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Attorney leading lawsuit against EA: NCAA 'ducking its responsibilities'
Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman, the law firm alleging that NCAA and EA illegally used college athletes' names and likenesses in its NCAA Football series, said "the NCAA's decision to end its long and hugely profitable relationship with EA is tied directly to the pressure our litigation is bringing [to] bear," in a statement to the media. "This announcement makes plain that the NCAA is attempting to mitigate the damage by ducking its responsibilities," Berman said. The lawsuit in question is one of two from Hagens Berman against EA, the other having been settled in July 2012 by EA for $27 million with the requirement that EA not renew its exclusive license with NCAA for five years. NCAA's announcement this week that NCAA Football 14 would be the last game in the series to use the NCAA branding included a note that "given the current business climate and costs of litigation, we determined participating in this game is not in the best interests of the NCAA," pointing to the ongoing legal battle as reasoning for its departure from the partnership. "Our suit illustrates how the cabal between the NCAA and EA has exploited student athletes for years, using their images in video games without compensation," Berman said. "While we are heartened they've stopped the practice, we believe they owe those student athletes a great deal more than their implied promise to stop stealing their images." EA announced that it will continue development on next-gen college football games without the use of NCAA branding. It will do so under a non-exclusive, three-year agreement with the Collegiate Licensing Company beginning on July 1, 2014.
Defender of Law raises slight objections
It's a testament to just how good the Ace Attorney series is when we're considering playing something that looks -- well, meh, to put it bluntly -- in the hopes that we'll be able to experience something even somewhat similar. Yet, without the charm of characters like Phoenix Wright, not to mention a much cheesier-looking objection screen, is there really a point? In case you're wondering what we're rambling on about, Portuguese developer GAMEINVEST is releasing an attorney adventure game this summer titled Defenders of Law, Inc: Crime in Willburg. Like the Ace Attorney games, you'll be finding clues and gathering evidence to help you solve a murder mystery, just to prove your client innocent.What intrigues us is that there will be 25 different scenarios, and you can choose from five different attorneys to play as, too. If this game does turn out to be good, at least it will be a lot of good. On the other hand, if it turns out to be bad ... well, we're sure you get the gist. %Gallery-28336%
More like Defenders of LOL
Gameinvest's Defenders of Law, Inc.: Crime in Willburg looks a bit ... familiar. We can't quite place it, but we're looking at this anime-style adventure game starring defense attorneys, and we have this vague feeling that we've seen something like this in the past. In Defenders of Law for PC, Wii, and DS, players will control one of five lawyers who must investigate crime scenes and interview witnesses in an effort to find evidence to clear their clients. Where it diverges from other lawyer games is in the courtroom, where evidence takes the form of a deck of playing cards and the defense must play cards with the prosecution to determine the fate of the defendant. Gallery: Defenders of Law, Inc.: Crime in Willburg (PC Screens)
Metareview: Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law
Who is the man in the suit? How is his game on the Wii? Do you really want to see scores? It seems like a can't miss formula: use the game design from a funny game about lawyers and the writing from a funny TV show about lawyers. Apparently, though, Harvey Birdman suffers from the fact that the writers are used to providing twelve minutes of material at a time. Game Informer -- 60%: GI's Joe Juba thinks that the game gets in the way of all the lulz you could be lulling: "On one hand, it's commendable that Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law succeeds in capturing the humor of the cartoon. But do you know what else does that? The cartoon itself. With the latter, however, you just get to sit back and enjoy the irreverence. In the game, you are forced to interact with an unintuitive world devoid of any satisfaction. The correct choices are either obvious or ridiculous, robbing you of any sense that you're putting together pieces in a meaningful way."Game|Life --60%: Chris Kohler found the game short and easy, but satisfying in the comedy department: "If you're looking for something as challenging as Phoenix Wright, be warned that Birdman comes up far short in this regard. Play this one if all you want is a few more hours with Harvey with some light gameplay elements squeezed in."1UP -- 55%: The comedy didn't work as well for Andrew Fitch, he found that it either was old or obfuscated the clue-hunting gameplay: "Gameplay aside, in a lighthearted adventure like this, the biggest crime is not being consistently funny...an offense of which Harvey Birdman is regrettably guilty. The script, penned by two of the show's creators, feels like slapped-together B material, and the rare laugh-out-loud moments -- such as trench coat-clad spy Secret Squirrel's penchant for flashing -- are recycled from funnier capers on the original series."%Gallery-7527%
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trailers and Tribulations
We were just coming down from our adrenaline-fueled reverie over Contra 4 when this came along and OBJECTED its way into our lives. TAKE THAT!, normal heart rate! It's a trailer for Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations! What's more, Capcom USA bloggers promise frequent updates on the official blog and in the forums! It's so nice when a company thinks about all of us non-E3-goers who just want to see some cartoon arguing. [Via NeoGAF]
Phoenix Wright, step down. Capcom's bringing Harvey Birdman
The popular DS lawyer-ing game, Phoenix Wright, proved to be a fan favorite around the world. Now, Capcom is trying their hand at yet another lawyer game, but it's going to be unlike anything you could've ever expected. Capcom and Cartoon Network are teaming up to bring Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law to PSP (and PS2). We're hoping that Harvey Birdman will have all the fun of Capcom's other series, but with a hipper, edgier tone.Unfortunately, details and screenshots have not yet been released. Although the premise has us a excited, we can't help but look at developer High Voltage's track record, and get a little worried. (The Family Guy and Leisure Suit Larry games don't really offer much street cred.) Capcom better get this one right, or it won't be too long before PSP fans are screaming "Objection!" ... for all the wrong reasons. [Via Joystiq]
Rumor: Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations
What's the opposite of OBJECTION!? Oh, we know! APPROVAL! A Gamecrazy employee posted this screen from his store's computer system over on the awesome Phoenix Wright fansite Court Records. It shows a game called PHOENIX WRIGHT-TRIALS TRIBU, to be released on September 25. We'll go ahead and deduce that the full title would be Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations, and that since it names Phoenix in the title and not the new guy, that this is a DS port of Gyakuten Saiban 3. Retail computer systems aren't the most reliable sources of information, but we doubt Gamecrazy would make up a title. Plus, we've had evidence that GS3 was going to be localized for a while. Now, if you'll excuse us, we're going to go to Gamecrazy and reserve our copy of the game. If they aren't open yet, we'll just break in. No problem! [Via NeoGAF]
New Gyakuten Saiban 4 screens
We're having a pretty hard time coping with our Gyakuten Saiban withdrawals. Ever since we learned that we wouldn't be able to play the Japanese release in English, we've had to turn to alternate means to get our daily allowance of fake Japanese law. We refresh the GS4 website obsessively, play the translated demo until it hits question-mark land, and shout "OBJECTION" at every opportunity that is even a little appropriate.We found some screens on Famitsu to torture ourselves with. They show the intro to the second case, a witness in Chapter 1, and Chapter 2's defendant. If you want to make yourself feel bad about the lack of Ace Attorney in your life, then by all means, have a look. If you can't handle the wait, we suggest trying to put the whole thing out of your mind.
Gyakuten Saiban 4 hates English speakers
Previous Japanese incarnations of our beloved Gyakuten Saiban series, a.k.a. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, a.k.a. the greatest courtroom drama in the history of mankind, have included an English language option for those who wanted to get their fix early. In fact, savvy importers were able to play the superlative Phoenix Wright 2: Justice For All back in October, months before their blissfully ignorant counterparts.Alas, it appears that the next installment of the series, Gyakuten Saiban 4, will not contain an English language option for importers. However, we would like to note that GS4, though the third title in the series to be released on the DS in Japan, is precluded by the currently GBA-only Gyakuten Saiban 3, which has not yet been localized in any form. According to preliminary reports, the storylines of GS3 and GS4 are not directly related (GS4 doesn't even star our man Phoenix), but you never know with those crafty writers.For people not completely obsessed with Phoenix Wright, please rip out your own colon please ignore the above paragraph and simply know that you won't be able to import GS4 from Japan.>.>[Via Siliconera]
Pokemon: Diamond/Pearl confirmed for Spring! [update 1]
Pokemon: Diamond/Pearl is, beyond doubt, the most anticipated release in the American market for the wonderous and fancy DS. Despite runaway sales in Japan and critical success, however, Nintendo has remained extremely tight-lipped about its eventual release date, with nothing more than a "TBA 2007" showing up in their catalogs.The latest Nintendo Power, however, seems to have mention of a Spring release; those trusty soldiers at NeoGAF seem to have their heads on straight. Furthermore, Nintendo's official Pokemon website is now claiming an April 22nd release date, and despite Nintendo's penchant for delaying games till all nine eight planets align, we'll give them the benefit of the doubt. We won't lie ... we want this game, stigma be damned. The Pokemon franchise, if nothing else, has repeatedly demonstrated engrossing gameplay and attention to detail, and the new Wi-Fi trading system just makes it all the sweeter.Wanna know what else? Nintendo Power gave the upcoming Phoenix Wright: Justice for All a 9 out of 10. Awesome. If David didn't mention that you have to love Phoenix Wright to come work here, then consider this an amendment of epic proportions.[via GoNintendo][Update 1: Trusty commenters. More information from Pokemon.com added, and fixed a typo.]
Phoenix Wright orchestra samples
Some snippets of the orchestrated Phoenix Wright soundtrack releasing in Japan have hit the net and like the responsible Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney junkies that we are, we've already got them downloaded, loaded into the mp3 player and are listening to them right now. We also burned a CD for the car. You can find the mp3 files under the GYAKUTEN MEETS ORCHESTRA header after clicking the read link.Another interesting little tidbit of news is that Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is currently the number 5 best seller in Amazon's videogame category. We enjoy seeing such success (say that 5 times fast!) for the spiky-haired lawyer, not only because it increases our chances of getting localizations for every game in the franchise, but also because it shows that American audiences are hungry for these types of games in general. Maybe Konami will notice and give us a similar game we're dying for?[Thanks Kat!]
Rumor: Phoenix Wright 2 to feature English option in Japan [Update 1]
A vicious rumor has surfaced that the sequel to DS Fanboy's favorite lawyer-em-up Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is to feature an English language option in the Japanese release. There is, however, some corroboration from Play-Asia, which states this to be true and that the game will release with a budget price.So why is Phoenix Wright: Justice For All having an English language option such a vicious rumor? Because if it turns out to be false, we will literally destroy all life. Or, y'know, wait for the game's release next year. Whichever happens first.[Thanks Andrew Yoon!][Update 1 by Jason Wishnov: the term "viscous", used to describe a fluid with high viscosity, has been changed to the proper term "vicious". David's a little slow, you know, like molasses.]
Hold it! That shirt you're wearing is awesome
Are we wrong to sometimes wake up in the dark of night, cold sweat gathered upon our brow, screaming out for Phoenix Wright to save us? No, of course not, such an obsession is clearly healthy. So it's only natural we would want to dress ourselves in garb that loudly proclaims that we want you to hold it, because clearly something is contradictory in your statement. If you're as obsessed as we are, then you're already at the comment screen, furiously typing away to tell us that we already posted about the Hold it! shirt. To that, we present two other shirts, one for the ladies and one for the guys, which boldly proclaim to anyone staring at your chest that you object to such ogling. We've already ordered about 12 of each style of shirt, but for any of you fine readers out there considering purchasing for the first time or already in ownership of one of the kickass shirts, why not take a picture and send it in? We'll build a perverted shrine post them and perhaps make up a story about your super-hero origins.Read - Men's Objection! T-shirtRead - Women's Objection! T-shirtRead - Men's Hold it! T-shirt[Thanks BPM Omega!]
Phoenix Wright defends Sony
In the case of the perjurious PlayStation, Phoenix Wright goes on to defend the PS3 against some of the accusations surrounding its E3 05 promises and motion-sensing controller. Now, we sure aren't any kind of PS3 Fanboy blog, but the overall message that Phoenix conveys in this video is strong enough to transcend the fanboy boundaries and touch our hearts. While Phoenix may appear to be a Nintendo fanboy, he remains interested in the PS3 and shows us that brand loyalty beyond reason will only make us look the fool in a court of law. [Note: We understand this isn't our regular kind of post, but you guys know by now that pretty much anything related to Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney gets posted. Maybe you'd like to object?][Thanks BPM Omega!]
Phoenix Wright already sold out
We've received many reports that the re-release of the immeasurably awesome game known as Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is already sold out of its first shipment via popular retail site Amazon.com. The listing now states that any orders placed will not be shipped until the 29th of this month. Your best bet for getting your hands on it now are to either try other outlets online or hit up the brick-and-mortar retail spots in your town. We actually saw a few copies available at our local Target yesterday, if that helps...Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney was re-released on August 10th. The game follows a young defense attorney named Phoenix Wright and is published by Capcom. The game has been known to cure diseases both big and small, from Sudden Exploding Clown Syndrome to the dreaded Boogie Fever.[Thanks Robert and Kat!]
Phoenix Wright gets us off the hook
Seriously, we were almost done for, set to take the fall for a crime we did not commit. Phoenix Wright, the ace attorney that he is, managed to cut holes through the prosecution and get us off the hook. Maybe you are in need of a good lawyer also?Second course is a humorous cut-up over at YTMND, which you may well know is a good way to waste some time. Also, there's some hilarious stuff there sometimes.OK, let's see your own submissions! [Thanks BPM Omega!]
Phoenix Wright stock replenished August 10th
Look, we try not to judge anyone, but we honestly feel that if you don't own, or haven't at least played Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, then you do not deserve to work here. Pack up your desk, don't bother to finish out the week, it's over, we're through, goodbye. Wait...we can't fire you, can we? Well then, we're no longer BFF, so how about them apples?!You can put a stop to this madness, however, by simply taking the opportunity to purchase Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney once it comes back to retail shelves. Amazon and Target are already taking preorders, so there's that option. Or you could set foot out into the deadly wilderness and brave the vast amounts of nature (see: grizzly bears) in order to procure a copy at your brick-and-mortar outlet of choice.[Thanks Mitchel!]
Phoenix Wright: still hot, still rare
Following the announcement that Capcom is developing a new Phoenix Wright DS title for the Japanese market, PunchJump.com reports that the third printing of the US version of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS) has sold out in roughly a week's time. According to one online retailer, Capcom's next reprint is scheduled for mid-August. In the meantime, consider importing the UK or Japanese* version.*There's a built-in English language option. On the title screen, tap the red button to toggle the language.
Extendable stylus from Hori
You know, if you're anything like me, you should be locked up get a lot of hand cramps when trying to play Meteos or Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney for any kind of extended period of time. Most of this can be attributed to the small size of the stylus (some of us aren't lucky enough to have a DS Lite yet to enjoy its better stylus). So I was pretty psyched when I saw an extendable stylus that actually fits in the slot on the DS. In checking around to see if different types of stylus with this feature were available (I honestly couldn't find anywhere to purchase it at the original link), I came across this for the small sum of $2.99 US that also locks into the DS' slot. [Via Nintendo Gal]
