Product Description

Players star as rookie defense attorney Apollo Justice as he visits crime scenes, questions key witnesses and collects vital evidence before stepping into the courtroom to prove his clients` innocence. Facing Apollo across the courtroom is the highly talented and flamboyant prosecutor Klavier Gavin who, in addition to being a legal genius, is also lead singer with Gavinners, a highly successful rock band with a string of hits to their name. He may be young and inexperienced but Apollo`s confident manner and passion, coupled with his unique ability to uncover witnesses` lies by studying their body language, will prove invaluable assets in the courtroom as he pleads the case for the defense. Thankfully, Apollo is not alone and is aided both in and out of the courtroom by his assistant Trucy, a mysterious female magician. Apollo also receives invaluable advice from his mentor the ultra-cool Kristoph Gavin, elder brother of Klavier, whose perfect logic and natural instincts have won him numerous cases and the respect of his colleagues.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1828 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Capcom
• Released on: 2008-05-09
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Platform: Nintendo DS
• Subtitled in: English
• Dimensions: .55 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review

The idea of a lawyer simulator may sound unappealing, but over the last few years the Ace Attorney series has made a name for itself through its gameplay and humour. This is the first in the series exclusively for the DS. As Apollo Justice you search for clues at the beginning of each trial and then interrogate suspects in court. The real appeal is the script, which is genuinely funny and brings to life a bizarre set of characters from your assistant who’s also a part time magician to your pop star rival lawyer.

Manufacturer's Description

Players star as rookie defense attorney Apollo Justice as he visits crime scenes, questions key witnesses and collects vital evidence before stepping into the courtroom to prove his clients' innocence. Facing Apollo across the courtroom is the highly talented and flamboyant prosecutor Klavier Gavin who, in addition to being a legal genius, is also lead singer with Gavinners, a highly successful rock band with a string of hits to their name. He may be young and inexperienced but Apollo's confident manner and passion, coupled with his unique ability to uncover witnesses' lies by studying their body language, will prove invaluable assets in the courtroom as he pleads the case for the defense. Thankfully, Apollo is not alone and is aided both in and out of the courtroom by his assistant Trucy, a mysterious female magician. Apollo also receives invaluable advice from his mentor the ultra-cool Kristoph Gavin, elder brother of Klavier, whose perfect logic and natural instincts have won him numerous cases and the respect of his colleagues.

Customer Reviews

More of the same Ace Attorney goodness
If you enjoyed the three Phoenix Wright games you'll enjoy this. It's more of exactly the same - investigation followed by trial, followed by further investigation and more trial. There are the usual infuriating moments when you can't work out what to do next, but that's all part of the fun.

I don't want to give too much away, but you might get a shock from the opening couple of cases. Don't worry, because everything is resolved in the end, and you learn to like the new characters as much as the old ones. I really liked the fact that each of the cases is linked together - it all forms one coherent story (in a way that the PW games only partly managed to achieve)

Only complaint is that, like the very first PW game, you can't present suspects as evidence, but Apollo has new skills that make up for that...

Can't wait for the next game in the series, set to feature Miles Edgeworth as Ace Prosecutor....!

Apollo, we love you! :)
If, like me, you're a loyal fan of the Phoenix Wright games, you may be hesitant to try this game, but after playing it, I can say, don't let preconceptions put you off. It's true, that this game is just like a new Phoenix Wright, but that seems to be the point, and it's not a negative thing, as there are differences to the original games.
Apollo Justice is a rookie defense attorney, taking over where Phoenix left off. His clients are people who always appear to be overwhelmingly guilty, yet somehow, as the game progresses, Apollo is able to turn around the evidence in order to get a 'not guilty' verdict (hence the fact that each episode begins with 'turnabout'- like the Phoenix Wright episodes).
Your time is spent investigating, searching for crucial pieces of evidence and then, when you have your evidence, you proceed to the courtroom (don't worry if you think you've missed a piece of evidence, as the game will not let you proceed to court unless you find all that you need. This means that you will have what you need in court, you just need to figure out how, and when, to use it).
The difficulty level of the game varies. At times you may be convinced that a piece of evidence is relevant, but it is dismissed in court, and
you are awarded a penalty (too many penalties in court equals an instant 'Guilty' verdict from the judge). If you are truly stuck (which, I'll admit, I was at times) you can always search for an online walkthrough, but try not to do this often if you want to get as much enjoyment out of the game as possible. There is a great deal of satisfaction in working out 'who did what, and why' on your own, without help.
Most of the characters are new, but there are familiar faces from the earlier Ace Attorney games, which definately makes the
game more enjoyable (the first case in particular re-introduces a popular character in quite a shocking turn of events).
The new characters are interesting, in particular, the addition of Klavier Gavin, rockstar/ prosecutor, is a welcome one (although, for me, Miles Edgeworth is still the best prosecutor!) :)
If you've played the Phoenix Wright games, you'll remember the 'Magatama' and the 'Psyche-Locks,' which Phoenix sees when someone is lying to him.
Apollo Justice, however, offers a new spin on this, as Apollo is able to use his bracelet to detect lies through the nervous habits of witnesses. This is particularly interesting, as a witness' testimony can seem water-tight, but the subtle body-language casts doubt on what they are saying. The nervous habits are usually very difficult to 'percieve,' and in order to spot them, you are given a close up, slow-motion view of the witness, which you use to search their body for the nervous habit, as well as when it is displayed (in particular, what they are saying when they give away their discomfort).
This game is great fun for anyone new to the Ace Attorney franchise, as well as those suffering from Phoenix Wright withdrawal symptoms!
Even if you have never played the other games, the game is very easy and fun to use, and I guarantee you'll be revisiting the earlier games! Enjoy.

It's what you'd expect, if you've played the other games
The Ace Attorney (Phoenix Wright) series is back, but this time with a new protagonist: the entertainingly named Apollo Justice. If you're thinking that's a sign that the game takes itself too seriously, fear not: one of the first things the game does is make fun of the titular character's name.

So, this is pretty much in line with the rest of the Phoenix Wright series: a bit of point-and-click graphical adventure (investigation) alongside a logic/mystery game (court), with some arbitrary wackiness thrown in. Also like its predecessors, all the cases are tied together (albeit somewhat flimsily) in the last one.

If, like me, you really wanted to see the characters from previous games, fret not: an older Phoenix hangs around in the background throughout, and you actually do get to play as him (bumping into Detective Gumshoe along the way - but sadly not Maya, Pearl or the spectral Mia) in the last case. However, overwhelmingly (the exceptions being the judge and Ema Skye) the characters are all new. This is actually a good thing, as the new bunch seem to be better drawn and more interesting. The music is mostly new, but not the best in the series.

The gimmick this time round is the ability to read body language in some sections to detect lies (for the plot, this makes no sense, but it's still interesting): this manifests as a "focus" on an area you can select while the testimony continues in slow motion. Once you spot the aberrant behaviour (fiddling, sweating, whatever), you tap a button, and Apollo crows about his new discovery, somehow resulting in the witness telling the truth. It's both a fun mechanic and a frustrating one: it's enjoyable to spot the giveaway, but it can be rather time-consuming to find it in the first place.

Like the extra case tacked on the end of DS "Phoenix Wright" 1, you get to play a bit with forensic tools, though it always seems like arbitrary gameplay, as you pretty much have to discover the evidence in question first. Other than that, the DS' features seem rather underused: the primary UI is still rather GBA-like.

The last (of four) case in this game is a bit special: in a fancy computer-like interface, you get to go through some "past" and "present" areas in a kind of investigation phase. For this, the navigation UI at least seems much nicer (no travelling to one location to allow travel to another), and you get to interactively explain what Phoenix was doing in the intervening seven years, albeit with some Back-To-The-Future style logic flaws. Though this section of the game is relatively short, it's heavy on the exposition, which makes it pretty pleasant if you've been trying to work out what had happened.

The game definitely has its flaws: there are the usual bits where you can pick to cite some evidence which you know is relevant but the game doesn't want, however the game is more forgiving of this in general than its predecessors. There are also a few stumpers which require you to know something that the game has not clearly conveyed - for example, a word in blood which has actually been smudged rather than sloppily written. Finally, of course, there's very little replay value.

Overall, the game is quite well-produced and eminently fun to play. If you like mysteries or graphical adventures at all, it's worth a go; just be prepared to google for a walkthrough in case you need it.