phoenix wright ace attorney

Ace Attorney Anime [Episodes 1-4]

Kris P. Home, Kris & Rachel, Movie Reviews , , , , , ,

Ace Attorney Anime: Episodes 1-4 | Phoenix Wright | Capcom | DoublexJump.com

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Ace Attorney is one of our favorite video game franchises, with the original trilogy being some of the best games. And, while neither Rachel nor I were ever really into anime except for Pokemon, we were both interested in hearing that Ace Attorney got its own anime series.

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It’s been a long time coming, but we finally got a chance to sit down and watch it. Of course, we were going to get Crunchyroll when I noticed the website sells DVDs of Ace Attorney. I checked on Amazon, it was cheaper, and BAM! Impulse buy. We got it just in time too because the season one, volume 2 DVD set comes out in less than a month.

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Anime is definitely more dramatic or over exaggerated, if you will, than the American cartoons that I grew up watching, and Ace Attorney wasn’t an exception. It was great, of course, and we’re really enjoying it so far. We’ve watched the first four episodes which mirror the first two cases from the original game.

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We’ve played through the games a couple of times, so, for the most part, we remember what happens in each case. There are a couple of times we forget something here and there, but watching the anime we knew how everything was going to play out. Since each episode is only about 20-30 minutes long, the cases go by pretty quick. A few hours of gameplay is squished into 2 or 3 parts of 20-minute episodes. But it’s enjoyable all the same.

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Seeing the game scenes and characters come to life is so much fun. Phoenix and Maya tend to act as we always pictured they would, and we’re enjoying all the voice actors so far — the English voice actors, of course. It’ll be interesting to re-watch the episodes in Japanese to hear how the characters sound.

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Yeah, watching it in Japanese is something I want to try. Maya’s voice sounds a little young for her age, but it’s easy to get used to. Detective Gumshoe is more serious than he is in the games, but I enjoy his character all the same. And then there’s Edgeworth… his voice actor and animations are all sexy. I love it.

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I was actually really impressed with Redd White from the Turnabout Sisters case. His voice and mannerisms were spot-on, with his narcissism and arrogance. I do hope that the later episodes will show more of the scenery outside of the courtroom. While the trial portion of the episodes are fun, I would like to see a little more exploration.

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We’re starting to see a little bit more investigation as the episodes go on. That’s how they did it in the games too, which is pretty cool. I’m sure as the cases get longer we’ll start to see more. I love the show, but I would also love to see a movie. I know they do have a movie in Japan, but even if it’s anime, that would be amazing.

Have you ever seen the Ace Attorney anime? Let us know in the comments below!

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Of Video Games and Comics

Kris P. Game Collection, Home, Kristen , , , , , , , , ,

Double Jump Kris MiiIt’s always amazing to me how much reach a video game franchise has in other mediums, such as movies, music, and visual art. This post is dedicated to some new buys that celebrate some of our favorite franchises in the art form of comics!

Rachel and I tend to go to Barnes and Noble on Saturdays to supposedly work on our writing, but the past few times we went there, we’d get our Frappuccinos from the cafe and then wander around, inevitably finding a book or two or dozen to buy.

Last time we went with the explicit plan to buy comics.

Growing up, I’ve always loved comics, and one franchise that my uncle had gotten me into was the Archie Comics. They’ve been rebooted a couple of times and I’ve gotten the first couple of volumes of the newest reboot to enjoy. Rachel wanted to try them and quickly finished the two volumes as well, so we figured we’d pick up the third volume and whatever other comics that happened to catch our eye. We found ourselves in the graphic novel and manga section, suddenly remembering that many of our favorite video game franchises had manga adaptations as well.

So, I grabbed a basket, and we went to town:

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a couple of the Pokemon Adventure manga, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, and the Four Swords volume of The Legend of Zelda — I’d say Rachel and I made out pretty well.

What do you think of our new buys? Have you read any of them?

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Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice Game Review

Rachel Game Reviews, Home, Kris & Rachel, Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS & 2DS , , , , , , ,

Title: Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice
Company: Nintendo, Capcom
Console: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: June 9, 2016
How we got the game: We bought it.

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Ever since we discovered Trials and Tribulations on the Wii’s Virtual Console years ago, we’ve been hooked on the Ace Attorney series. The visual novel’s point-and-click exploration combined with the “who dun it” logic puzzles really tested our brains and emotions. The amazing writing and wonderful characters kept us invested throughout the entire game.

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So, naturally, when Spirit of Justice was announced, I went crazy. I believe it was early in the morning when I heard the news and I woke Kris up just to tell her. Still, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the game!

gameplay

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Like the majority of the Ace Attorney series, Spirit Of Justice split its time between investigation sequences and the trial in court. Investigations involved talking to people to gather information about the crime, usually a murder, and clicking on the scene to gather clues. Court would have us cross-examine witnesses, pointing out contradictions and presenting evidence to sway the judge to our side.

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Even though this is the same, each game has its own twists to it and Spirit of Justice was no different. We have Apollo’s bracelet, Athena’s widget for therapy sessions, and spirit channeling was brought back. Not to mention, we’re in a new setting so the laws are different putting us in more danger than ever.

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Yes, the main cast have their special abilities to help discern the truth from all the witnesses that commit perjury. They were all used throughout the game, and Spirit of Justice also introduced Insights. With the new setting, Khura’in, Insights were used to decipher Divination Seances, where a new character was able to show the victim’s final moments. It was quite an interesting addition!

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It really was interesting because you’d think that’d be it. The final moments is just that. But with a little thinking and exploring the victim’s five senses, not everything adds up and there’s more to the death than meets the eye. It really was a fun and clever additon!

graphics-music

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We’re always impressed with the soundtracks of the Ace Attorney games — the music always has the correct tempo and sound to really amp up the scene, especially during the trial sequences when we’re confronting a suspect.

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With the new Khura’in setting, the music for the new characters and news places was awesome. It really set the tone (and danger levels in some cases). Kris and I take turns reading as different characters and there were times I would just pause to take in the music.

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You can’t not listen to the music! We would love to someday get our hands on the soundtrack! The graphics are well done too, with the sprites, their animations, and the anime cutscenes. I honestly wouldn’t have minded a few additional cutscenes!

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I wish there were more cutscenes. Plus, at the end of each case in the original trilogy, there was a group photo of the gang that was always adorable. I wish they added some of that in as well.

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Oh, yes, I missed those illustrations! Especially if you consider how much of an impact family made on the final case… Imagine how adorable a group photo would have been!
story

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Where do I begin about the story? As usual, the final case ties all the previous cases together. Except for the fourth case this game… We still haven’t figured out how that ties in other than reintroducing Prosecutor Blackquill. Anyway, we take a trip to Khura’in where Phoenix finds himself in trouble (of course) as does Maya (who is back–yay!). But while they brought back old and new characters alike, we learn a lot more about Apollo’s background, which was awesome.

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Yes, the fourth case was a bit odd… Enjoyable, of course, with Athena and Blackquill, but still odd as it didn’t really fit in with the rest of the cases. It was as if the developers of the game added that case in at the last moment because they forgot to give Athena a trial to star in. There wasn’t even an investigation part! Phoenix, of course, is busy in Khura’in, where he learns that lawyers are all but extinct due to a law called the Defense Culpability Act — basically, a defendant’s lawyer was to suffer the same fate as the accused. If the defendant was found guilty and put to death, so would the lawyer for “abetting a criminal.” There was a group called the Defiant Dragons bent on leading a revolution against the regime in order to right the legal system, and as Apollo and Phoenix, we joined right in!

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For the final case, we swapped back and forth between playing as Apollo and Phoenix. In the end, they teamed up for the trial part which was great. I don’t think we’ve had a case where the two of them teamed up together before. Overall, the story of the game was so in-depth and, in my opinion, the most shocking and revealing for the characters. It was really well done! My biggest worry is that there won’t be another game…. There were a lot of references to all the previous games and they brought back a lot of older characters. It was actually a good ending for the series as a whole, but I hope that’s not the case. There was a final scene at the end of the credits that made me believe there will in fact be another game, so I hope that’s the case.

replay-value

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While we love the characters and stories, we do sometimes find it a little difficult to return to the games. The investigations and trials aren’t linear at all and can really take a lot of brain power to figure out, but once you know the story and the outcome, it’s not as exciting the first time around.

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I will still play these games over again when I have the time, but I agree. It’s just not the same when you already know the culprit. I mean, the last case is usually a doozy with many twists and surprises. But it won’t be as “fun” and “shocking” since we already know the answer.

Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice gets…
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5 out of 5 lives.

Have you played this game? What did you think? Let us know in the comments! 

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For the Love of Ace Attorney

Rachel First Impressions, Home, Kris & Rachel, Nintendo , , , , , , ,

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If you follow our Twitter, you may have realized that we’re currently in the middle of playing Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice. We’ve been playing these games for years when we first found Trials and Tribulations on the Wii Virtual Console. It took us a while to realize that Trials and Tribulations had been the third game of the original trilogy! However, that’s just one reason as to why we love these games — while we obviously like to play them in chronological order, the series is great in allowing players to dive into any of the games and still understand them enough to enjoy them.

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Sure, we had been confused at some references, but we were able to play the game like normal anyway. We’re always excited to hear when a new Ace Attorney game comes out because as much as we love them, it’s hard to replay them. We already know the answers, who killed who, and so on. There’s no more “A-Ha!” moment or element of surprise when you’re playing them again as opposed to the second time. Regardless, I could play them forever if I could.

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Yes, I suppose the replay value isn’t as high as it could be due to us knowing the answers after the first playthrough. The stories and characters are amazing, and we replay the games for them as well as the music. Holy sugar, the music in these games is phenomenal! Every piece of music is perfect, and the way the scores match up to the scenes is amazing!

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I hum to the music all the time! I even found the soundtracks on Amazon, but… well, the prices aren’t as low as I would like. So they’re on my wishlist until I’m able to grow a money tree in my backyard. Aside from the music, I think one of my favorite aspects of the game is the characters. Each and every one has an important role to fulfill and even if they’re “enemies,” they’re still friends. They all try to help each other out and get to the truth.

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I adore how everyone is one big happy family! Obviously, like real families, they get annoyed with one another, but they all try to do their best for one another and for themselves. Playing with these characters as they struggle to hold onto their beliefs, like believing in their clients, is a fantastic lesson to all — even when everything around you looks bleak, just keep going, keep doing your best and everything else will be okay.

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Yes, the overall message of the games is awesome as well. There are a lot of life lessons to be learned, great music to dance to, wonderful characters you wish you knew in real life, and also great stories. I mean, minus the dead bodies, of course.

What do you think of the Ace Attorney series? Let us know in the comments below!

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“Falcon PUNCH!”

Rachel Home, Kristen, Rachel , , , ,

gaming-asks-punch-in-face

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We gush a lot on this blog about characters that we love and admire from our favorite video game franchises. Yet, a rite of passage for a gamer is rage-quitting a game over a level, a bad game mechanic, or an awful character. So, Rachel, if there was a character you could punch in the face, who would it be?

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Winston Payne. I love to hate the default prosecutor from the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney series. His voice alone is enough to make me cringe (though it makes me laugh and I love to mimic it) and his hair bothers me. He’s a great character, but he’s the type that you love to hate.

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His name, along with his brother’s Gaspen Payne, is fantastic, though! There’s not too many characters that I would actually like to punch, but there is one from the Zelda franchise that annoys and, frankly, creeps me out a bit… Tingle. Sure, he helpfully sells you maps in Majora’s Mask, but he’s not the kind of character that I want to regularly interact with.

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I forgot about Gaspen, actually… Tingle is a good one. I never really liked him, no matter how helpful he was. He was always annoying to me. You know who else I would love to punch in the face? Wario. I know there are so many people who like him, and I don’t mind him, but he’s just the type of character that could use a good smack in the face.

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Yeah, Wario definitely was never my favorite either. Sometimes I think he’s the kind of character that people love to hate, even if some of them aren’t villains. In fact, there are villain characters that I enjoy beating to save the day — like Ganondorf, antagonist teams from Pokemon games, Bowser — but none that I particularly want to punch. Except Lusamine from Pokemon Sun and Moon. That crazy woman just needed a beat down.

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Lusamine is crazy, I agree. I feel like there are a lot of video game characters out there that are kind of crazy in that sense. Like Ghirahim from Skyward Sword, for example. Except I love that guy. I don’t want to punch him in the face.

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Why would you want to punch someone who dances so fabulously? Most of these characters that we have mentioned aren’t the actual villains of the games, and I find it interesting that video game characters have enough depth to make us want to punch them in the face despite that they aren’t the designated villains.

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I actually like most of the villains, though… Except Ganondorf. He’s weird. Either way, you like who you like and sometimes you just love to hate people.

Are there any gaming characters that you hate or love to hate? Let us know in the comments below!

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Character Spotlight: Phoenix Wright

Rachel Character Spotlight, Rachel , , , , , , , ,

Rachel Mii Double JumpHappy Tuesday!

The end of the month (and the year!) is coming before we know it.

So, here’s the Character Spotlight for December!

Character Spotlight: Phoenix Wright

I swear I didn’t pick Phoenix to be this month’s spotlight because of that news article I found a few weeks ago.

Anyway…

Phoenix Wright is a defense attorney in the hit series, Ace Attorney, from Capcom. Phoenix first appeared in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney in 2001 for the Nintendo DS. There were two more games in that trilogy where he played the main character.

He returned in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney in 2008 for the Nintendo DS, but not as the main defense attorney. He returned as a defense attorney again in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies in 2013 for the Nintendo 3DS and then again, most recently, in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice in 2016 for the Nintendo 3DS.

Phoenix is pretty popular and famous among all the games he’s been in.

What I love most about Phoenix is that he isn’t a hard-ass like most portrayals of lawyers are. He does his best and doesn’t rest until justice is served. Yet, he doesn’t do all this without complaining.

He keeps his friends close, but his enemies closer. The relationship he has between Maya, his assistant, Trucy, his daughter, and Apollo and Athena, his collegues, is wonderful. He takes care of all of them as though he were their older brother or father.

The dynamic he has with the other prosecutors, especially Miles Edgeworth, an old friend, is great as well.

No matter what happens, they all manage to work together to find the truth.

Phoenix is just one of those characters who I would love to know in real life. What he does is amazing and he’s always looking out for others.

Plus, he has witty and sassy internal dialogue that just makes him all the more realistic.

What do you think of Phoenix Wright? Have you ever played any of those games? Let me know in the comments below! 

Friday Favorites: Villains

Kris P. Friday Favorites, Home, Kristen, Top Tuesday , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Double Jump Kris MiiOh my goodness, it’s almost Christmas!

Despite the awesome feel-good, jolly, everything-is-wonderful kind of emotions that run rampant during this time of the year, let’s talk about some of our favorite video game villains. You know, those people that you love to hate (or hate to love).

Team Skull

Okay, so I’m not done with the story in Pokemon Moon, but so far the antagonistic team seems awesome. These dorks are hysterical, and I can’t wait to keep going to see what sort of antics they get up to!

Manfred von Karma

This dude was ridiculous. His cold attitude towards his adopted son, towards his victims, was horrible and his aim for perfection made me want to sock him across the jaw. The pressure he put on his children did not put him on my good list, but he was a shoe-in for a favorite villain.

Ganondorf

Although the Legend of Zelda series has a plethora of amazing characters, heroes and villains alike, Ganondorf was always intriguing. Unlike Link and Zelda, who are reincarnated in almost every game, there has been evidence that Ganondorf is one man forever looping in time for his quest for power. You have to admire his ambition and determination!

Smithy

The main villain behind all the catastrophe that had robbed the world of wishes in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Smithy was a machine-loving robot fanatic. You heard all about him throughout the entire adventure until you finally come face-to-face with him in the final two-part battle. The build-up to the scene and Smithy’s complete apathy to the heroes trying to talk him out of overrunning the world with machines really makes you dive into the fight with gusto to save the world. That, and the music during his battle is fantastic!

What are some of your favorite video game villains?