Capcom back in court February 12

The gavel has barely dropped on Capcom's latest courtroom adventure--this week's new release Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law--but the publisher already has a new court date in mind, this time for the next installment in its DS Ace Attorney series. Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, the follow-up to the Phoenix Wright courtroom-drama games, is set to arrive in North American stores on February 12.

As the title implies, the game follows up-and-coming lawyer Apollo Justice. Although the protagonist and his support staff are new to the series, the game isn't entirely devoid of familiar faces, with at least one returning character playing a role in the young attorney's first case.

For those unfamiliar with the previous Ace Attorney games, Capcom will be offering a free demo of Apollo Justice. Beginning later this month, DS owners will be able to download a trial version of the game from Nintendo Wi-Fi Stations, and Web surfers will be able to check out a Flash-based version of the demo at the game's official Web site.