"While superficially similar to the Phoenix Wright games, poor storytelling stops AJ from being recommendable."

Don't get me wrong. I absolutely love the Phoenix Wright trilogy, and urge everybody to pick them up if you haven't already done so. That series remains possibly the only game series I would recommend to anybody, thanks to clever storytelling and writing, likable characters, and well-done investigative gameplay that requires critical thinking. With that in mind, I picked up Apollo Justice. I was a bit wary of the character change and a different director, but I was willing to give it a chance. I can't really say whether they failed or not, since this is still a good game, but compared to the three games starring Phoenix Wright, the latest Ace Attorney just doesn't cut it.

Naturally, you're playing as Defense Attorney Apollo Justice, a newbie who is thrust into a series of cases in which he must defend the accused, and learn shocking facts. The main parts of the gameplay involve investigating crime scenes, talking to witnesses, examining evidence and then making sense of it all in court in order to prove your defendant innocent. As opposed to the Phoenix Wright games, there are a few techniques you can do, presumably to make us of the DS's abilities. The original three games were merely ported from the Game Boy Advance, so they aren't as exciting in that case, but for the most part, the new material isn't that exciting either. Finding fingerprints is a completely straightforward method that doesn't require any skill at all, and "examining" evidence translates to looking at a specific part of a prop and watching the two main characters have some kind of dialogue about it.

Not that the game is completely lacking in this department. There are parts of the game where you are required to recreate the hypothetical crime scene to figure out what seems wrong about what's known, and for the most part, this seems like an extremely creative process. The problem is, ultimately this just doesn't feel fleshed out at all. Any time the crime scene recreation is brought up, the answer is straightforward, and just isn't satisfying. It's a shame, since it's such an interesting concept.

The other new feature, which I feel is one of the game's strong points, is the ability to focus up on the witness while they testify, and identify certain habits or body movements that may give them away. Subconscious behavior makes up a large part of the game, and doesn't feel out of place or awkward, and feels well-fleshed out. In the game's sequels, I hope that this feature is built upon more, because it's an excellent idea in an otherwise dull game.

As for why I think it's dull? That's actually a difficult question to answer, since a large part of my complaints with this game revolve around story details, and I would rather avoid spoilers in this review. Simply put, it feels like Apollo and Trucy (his assistant) are near replicas of Phoenix and Maya in the past games, and don't feel like their own characters. I'm sure they're personalities can be more fleshed out in the future, but for now, it just doesn't work. Aside from them, I felt like the majority of the cast was lacking. Prosecutor Klavier Gavin isn't nearly as entertaining or likable as Miles Edgeworth, Franziska von Karma, or Godot, and he is more of a nuisance than a part of the cast. Gone are the sympathetic defendants of the past games, and in their places are a couple of characters who I honestly wanted to hit. Like I said, I can't go into details, as to avoid spoilers, but it's really a shame how a series that I considered characters as one of its initial strengths has now turned into one of the greatest problems with it.

It's not just characters either; I felt like cases were filled with plot holes, unnecessary plot twists, and in some cases, just ridiculousness (for lack of an actual word). Some parts of the game feel confusing, and without a satisfying conclusion. Witnesses often forget crucial parts of their testimony and wind up being a complete pain to deal with, for no reason but to make your life miserable. I'd really love to bring up examples, but again, spoilers.

As for the sound and graphics of this game, I find them irrelevant. I didn't like the soundtrack as much as the PW games, but I still wouldn't define it as poor. There also seems to be little improvement over the graphics from the first two games, except for the 3D rendered evidence, which ultimately isn't that important. A greater range of character animations could have helped this game a lot, but like I said, it doesn't matter.

I can't really say if I would recommend this game or not. To someone unfamiliar with the series, I would rather you go and dig up the Phoenix Wright trilogy, simply because it's much more well written and likable. As for Apollo Justice, you'll have to ask yourself whether the continuing adventures of Ace Attorneys are worth your buck.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 04/07/08

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