amphibious_ReViews

After finishing the stellar Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney trilogy, I was skeptical that a follow-up could actually do the series justice (no pun intended). I failed to see how a quasi-reboot could manage to bring back the magic of the original series, especially with some rando as the new protagonist, but I was more than pleasantly surprised. Apollo Justice managed both to bring back the trademark humor of the original trilogy and to bring new life to the gameplay, resulting in a worthy successor, rather than a cheap imitator, of the Ace Attorney legacy. The story follows newbie attorney, Apollo Justice , who just wants to make a name for himself but instead finds his career sidelined by a surprising betrayal and has to drastically adjust his trajectory. What follows is a pretty standard affair for an Ace Attorney game - chapter-based visual-novel-style gameplay stuffed with wacky characters, clever twists, and an overarching plot that neatly ties everything together. It even relies

Trials and Tribulations is easily the best game in the original Ace Attorney  trilogy. In addition to restructuring the formula established in the first two titles, this game brought back the overarching plot that Justice for All   was sorely lacking. Trials and Tribulations managed not only to have its own fantastic, self-contained story but also to unify all three games with a concluding chapter that completely blew me away. It was because of that story that I got sucked into this game, and sucked in quickly. Now you likely aren't, and shouldn't be, playing this before you have played its two predecessors, so you should be pretty familiar with the mechanics the moment you pick it up. Nothing new has been added since Justice for All , and the investigating, court battling, and psych-lock breaking feels the same as it always did. It's the story where Trials and Tribulations really shakes things up. Where the previous games were chronologically linear, this one actually b

The best video game sequels introduce new and exciting gameplay elements while still maintaining the feel of the original. Justice for All doesn't add much in the way of new features, but it does maintain the engaging investigation-and-defense gameplay that made the first game so fun. As players are already familiar with the game's main characters, Justice for All was really able to shine by skipping time-consuming introductions and diving straight into the development of characters' personalities, convictions, and relationships. The first Ace Attorney game made it clear that its unique characters are the heart of the franchise, and its sequel proves that many times over. If you've played Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney , then you'll feel right at home in Justice for All . If you haven't, you should absolutely play that first. Playing the Ace Attorney series in order is necessary to properly enjoy it, as this title picks up where the previous title left off. In

  Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a murder-mystery visual novel. The game's linear structure may leave some people frustrated, but, I found that the combination of intriguing mysteries and over-the-top characters was enough to keep me happily engaged the whole way through. The game did a great job of making me feel like I was the one making smart deductions and groundbreaking discoveries, even though they were all inevitable pieces of the main story, and I definitely consider that smart game design. I didn't find the whole game to be perfect, and the final episode suffers from a serious lack of cohesion, but that was far from enough to sour a game this good. Playing as an amateur defense attorney who seems to think he's also a detective, you are tasked with trying to protect your innocent clients from conviction, despite insurmountable odds. The only way this is possible is by finding every little contradiction in witness testimonies while in court, and interrogating the h

With Minish Cap being the only full-size original Zelda game on the Gameboy Advance , Capcom had their work cut out for them. Based on my experience, they were absolutely ready for the challenge. A common theme in Zelda games is the traversal between two parallel worlds, as introduced by A Link to the Past 's dark world. However, I would have never considered how cute, clever, and enjoyable an experience I would have if those worlds were only separated by the hero's size. The Minish Cap  has gameplay that is almost immediately recognizable for anyone who has played a 2d Zelda  game, and it feels very comfortable to jump into. However, additions like Kinstones (allowing players to open up new secrets in the world by matching collectibles with NPC's) and the ability to shrink to the size of a bug help this entry to stand apart. The developers were able to create dungeons that seamlessly combined the abilities of both full-size and mini Link, making the mechanic feel like