopted daughter. Trucy makes her living doing magic tricks, and is the main source of income for her father's talent agency. (Well, you can't have a law office without an attorney, can you?) We find a prosecutor in Kalvier Gavin, Kristoph's (Apollo's mentor) younger brother. By day, prosecuting prodigy. By night, leader of the rock band, the Gavinners. Unlike our previous prosecutors, Klavier doesn't do what he does for wins or revenge, but for justice, and will always work hard to find the truth.

The main story, while excellent compared to most other games out there, feels lacking at times when compared to other games in the series. I obviously can't go into detail, but at times, it feels as if the game is trying to hard to make the story interesting. During some of the games final moments, a good number of twists are introduced, but they don't really build on any of them. You also don't get as much interaction with your client. Before, you could genuinely care about the defendant's plight. But in this game I find it difficult to sometimes even like the person I'm supposed to defend. Other than that, the story is generally good. I just wish there was more interaction between Apollo and the defendant and that plot twists were better developed.

Gameplay: 8/10

If you've played the previous games in the series, you should have absolutely no problem with this game. For newcomers, the game is split into two "phases" each trial. There's an investigation phase, where you navigate through certain areas, looking for evidence and information on the case. Then there's the court phase, where you cross examine witnesses and try to pick their testimony apart and discover the ultimate truth behind the case. New features have been added to both phases. During certain parts of the investigation phase, you will have to undergo various tasks such as analyzing fingerprint and footprint data. Also, like the final case of the first game, you have the ability to look at certain pieces of evidence you have in three dimensions. It sounds helpful, but in all honesty, it's only relevant a few times in the game, which is a disappointment.

During the court phase, we have a new element in the Perceive System. With what we can only assume is a very keen sense of sight, Apollo is able to "read" people by analyzing their nervous tics on the witness stand. Things such as twiddling your thumbs or fiddling with a ring. Sadly, the game doesn't use the system very often, and it's mostly obvious where you need to look in the testimony, even obvious as to where on the witness you need to look. So while the gameplay has its flaws, it's still very solid and an overall improvement over previous installments. Unfortunately, I feel too much potential was left unused.

Media (Graphics/Sound): 9/10

Compared to the other games in the series, the graphics are very good. The new character sprites are more detailed and fluid in animation. The same goes for the environments. As far as music goes, it's the general Ace Attorney affair; Simply excellent. The songs are well done, and sound quality is much better than the previous games. Very few tracks in this game are difficult to listen to. However, certain tracks play far to often (Suspense) or not often enough (Investigation - Cornered). Though it's entirely a matter of preference, it does get annoying listening to the same track over and over again, and perhaps not hearing one you like enough.

(Re)playability/Difficulty: 7/10

Unfortunately for Apollo, his game happens to be one of the shortest and easiest in the series. Maybe it's just that I'm getting much better at this game, but I never struggled to clear an investigation phase or court phase. The other games had me coming to GameFAQs constantly to get help for that one piece of evidence I needed or what part of the testimony to focus on. I didn't feel that challenged by Apollo Justice. The game can be difficult at times, don't misunderstand me, but the challenge present in the Phoenix arc was nowhere to be found when Apollo took the defense bench. Couple that with the fact that the game can be beaten within a week, and things don't look as good.
It's very difficult to replay a case you've already beaten, because you've simply already beaten it. "What has been seen cannot be unseen", after all. You already know who's responsible for the murder, why they did it. Every detail is know to you. It's a damn shame, too. You'll definitely enjoy playing some cases over again, but you can't help but feel that something is missing when you do.

Overall: 7/10

The Ace Attorney series has consistently delivered excellence, and ignoring my score, I'd say they still have. I did enjoy this game, I really did. However, when I look back on the other three games, I can't help but look at Apollo Justice and say "What are you missing?" I loved everything leading up to the game's end, where I just feel it let me down. I wasn't expecting the ultimate bomb to be dropped, but I felt that this game deserved more. Not me, or any other Ace Attorney fan. I thought that the game itself deserved a better ending than it got. Long time fans will find themselves divided, between those who love the new cast and those who welcome change. But regardless, Apollo Justice is what it is; A great game with its fair share of flaws and had too much unused potential. Here's to a new attorney, who will hopefully surpass Phoenix not only in court, but in game quality as well.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/07/08

Game Release: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (US, 02/19/08)