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Ace Attorney Investigations 2 out February in Japan, includes Edgeworth figure
We now have two reasons for wanting to play Ace Attorney Investigations 2 in Japanese, despite knowing full well how difficult and unfulfilling it is. Were we to pick it up from Japan, we'd be able to play it starting February 3. It hasn't been confirmed for release outside of Japan. Capcom announced that release date today, along with a collectors edition, and two special edition packages exclusive to Capcom's Japanese online store (which is currently down) -- the other tempting reason to buy a Japanese version. The Collectors Package includes an orchestral soundtrack, a DVD featuring trailers and TGS stage show footage, and a manga booklet, all priced at ¥6,090 ($75.42). The e-Capcom exclusive Limited Edition includes all the aforementioned items, plus a 1/10 scale figurine of Miles Edgeworth, for ¥8,000 ($99.07). If you want the game and figure, but not the limited edition stuff, e-Capcom has that for ¥7,140 ($88.42). Spending a hundred bucks on a game we can't read just to get a figurine is a pretty terrible tribute to Edgeworth -- it would just be so illogical.
Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright ... in sales
Though Phoenix Wright and Professor Layton's first in-game face-off was just announced for 3DS, Layton has already triumphed over the plucky defense attorney in another arena: game sales. Capcom and Level-5 noted life-to-date sales for both series in the announcement of the title, and Professor Layton trounces the Ace Attorney series with 9.5 million units sold worldwide, versus Ace Attorney's 3.9 million. That 3.9 million includes a lot of versions of the same games. Since the first Phoenix Wright's release in Japan in 2001, the five games have been released on Game Boy Advance, PC, DS, mobile phones, iPhone, and WiiWare. The four Professor Layton games have only been released once each on DS, with a couple of original games on Japanese cell phones. However, Layton has Nintendo marketing behind it in the west, with Nintendo pushing the puzzle games to audiences beyond the core gamer set. Even though this game announcement was beyond effective with fanboys (we know from, um, reading comments and not personal experience at all!), the two companies still have audience expansion in mind. "We feel that by drawing upon the strengths of both series, this collaboration will bring new, casual game players to the adventure game genre and into the world of gaming in general while strengthening the value of the two brands overall."
Investigate the Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright trailer
We saw a bit of off-screen footage of the spectacularly improbable Professor Layton vs. Gyakuten Saiban this morning, but now we can see the whole thing in luscious direct feed, thanks to the now-open website. In the trailer, it appears that Professor Layton accuses a girl of being a witch, to which her lawyer characteristically objects. After that, Hershel and Phoenix (and Maya and Luke) team up and explore Labyrinth City. The website also features concept art, screens, and introduction trailers for both series. What it doesn't feature is a release date. Check out the trailer after the break.
Professor Layton meets Phoenix Wright in crossover 3DS game
Professor Layton VS Gyakuten saiban -- the Japanese name for a new crossover 3DS game that features both Phoenix Wright and Professor Layton -- was revealed last night by Level-5 during a press conference in Tokyo. The game is being developed in collaboration with Capcom, though Ace Attorney creator Shu Takumi will be heading up writing. It appears that this marks the beginning of Level-5 and Capcom's much teased collaboration, and one of the four surprise titles Level-5 said it would reveal during its Vision 2010 event currently taking place in Japan. 1UP's liveblog details the gameplay of Professor Layton VS Gyakuten saiban as a "combination of puzzles and crime mystery," while Level-5 president Akihiro Hino characterizes the collaboration by comparing it to "two TV shows getting together and making a movie." The game's official website is scheduled to open officially on October 20, but we've embedded a shaky cam video of the reveal trailer after the break, courtesy of 8-4's Mark MacDonald.%Gallery-105411%
Capcom launches Ace Attorney 10th anniversary website on 9th anniversary
Capcom must be planning something big for the 10th anniversary of the Ace Attorney series, as it's opened an anniversary website exactly one year early. Either that or someone thought this year was the 10th anniversary, and Capcom just decided to roll with it. The anniversary site features commentary by series composers, staff, and even the actress who played Phoenix Wright in the Takarazuka Revue musicals. There's also an interview with creator Shu Takumi, who started work on the first Phoenix Wright as a summer project after Dino Crisis 2. Meanwhile, Andriasang reports that a "???x???" link at the official site displays a book with the words "Majo Saiban" ("Witch Judgment") on it, suggesting a collaboration between the TV drama by that name and the Ace Attorney series. Curiously, the book is blank when we look at it.
Level-5's Jiro Ishii working 'with Takumi-san' on Ace Attorney project
Jiro Ishii directed the "sound novel" 428 for Chunsoft, and is now at Level-5 working on Time Travelers. He's also working with Capcom, on one of the Level-5/Capcom collaborations teased by Keiji Inafune -- a new Ace Attorney game. "Huh? Ah, Gyakuten ○○. I'm working on it with Takumi-san," Ishii tweeted, as translated by Siliconera. "Gyakuten" ("Turnabout") is present in each game's title so far: "Gyakuten Saiban" (Turnabout Judgment) for the original Ace Attorney games, and "Gyakuten Kenji" (Turnabout Prosecutor) for the Investigations series. While it's interesting enough that an adventure game expert from Level-5 and Chunsoft would be working on an Ace Attorney game, there are two more parts of that tweet that we want to press. Ishii obscured the last half of the title, suggesting that it's not Ace Attorney Investigations 2, but rather something unannounced, with a new title. Furthermore, he said he's working with "Takumi-san," likely series creator Shu Takumi, who hasn't been directly involved with the games since Apollo Justice. Which also suggests it's a new game. We'll be in our office reviewing the case files until more evidence comes to light.
Ace Attorney Investigations 2 preview: My first game of Logic Chess
Despite the obvious problems with trying to play a graphical text adventure in Japanese, I attempted the Ace Attorney Investigations 2 TGS demo. I was able to glean at least the premise and highlights of the first case: a politician is shot during a speech, immediately following the landing of his plane, and Miles Edgeworth and Dick Gumshoe are assigned to investigate it. As tends to happen in these games, things got weird almost immediately, as my investigation led to a giant Steel Samurai balloon submerged in a body of water. That's probably an important clue! Ace Attorney nerds will be happy to know that the Steel Samurai seems to figure heavily in this game -- not only does that balloon appear in the first five minutes of play, but Capcom's booth included inflatable Steel Samurai decorations, as well. %Gallery-101844%
Shu Takumi shares wonderful Ghost Trick, Phoenix Wright sketches
Ghost Trick and Phoenix Wright cross over! ... in these sketches by Shu Takumi, creator of both series. Capcom shared a series of Ghost Trick-related drawings made by the producer, featuring Sissel as a shadow and a Christmas tree, as well as various slices of (after-) life from the other characters. The one here even features a bonus literary reference. The caption above is a quote from a haiku by Matsuo Basho, which translates to something like "I wonder how my neighbor lives?" And now that we've taken a brief detour into seventeenth-century Japanese poetry, you can find a video of Takumi drawing after the break.
Phoenix Wright's extra DLC case available on WiiWare
Capcom announced that "Rise from the Ashes," the fifth case of Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney created for the DS version, is now available as DLC for the WiiWare version of Phoenix Wright. The timing is a little weird on this, since it's DLC for the first game, coming after the release of the second and third Phoenix Wright games. Not that it really matters -- the series jumps back and forth along its timeline anyway. If you've played through the full game on WiiWare, you should probably check this case out for 100 Wii Points. Sadly, Maya Fey isn't present, but you'll be introduced to Ema Skye, and, more importantly, you'll have hours and hours of investigation and arguing ahead of you. Even if it stings a little to pay an extra dollar on top of the cost of the game, now that the even cheaper iPhone port is out.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney on iPhone next week for $5
Next week, you'll have another platform on which to experience Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney's verbal dueling. Capcom has announced that the iPhone version of the first Phoenix Wright game, originally revealed in December, will be released on the App Store at a price of just $4.99. It's even got the fifth case, which was only available in the WiiWare port as DLC. If you've never played Phoenix Wright, passing it up at such a bargain price is a crime, punishable by our disappointment. This is the rare iPhone port that won't be ruined by the platform's lack of buttons -- gameplay consists entirely of clicking through menus and occasionally pointing a cursor at an area of the screen. Capcom has even streamlined these controls further for iPhone, with a "flick interface" that allows players to swipe through inventory menus. There's something satisfying about the idea of playing Phoenix Wright with your outstretched index finger. %Gallery-93496%
European Nintendo downloads: Phoenix Wright, Discolight
European DS owners had to wait a long time for Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations. In fact, it was released after its sequel, Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. The wait wasn't nearly as painful for the WiiWare port of Trials and Tribulations. It's out today, three months after the release of Justice for All. How to celebrate this release? Why not turn your DSi into a virtual disco light show? Because there is an app designed to do precisely that. Why, yes, it is from the same developer as Flashlight! Here's the full rundown of downloadable release this week: Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations (WiiWare, 1 player, 1,000 Wii Points) Robin Hood: The Return of Richard (WiiWare, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Ferrari GT Evolution (DSiWare, 1-2 players, 800 DSi Points) Discolight (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) Flips: More Bloody Horowitz (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) Telegraph Crosswords (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points)
NintendoWare Weekly: Photo Dojo, Earthworm Jim, Phoenix Wright
If you've had the slightest interest in Photo Dojo, Nintendo's weird DSiWare fighting game that uses the camera to make its fighters, you should download it today. If you don't have any interest in that, you should download it today. If you've never heard of Photo Dojo, go ahead and load up the DSi Shop anyway. If you have a DSi, there's basically no reason you shouldn't download Photo Dojo today. It's free for the next month, is what we're saying. %Gallery-86444%
This Miles Edgeworth art has ruined us
Our puritanical grandmother always tried to convince us that art is evil, but we never believed her until this morning. Though we fell asleep in a world where we loved every square pixel of Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, we awake to this gorgeous fan art from DeviantArt user brilcrist and now all we can think of is how much we wish the game looked exactly like that. So, Capcom, what would you say to a big-budget, meticulously detailed game centered on Miles Edgeworth costing millions of dollars and countless man hours to produce? ... Hey, where are you going?
Japanese Nintendo downloads: Crazy Climber, Phoenix Wright
lf you happen to have a Japanese Wii, you may have sort of been able to play the arcade classic Crazy Climber before, but only the not-great Wii remake. Now the original is available ... for 800 Wii Points! Oh, Virtual Console Arcade pricing. And, of course, there's more Phoenix Wright. People who didn't have to wait a year between Ace Attorney games don't know how good they have it. On DSiWare, there's an interesting kanji puzzle game which is absolutely guaranteed never to leave Japan. at Kanji Game (you can see the rest of the title in the list) appears to involve pairs of Japanese characters dropping Tetris-style, with the goal of making new words. Crazy Climber (Arcade, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations (WiiWare, 1 player, 1,200 Wii Points) Fantasic Cube (WiiWare, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) at Kanji Game Jukugo Kanjukuken Kanshuu (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) Hachi-Wan Diver DS:Naruzou-kun Hasami Shogi (DSiWare, 1 player, 200 DSi Points) Aquarium with Clock (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points) 3 Minute Tenkatouitsu: Western Japan Sengoku Quiz/Eastern Japan Sengoku Quiz (DSiWare, 1 player, 500 DSi Points each) Idol Nights (DSiWare, 1-4 players, 800 DSi Points) Pocket Rurubu: Hakone/Shinshu (DSiWare, 1 player, 800 DSi Points each) What Day is it? Encyclopedia from Mypedia (DSiWare, 1 player, 800 DSi Points)
NintendoWare Weekly: Phoenix Wright, Sonic & Knuckles, Spotto!
As expected, today marks the release of Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice for All on WiIWare. Capcom's lawyer-'em-up is joined by a plethora of new titles, so if you have some extra pocket change or a packed piggy bank, you'll want to head past the break and see what's available for download this week.
Phoenix Wright delivering Justice for All on February 15
Capcom originally planned to release its WiiWare ports of the Phoenix Wright games every other month. However, the publisher today announced that the court date for the second game, Justice For All, has been moved up a month, and will now be available on WiiWare in North America on February 15 (February 19 in Europe). If you're playing through the series for the first time on WiiWare, this will be your first opportunity to meet Franziska von Karma, a brilliant young prosecutor who attacks every person she meets with a whip. Somehow, she missed out on the whole "assault = illegal" thing in law school.
Hold it! Phoenix Wright available on WiiWare this Monday
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is ready to head into the WiiWare courtroom this Monday, Capcom reveals. You'll be able to relive the classic lawyer-em-up for 1,000 Wii Points ($10), where your Hamilton will net you the first four episodes from the original GBA game -- Capcom says the final fifth episode will be available later as DLC for 100 Wii Points ($1). And if you're scratching your noggin, wondering what the big deal is, feel free to check out some recent videos from the game.
Point yourself toward these Phoenix Wright WiiWare videos
We hope you came here today to see a ridiculous amount of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney footage on WiiWare, because there are three ridiculously long videos past the break showing off just that. As expected, it's more or less unchanged in its transition from Nintendo's handheld to its home console -- save for the new Wiimote gestures and bigger pixels. Regardless, we certainly wouldn't object to you clicking past the break to check out the trio of trailers (see what we did there?). [Via Capcom Unity] %Gallery-78467%
Phoenix Wright WiiWare trailer takes the stand
This slightly hokey Japanese trailer for the WiiWare ports of the Phoenix Wright games features an overexcited kid informing his easily shocked father that the series is now available on WiiWare -- at which point they turn on the Wii and, essentially, watch more of the trailer that they are currently in. The family also demonstrates the new Wiimote gestures for Phoenix's exclamations: Igiari! (Objection!), Matta! (Hold it!) and Kurae! (Take that!) Seeing people perform the motions on video, it actually looks like much more fun than we anticipated. So much fun that we'll be driven to play through the games again on Wii just to make fools of ourselves in a new way. %Gallery-78467%
Capcom porting Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney to iPhone
The Wii isn't the only new venue into which Phoenix Wright is expanding his legal business. Today, at the Apple Store in Ginza, Capcom revealed a version of the first Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney for iPhone and iPod Touch. It uses the same unaltered Game Boy Advance graphics that have graced the DS and WiiWare versions, along with new "flick"-based controls. Finally, a device that can both play the game and the Steel Samurai ringtone! Capcom didn't offer date or price details for the release. For reference, the WiiWare version of the first episode is priced at 900 Wii Points in Japan (with a 300-point charge for the extra fifth case) and 1,000 in North America (with the last case as a 100-point download). [Via Andriasang]
