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Product Description: Step into the shoes of a slick young lawyer in Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice - the fourth game in the thrilling courtroom series that puts your skills as a solicitor on trial. Featuring a cast of dynamic new characters and four fascinating cases for you to cut your teeth on, Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice brings all the drama of an action-packed crime thriller directly to your DS. The first game in the series crafted specifically for the DS, Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice puts you in charge of title character Apollo Justice at the outset of his legal career. Controlling the game almost exclusively by pointing and clicking on the DS Touch Screen, you must guide Apollo through an investigation phase before defending clients in the courtroom. During the investigation phase you gather evidence by interviewing witnesses and scouring crime scenes for clues. After you've built a case, you must stand before a judge and defend the innocence of your client by cross-examining witnesses and revealing your findings. Whichever case you are working on, you can expect to become immersed in the deep and entertaining storylines that have become a trademark of the Ace Attorney games. As well as introducing Apollo, the game marks the arrival of several more fascinating characters to the series. There's Apollo's assistant; the young magician Trucy, who's mysterious powers can help you to tell when a witness is giving false evidence. There are also brothers Klavier and Kristoph Gavin - one a rock star and ace prosecutor and the other a level-headed lawyer who is always on hand with helpful tips for Apollo. On top of that, you'll cross paths with the star of the previous Ace Attorney games, Phoenix Wright, in the most dramatic of circumstances. In some of the toughest cases in the Ace Attorney series yet, you'll have to unravel multi-layered mysteries, defend more seemingly indefensible causes and even persuade a jury of your client's innocenc Customer Reviews: Rating: 
Date: 2008-06-27
Justice is pretty Good, but Wright is still the Man.
I enjoyed this game, as I did the each game from the Phoenix Wright series... but Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney just can't compared to its predecessor. The new protagonist, Justice, is for lack of better words, o.k. In my mind his personality was too bland, as were all the supporting characters; this made it difficult for me to enjoy the game as I'd hoped. Phoenix provided witty comments and timely jokes throughout his series to make the games more than just solving cases and defending people... I felt the first three Ace Attorney games were purely entertaining and enjoyable. The latest title provides still interesting cases and introduces some new features like the ability to "Perceive" lies and reintroduces active investigation as in Phoenix Wright: Justice For All. I thoroughly loved each P.W. title and was sad to see the series end and for P.W. to be reduced to a supporting character... I would recommend the other titles before this one. Rating:
Date: 2008-05-03
Apollo Justice is great, but please bring back Phoenix!
I just finished the game and I must say it was another great addition to the series. It can't compare to the previous three games but it was still good enough to warrant a high rating. The ending was pretty spectacular (think along the lines of Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations). The music was remixed well and the characters were as loveable as ever.
I did have quite a few dislikes about the game though. Starting with Apollo. He seemed like a watered down Phoenix with a bit of Gumshoe's mentality and Edgeworth's emotions. I understand sticking to the formula but if you're going to make a new character, make a NEW character. I loved pretty much all the characters, but Apollo. I would've given anything to be playing as Klavier because I just didn't like Apollo's lack of personality. Also, I've seen others mention it but there really isn't a good opposite to Apollo. So that Phoenix/Edgeworth dynamic is clearly missing from this game.
Also, I compared the ending to Trials and Tribulations. It is, and it isn't similar. For those of you who played Trials and Tribulations, you know that the ending was brewing starting with the first case of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and we finally reached a peaceful ending at the end of the third game. Understandably Apollo Justice does not have the same advantage seeing as this is the first game in the series. However, it seems the developers wanted that same ending again, but as I stated, they couldn't pull it off. It was still an alright ending though.
All in all, I'd say Apollo Justice is a good purchase, if you're interested in playing more Phoenix Wright. But if you honestly don't care for Apollo before going into the game, I'd say skip it for now. Wait until the price goes down if it's super important to learn this chapter of the story. Rating: 
Date: 2008-03-29
The series keeps getting better
The Ace Attorney series has produced surprise hit after surprise hit. Every game features a wonderful story, plenty of problem solving, and lots a colorful, funny characters. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney takes a slight diversion from the series in that the previous title character, Phoenix Wright, is relegated to what is mostly a supporting role. However, the game doesn't miss a beat. This game contains the same well-drawn characters and situations, the combination of humor and soap opera-style drama, and the clever twists and turns that mark this wonderful series.
For fans of the series, it might take a while to get into the game. While there's nothing wrong with these new characters, they don't have the development of the old familiar people. That's mainly because they haven't had the screen time that Phoenix, Maya, and others have had over three games. Keep with them...it will be worth it. During the first three cases, you'll be learning a wide variety of new investigative techniques, thanks to the innovative use of the DS touch screen. You'll dust for fingerprints, spray for poison, take footprint samples, and even solve one case through the use of a mixing board.
When the fourth and final case comes around, the real fun begins. This case is easily the best of the entire series. The past and present collide as you find out all of Apollo's secrets and also discover what happened that caused Phoenix to lose his attorney badge. Finally, you'll test drive a new legal system, wrapping everything up in a package that blows even the other great games away.
Apollo Justice has carried on Phoenix's legacy admirably. This is an awesome game, and a worthy successor to the Ace Attorney franchise. Here's hoping that Capcom has a fifth game in the pipeline, because this franchise is still as fresh and fun as ever. Rating:
Date: 2008-03-26
all you hoped for, and more
after I heard that the 3rd phoenix wright game was the last i was disappointed. But then I heard about Apollo Justice, and I was pumped up for a new ace attorney game. Phoenix is actually a returning character, although he's about 10 years older and he's not a defense attorney anymore. The first thing that you'll notice is that the 3D evidence examination feature from the 5th case in the 1st game is back. I love being able to examine every piece of evidence to look for clues. Another returning feature is using the touch screen to take fingerprints and theres also neat puzzles to solve such as opening a safe. I still definately miss the old characters, but the new ones are pretty good. especially your sidekick trucy who's training to be a magician. I think shes actually a better sidekick than Maya, but thats just my opinion. In addition, the music is fantastic. This is one of the strong points in the ace attorney series and this game doesnt disappoint. Also, the backround graphics are slightly better and locations such as the courtroom and detention center are completely redrawn. All in All, this is an amazing game that no phoenix wright fan or adventure game fan should miss. Rating:
Date: 2008-03-17
Apollo Justice mixes up the Ace Attorney recipe with pleasing results.
The Ace Attorney series is back, but with a new central character: a rookie defense attorney by the name of Apollo Justice. The fourth Ace Attorney does a good job of revitalizing a franchise that seemed to be fizzling with age. All of the favorite aspects of the Phoenix Wright trilogy return, to including the over-the-top cases and characters. Apollo Justice shows some marked improvements over Trials and Tribulations because of the fact that it is the first game in the series that was specifically designed for the DS. Despite not being a central figure in the game, Phoenix Wright does return to play a major role. He is the defendant in the first case, during which it is revealed that he lost his attorney badge seven years prior, supposedly due to forged evidence. After the first case, Phoenix is continually working on "secret mission" that he refuses to divulge any information about. More on that later. ... Let's see ... what else ... what else ... Oh, yeah ... there's also the mystery of Phoenix's daughter, who also happens to be your assistant. Hmmm? Did I forget to mention that earlier? Yeah, well, ummm ... just run with it for now.
The cases and storyline are, as can be expected, all of a very high quality and the last case deals a couple of revelations that were almost end-of-Trials and Tribulations quality. Unfortunately, the Psyche Locks make not much more than a cameo appearance, but this is completely understandable because Phoenix Wright is not the main playable character in the game. (Again, more on that later.) To compensate for this, Apollo has a bracelet that works very much the same as Phoenix's Magatama, except that it can only be used in court. With the bracelet activated, time slows down and Apollo has the ability to focus on witnesses on the stand to look for little "tells" that they might have, such as their hands tensing up or nervous swallowing, during parts of their testimony. In addition to this is the return of some of the forensic investigation techniques (dusting for fingerprints and spraying for residue) from the bonus case in the first game. I wished that these were more implemented than they actually turned out to be, but at least they did put them back into the series, which is a start.
The game is still of a good technical quality. The sound is still very fitting to the feeling of the situation and mood of the settings and characters. The graphics have all been upgraded and some cutscenes are actually animated, for the first time in the series. This may sound strange, but, even though this game was a pre-order for me, it has renewed my hope for the series. Just as is done in the games themselves, I will now solve the mystery (to some extent ... after all, this is a review, not a FAQ) of Phoenix's secret mission. The secret mission is a playable part of fourth case in which you, once again, assume the role of Phoenix Wright immediately after his last case. During this secret mission, Phoenix will also be making his own inquiries as his story runs parallel to Apollo's present-day cases. All of this is done in preparation for the test, which is the final case of the game, of a new type of judicial system. (I could say "more on that later", but that would only be assuming that you play the game after reading this review.) All in all, I am very pleased to welcome Apollo Justice to my gaming family. |
