Phoenix
Latest
Capcom blogger interviews Phoenix Wright localization staff
We just found out about the employee blogs that Capcom USA has on their website. One in particular, belonging to "Scarlett," is especially cool because it features an interview with a member of the Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney Justice For All localization staff, Janet Hsu!The interview provides some fairly interesting information about working at Capcom Japan, and about trying to make something as Japanese as Gyakuten Saiban make sense to American audiences. There's also the incredible statement from Ms. Hsu that she only took Japanese classes for about 2 years before coming to Japan. Certain members of the DS Fanboy Blogging Squad have taken much more Japanese than that and can't translate their way out of a paper bag. It's official: Janet Hsu is our new hero, and so are her colleagues JP Kellams and Brandon Gay.[Via GameSetWatch]
Rumor: Wii mic to increase wizardly immersion
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Rumor_Wii_mic_to_increase_wizardly_immersion_get_more_into_the_game'; It's all a bit hushed and secretive, but reports out of GDC say that the new Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix game will use the upcoming Wii microphone attachment in some fashion-- the most obvious use we've heard is incanting spells. People are under non-disclosure agreements about some aspect of this game, but not the microphone. People are getting really excited about the Wii mic, it seems. Excited enough to forget that Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban covered the mic thing back on the PS2. This one will just be better anyway.We're just glad the Wii mic is getting use outside of licensed Disney karaoke games. It's covering the whole range of licensed games![Via digg]
DS Daily: New horizons
There have been a lot of familiar franchises on the DS, and we love them! But, and this is where a lot of the system's publicity comes from, there has also been an explosion of new genres and new experiences, as well as revivals of past trends. So, as hardcore gamers (the kind who read game blogs), has your gaming universe been expanded by the DS? Have you taken part in any completely new experiences? Played your first graphical text adventure? Minigame collection? Whatever Brain Age was?Or maybe what you discovered on the DS is something popular that you just missed out on for some reason, like Final Fantasy or Castlevania. We want to hear about your experiences! We want to know how the DS has affected your gaming tastes! We want to know how you classify Brain Age!
Bone: DS adventure renaissance continues [update 1]
[Update 1: The announcement was about Bone for the PC and not for the DS. It mentions that the publisher is "focusing on the PC and Nintendo DS markets", not the game. We apologize for the misunderstanding. Thanks to eric c for the correction!]Before the episodic Sam & Max games, Telltale Games were known among adventure game holdouts for their adaptations of Jeff Smith's Bone comic series. They followed a similar business model: periodic, bite-sized chunks of delicious puzzle solving, set in cult comic book trappings.Now publisher Xider is bringing the Bone games to the DS PC and unidentified games to the DS in Europe in 2007. We hope that they decide to bring them stateside as well, and that they don't decide to shoehorn weird touch screen/microphone puzzles into what is supposed to be a pretty good adventure series. It's still possible, but the identities of the DS games have yet to be announced.We're so proud of our little DS, bringing back two of our favorite long-lost game genres: the graphical text adventure and the 3D adventure game.
Phoenix's Sky Harbor airport puts omniscient X-ray to use
We don't envision very many people enjoying the idea of having TSA employees seeing every curve their body has to offer, but unfortunately for those who fail the primary metal detector test at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, you could be in for such a treat. While airport shoe scanners have already garnered sufficient criticism for holding up the show rather than helping things out, the "backscatter" X-ray machine is officially being trialed in Arizona as a means of snuffing out hidden "explosives and other weapons" that can't be detected by other means. While the technology allows the viewer to see just about every follicle on your body (and any stray .500 Magnums adorning your person), there is still currently a workaround if you're not entirely comfortable with going full-frontal before boarding your flight. A TSA spokesperson proclaimed that the process is completely voluntary, as folks who get dinged by the metal detector can opt for a standard pat-down in order to clear things up. Interestingly, the officials operating the machine have reportedly "adjusted the equipment to make the image look something like a line drawing" rather than detailing all your 2,000 parts, but critics suggest that altering the image also hampers the chance of discovering contraband in the first place. Still, unless this causes some serious uproar in the near future, it looks like it's there to stay, and folks traveling through LAX and New York's Kennedy Airport will likely face a similar beast (if they so choose) before the year's end.
Japan gets a Gyakuten Saiban 4 calendar and we don't? OBJECTION!
Capcom put this gorgeous "school calendar" (it starts at April) up for sale in their Japanese store today, and we're dying over here. Look at that cover! That is better than most posters, there. There's Ema Skye, and Phoenix Wright, and the whole group is surrounded by new guy Odoroki Housuke's bracelet thing.And there's six pages of official art inside. This is too much. We don't really have anything clever to say about it. Look at it. It's a thing we want, a lot, and probably won't be able to purchase.Oh, man, we feel so inadequate. How can we be Phoenix Wright fans if we can't look at some Gyakuten Saiban characters when we want to see what day it is? We're going to have to look into placing an order for this thing. 1,260 yen turns out to be ... $10.45.Oh, and while you're at the e-Capcom store, check out these other just-out-of-reach Gyakuten goods!Sample calendar page after the break. You could resize it and make a very blurry, artifacty wallpaper out of it!
Shhh: Phoenix Wright soundtrack on the DL
We're not much for breaking the law ourselves, but a secret this good cannot be kept to ourselves. It's like our Kryptonite, this Phoenix Wright fella. And now, this collection of music from his games has us on our knees and praising to any higher deity that will listen. We're thankful this individual who crafted this page took the time to help us out and bestow upon us this wonderful collection of music. Wait, what are we saying, we already had all this music ...Well, here's to hoping you didn't have the music![Thanks Chris!]
Ema Skye returning for Gyakuten Saiban 4
Ema Skye, the science-obsessed, Luminol-toting teen sidekick from Case 5 of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (Gyakuten Saiban: Yomigaeru Gyakuten) is making a return appearance in the new DS sequel, pink goggles and all. Her new character art portrays her as a little more grown-up, so maybe she'll be less annoying. Even if not, we really started to feel sympathetic to Phoenix's junior-detective friend in that case (Don't know what we're talking about? PLAY THE GAME!).Speaking of return appearances, you know who else will be returning when this comes out? Us. Our frothing demand for this game increases. You might as well call us "Phoenix Wright Fanboy." Click past the post break to scientifically investigate a few screenshots.
Help bring Gyakutan Saiban 3 to America
We recently beat Phoenix Wright 2: Justice For All, and were astounded with the absolute brilliance of the climactic final case. In truth, though, it isn't the final case at all: the Gyakutan Saiban trilogy (which is, of course, localized as Phoenix Wright) has had three installments and going on a fourth. Capcom hasn't yet quite decided whether or not to bring the third chapter to America, but we can help.Of course, our greatest asset in this fight is the almighty dollar ... if Capcom makes a profit on these games, they'll keep bringing them over. However, a recent post in the official boards over at Capcom have introduced a contest entitled "Plead Your Case". Using the given comic and speech bubbles, it's your job to convince Capcom to bring over GS3 with wit, spunk, and any and all forms of blackmail at your disposal.This isn't an "informational" news post. This is a demand, in which we essentially force you to engage in said contest. We must have this game. We must. If we don't, we'll explode, and then we can't write anymore! You don't want that ... do you?[Thanks, Jon C.!]
DS Daily: The new book?
The adventure genre peaked in the early to mid 90's. And then it crashed. Hard. As it trudged along through the years, essentially dead but for rare gems like The Longest Journey, it slowly faded from the minds of modern gamers.The point-and-click capabilities of the DS have certainly given the once-zombified genre a much-needed jolt. We've seen excellent offerings, including the superlative Phoenix Wright series, the soon-to-be-released Hotel Dusk: Room 215, Trace Memory, Lost in Blue, and a few others (let's not even mention the ScummVM homebrew project). But the DS gives these games something they could have never had in the nineties: absolute portability. It's almost as though these games compete directly with the classic novel, something which has never really been seen even amongst the myriad of gadgets anyone can go out and readily purchase.Our question is this: how does a DS adventure game compare to that of a classic book? What would you rather whip out on the way to work? Phoenix Wright 2 has had our hearts and minds in a legal grip for days on end. You may not look as smart as those punks reading Vonnegut, but that's okay. You look cooler.
Japanese Hardware Sales: 8 Jan - 14 Jan: Turnabout edition [update 2]
[Update 2: Date mix-up!] Judge - Court is now in session. Mr. Edgeworth, your opening statement.Edgeworth - My case is simple. I shall prove that the defendant, the Nintendo Wii, is guilty beyond any reasonable doubt. His abject sabotage and subsequent murder of the DS Lite is immediately evident to those of us not blinded by a foolish, persistent belief in their clients.Judge - And Mr. Wright?Phoenix - He's ... wait, what did he say? Maya - C'mon, Nick! Pay attention! Judge - Mr. Edgeworth, you may call your first witness.Objection! Judge - ...Phoenix - ...Judge - Overruled. Phoenix - Sunnuva ... !
Metareview (the web) - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Justice For All
Now that we've seen what the magazines have to say, it's high time we checked in with the various sites of the world wide webtron. With mostly favorable reviews of the title (natch), we're glad we do not have to enter the tubes ourselves and personally kill any online entities responsible for bad-mouthing our favorite Ace Attorney.At the time of this post, we don't have all of the online reviews yet (1UP and IGN), but once they've posted them, we'll come back and update this post. Gamespot (77/100) says it's more of the same and doesn't innovate: "Justice for All is a good, lengthy adventure with great character-driven storylines, but it fails to build upon the promising groundwork laid by the first game." Games Radar (80/100) is quick to call it a great follow-up to the previous game: "The charm and clever logic puzzles are still here, and the cases deliver the same charge-back-from-the-edge-of-defeat rush that made the first game so cool. Whether you're a fan of the original or a newcomer to Wright's bizarre legal world, you won't be disappointed."
DS Daily: Stylus Bling
The DS Phat's stylus was anemic. The DS Lite's stylus is serviceable. But is it good enough for you? We've seen quite a few people use far larger styluses, perhaps meant for a tablet laptop or giant ... touch-screen ... thingy. We've seen pimped out versions. We've seen accusatory gesture versions. Heck, we've even seen a few just use their fingers, provided the game doesn't require a high degree of accuracy. What do you guys use, and do you wish you had something better?
Justice For All in UK and Germany on March 16th
Everyone's favorite ace attorney Phoenix Wright is releasing a new game stateside next week. but for those of you in the UK and Germany who have been sitting idly by and waiting for the sequel to the best DS game ever can finally breath a sigh of relief. Turns out, you'll be getting your hands on the game mid-March. March 16th, to be exact, with the hold-up apparently being due to German language localization.With such a wait, are any of you German and UK residents out there planning on importing the US version? Or have you already imported the Japanese game, which has an English translation?See also: Metareview (the mags) - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Justice For All
Metareview (the mags) - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Justice For All
It may still be a good week plus away, but many of the magazine reviews for Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Justice For All are finally beginning to surface and, given our incredible love of all things involving Phoenix, we thought it appropriate to do something a bit different for a metareview on the game. See, we're going to count up what the magazines have to say first and as the game gets closer to release and websites begin to chime in (we realize a lot have reviewed the Japanese import, but that doesn't count), we'll go ahead and do another metareview for those. Game Informer - 80%: "What it lacks in advance graphics and interface, JFA more than makes up for in charm and intrigue." [Jan 2007, p.115] GamePro - 80%: "Still, Justice For All demonstrates enough of the plucky spirit that made the first game so memorable." [Feb. 2007, p.82] Nintendo Power - 90%: "The verdict is in: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Justice for All is another superb graphic-text adventure from the folks at Capcom." [Feb. 2007, p.96]
DIY: make your own Phoenix Wright shirt
After receiving the gift during Christmas from a friend, reader 20XX decided to put his newly-acquired t-shirt creation kit to work, choosing to stamp the silhouette of our favorite ace attorney onto one of the included shirts. The end product is the shirt pictured above, which turned out pretty good. Anyone care to object?As always, if you spot a cool DS-themed shirt online or, like 20XX made your own, let us know!
Phoenix Wrong 4
We don't know how we missed this one, folks. After we presented the original trilogy of Phoenix Wrong flash skits back in September, we promised ourselves we'd check every nineteen minutes for the impending fourth installment. Well, despite our best intentions, PW4 simply slipped by our drooping eyelids on November 22nd. Damn!We'll make it up to you. Here's the link! Watch and be merry, o' future lawyers of America!
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.]
Special edition Gyakuten Saiban 4 comes with dictionary
Turns out that Japan will be getting a special edition of Gyakuten Saiban 4, which is Phoenix Wright 4 to us English-speaking people. The special edition pack-in is an encyclopedia cartridge that reviews all of Phoenix's previous cases. It also contains all of the background music so you can listen at your leisure. Of course, our desire for such an extra is nonexistent as we haven't played any of the games beyond the first, but we have a feeling the Japanese will eat this up. Check out Siliconera for some pictures of the encyclopedia in action.
Happy Halloween from Wii Fanboy!
The above pumpkin, carved by reader graham, hits us in our various weak spots for the most massive damage imaginable. It fills us with the Halloween spirit (if there is even such a thing and if there is, patent pending) and makes us anxious to go out into the living room and give out candy to trick-or-treaters. What about you guys? Still at that age where you can make off like a bandit in the night, pillow case full of chocolate goods? Or are you too old to pass for young and, like us, must instead sit in your living room, bowl of candy in-hand?
