Dead Nation

I quite enjoy twin stick shooters. It’s a genre that’s never failed to entertain me. I picked up Super Stardust HD as soon as a heard about it, and have enjoyed it ever since. It makes sense, then, that I would be interested to know what Housemarque, the creators of SSHD would be up to in their next endeavor. It turned out to be a nice little game called Dead Nation.

Dead Nation is a twin stick shooter as well. Except you’re not shooting rocks in this game; you’re shooting zombies. Lots and lots of zombies. You have the option of playing either a male or female survivor, in yet another world plagued by the zombie apocalypse. Instead of simply being dropped into an area and being basically trying to survive for a set amount of time before being whisked away to another level (like in SSHD or Zombie Apocalypse, a conceptually similar game), Dead Nation features a full campaign and plot. Housemarque doesn’t try to put any spin on the classic zombie formula, though; the story and setting aren’t anything you haven’t seen a few times before.

As in any game of this nature, you have a lot of weapons at your disposal. At the beginning of the game you start with a basic assault rifle. Though you still have to reload, you have unlimited ammo with this weapon, and you can charge it up for a power shot that will score automatic headshots on zombies and also scythe through and hit any ones directly behind them. As you progress through each level, you’ll encounter a number of rest stops along the way, which each hold shops where you can buy additional weapons and ammo. Such additonal weapons include standard fare like the SMG, shotgun and flamethrower, and less-than-standard fare like the blade gun, which shoots saw blades that rip through zombies (think the Ripper from Unreal Tournament). Shops are also where you’ll go to buy upgrades for your weapons. Each weapon can be upgraded in a number of categories, such as clip size, damage, and fire rate.

Scattered around the various levels are various chests. Some are easier to find than others, but all of them hold either ammo, money, or points for your score multiplier. Most importantly however, some of them hold armor pieces. Different armor pieces can give different stat boosts; endurance is for HP, strength for melee damage, agility for running speed, etc. You can choose your armor loadout in shops.

Like I said before, Dead Nation will throw a veritable horde of zombies at you, on a fairly regular basis. And sometimes they don’t always just come from the front. Sometimes they come from the back simultaneously; sometimes they drop down on you from above. There will be times when you fumble switching weapons or reloading, and that’s all it takes for them to bear down on you. For those times, you have the Rush technique and melee. Rushing is a technique carried over from Super Stardust HD. Basically, it’s a brief, headlong charge where you quickly sprint in one direction. You’re invincible during a Rush, so it’s a great way to evade attacks and escape being cornered. It takes several seconds to recharge a Rush though, so it’s not something to be used lightly. Melee is for those times when you can’t Rush, and you don’t have time to reload or switch weapons. It does enough damage to incapacitate most zombies in a single hit, so meleeing is often an effective way to take care of any strays that manage to get past your hail of gunfire.

You’re also able to carry a number of consumable weapons and items. Flares emit a pillar of light and smoke, attracting nearly every zombie in the vicinity, and in turn taking a lot of heat off of you. Grenades work similar to pipe bombs in Left 4 Dead, beeping to attract attention before exploding. You also have access to mines and molotov cocktails.

The levels in Dead Nation are pretty giant. It usually takes me 30-45 minutes to complete each one, and they’re filled with side paths and various nooks and crannies. A couple times each level you’ll come across a set piece, usually in the form of something that needs to be activated, and of course, will attract a lot of zombies in the process. One instance had me fending off a legion of the undead as I activated a switch to extend a bridge across an otherwise uncrossable gap. Another showdown occurred in a construction area as I warmed up an exterior elevator to get to the top of a sky scraper. Conveniently, it was filled with volatile gas tanks. The game was released with no loading checkpoints between levels, which meant that if you quit before finishing, you’d have to start that entire level over. That has been changed, recently with a patch, however.

While Dead Nation’s gameplay is definitely fun, what I found to be its greatest aspect is its visuals. For a top down game, it features some surprising production values. Explosions send debris flying every which way (including upward; I’ve had a chunk of zombie flesh fly directly into the camera from a grenade explosion), and the game really plays well with light and shadows. You’re constantly equipped with a flashlight, which is beamed in the direction that you aim. That flashlight is a lot more important to your survival than you might think. Most areas are very darkly lit, requiring you to constantly shine your light in every corner to check for danger. One area, for example, was flooded with a thick fog, making any lurking enemies appear as little more than shadows. Another area, which served as a set piece, gloomily lit and had zombies flooding out of buildings from nearly every angle. The orange glow provided by flares and frequent explosions served as my primary source of light as I frantically checked each direction. The result of all this is a remarkably immersive game, despite being a top down shooter.

But..this is a top down shooter, with arcade elements to prove it. Dead Nation provides for you score junkies out there with leaderboards and plenty of ways to multiply your score at the end of each level. Chief among this is the score multiplier. As you kill zombies and loot cars and chests, you’ll find two things: money and score points. Score points add to your multiplier, which, if you can sustain it until the end of the level, can accumulate a handsome bonus at the results screen. Every time you get hit though, your multiplier decreases, so the challenge is on! You can also tackle the game with a friend in local and online coop (voice chat has recently been patched in). The only quirk with this is that the co-op isn’t drop in/drop out. Co-op play has it’s own campaign, meaning you can’t have a friend join you in a level in your singleplayer campaign, and you can’t take a solo stab at levels unlocked in in co-op campaign. But the campaigns are exactly the same, in terms of plot and content.

Dead Nation’s name comes from its metagame. Each nation is plagued by a virus cycle, and to defeat it will require the death of many, many zombies. More than one person (or even a few dozen of people) could typically slay in a reasonable amount of time. So every time you finish a level, your performance is uploaded to the game’s servers, joining your efforts with that of everyone else in the country who’s playing the game. You can view each nation’s ranking and progress in realtime; right now the US is in the lead, followed by Japan.

Dead Nation is not a unique game. The setting has been done over and over again, sometimes better. The weapons, the items, the score system--aside from the metagame, there’s almost nothing about this game that is innovative. Instead, Housemarque took a tried and true concept and polished it to a sheen. They gave it a full campaign and story, graphical fidelity suitable for a full retail game, and an engine that runs smooth as butter. It’s an old, almost tired concept, polished to a bright sheen. What does this mean? It means Dead Nation is fun, that’s what it means. And really, that’s all that matters, isn’t it? 8.5/10

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

I think text adventure games might be starting to grow on me. It’s nice to be able to settle back during down times and enjoy some good, humorous writing accompanied by an entertaining cast of characters and some light gameplay. After finishing Trials and Tribulations, I heard about Ghost Trick. And my interest was piqued. Ghost Trick is a DS game, from the same mind that created the Ace Attorney series, Takumi Shu. And it shows, in many ways.

Like any Ace Attorney game, the game features a convoluted story filled with twists, turns and secrets. The immediate plot--which stretches over the course of a single fateful night--begins with Sissel, who has come to realize that he is in a bit of a predicament. He’s dead, you see. Not only that, he can’t remember why or how he perished. Or even why his consciousness still exists. Really Sissel can’t remember anything at all. To make matters worse, the only person who might have some insight as to how he kicked the bucket--a young woman we later learn is named Lynne--is currently being held at gunpoint herself by a hitman. See? He’s in a bit of a pickle.

But all is not lost, as is soon pointed out to Sissel; he’s been given special powers. These abilities, known as Ghost Tricks, let Sissel possess various nearby objects and manipulate them to varying effects. For example, Sissel can possess a nearby guitar and strum it to spook Lynne’s hitman, distracting him just long enough for her to attempt to make a break for it. In this case, it changes her fate only slightly, however, as the hitman soon catches her once more, and this time he manages to kill her. And this is when we’re introduced to another of Sissel’s abilities. Though he can’t manipulate corpses, by interacting with one he has the option of rewinding time to exactly four minutes before that person’s death, with the aim of altering their fate.

This is where the heart of Ghost Trick’s gameplay is. Many times throughout the game, you’ll witness the death of important individuals, only to rewind time. You’ll then have a limited amount of time to use your Ghost Tricks to somehow prevent the person’s death from happening, before the tragic event simply repeats itself. In Lynne’s case, after distracting the hitman a couple more times, I was able to goad the hitman into standing in just the right place to get squashed by a wrecking ball dropped when I possessed the overhead crane (the game’s prologue takes place in a junkyard). And thus Lynne’s fate is changed for the better. For the people he saves, Sissel’s Ghost Tricks are not without side effects, though. After dying once and having access to the Ghost World (where time stands still), characters gain the ability to mentally communicate with ghosts--namely, Sissel. Furthermore, even though they’re alive, they still remember the experience of their death.

With Lynne saved, after establishing that she is clearly connected in some way to Sissel’s death, the two decide to work together. Thus Sissel embarks on a long, bumpy road to figure out who killed him, and why. The story will take you to something like a dozen a different locations, and you’ll have run into over thirty characters by the time Sissel’s journey has reached its end. Some of them are more integral to the story than others, but rest assured you’ll end up changing the fates of each and every one of them. And because this is a game from the same mind that spawned the Ace Attorney series, you can expect each character to have their quirks. For example, Lynne dies so many times in the story that it becomes a bit of a running gag, with her more or less waiving away each death without batting an eyelash. Her mentor figure of sorts, Inspector Cabanela always arrives on the scene with a hop and a skip, finishing with a pirouette and a flashy dance step. The Justice Minister is a squirrelly, distressed man prone to heart attacks, while his wife, who has temporarily left him due him not succumbing to her demands makes her livelihood writing trashy romance novels. Always seen with a full wine glass in hand, she will toast to anything she deems fit. Sissel himself sports a gel’ed up hairdo, and his lack of any memory of his life in the human is sometimes used to comical effect.

As a ghost, Sissel has only two forms of movement. He can move through areas by moving from one object to the next, but can also travel greater distances by moving between the phone lines. By possessing a phone while somebody is using it, Sissel can also not only listen in on their conversation, but also trace the number of the person on the other line, thereby opening up a new area to explore. There are limitations, however. Sissel can only possess objects that are within his fairly short reach. He can only use the phone lines to travel when the lines are active, and only to phones whose numbers he has traced.

Despite the apparent freedom that being able to visit most places you have unlocked anytime you have access to a phone grants, Ghost Trick is actually quite linear; almost restrictively so. There are only certain items you can possess, and even fewer that you can manipulate. There is definitely a very arbitrary limit to what can and can’t be done with Sissel’s Ghost Tricks. Despite what the concept of being able to manipulate many things in an area to change a given situation might imply, there’s only one solution for virtually every predicament presented to you. The challenge then, is not figuring out what to use, but when to use them. Timing is a key aspect of Ghost Trick. Certain objects must be activated in a specific order, and at specific times, forming a carefully orchestrated Rube Goldberg-esque sequence of events. Understandably, this will sometimes require a lot of trial and error; luckily, Sissel can rewind time and return to the four minute mark as many times as necessary until you get it right, with no penalty.

Ghost Trick’s writing, characters and story are all very intriguing and very entertaining, but what really caught my eye as I got acquainted with the game were its visuals. During dialogue, characters are represented by portraits, just like in most other text adventures (such as the Ace Attorney games); and visual novels, for that matter. The art style distinguishes itself from the crowd, however, by being extremely sharply drawn, and well defined. Better still is the animation. I can’t quite place my finger on what makes the simple fluidity of the characters’ movements so visually appealing, but it’s not something you see often in a 2D game.

As a text adventure, Ghost Trick’s audio is understandably the smallest part of the package. The character’s aren’t voiced, and there it feels like the soundtrack is composed of a mere handful of BGMs. It’s a good thing, then, that each of the tracks are pretty good listens, and manage to complement whatever situation they play under nicely.

Ghost Trick is, overall, a very good game. The premise--a protagonist who is already dead--is fascinating enough to drawn you in, but it’s the sustained variety that will keep you going. New recurring characters are introduced on a frequent basis, and it’s never long before the game is sending you to a new location. Sure, you revisit places as well, but you never feel like your backtracking or seeing recycled content. The plot quickly snowballs into quite a tangle of events, but I’ve gotten used to that. All things considered--there are some tropes introduced into the plot later in the game that have historically been very difficult to pull off without leaving the reader behind--the story actually ties together pretty well. The one true flaw to the is its overall lack of replay value. The story is pretty meaty, featuring about 18 chapters, but the single solution approach to each puzzle means that once you’ve figured them out the first time, you’ll at least have a pretty good idea of how to progress during subsequent playthroughs. Overall..an 8.0/10

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

For the past two months or so, the only game I’ve been playing other than Apollo Justice and LittleBigPlanet 2--the former of which I finished a couple weeks ago and the latter I’ve only been playing on and off--is Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. And at many points I wasn’t entirely sure why.

Lords of Shadow represents a reboot in a series that I’ve never so much as dipped a toe in. As much as they dress it up, the story premise is fairly basic: evil has descended upon the world, and it’s up to you as Gabriel Belmont to squash it, but Gabriel’s real goal is the revival of his love, Marie, who was murdered by creatures of the night. To achieve this, he’ll need the God Mask, which has been broken into three pieces. Each of the pieces, however, is held by a Lord of Shadow. Conveniently, the Lords of Shadow--who each rule over a major race of evil, such as werewolves--are the ones responsible for the current state of things; killing two birds with one stone, I guess.

But really, I’ve come to think that this is all just a front. An excuse, if you will, to not only visit all kinds of locales, but to kill the various fantastical creatures residing in them, and look as awesome as possible while doing it. And do all this you will. Consequently, this is also where Lords of Shadows’ strengths tend to lie.

Combat is not atypical of the likes Dante’s Inferno and Bayonetta, both in style and mechanics. However, LoS definitely places itself in a higher class of difficulty without straying from its fantasy setting. Though the game encourages precision and finesse not unlike what’s required in, say Ninja Gaiden, it possesses enough cinematic flair and outright brutality to make the likes of Kratos proud. The gimmick introduced is that of Light and Shadow magic, each represented by a small bar on the left and right corners of the screen, respectively. Activating Light Magic allows you recover health with each hit you make, while Shadow Magic increases damage output. Furthermore, each also has it’s own share of powerful techniques that can only be used while one or the other is active. For example, with Light Magic you have many moves that are defensive in nature, such as the Holy Cross attack, which projects a wide stream of light so intense it not only dazes opponents, but rapidly damages them the longer they’re caught in it. Shadow augments the strength of many of your normal techniques (like turning normal daggers into flaming, exploding ones) while introducing new ones like a powerful shoulder charge that allows you to dash a short distance near instantly, knocking aside anyone or anything in your way. Both Light and Shadow magic can be enabled and disabled on the fly, in the middle combat. This gave me a nice feeling of control as I could change the flow of battle instantly depending on what I was using at the given moment.

To restore your magic, you have to collect magic orbs. Sometimes these are dropped when you kill enemies, but the quickest way to regain magic in the middle of combat is to simply play well. Consecutive hits dished out without taking damage add to a meter at the bottom of the screen, which, when full, make enemies drop one orb each time they take a hit; naturally there will be a a lot of orbs lying around soon enough, if you keep up the assault. The effect is shattered, however, the very next time you yourself are hit, discouraging simple button mashing.

Finally, you have an assortment of secondary consumable items used to varying effects. Throwing daggers are quick and represent a fast way to do ranged damage. Faeries will distract enemies. Holy Water functions like a grenade, and is especially devastating against vampires and undead. The magic crystal, when broken apart, summons a powerful demon to do major damage to anyone in the vicinity.

Gabriel’s weapon of choice is the Combat Cross, a unique, holy weapon granted to him for his excellent combat performance within the Brotherhood to which he belongs. The Combat Cross is, in it’s basic form, literally a large holy cross (actually kind of like a sword hilt without a blade). However, the tip secretes a long chain which Gabriel can use to..wait for it..whip enemies with. Aha! A whip! Of course.

Enemies come in a quite a variety, and Gabriel often has a unique way of dealing with each and every one of them, regardless of their size, ferocity or stature. The majority of the opponents you’ll encounter offer themselves up for a more brutal finisher after they’ve lost a certain percentage of health. Though our hero will sometimes use his weapon to finish the job (like staking vampires with the sharp tip), I’ve noticed Gabriel has a preference for killing a given creature with its given choice. One boss fight, for example, ends with Gabriel cutting off the arms of his opponent, and then running him through, all with his own blade. What I’m saying here is that the enemies don’t disappoint, and neither do their demises.

Other than combat, you’ll frequently come across platforming and puzzle sections. The platforming is competent, and certainly enjoyable, as it gives you a chance to really take in the gorgeous graphics and environments. At times it’s fairly reminiscent of Uncharted (and, to a lesser extent, Assassin’s Creed). Despite all this, however, the platforming sometimes managed to feel like filler to me, especially compared to the more intense moments in the game presented by the combat. I also found that a minor lack of consistency, with you being able to perform certain movements only at certain times in the game. Think Enslaved and you you’ll have the right idea, though it’s not that bad.

I’ve never really been the type of guy who enjoys puzzles, and I must say I understand even less why developers insist on putting them into action games, of all things. Why, after completing an epic boss battle, would I want to settle down for a brain teaser? The answer is I don’t want to do such a thing. …That said, the puzzles in Lords of Shadow are actually fairly amusing and clever most of the time, even if they are a little to plentiful for my tastes. Fortunately, all of the puzzles are seemingly optional, as you can opt to have the answer revealed to you, at the cost of the reward (which is usually a mild helping of XP).

Lords of Shadow is a surprisingly lengthy adventure. The game is about 11 chapters long, with each chapter spanning as many as nine levels (though more commonly they range from 3-6 levels). And yet, despite this, variety is truly the name of the game here. As you progress, you’ll collect all sorts of upgrades and items (such as the aforementioned Light and Shadow magic abilities, and various upgrades to the Combat Cross), in addition to a hoard of XP from defeated enemies. You can use the XP to buy new combos and also extra artwork. The game throws new experiences at you every chance it gets, to the point that you’ll eventually stop being surprised and just be looking for what new and interesting thing you’ll get to do next. The beginning of the game turns into an epic chase through the woods on a unicorn, fending off invading Wargs. After that, you go on to fight enemies some 50x your size, tame various creatures into mounts, and even engage in a fun variation of chess. All across what seems like a dozen different locales, including an enchanted forest, an abandoned city, Frankenstein’s lab, and the insides of a music box. This is one game that doesn’t try to stick to a single formula.

What finally compelled me to really want to try the full game out after playing the demo wasn’t really the gameplay, however. It was the presentation; the production values. This just reeked of a game that had a lot of time and resources flowing into it. Right off the bat, you see the book format of the pause screen and main menu, complete with narrated chapter prologues and cool little animated sketches exemplifying the various combos you could buy for use ingame (like those flip book sketches that used to be all the rage). You see the village, in the middle of a rain storm, terrorized by a giant Warg. You see a stranger, Gabriel, approaching, drenched in the rain. It’s just all so immersive. But a package like that isn’t complete without a well-composed soundtrack, and Oscar Araujo delivers, with a set of sweeping orchestral scores that give depth to nearly every moment in the game.

I don’t know how it compares to previous games in the series, but to honest, I no longer care. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is a quality title that invites you to follow Gabriel on one of the greatest journeys of the year. My only qualms with it are the questionable ending, and the way you are forced to pass many items by, even if they are in plain sight, simply because you don’t yet have the equipment necessary to obtain them. Fortunately, going back through earlier levels isn’t entirely without merit, as each level offers a “trial”, or optional objective you can try for. Overall, however, there’s a lot to like about Lords of Shadow. 9.0/10

Pokemon: A Basic Overview

I’ll admit it: Pokemon was a notable part of my childhood. I used to buy and trade cards; still have about 600 of them stashed away in my room (including the illusive holographic Charizard that was all the rage back in the day). I saw the first movie in theaters, and it was amazing (seen the majority of every other Pokemon movie since then). And you better believe I’ve been playing Pokemon portable games since the days of Red and Blue. Still got my Blue cartridge sitting on my dresser.

So suffice to say, I know a little bit about Pokemon. Granted, I never played competitively. I was more of a trade and collect kind of guy; not that I didn’t like battling, or that I was ever a passionate enough collector to get anywhere close to “catching em all”.

Introduction and History

I sometimes come across people new to the world of Pokemon, asking various questions such as “what goes into a good team”, “how do I battle effectively”, and “what kind of game is pokemon?”. The intent of this post is to give an overview of the series and basically be as informative as possible. I just felt like writing this because I’m actually in the middle of EV training a new team from the ground up in HeartGold.

So, Pokemon is a very broad, very big franchise. There’s the TV show, the movies, the card game, the console games, the merchandise (oh, the merchandise!), among others. But it all really comes from the main series of portable games, which themselves started on the Gameboy Color with Pokemon Red, Blue, Green (which was only available in Japan), and later Yellow. Now, before you feel overwhelmed by there being so many versions in a single generations, the first thing you should note is that most of the games in a generation are nearly identical in terms of everything but the pokemon available to you. The typical trend is, you have two versions which are pretty much the same, but one version will have a slightly different roster of pokemon available than the other. So there will be perhaps 4-6 Pokemon that can only be found in one version or the other. In the case of the first generation, these were Red and Blue (and Green). Later, a third version will come along, with all the pokemon of both previous versions, and often a couple gameplay variations. In this case, that’s Yellow.

Currently, there exist five generations of Pokemon games (though the fifth hasn’t quite reached North America yet). Each one usually introduces a new region to explore, which in turn means new characters and never-before-seen Pokemon. The Generations and their games are as follows..

Generation 1 (Gameboy) - Red, Blue, Green (Japan only), and Yellow

Generation 2 (Gameboy Color) - Gold, Silver, Crystal

Generation 3 (Gameboy Advance) - Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald + FireRed and Leafgreen (remakes of Gen1 games)

Generation 4 (DS) - Diamond, Pearl, Platinum + HeartGold and SoulSilver (remakes of Gen2 games)

Generation 5 (DS) - Black, White

However, even though the series spans at least a dozen titles now (not even counting Generation 5 and any spinoffs), over the course of more than a decade, the gameplay really hasn’t changed that much. Under all the bells and whistles and advancements made with each new generation are the same core principles introduced to the world with Red and Blue.

Gameplay

If one had to give these games a genre, I suppose “strategic turn-based RPG” would fit the bill well enough. You play as a Pokemon Trainer, with the simple goal of becoming the best of them all. To prove your mettle, each region of the world has in place a Pokemon League, headed by the Pokemon Champion, who is the reigning strongest trainer in the region. To be eligible to challenge the Champion, you’ll have to beat the Elite 4, a team of the four strongest trainers after the Champion. To be eligible to challenge the Elite 4, you’ll need all eight gym badges for that region. To get those, you’ll have to travel around the region, visiting Pokemon Gyms, who are lead by Gym Leaders. Each Gym Leader will relinquish his/her badge when you manage to defeat them. In short: Explore the region, beat the Gym Leaders, beat the Elite 4, become a hero. That is your quest. Whether you’re playing Pokemon Blue or Pokemon Platinum, this is your long term objective.

Now, gameplay. This is perhaps where most of the series’ longevity comes from. As of Generation 4, there’s about 500 Pokemon in existence. The vast majority of which are quite unique from each other. Simply put, the series’ gameplay revolves mostly around interactions with Pokemon. Battling with them, trading them, playing games with them, befriending them, traveling with them, growing with them, etc.

As you travel through the game, you’ll come across many other characters that you can get information from and chat with. Many of them will also challenge you to a battle if they see you. Which brings us to what is perhaps the most prevalent aspect of the series.

Pokemon battles are turn-based, which means there’s no player skill involved in them. Victory is obtained with knowledge, tactics, and in many cases, a bit of luck. Most battles are known as single battles, where you and one other trainer each send out one pokemon at a time to fight. Trainers are only allowed to carry up to six pokemon with them at a time, and battles are tag-team affairs. Generation 3 introduced double battles (my favorite type), which has each trainer sending out two Pokemon at a time to fight.

At the beginning of each turn in battle, you have four options. You can fight, use an item, switch your pokemon out, or attempt to run away (you can’t run away from battles with other trainers though). Each of these will use up your turn should you choose them. Choosing fight brings you to your pokemon’s set of moves. Each pokemon can remember up to four moves at a time. Moves come in a very wide variety, with some dealing damage, others lowering the stats of your opponent, others raising your stats, etc.

Each pokemon has limited amount of HP, or hit points, that is depleted as they sustain damage. Once one fully runs out of HP, it faints and becomes unable to fight. A battle is over when all of a trainer’s on-hand pokemon have been KO’ed, rendering him/her unable to continue.

Those are the basics, anyway. A brief overview of the series and what it’s about. If I haven’t mentioned it already, I’ll say it again. Much of the draw of Pokemon comes from the possibilities presented. The series’ slogan “Gotta Catch Em All!” is still one of the loftiest goals you can achieve in gaming. Going into a new generation and meeting dozens of new pokemon holds a certain level of fascination. Anyway, this post is for the outside looking in. Stay tuned for Intermediate Tips and Tricks, for those who’ve already bought a game and are now wondering what to do with it.

Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice

With the Phoenix Wright era of Ace Attorney games having supposedly ended, it’s come time for everyone’s favorite spiky-haired lawyer to pass on the mantle. And to whom has this honor been passed? A confident young man named Apollo; Apollo Justice, that is (are those puns I spy coming over yonder hill?). And though Mr. Wright and his band of buddies had really grown on my by the time I finished Trials and Tribulations, Apollo’s not such a bad guy.

But hold it! Why don’t we get to play as Phoenix anymore..? The answer is tragic, but simple, friend. He’s not a lawyer anymore. The trial that ended his career occurred seven years prior to this game, and just as you’d expect from anything Phoenix is involved in, it was quite sensational. Legendary, if you will. Phoenix used a piece of evidence in court that turned out to be forged. Fake. Phony. This mistake cost him his badge and his career. Fast forward, seven years later, and Mr. Wright is now a piano player at a pub--except he sucks as playing the piano. Really, Phoenix’s paychecks come from his ability to attract and entertain guests, who come to challenge him to a friendly game of poker. In these past seven years, he hasn’t lost a single game. But once more Phoenix finds himself in the defendant’s chair when his latest game ends in murder. Enter Apollo, who’s new to the lawyer game--much like Phoenix was in the first game--, mentored by Kristoph Gavin, a cool-headed defense lawyer who rose to prominence in Phoenix’s absence. Without spoiling too much..one thing leads to another, and Apollo ends up under Phoenix’s tutelage. Oh, and I should also mention that Phoenix also now has a daughter, Trucy Wright.

But of course, there’s more to this than meets the eye. Who is Trucy really? Why (or perhaps how) did Phoenix present forged evidence? What does Phoenix want with Apollo? Where is Maya!? These are the questions that ran through my mind as I worked my way through Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney.

In general, this game plays just like all other previous Ace Attorney games. Gameplay is split up between two types: investigation and the court trial. During the investigation segment you’ll try to learn more about the situation and build your defense case by gathering evidence and talking to various characters. Remember Ema Skye? Phoenix’s stand-in assistant throughout the final case of the first game? Yeah, she’s back, all grown up. And you know what that means? Forensic Investigation is back! You can closely examine each piece of evidence you come across in 3D, which, just like in the first game, is a common way to uncover more case details. Detective Skye--not particular concerned about such things as prosecutor loyalty--is far more willing to help than Gumshoe often was, if only because it gives her a chance to further indulge in the wonders of science.

Once you’ve done all you can during the investigation segment, you’ll go to court with your findings. Here, it’s you versus the prosecutor; initially Payne, with a swingin’ new hairdo, and later Klavier Gavin, Kristoph’s younger rockstar brother. In addition to presenting the odd piece of incriminating evidence, the prosecutor will attempt to get your client declared guilty by calling key witnesses to the stand. Usually these witnesses’ accounts are flawed in some way though, and it’s your job to bring blast their testimony apart, piece by piece, through cross-examination. This is done by questioning them, and, when you notice a statement that contradicts evidence, presenting the evidence in question to keep them on their toes and hopefully make them slip up. As you progress through the trial, more details of the case’s true nature will dawn on Apollo, and he’ll begin to make accusations and conjecture, which you must back up with evidence and correct logic. Inexplicably, you can’t present profiles, like you could in Justice for All and Trials and Tribulations, but that’s not a complaint, just an observation.

The biggest gameplay addition other than the return of forensic investigation is Apollo’s ability to “perceive” subtle movements in the witnesses. Many witnesses have telling nervous habits, such as fidgeting or neck scratching, that Apollo’s bracelet can pick up on, alerting him to the possibility of there being more to the testimony than meets the eye. When it’s active, you can touch the bracelet to focus, carefully examining each sentence in a statement, watching carefully for odd movements.

As usual, the cases are a little far-fetched and hard to keep up with at times, but the well-done and highly entertaining (read: humorous) writing--by now a staple of the series--coupled with the fantastically colorful cast of characters makes this a petty complaint. Trucy in particular is probably my favorite sidekick character since Wright’s stint with Ema Skye so long ago. Everything about her, from her visual design to her silly magic tricks such as the Amazing Mr. Hat, and Magic Panties (which make for a hilarious sub-plot) is endlessly amusing.

It’s taken me four games to notice, but the art design has slowly, subtly improved over the course of the series. Compare designs and artwork in Apollo Justice to that of the first Phoenix Wright game, and what you find may be surprising. Colors are more vibrant, shapes are much better defined, and the flamboyance of the character designs has been toned down just a tad, for a mildly more believable experience. The game also has more, somewhat more complex pre-rendered videos. Finally, I’ll admit to being more a fan of Apollo’s visual design than Phoenix’s. It’s pretty classy.

I’m about, oh, 40-50% through the game now, and so far I don’t feel like the game’s music is especially better or worse than any other games in the series. Along with a number of others, the “Cornered” theme (you know, the one that plays when you’re kicking butt in court?) has been remixed for Apollo with a jazzy flair, and I dig it a lot.

I miss playing as Wright..I really do. But other than the upcoming Phoenix Wright vs. Professor Layton, it seems his saga is over, at least for now. So I’m happy to know that the young man taking his place as the “Ace Attorney” seems to be capable of filling his mentor’s shoes just fine. An 8.5/10.