An amazing new entry in the series. Check out my video review here.
I'm a huge fan of the Ace Attorney series and as soon as I completed Apollo Justice, I was eager for some more pressing and presenting goodness. I didn't have to wait long as now we have Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth to satisfy our glorified lives of lawyers. The 4th instalment is a lot different than previous ace attorney outings with new gameplay mechanics and an old and familiar character stepping in Phoenix Wright's shoes. Can Miles Edgeworth deliver like our favourite spiky-haired Defense Lawyer did before him?
Story
As you've probably already figured out, Phoenix Wright, nor Apollo Justice is the playable character here. Fans of the series will recognise old rival of Phoenix Wright Miles Edgeworth as the protagonist. I was debating whether Edgeworth has the staying power and charisma to have his own game. He was a likeable character, almost like a Father-figure, in previous instalments, where we saw him transition from brutal prosecutor hell-bent on getting a guilty verdict to a true friend of Phoenix Wright, pre-occupied with justice and seeking the truth. Now that transition and story has already been told, I was wondering how you could make him interesting. He lacks the quirkiness and silliness that made Phoenix Wright and even Apollo Justice so likeable in the 1st place. I played throughout the game and whilst he wasn't as interesting and likeable as Phoenix Wright, I was pleasantly surprised with his character. I believe this is thanks to the relationship Edgeworth shares with his Detective partner Dick Gumshoe, who is a bumbling and loveable idiot fans of the series will immediately recognise. I especially enjoyed how whenever Gumshoe fluffed something up, Edgeworth would ponder some witty response in his head. As far as new characters go, they are interesting, but not as much as the series' previous personalities. Fans of the series will greatly appreciate the numerous cameos that make an appearance too.
The story is the essential part of this game, so I won't delve too deep. What I will say though is that I thoroughly enjoyed the narrative and especially how it intertwined the game's separate cases with each other. The Ace Attorney series have a habit of always making their last cases more interesting than the other's and Miles Edgeworth is no exception. There are also 5 cases here instead of the usual 4, so this added to the games' quite limited staying power.
Gameplay
I was shocked to realise that the 4th Ace Attorney game is not set in a courtroom at all. As the name suggests, this game is all about the investigation aspect. Instead of moving a cursor around a screen from a fixed still position, you get to control Edgeworth from a 3rd person perspective by using either the d-pad or touch-screen to move around crime scenes. Whilst this doesn't change the core gameplay very much, it did make the experience feel much more involving. The cross-examinations found in the courtroom in previous games is still here, they just happen out in the field instead. I was glad they decided to keep this feature and I found it clever how well they implemented these instances within the story. Edgeworth doesn't have Wright's magatama or Justice's bracelet, but he does have his logic. This is a new feature where whenever a question is posed in the investigation or an odd piece of evidence is found, Edgeworth adds these thoughts to his memory bank. You then join these thoughts together whenever two pieces of information explain or contradict each other. This new feature isn't groundbreaking, but it is a welcome feature which I enjoyed using a lot.
The Ace Attorney series have been known not to be very challenging, due to being able to save whenever you want. This feature is essential sometimes though as there is some trial and error contained within this game. It didn't occur very often for me, but it did happen. The cases themselves aren't too challenging, but I was not put off by this. If it was more challenging, then there would be more trial and error. Overall, I loved the new and familiar features that Miles Edgeworth has brought. It's just not as ground-breaking as the original Phoenix Wright game.
Presentation
This is the best looking Ace Attorney game yet, and has been wonderfully presented on 2 screens. The characters and environments have been wonderfully designed with plenty of colour and detail. The cut-scenes are also more impressive than before and whilst the series' is still void of voice acting, that's probably a good thing. After all, Edgeworth shouting out 'Eureka!' doesn't quite have the same impact as Phoenix Wright's 'Objection! The synth tunes and the wacky sound effects are all here and they really do help keep this game alive.
If you're an avid fan of the Ace Attorney series, it's likely you've either already picked up a copy of Miles Edgeworth, or are already planning on getting one. Due to there being no replay value, I would recommend renting this one, as one should do with any Ace Attorney game. Newcomers to the series would also appreciate this game, but the familiar cameos and features cater more to the series' fans. If you've never played an Ace Attorney game, I would recommend getting the original Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney and make your way through the undeniably entertaining series. Miles Edgeworth is a welcome addition to the classic series and here's me hoping the series will continue to thrive for years to come. I give Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth for the Nintendo DS a 9 out of 10.