DS game profile: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney

Phoenix, Phoenix, Phoenix… what happened? We were such close friends, but now all of a sudden you’ve decided to just abandon us!? Oh well, we’ve found a better friend and lawyer anyway. His name? Apollo Justice, Ace Attorney.

Ok, so it has yet to be seen whether or not Apollo can live up to his preceding character, but rest assured that you can expect a refreshing new take on the Ace Attorney series with this intriguing new game. Apollo Justice plays much like its predecessors, you’ll gather evidence and do some investigation, go to court, cross-examine witnesses, and save the world… I mean, exonerate your clients. In that case, if you didn’t particularly like the Phoenix Wright branch of the series, you probably won’t like this new entry much better.

You can, however, expect to see lots of great new features included in this built from the ground up game on the Nintendo DS. Apollo Justice takes away some of the old, like some of the characters and the “Profiles” section of the menu, but in the process adds several new features that are bound to catch your attention. One nifty new feature resembles that of the “Psyche-lock” feature in the Phoenix Wright games; once in court and cross-examining a witness you may simply tap “perceive” when you notice some irregularity that gives away the dishonesty of a witness. In addition to that, you have the ability to manipulate evidence and even create an on-screen recreation of a crime scene, letting you work your magic on the scene.

What: Court room drama, with a twist. The Ace Attorney franchise is famous for its clever writing, interesting cases, and engaging thought provoking gameplay. Whether you’re a lawyer or not, you can enjoy this game!

Why: The previous installments of the Ace Attorney franchise were actually remakes of the original games, which were released in Japan for the Gameboy Advance. Therefore, this is the first game to be built from the ground up on the Nintendo DS.

Who: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney is developed by Capcom.

When: February 19th, 2008. The game was previously released with critical and commercial success in Japan in mid-2007.

This, of course, is only the tip of the iceburg when it comes to new features in this game. With new characters, a brand new storyline, and a fresh new take on the game you can be sure that this is a game to look forward to! To try out the game for yourself, try this online demo courtesy of Capcom. Check back in the coming weeks for new details and a full review of Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney.