With last year’s closure of the 3DS eShop, the long-running Ace Attorney series had mostly become inaccessible to play. Not every game in the series was available physically, so unless you were mindful enough to pick it up before the shop’s closure, you’d be out of luck if you haven’t played them. However, thanks to the recent releases of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy, and now the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection, the entire Ace Attorney series can pretty much be played anywhere.
Making today’s release of the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection more appealing is the fact that it includes a game that was never localized or released in the West with Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit.
If you’re not an Ace Attorney fanatic, there are a couple reasons why the two games in this collection are so popular. The first of which is in the dualogy’s protagonist, Miles Edgeworth, who more or less was Phoenix Wright’s primary rival in the original trilogy. Considered by many to be the best character in the series, even over Phoenix, the fact that you mainly play as Miles Edgeworth and learn so much about his backstory while being there for the character progression ranks as some of the best moments for fans of the series. Secondly, unlike the rest of the series, the Ace Attorney Investigations gameplay has you freely running around different areas and crime scenes, which made the game feel more dynamic as there weren’t as many menus as a result. Unfortunately, you don’t get to do any prosecuting in the courtroom.
Never change, Edgeworth.
The first game in this collection, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, originally came out in the West for the DS in 2010. Obviously, that was 14 years ago and despite having reviewed it (thanks, Wayback Machine!), I hardly remember anything that happened so I was more than happy to replay it. Looking back at my review of the original release, I gave it a 7.6 out of 10, and 10 years later I’m both proud and surprised to say that I stand by that score.
So what’s different? Of course, since this isn’t the DS, there’s no top, bottom, or touch screen support. The few instances where the game shifts to first-person to examine crime scenes allow you to utilize the right stick to pan up and down what used to be on the dual screen. That aside, the most notable change is the game’s complete remaster in HD. The characters running around that were pixelated 16 years ago are now hand-drawn chibis in HD glory, and they look absolutely great on any platform. Still, if you wanted to switch to the pixel art graphics, you can do that in the main menu. Unfortunately, it’s not something you can do on the fly. You have to actually exit the game and go into the settings to make that change and it honestly takes more time than it should. Also, like the other remastered collections before it, you can put the game on Story Mode to let the game play itself. This is useful if you’re not interested in the stress of providing the correct evidence and answers, but doing this also prevents you from earning the trophy, achievement, or accolade that you’d be rewarded for completing an episode. That being said, if you play the game by yourself, it’s a really easy Platinum, especially if you save scum.
When it comes to respecting the history of their IP with game compilations, nobody does it with the care that Capcom does.
Aside from the HD support and quality of life changes, absolutely nothing has changed that makes it different from the original. All the the smart and hilarious original dialog (along with their localization errors) has been kept intact, and all the strategies and solutions you come to employ with Edgeworth and his associates are completely the same as they were 14 years ago. They’re the same games with a new coat of paint.
Now if you’re coming to this absolutely fresh, read on. If you want to read my thoughts on the second game that never came out here, proceed to the paragraph after the next. Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth takes place in between Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials and Tribulations, the third game in the original trilogy, and Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. Again, you play as Miles Edgeworth as he gets back from a trip and finds himself entangled in cases involving the Yatagarasu, the Great Thief.
Told in non-linear order, you learn about the case that’s gone on since before his days as a rookie attorney, moving up to the current day where he pursues life as a prosecutor differently after the events from previous games. While none of the action takes place in court, much of the gameplay revolves around pressing statements to get more information and presenting evidence found at crime scenes to point out lies and contradictions. What Miles has that Phoenix doesn’t, laughably, is logic–which allows him to connect various facts to better understand what happened in each crime scene. In addition to Edgeworth himself, a bunch of characters from previous games make their return led by Dick Gumshoe, the local detective loyal to Edgeworth. You even meet bright new characters like Kay Faraday, the self-proclaimed successor of the Great Thief. Want Phoenix? He’s limited to the Easter egg treatment.
Even 16 years later those prices are outrageous.
As enjoyable as Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth was, it suffered from an excruciatingly long last part to the final case that really should’ve been a separate case of its own, and it was done that way because it was the main way to connect every chapter in that game. The sequel, Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit takes place literally two weeks after the events in the previous game, but it just feels like everything is ratcheted it up to 100.
Like AAI before it, AAI2 also boasts five episodes but the latter 4 episodes contain more than 21 chapters each. Each episode in AAI2 is way more beefy than than in the previous game, but they also feature a more substantial narrative. AAI2‘s first episode already puts you in a seemingly impossible situation with extraterritorial complications, the second episode sees Miles put his prosecutor’s badge on the line by becoming an associate attorney, and the third episode puts you in the shoes of Miles’ father. I don’t want to say anymore because I’ve already said too much, but the thickening of the plot in AAI2 rivals much of the entire series. I’ll even call it the best storytelling the series has ever had.
As for what it does new, it’s on the lame side. The big new feature in AAI2 is Mind Chess, where you have to be passive, assertive, and aggressive in your line of questioning depending on patterns in your subject’s mannerisms. It’s pretty much a retooled version of Phoenix Wright‘s psyche-lock system, except you’re dealing with chess pieces instead of locks. It’s just weird, and it felt like it was only put there because so many of the characters in the game enjoy chess, which also felt forced.
That’s a weird thing to smell at what looks like a torture dungeon.
I had a fantastic time replaying Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit. Both games in the collection are great games, superb even. I just think I would’ve enjoyed them more if I didn’t binge them for this review. My main complaint with the first game stems from the fact that the final case was just way too long. The 12 hours I spent playing that game’s first four episodes became 17, so that was rough. Despite being even longer, Prosecutor’s Gambit flowed way better, and according to PSN, I spent 50 hours as a whole playing it, which means AAI2 was near double the length AAI was. That’s a long time for a visual novel, but I have to admit it’s also a heck of a value for a $40 package just because of how good all the writing is.
My other issue with these games stems from the fact that while you get to use the most popular prosecutor in the series, you don’t actually get to play as prosecutor in a real court case. I get that you’re still presenting evidence to prove testimonies false and have suspects confirm their guilt, but it would be cool to do that in court too, and to this day, this hasn’t been a thing in any Ace Attorney game. I also don’t vibe with the fact that every issue in the game is a murder. There are so many other crimes to write about, but alas, these are remasters, not new games. Perhaps these are things to look forward to in the next truly new title.
At the end of the day, the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is an easy recommendation for people that enjoy the Ace Attorney series, especially if the Miles Edgeworth character from the original trilogy was intriguing to you. If visuals novels or tons of reading aren’t your thing, you’d be wise to stay far away. Either way you look at it, it’s a great set, and Ace Attorney Investigations 2 is worth the price of admission on its own.
Now that every game in the series is playable on a modern console, here’s to hoping we see the next great evolution in Ace Attorney soon, whether it’s with a familiar set of protagonists or not.
Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is an easy recommendation for people that enjoy the Ace Attorney series, especially if the Miles Edgeworth character from the original trilogy was intriguing to you. If visuals novels or tons of reading aren’t your thing, you’d be wise to stray far away. Either way you look at it, it’s a great set, and Ace Attorney Investigations 2 is worth the price of admission on its own.
With last year’s closure of the 3DS eShop, the long-running Ace Attorney series had mostly become inaccessible to play. Not every game in the series was available physically, so unless you were mindful enough to pick it up before the shop’s closure, you’d be out of luck if you haven’t played them. However, thanks to the recent releases of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, the Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy, and now the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection, the entire Ace Attorney series can pretty much be played anywhere.
Making today’s release of the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection more appealing is the fact that it includes a game that was never localized or released in the West with Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit.
If you’re not an Ace Attorney fanatic, there are a couple reasons why the two games in this collection are so popular. The first of which is in the dualogy’s protagonist, Miles Edgeworth, who more or less was Phoenix Wright’s primary rival in the original trilogy. Considered by many to be the best character in the series, even over Phoenix, the fact that you mainly play as Miles Edgeworth and learn so much about his backstory while being there for the character progression ranks as some of the best moments for fans of the series. Secondly, unlike the rest of the series, the Ace Attorney Investigations gameplay has you freely running around different areas and crime scenes, which made the game feel more dynamic as there weren’t as many menus as a result. Unfortunately, you don’t get to do any prosecuting in the courtroom.
Never change, Edgeworth.
The first game in this collection, Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, originally came out in the West for the DS in 2010. Obviously, that was 14 years ago and despite having reviewed it (thanks, Wayback Machine!), I hardly remember anything that happened so I was more than happy to replay it. Looking back at my review of the original release, I gave it a 7.6 out of 10, and 10 years later I’m both proud and surprised to say that I stand by that score.
So what’s different? Of course, since this isn’t the DS, there’s no top, bottom, or touch screen support. The few instances where the game shifts to first-person to examine crime scenes allow you to utilize the right stick to pan up and down what used to be on the dual screen. That aside, the most notable change is the game’s complete remaster in HD. The characters running around that were pixelated 16 years ago are now hand-drawn chibis in HD glory, and they look absolutely great on any platform. Still, if you wanted to switch to the pixel art graphics, you can do that in the main menu. Unfortunately, it’s not something you can do on the fly. You have to actually exit the game and go into the settings to make that change and it honestly takes more time than it should. Also, like the other remastered collections before it, you can put the game on Story Mode to let the game play itself. This is useful if you’re not interested in the stress of providing the correct evidence and answers, but doing this also prevents you from earning the trophy, achievement, or accolade that you’d be rewarded for completing an episode. That being said, if you play the game by yourself, it’s a really easy Platinum, especially if you save scum.
When it comes to respecting the history of their IP with game compilations, nobody does it with the care that Capcom does.
Aside from the HD support and quality of life changes, absolutely nothing has changed that makes it different from the original. All the the smart and hilarious original dialog (along with their localization errors) has been kept intact, and all the strategies and solutions you come to employ with Edgeworth and his associates are completely the same as they were 14 years ago. They’re the same games with a new coat of paint.
Now if you’re coming to this absolutely fresh, read on. If you want to read my thoughts on the second game that never came out here, proceed to the paragraph after the next. Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth takes place in between Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials and Tribulations, the third game in the original trilogy, and Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. Again, you play as Miles Edgeworth as he gets back from a trip and finds himself entangled in cases involving the Yatagarasu, the Great Thief.
Told in non-linear order, you learn about the case that’s gone on since before his days as a rookie attorney, moving up to the current day where he pursues life as a prosecutor differently after the events from previous games. While none of the action takes place in court, much of the gameplay revolves around pressing statements to get more information and presenting evidence found at crime scenes to point out lies and contradictions. What Miles has that Phoenix doesn’t, laughably, is logic–which allows him to connect various facts to better understand what happened in each crime scene. In addition to Edgeworth himself, a bunch of characters from previous games make their return led by Dick Gumshoe, the local detective loyal to Edgeworth. You even meet bright new characters like Kay Faraday, the self-proclaimed successor of the Great Thief. Want Phoenix? He’s limited to the Easter egg treatment.
Even 16 years later those prices are outrageous.
As enjoyable as Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth was, it suffered from an excruciatingly long last part to the final case that really should’ve been a separate case of its own, and it was done that way because it was the main way to connect every chapter in that game. The sequel, Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit takes place literally two weeks after the events in the previous game, but it just feels like everything is ratcheted it up to 100.
Like AAI before it, AAI2 also boasts five episodes but the latter 4 episodes contain more than 21 chapters each. Each episode in AAI2 is way more beefy than than in the previous game, but they also feature a more substantial narrative. AAI2‘s first episode already puts you in a seemingly impossible situation with extraterritorial complications, the second episode sees Miles put his prosecutor’s badge on the line by becoming an associate attorney, and the third episode puts you in the shoes of Miles’ father. I don’t want to say anymore because I’ve already said too much, but the thickening of the plot in AAI2 rivals much of the entire series. I’ll even call it the best storytelling the series has ever had.
As for what it does new, it’s on the lame side. The big new feature in AAI2 is Mind Chess, where you have to be passive, assertive, and aggressive in your line of questioning depending on patterns in your subject’s mannerisms. It’s pretty much a retooled version of Phoenix Wright‘s psyche-lock system, except you’re dealing with chess pieces instead of locks. It’s just weird, and it felt like it was only put there because so many of the characters in the game enjoy chess, which also felt forced.
That’s a weird thing to smell at what looks like a torture dungeon.
I had a fantastic time replaying Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth and Ace Attorney Investigations 2: Prosecutor’s Gambit. Both games in the collection are great games, superb even. I just think I would’ve enjoyed them more if I didn’t binge them for this review. My main complaint with the first game stems from the fact that the final case was just way too long. The 12 hours I spent playing that game’s first four episodes became 17, so that was rough. Despite being even longer, Prosecutor’s Gambit flowed way better, and according to PSN, I spent 50 hours as a whole playing it, which means AAI2 was near double the length AAI was. That’s a long time for a visual novel, but I have to admit it’s also a heck of a value for a $40 package just because of how good all the writing is.
My other issue with these games stems from the fact that while you get to use the most popular prosecutor in the series, you don’t actually get to play as prosecutor in a real court case. I get that you’re still presenting evidence to prove testimonies false and have suspects confirm their guilt, but it would be cool to do that in court too, and to this day, this hasn’t been a thing in any Ace Attorney game. I also don’t vibe with the fact that every issue in the game is a murder. There are so many other crimes to write about, but alas, these are remasters, not new games. Perhaps these are things to look forward to in the next truly new title.
At the end of the day, the Ace Attorney Investigations Collection is an easy recommendation for people that enjoy the Ace Attorney series, especially if the Miles Edgeworth character from the original trilogy was intriguing to you. If visuals novels or tons of reading aren’t your thing, you’d be wise to stay far away. Either way you look at it, it’s a great set, and Ace Attorney Investigations 2 is worth the price of admission on its own.
Now that every game in the series is playable on a modern console, here’s to hoping we see the next great evolution in Ace Attorney soon, whether it’s with a familiar set of protagonists or not.
by Danreb Victorio
